J/28
Description
The J/28 (1986–1991) is a 28′6″ pocket offshore rocket that many owners call the sweetest-sailing small J/Boats ever built. At just 7,000 lb displacement with 3,100 lb lead ballast in a 6′0″ deep fin (or 4′9″ shoal), it carries 540 sq ft upwind on a tall fractional rig—delivering a blistering SA/D of ~28 and D/L around 140—numbers that made it a dominant MORC and PHRF terror in the late 1980s, routinely planing at 12–16 knots downwind and pointing surprisingly well for its era. The cockpit is huge and race-friendly (tiller standard, wheel optional) yet below is a genuinely usable mini-cruiser interior: V-berth, two 6′6″ settees, enclosed head with shower, small galley, and 6′0″ headroom—enough for a couple to comfortably weekend or do a Bermuda Race. Trailerable behind a standard pickup, powered by an outboard or optional inboard, and PHRF-rated 120–135 today. Only 73 hulls were built by Tillotson-Pearson in a short five-year run, giving the J/28 instant cult status.
Construction Details
| Designer | Rod Johnstone |
|---|---|
| Builder | Tillotson-Pearson |
| Length | 28.500 ft |
| LOA | 28.500 ft |
| LWL | 24.000 ft |
| Beam | 10.000 ft |
| Displacement | 7900 lb |
| Max Draft | 5.000 ft |
The standard boat dimensions
| i | 34 ft |
|---|---|
| j | 10.50 ft |
| p | 36 ft |
| e | 13 ft |
| p2 | - |
| e2 | - |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 34 ft | 10.50 ft | 36 ft | 13 ft | - | - | - | - |
Documents
Sails
J/28 - MAINSAIL
| Luff | * 36 ft - (10973 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 13 ft - (3962 mm) |
| Leech | * 37.57 ft - (11451 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 88 ° |
| Diagonal | * 37.85 ft - (11537 mm) |
| Head (inches) | * 6 in - (152 mm) |
| Area | * 241.67 ft² |
| Edit in Calculator | |
J/28 - JIBSAIL
| Luff | * 28.47 ft - (8678 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 13.83 ft - (4215 mm) |
| Leech | * 24.87 ft - (7580 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 115.05 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 12.08 ft - (3682 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 11.96 ° |
| Area | * 171.98 ft² |
| Edit in Calculator | |
J/28 - GENOA
| Luff | * 33.81 ft - (10305 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 16.89 ft - (5148 mm) |
| Leech | * 31.87 ft - (9714 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 150 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 15.75 ft - (4801 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 4.02 ° |
| Area | * 266.23 ft² |
| Edit in Calculator | |
J/28 - SPINNAKER
| Stays | * 33.81 ft - (10305 mm) |
|---|---|
| MidGirth | * 18.9 ft - (5761 mm) |
| Foot | * 18.9 ft - (5761 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 180 % |
| Area | * 543 ft² |
| Edit in Calculator | |
Disclaimer. Boats are not all the same -- even when produced in the same factory of the same model. Sailrite does its best to publish accurate dimensions, but we often find it worthwhile to have our customers measure their boats carefully before we produce kits for them. You should take the same precautions, especially when the data is not from Sailrite. The information on this site is not guaranteed to be accurate. Sailrite offers this content as a service to our community, but takes no responsibility for the reliability of the data provided.