'BEAUTIFUL' 'ELEGANT' 'GRACEFUL'. THESE ARE JUST A FEW OF THE ADJECTIVES TO DESCRIBE J CLASS YACHTS

AUTHOR: ROGER BAGSTAFF

THE HISTORY OF THE FULL SIZED J CLASS

Quite obviously, the history of J Class yacht is a vast subject and many books have been written on the subject. This article is not intended to give the reader a definitive insight into the full history but to give a precis of some of the more salient points. Neither will this article include any detail regarding the building of a model J Class yacht.
J Class yachts were the epitome of grandness, huge hulls, enormous sails and large numbers of crew sometimes numbering as many as forty.

To give an example of the dimensions, weighing 166 tons Ranger was 41.15 m long (135 ft), 26.5 m waterline (87 ft), 6.4 m beam (21 ft), 4.57 m draught (15 ft), had a sail area of 701 rn2 (7545.5 f?) and had spinnakers of 1772.25 (18000 ft2). Some yachts had masts that were 45.7 m (150 ft) from the deck.

Weetamoe (designed by Clinton Crane) was the narrowest of the American J's.

The 'J' Class yachts were built to a precise specification introduced by Nathanael Herreshoff, an American naval architect. Yachts Lionheart and Rainbow under sail at the J Class regatta in Falmouth, 2012

J Class yacht Velsheda under sail
This specification became known as 'Herreshoff's Rule' , later becoming known as the 'Universal Rule'. To enter the America's Cup, these single masted yachts had to conform to the Universal Rule.

The Universal Rule was mainly intended to avoid handicapping, which was extremely difficult to implement and very complicated. This rule came into being in 1920 and took into consideration the hull length, hull shape and sail area. It stands to reason Yacht Ranger under sail at the J then, that J Class yachts
Class regatta in Falmouth were permitted to
sail in the America's Cup provided that their rating was within the parameters of the Universal Rule The Universal Rule is:
0.18 . L . VS

Where:
L is boat length (a number itself derived from a formula that includes Load Waterline Length L.W.L in feet)
S is sail area
D is displacement
R is rating
To comply with the Universal Rule, the waterline lengths had to be between 23.16 m (76 ft) and 26.52 m (87 ft). With a confirmed
J Class yachts Rainbow (foreground) and Velsheda under sail displacement, the formula could then be used to calculate the permissible sail area. Yachts having the longest waterline were found to be the fastest, especially around the 1930s.

Endeavour Il and Ranger both had maximum waterline lengths of 26.52 m (87 ft).

The Universal Rule separated boats of different sizes into classes which were identified by a letter: two masted yachts were in classes A to H and single masted yachts in classes I to S.
Eighteen yachts were designed but only ten were built to the Universal Rule, each costing in excess of $500-000, (E332,OOO) approximately E.4.5m at today's rate. A vast sum of money for the 1920s and 1930s by anyone's standard. The Great Depression and the 1929 Wall Street Crash did not deter these millionaires from having new yachts built, such as Harold Vanderbilt (American railroad executive), Sir Thomas Lipton (Scottish tea merchant) or Sir Tom Sopwith (English aviation pioneer). It will be of no surprise to anyone that the owners of these yachts were multi-millionaires.

