j34c sailboat

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• Sailboat Reviews

An expensive coastal cruiser that has a single strong suit--sailing performance.

In 1985, J Boats first tested the cruising market with the J/40. They followed up in 1986 with the J/28. In 1987, they introduced yet another cruiser, the J/34c. Twenty-five were sold in the first production year. The last was built in 1990. The designation “c” was added to distinguish the boat from the J/34, an IOR design that failed both on the race course and in the sales room.

Like all the J/cruisers, the J/34c is an example of what happens when a group of “gung-ho” racers designs a cruising boat. Racers are obsessed with how a boat sails, how it feels. They know that ease of handling is essential for enjoyable sailing, and they know that this is as dependent on hardware choice and layout as it is on design.

For a racer, going below is something you do when you’re too tired to sail anymore. This isn’t to say that the J/34c is poorly laid out belowdecks. It’s just that her strong points are above-decks.

In appearance, the J/34c looks much like her sister J/cruisers. She has a fixed shoal draft keel, a straight sheer, and a slotted Goiot aluminum toerail. Her waterline, at 30′, is long. It leaves her little overhang for appearance.

Although she has modest freeboard and cabin house profile (headroom below is barely 6′), she will still seem a little “squarish” for traditionalists. To enhance her appearance, a boat can be ordered with a 4″ high teak toerail that tapers as it runs aft.

As a rule, the J Boat line is expensive. The 34c was no exception. Base price in 1989 was almost $100,000. With basic sails and electronics, and options like propane, shore power, vinyl overhead panels, varnished interior, swim ladder, dodger, roller furling, refrigeration, and spinnaker gear, the price could approach $130,000.

This puts the J/34c at the upper end of the price range for boats of her size. By comparison, the Hunter 33.5, while admittedly of lesser quality, had a 1989 base price of only $55,000. The Crealock 34, of similar quality to the J/34c, also had a similar $100,000 base price.

Hull And Deck

To support their claims of superior construction, Tillotson-Pearson had all of their larger boats, including the J/34c, ABS (American Bureau of Shipping) certified. Similar to a Lloyds certification, this proves that each boat has been built to certain standards and inspected by an independent surveyor at various stages of construction.

ABS has three levels of certification: hull plan approval, hull certification, and A-1 classification which includes hull, power, electrical and plumbing systems. An ABS-certified boat is fitted with a bronze plaque. Any builder can claim he builds to ABS standards; without the plaque it is only a claim. ABS inspection and A-1 classification added about $2,000 to the cost of the J/34c.

Like all J Boats, the 34c is constructed of fiberglass and polyester resin, and cored with balsa. Standard, uncoated Baltek balsa is used, but the balsa sheets are sprayed with quick-catalyzed polyester before being laid in the mold. This helps seal the balsa end grain and avoid dry spots in the layup. This is an important step, because the laminate is not vacuum-bagged, as would be done on a custom boat.

A barrier layer of vinylester resin between the gelcoat and the first lamination prevents blistering, says the builder. The hull is warranted against blistering for 10 years.

Much of the laminate is of unidirectional cloth. Unlike typical fiberglass cloth, which is woven, unidirectional cloth is constructed by stitching sheets of unidirectional fibers together, typically at 90° or 45° angles. Without the “crimp” caused by having to weave the fibers around each other, the finished laminate is stronger.

The hull-to-deck joint is Tillotson-Pearson’s standard, seaworthy, inward-turned hull flange with the deck and toerail through-bolted and bonded with 3M 5200 polyurethane adhesive.

All of the deck fittings are also bedded with 5200. The holes drilled for deck fastenings are countersunk to further improve the bond and reduce gelcoat crazing. This should ensure a watertight deck. The only drawback is that 5200 is such a powerful adhesive that later removal of hardware for repair or replacement is difficult.

The only molded interior components are the hull stringers, the icebox and the head. The rest of the interior is constructed of lauan teak-faced marine plywood and installed piece by piece.

When an interior is installed this way, you can use more fiberglass tabbing to attach it to the hull. This gives you the potential for a hull which will remain stiffer longer. With a one-piece molded interior, you must set the interior on putty and rely on spot tabbing.

All of the structural interior components in the J/ 34c are tabbed on both sides, for most of their length, with fiberglass cloth. The small, non-structural components are tabbed on one side with fiberglass mat.

Except for the fact that no fillet is used to spread the loads on the tabbing, this is a good method.

Unlike many builders who have gone to less expensive spars from mass-production manufacturers like Isomat, J Boats still equips its boats with more expensive rigs from Hall Spars.

