J22 Sailboat Fleet
The J22 sailboat, first introduced in 1983, is a responsive, rugged, and stable 22’ race boat. Currently, there are in excess of 1650 active boats, sailing in 65 fleets, in 18 countries.
With an overall weight of 1800 lbs, it can be easily towed behind an SUV and can be hoist or ramp-launched. With a deck-stepped mast, the boat is easy to rig.
Below, the boat features a 2-person vee berth and two settee seats aft. Flotation air tanks are located in the bow peak, underneath the vee berths, and beneath the cockpit, aft. Boats are built with a Baltek cored laminate and boats from the early 1980’s still compete in national regattas. The boat can be single-handled (sit forward of the traveler bar) or raced with crews of 2 to 4 people. The boat draws 3.8’ and has a sail area of 223 sq. ft..
With an active national and international Class Association (https://www.j22.com/), the boat has a robust resale market, and used boats can be purchased for as low as ~$7,000 ~ $10,000. For boats currently available on the Class website go to: http://j22forum.com/forum/5-classifieds/
Locally, Victoria Sailing School (www.victoriasailingschool.com) teaches introductory American Sailing Association (ASA) classes on J22s. Their wet-slipped boats are available for rent, and can be raced in CSYC’s Wednesday night races.
At Chatfield, owners ramp-launch the J22 off of trailers attached to their vehicles by a 30’ web strap and small dolly wheel on the trailer tongue. Some owners keep their boats in a wet slip for the season. Others dry-sail their boats out of Chatfield’s storage lot. Before buying a boat, be sure to secure summer (slip or dry-sail storage) and winter dry-storage space as this can be in short supply. Members of CSYC’s J22 Fleet are friendly and are available to chat about the boat, summer and winter storage, and where boats might be available for sale.