The steel hulls were built using a welding system known as the 'shielded arc process', this is a manual arc welding procedure that uses a flux covered electrode to create the weld. This is more informally known as stick welding. The British yachts were generally all steel construction but the American boats were of steel above the waterline and bronze below the waterline. Some I I O tons of lead was welded to the keel of Ranger to give counterbalance for the mast. Masts were produced from aluminium, which, apart from being lightweight, is resistant to corrosion and has a superior strength to weight ratio than steel.
The downturn in the economy and World War Two did eventually spell the end for these magnificent craft but since about 1980 the J Class yacht has begun to make a comeback. Replica's of Ranger,
Endeavour Il and Rainbow have been built and are sailing again. What a sight to behold.
For the first time, boats from various countries and of various designs were able to compete in the America's Cup under a uniform measurement rule. Six of the ten boats built within the Universal Rule were American. They were; Enterprise. Whirlwind. Weetamoe, Yankee, Rainbow and Ranger. The four boats built in the United Kingdom were; Shamrock V, Velsheda, Endeavour and Endeavour Il.
The first official race for The America's Cup for J Class yachts was in 1930 between Enterprise (Harold S. Vanderbilt) and Shamrock V (Sir Thomas Lipton). The American built Enterprise was technically superior to the British built Shamrock, the hull was developed using scale models and tank testing. The sail design was developed in a wind tunnel by the American designer William Starling Burgess who had a background in aviation and aerodynamics. The adjustable 'Park Avenue' boom was first seen on this boat — the draught of the sail could be controlled by slides across the wide base of the boom, allowing a curve to be put into the foot of the mainsail.
The next match was in 1934 between the defender Rainbow and
Endeavour ll. Rainbow was designed for light weather but Endeavour Il almost took the Cup, a 'certain' third place was lost due to a tactical mistake by Tommy Sopwith when he failed to cover the boat behind. Endeavour Il, which was designed by Charles Nicholson, was deemed to be the fastest and most beautiful J Class Yacht ever built. Although being the fastest boat, Endeavour did not win the 1934 America's Cup. Due to superior tactical sense and good fortune, the American yacht Rainbow won the race.
After dominating the British racing scene until 1938, Endeavour
Il was laid up until the end of iM'Vll. She was saved by Elizabeth
Meyer of Newport, Rhode Island (a yacht restoration pioneer) in 1984 and after a refit costing ten million dollars she was relaunched in 1989. Endeavour once again became a sight to behold. The race in 1937 was between Endeavour Il and Ranger. (Designed by Olin Stevens) Ranger proved superior by winning all four races. Endeavour Il then 'struck her colours', conceded and was scrapped in 1968.
The trophy for the America's Cup was affectionately known as the
'auld mug' and the race between Endeavour and Ranger was the last race of its kind. Shamrock, Endeavour and Velsheda survived the war and have all have been refurbished at enormous cost and still sail today in major regattas around the world. Endeavour and Velsheda were at Auckland, New Zealand, during the America's Cup series.
One of the main characteristics of the J Class yacht is the Bermuda rigging. This has a continuous mast without any extensions and has high rigging instead of the use of a gaff rig. Jib sails are attached to the deck and not to a bowsprit as with previous designs.
Although regarded as the most advanced yachts ever built, the J Class eventually became too expensive to continue. Between 1935 and 1941 , all of the American boats were consigned to the scrap heap. Some of the British boats befell the same fate but some were simply abandoned. The fascination of J Class yachts survives to this day, their beauty, size and speed (around twelve knots), still places these boats high on the sailing pedestal. Even today, the peak of yachting events is the America's Cup.