The J/34c has a masthead double spreader rig, with speaders swept back 10°. Sweeping the spreaders aft gives the mast fore and aft stability, at the sacrifice of being able to adjust the bend easily. Running backstays are not needed to stabilize the mast.

Sweepback also requires the spreader bases to accept more of the shroud load. It should be no problem, as Hall uses a patented through-mast spreader bar, which incorporates tangs for the lower and intermediate shrouds. The spreaders fit over the bar, resulting in a clean, strong low-windage attachment.

Sweepback does hinder dead downwind performance slightly, because you cannot let the mainsail out as far. And it increases chafe on a fully-battened mainsail. We think the advantages outweigh these small drawbacks.

The mast is tapered and painted with Awlgrip. It is not anodized. The only mechanically fastened hardware items are the halyard exit plates and the spinnaker track. That’s good, because like most production masts, the fittings are not bedded when installed. The gooseneck, vang fittings, cranes and halyard boxes are all welded on before the spar is painted.

Rod rigging is used, and the tangs are flush-mounted. Halyards are internal, but the spinnaker halyard turning blocks are hung from a masthead crane—a more seaworthy, traditional approach than the internal sheaves found on racing boats.

The boom has a powerful 6:1 outhaul with a recessed Teflon-lined track. A Hall Quik Vang is standard, and is a very convenient way to adjust boom vang tension. A Navtec hydraulic backstay adjuster is optional. The mast also has a single folding step to enable shorter crewmembers to climb up and attach the main halyard shackle. There are two reef lines, led internally. They cleat on deck-mounted clutch stoppers, a far more convenient system than gooseneck-mounted stoppers. A continuous system, made up of one line through the leech and the luff, would make reefing even simpler.

Engine And Mechanical Systems

The J/34c is powered by a 28 hp Volvo 2003 diesel engine. Being three-cylinder, it is relatively quiet. Engine access is good, but you have to get at it through a number of hatches because the engine is tucked well under the cockpit floor. There are two hatches next to the quarterberth and a single hatch in the cockpit sail locker, as well as the removable companionway ladder.

An aluminum fuel tank holds 26 gallons, which is adequate for coastal cruising.

Wiring and plumbing are done to ABS specifications. However, there is an exposed junction box in the head, where it is likely to get wet whenever someone takes a shower.

The head is equipped with a Raritan PH-2 toilet, and an 18-gallon holding tank with a Y-valve for overboard discharge. The toilet has a ceramic bowl and pumps with a lever handle, which is convenient, but the shut-off valve is operated with a knob instead of a lever. It’s hard to dog down because it’s often wet from overspray from the pump.

The boat we looked at had optional vinyl cabin overhead panels, held in place by strips of teak. The panels hide the wiring and deck fastenings, yet drop easily for access because they are held in place with un-bunged screws.

Standard water tank is 45 gallons, plenty for coastal cruising; an additional 35-gallon tank was optional. Hot and cold pressure water are standard. On the boat we sailed there was no overflow vent for the water tank. Because the tank is plastic, when it is overfilled it expands and can damage the settee in which it is housed.

Propane cooking was an expensive option, but we recommend it over the alcohol alternative. A compartment aft of the cockpit holds two propane bottles, enough to last a summer of weekend sailing. The propane stove is a Force 10, two-burner gimbaled stove with oven.

Handling Under Power

The Volvo engine provides more than enough power. In flat water, the engine we used easily pushed the boat to hull speed, which was nearly 7 knots. A Martec folding prop is standard.

Edson wheel steering is standard, and includes a 40″ diameter destroyer wheel. Combined with a balanced rudder and Harken roller rudder bearings, the J/34c is effortless to steer.

The boat is also equipped with an emergency tiller that can be quickly snapped onto the rudder post through a small hatch under the helmsman’s seat. This is a good safety measure.

A 5″ Ritchie compass is pedestal-mounted in a binnacle. It can only be read from behind the wheel. While this is fine for powering, it is difficult to use when the helmsman will be sitting to weather while sailing. Throttle and shift controls are also mounted on the steering pedestal.

Handling Under Sail

This is the J/34c’s strong point, what sets her apart from the run-of-the-mill coastal cruiser. Her ease of handling is probably more a result of her deck layout and hardware than her design.

She is advertised as fast and smooth riding because of her long waterline. True, long waterlines have a higher potential hull speed. They can also make for a smoother ride when combined with short overhangs such as those on the J/34c. Short overhangs cut down on pitching by eliminating parasitic weight in the ends of the boat.

