The well-told origin story of J/Boats, one of the major successes in American boatbuilding for almost 50 years, began in 1977. That’s when Rod Johnstone cobbled together a homemade boat of his own design in the family garage. The dimensions of that 24-foot-long garage determined the length of the boat, and the J/24 was born. Ragtime was the first in what eventually became a production run of more than 5,500 boats, making it the world’s most popular keelboat. It was also the first of the brand’s more than four-dozen models produced in the years since. The Johnstones never looked back.
It’s always been a family-run business. Rod’s marketing-whiz brother, Bob, joined the team soon after it launched. Today, Rod’s kids run the show: Jeffrey is the company’s president, and Alan is the chief designer. For many years, the boats were built in Rhode Island by Tillotson Pearson; these days, they’re manufactured in Les Sables-d’Olonne, France, under a licensing agreement with J Composites. It’s a company run by performance-oriented sailor Didier Le Moal, who employs the SCRIMP method of infused construction.
The brand has launched more than four-dozen models since that original J/24, including, some four decades ago, the J/40. It was a commercial and critical success: More than 80 were built, and our sister publication, Sailing World, the performance magazine that originated the Boat of the Year contest, named it the Best Domestic Cruiser in 1986. It was compared favorably to iconic 40-footers such as the Cal 40 and Valiant 40.
“It’s been a number of years since we offered a 40-foot cruising boat in our line,” said Al Johnstone, who inherited his father’s considerable chops when it comes to the drafting of fast, slick, slippery lines. “We’ve always wanted to be back in this space. It’s just taken us some time to get here.”
It was most definitely worth the wait.
In profile, this is a handsome, purposeful-looking boat, one of those yachts that looks jumpy just sitting on its mooring. There are twin helms, a dedicated sprit, high freeboard and an easy, understated sheerline. The layout is a traditional one: a stateroom forward, a central salon with a galley and nav station, and the choice of one or two staterooms aft (our test boat had a single aft stateroom and plenty of stowage, which was the floor plan that the judges preferred). The boat also has some nice French accents to the furnishings and colors, probably thanks to interior designer Isabelle Racoupeau. It’s all very pretty, straightforward and inviting. Sometimes simplicity is best.
The J/40 advanced to the winner’s circle, however, thanks to the singular reason it was launched in the first place: its crisp performance under sail. In an ideal 10- to 14-knot northerly, it creamed to weather at over 8 knots. Cracked off to a beam reach, it still sped along in the high 7s. The steering was silky smooth, and the sightlines from the helm, whether driving from windward or leeward, were exceptional. All the sailhandling tools were readily at hand.
The company is promoting it as a cruiser/racer (not the other way around), and the accommodations will definitely afford comfortable cruising. But plenty of sailors will race these yachts—the company reportedly sold more than a dozen right out of the box—making it a legitimate dual-purpose vessel. At $650,000 well-equipped, it represents good value too.
In summing up, judge Tim Murphy cut straight to the chase: “It really is an exemplary sailboat.”
It is also the 2025 Overall Boat of the Year.
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