ABOUT THE MODEL CANTERBURY J
The model Canterbury J Class yacht was first designed and built by members of Christchurch
19 Model Yacht Club in New Zealand. This club, like many clubs in Great Britain, was plagued by an abundance of weed on their lake.
In the 1996-97 season a small yacht named 'Ranger' was spotted and attracted the attention of several who saw its potential.
Arrangements were made
The author's Canterbury J at
and the first 9 hulls were
Roath Park Lake
produced which sold very
quickly. In a short period of time the fleet soon became 12. In 1997 the 'J Squadron/Association' was formed to record and control the basic specifications of the model.
The 'J Squadron/Association' is now the 'Canterbury 'J' Class (one design) Owners Association Inc, still based in Christchurch, New Zealand. The boat 'Ranger' , (Jl) was eventually purchased and is on display at the Christchurch Model Yacht Club building at Victoria Lake, still in pretty near original 'as built' condition. The outcome, as we now know, was the production of a beautiful model yacht called 'The Canterbury J' which has the ability to negotiate weed and shallow water due to the integrated keel and rudder profile.
The Canterbury J is now registered with the NZ Radio Yachting Association as a nationally recognised class. One of the aims was to create a model that was affordable and one that would be easily transported in an average family car. The class rules cover such 55
The beautiful lines of the Canterbury J
Removable cradle supporting 'the workings'. A tight fit
aspects as; hull moulding and dimensions; lead weight; masts; sails; fittings; standard rigging; booms, identification marks and, of course the details for the waterline. There is a minimum all up weight limit for the completed model of 6.5 kg (14.3 1b) when fully rigged. Quite comprehensive building instructions are available.
Both in and out of the water the J Class epitomises both grace and elegance. In model racing terms, the design is not as fast as more modem designs which are lighter and offer less resistance in the water but there are some distinct advantages:
First: The sleek lines make the boat attractive both in and out of the water and the model will attract positive comments from both colleagues and members of the public.
Second: The hull shape is proving to be more practical on the water than more modem designs. In lakes where the weed is problematic, the J Class hull is more suited to make progress than modem hulls that have a drop keel.
Third: The J Class has a shallower draught which allows it to be sailed in a wider range of venues.
It is not uncommon to see a group of Js approaching the finish line together, particularly in calm conditions, when their ability to sail in the lightest of breeze poses a challenge to other classes of yachts.
The model Canterbury J is a 1.22 metre (48") yacht with a main and foresail rigged to a 1.6 metre (630) aluminium mast. The mould is based on 'Ranger', the last winner of the pre-war America's Cup.
A great many hulls have been sold and they are to be found in all areas of New Zealand and as far afield as the USA, Canada and the UK. It is a one-design yacht and all hull shells, keels and trim weights are made from moulds officially approved by the 'Canterbury 'J' Class (One Design) Owners Association Inc., with an identification number moulded into the hull. There are rules that:
a) prohibit exotic materials,
b) define a fixed minimum weight.
c) strictly control dimensions in the three sizes of sail rigs.
The yacht can be bought as a kit or in separate pieces and assembled as the budget allows. This also allows members who are capable of making small components to make many of the parts and keep the price down.
THE CANTERBURY J COMES TO BRITAIN
Alun Harwood, from Cardiff, bought a Canterbury J hull from Christchurch Model Yachting Club about twelve years ago and made his own mould (with consent) and became the official UK agent for the Canterbury J. He produced more than fifty hulls before selling the mould and plans to Alan Home of J Class Hulls. Alun built two model Canterbury J's, one is his pride and joy and the other he sold to the author.

THE NOTTINGHAM J CLASS MODEL
The completed Nottingham J is the same as the Canterbury J in every respect except in the build process itself. The Nottingham hull is a 'full' hull where the ballast is fitted inside the hull, as opposed to the Canterbury where the ballast is bolted up to the underside and completes the shape of the hull. Both the ballast weight and trim weight are from the same moulds for both versions and the studding is also present. It is because of this minor change in production that the Christchurch Model Yacht Club raised their objections to the model being called a Canterbury J and they insisted that the name of the modified model be changed, hence the Nottingham J (l guess that this is similar to an infringement of copyright). A larger Nottingham J has now been produced which is
1.54 m (60") in length and this is also a beautiful model.

AMERICAN MODEL J CLASS YACHTS
Following the enormous success that America has had with the
America's Cup and the renowned history of J Class yachts in America, it would stand to reason that model boat enthusiasts in the USA would have a penchant for building model J Class yachts.
John T. Hanks Ill with his 1/16th Ranger and Canterbury J
J Class models in America are 1/16th scale hulls ranging from 2.14 m (72") in length to 2.59 m (102") and weigh between 29.5 kg (65 1b) and 40.8 kg (90 1b). The models are the largest recognized class in the AMYA (American Model Yachting Association). The models have sails from about 1.94 rn2 (2.31 yd2) to 2.58 rn2 (3.01 yd2) in area on masts that are 2.44 m (96") to 2.9 m (1 14") in height. The difference in sizes of the models is obviously arrived at by scaling the different sizes of the full size hulls. As we know, the original yachts were designed to the Universal Rule whereby designers could alter dimensions of the hull and sails and still be within the rules.
Again, as with the full size J Class yacht, these models look truly magnificent on the water and attract a great deal of attention from passers-by. For most members of model yacht clubs, storage and transport of these models may well cause some concern.
John Hanks Ill from Arizona, Secretary of the AMYA National J Class, built and sails a 1/16th J24 Ranger. This is one of five scratch built 1/16 scale J's to have been built by John. This class was formed in the US in 1974. Over 200 are registered but only about fifty are currently in use. MM'