However, if not accompanied by a proportional increase in sail area, lengthening the waterline can detract from light air speed. The boat we sailed did seem to bog down in winds under 5 knots. It only had a 135% genoa. We’d recommend a 150% genoa, but the boat also seemed to be a bit on the tender side when the breeze increased to 12 knots. Remember that this is a shoal draft cruiser.

The J/34c’s 30′ waterline is long—perhaps too long. The leeward stern quarter was almost 5″ under water when close reaching in a 6-8 knot breeze. Short overhangs may make it easier to climb up a stern ladder if thrown overboard, but if the bustle is insufficient to keep the stern from “digging” a hole in the water, speed can suffer.

This isn’t to say that the J/34c is slow. In fact, she should be considered a performance cruiser, faster than a majority of cruisers her size. But like most boats, she isn’t as perfect as the advertising suggests.

Her advertising also touts her large steering wheel and Harken rudder bearings. True, her steering is tight, quick to respond and frictionless. But like many modern designs, we’d have to say her rudder is overbalanced. A “balanced” rudder has the rudder post placed somewhere near the center of the rudder blade. The more “balanced,” the less helm, or “feel” a boat has.

With the J/34c, there is no helm at all—if you leave the helm, while sailing upwind or reaching, she goes straight. If you start a turn while powering, the wheel won’t return to center unless you bring it back. Some sailors like this type of effortless steering, but we think that with roller rudder bearings and a large steering wheel, you are not going to tire your arm with a little bit of weather helm.

The J/34c is equipped with what the Johnstones call a “UFO” keel. It is a shoal draft keel with a conventional leading edge sweepback, the bottom ending in a flattened bulb. Unlike a winged keel, it shouldn’t snag lobster pots and weeds.

When run aground, however, the UFO keel will still be more difficult to free than a conventional keel. The Johnstones report that the UFO keel is about seven to nine seconds per mile slower than a conventional keel upwind, but neither slower nor faster when reaching or running—a reasonable tradeoff for those who need shoal draft. But for those who sail in deep water, it would be better if there were a deep draft option.

The deck layout of the J/34c is what makes her a joy to sail, especially if you’re at the wheel. The boat is laid out for shorthanded cruising—singlehanded or doublehanded. The cockpit is designed for sailing, not for sitting at anchor. There is a disproportionate amount of space given to the helmsman.

The boat has a T-shaped cockpit, similar to that on the J/40. The coaming stops just forward of the steering pedestal. This gives the helmsman plenty of space for comfortable sitting on the deck on both sides of the wheel. Because you can sit to weather without discomfort, visibility is improved when sailing.

There is a raised seat, incorporating a horseshoe life ring as a cushion, aft of the wheel. But it’s a long reach from the seat to the wheel. A short person would be inclined to steer with his or her toes.

A Harken traveler is located just in front of the steering pedestal. True, you do have to step over it to go forward from the helm, and the mainsheet can hook on the pedestal during a jibe, but the convenience when trimming sails makes it worth it.

The J/34c has a proportionally large mainsail and small genoa. This makes tacking easier, and sailing under mainsail alone possible. However, the size of the mainsail demands that you pay more attention to sail trim. The person best suited to judge that is the helmsman.

The traveler car has a 4:1 purchase, led to cam cleats at each end facing the helmsman. The mainsheet is double-ended, led to two Barient 22 self-tailing winchs, one on each side of the traveler, in easy reach of the helmsman.

Genoa winches, Barient 27 self-tailers, are also in reach of the helmsman, so he can adjust trim or cast off the sheet during a tack. There is a small price for the convenient proximity of these winches—on some points of sail the winch handles cannot be turned through 360°. All winches are adequately sized for the job.

The coaming forms nicely angled seatbacks in the forward half of the cockpit. The aft face of the wide molded coaming faces the helmsman, and is a good location for instrument readouts.

There is a huge cockpit locker to port. The single entry hatch is comprised of the seat and coaming. Because it is so big and heavy, it must be secured to the lifelines before you enter the locker. If the lid fell on you, you’d know it. The locker is large enough to hold a deflated dinghy, outboard, sails, plus other gear.

Stanchion bases are aluminum castings, which we never completely trust. These lock securely onto the aluminum toerail. Stainless steel stanchion bases are provided with the teak toerail option. On the standard boat there is no teak to maintain, save the cabin house handrails.

Reefs and halyards are led through quality Lewmar Spinlock clutch stoppers to Barient 21 self-tailers on the cabin house.

The anchor roller chock is not designed for any particular size or brand of ground tackle. Therefore, the anchor we used had to be secured with extra line to hold it in place while sailing. It would be better to design the chock for one anchor and make that anchor standard equipment.

A hawse pipe leads to a shallow, level compartment, so the anchor rode tends to pile up directly below it, obstructing the deck opening. With this system you should dry the rode on deck before stowing to prevent mildew.

Later boats are equipped with a conventional molded anchor locker.

A locker for a backup, Danforth-type anchor is an option. It holds the anchor vertically in a well just foward of the chainplates. While it saves the hassle of stowing the backup anchor belowdecks, it also constricts the space in the already small hanging locker in the forward cabin.

This is a simple, old-fashioned interior with a few innovative twists. It is optimized for one couple or small family cruising. It isn’t jammed full of undersized berths, nor is the 43″-wide quarterberth intended as a double berth.

There are two doors in the main bulkhead, one on each side of the mast. One door opens into a large forward stateroom, the other into the head. You can also get access to the head from the forward stateroom. This is preferable to walking through the head to get to the forward stateroom, which is a more typical layout on a boat this size.

The V-berth in the forward stateroom is over 6′ wide at the head and almost 3′ wide at the foot, with enough headroom to sit up and read at night. The cushions are 4″ foam, comfortable enough to sleep on your side without bruising your shoulders.

The stateroom also has bookshelves, a small dresser with drawers, and good ventilation through two hatches and one port. There are no cowl vents, however, so you may suffer during a rainy night when everything must be closed.

Lockers under the V-berth extend to the bottom of the boat. Although there are limber holes between lockers to drain water from the anchor compartment into the bilge, the holes are not flush with the hull, so water will not drain completely.

The holding tank is also under the V-berth. It would have to be flushed clean and stored without deodorant to make its smell unnoticeable. Access to the seacocks is through a door under the V-berth. All of the interior is teak-faced plywood trimmed in teak. Hull ceiling is teak battens. On the standard boat the interior teak is oiled; varnish is an option. Joinerwork is of average quality. The cabin sole is varnished teak and holly. J Boats stopped using light-colored ash belowdecks after the J/36, because that wood turns black when it gets wet.

The head has less than 6′ of headroom. Ventilation is good—one hatch and one port. The molded shower sump drains into the bilge. Most surfaces in the head drain well, but spilled water collects on the sink countertop. Full-length mirrors on the inside of both head doors give the user the illusion of spaciousness.

There are handrails on the cabin overhead. Unlike many boats, glued-in marine carpet or vinyl are not used on the overhead or the ceiling. Instead, gelcoat or vinyl drop panels are used. This is a good feature, as it gives you access to deck fastenings without major disassembly.

The cabin house and cockpit ports all open, giving good ventilation in fair weather. Some are so large you can stick your head through them. The first 25 boats had Bomar ports with only three dogs per port. The ports could distort and leak and the dogs could shear off if over-tightened. In later boats a Bomar port with six dogs is used.

A Lewmar foward hatch is articulated so it can be opened to preset positions. It can be operated from above or belowdecks, but locked only from below. Galley and icebox are a bit small. Stowage for dishes and silverware is under the companionway, in a compartment which allows them to drain and dry. As with most of the cabin stowage, galley stowage is behind sliding doors.

The sink is deep—so deep that we suspect it might gather a little water when heeled severely on starboard tack. The stove is covered by a counter which slides back for access to the burners. The cabin table is large, if a bit wobbly on its tubein-socket legs. It has utensil stowage in the center and fiddles on the edges.

There is a small nav station, using a cabin berth for a seat. It is adequate for weekend cruising, but not long-distance sailing.

Conclusions

The J/34c is a sailor’s boat, and a well-to-do sailor, we might add, if he is to afford her hefty price tag. She’s a weekend and coastal cruiser, not a blue water cruiser. She is comfortable for one couple with a kid or two, but not two couples. Because she handles so easily she should make an enjoyable beer can racer.

There are few boats that are better built. But there are a number of boats with equal or superior interiors for equal or less money.

You won’t find many cruisers with the quality of hardware that is found on the J/34c. And you probably won’t find any that are as easy to sail shorthanded.

The boat is fast compared to cruisers of her size, but not as fast as the manufacturers would have you believe. That’s typically the case with manufacturer hype.

No new boat is ever a good investment. They all depreciate with alarming speed. However, if the boat is well-promoted, and the builder is respected, as is the case with the J/34c, you can be assured of a reasonable resale value.

Is she worth it? If you plan to leave the boat at the dock and use it as a second home, certainly not. If you plan to sail her with regularity, maybe. It depends on how important the little details that make sailing fun are to you.

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Tillotson-Pearson J34C

Specifications

The J34c sleeps six comfortably, with two in the owner’s cabin, two in the main salon and two in the starboard aft quarter berth. The owner’s cabin is accented with teak hull battens, bookshelves, large drawers and a hanging locker. The bow locker is accessible from the interior for storage in the V-berth insert, and access to the anchor rode and chain locker. The V-berth is 6’6″ long with access beneath bunk lids for storage. The head is accessible from the main salon or V-Berth and is located just forward to the teak main bulkhead to port. In the main salon to both port and starboard are settee berths, with storage beneath and outboard of the cushions. Outboard of the backrest cushions are bookshelves and cabinetry with sliding teak doors. On centerline is removable drop leaf table. To port is an L-shaped galley with a two-burner alcohol stove and oven, stainless steel sink with hot and cold pressure water, and a large six cubic foot top load ice box. Outboard of the stove and sink is a large dry goods storage cabinet with mid-height shelf. Large garbage bag storage under sink. To starboard is a large chart table with chart storage, navigation equipment bin, overhead electrical and instrument panel. Teak ceiling strips over berths and settees. Aft of the navigation station is a large quarter berth with removable berth insert. Interior is heated with a stainless-steel kerosene heater that is mounted on the starboard side of the main bulkhead. Ample ventilation provided by nine Bomar opening ports and five hatches with screens.

Electrical, Sails, Rigging & Deck Gear, and Additional Features

12v and 110 with control panels

Stereo with interior and exterior speakers

Shore power with cord and battery charger

Two AGM batteries

All cabin, navigation, anchor, and deck lights

North 2001 Nordac main – fair condition

North 2005 Nordac main – good condition

North 2006 #2 Norlam – Good condition

North cruising asymmetrical spinnaker

North 2003 #1 Norlam – great condition

Doyle cradle cover for main 06/28/2016

(Main and 130 washed and serviced February 2003.)

Rigging and Deck Gear

Two Barrient 27 STC 2-speed primary cockpit winches

Two Barrient 21 STC 2-speed on aft cabin trunk with Lewmar stoppers for halyards

Two Barrient 22 STC 2-speed for mainsheet

Harker adjustable mainsheet traveler

Harker split drum roller furling

Adjustable genoa cars

Hall quick vang

Martec folding propeller

Hydraulic backstay adjuster

Light gray canvas dodger and bimini and connector

Jib cover for furled sail

Stainless steel handrails

Full winter cover

Danforth anchor

Delta anchor

Additional  Features

Full cover (March 2022) for electronics, navpod, and wheel

Life jackets

Cockpit cushions

Contact Deaton Yacht Sales

• 502 Main St. Suite 4, Oriental NC, 28571
• (252) 249-0090
• [email protected]

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The J34 c is a 34.5ft masthead sloop designed by Rodney S. Johnstone and built in fiberglass by J Boats since 1986.

The J34 c is a light sailboat which is a high performer. It is stable / stiff and has a good righting capability if capsized. It is best suited as a fast cruiser.

J34 c for sale elsewhere on the web:

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• Sailboat Guide

J/34 C is a 34 ′ 6 ″ / 10.5 m monohull sailboat designed by Rod Johnstone and built by J Boats starting in 1986.

Rig and Sails

Auxilary power, accomodations, calculations.

The theoretical maximum speed that a displacement hull can move efficiently through the water is determined by it's waterline length and displacement. It may be unable to reach this speed if the boat is underpowered or heavily loaded, though it may exceed this speed given enough power. Read more.

Classic hull speed formula:

Hull Speed = 1.34 x √LWL

Max Speed/Length ratio = 8.26 ÷ Displacement/Length ratio .311 Hull Speed = Max Speed/Length ratio x √LWL

Sail Area / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the power of the sails relative to the weight of the boat. The higher the number, the higher the performance, but the harder the boat will be to handle. This ratio is a "non-dimensional" value that facilitates comparisons between boats of different types and sizes. Read more.

SA/D = SA ÷ (D ÷ 64) 2/3

• SA : Sail area in square feet, derived by adding the mainsail area to 100% of the foretriangle area (the lateral area above the deck between the mast and the forestay).
• D : Displacement in pounds.

Ballast / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the stability of a boat's hull that suggests how well a monohull will stand up to its sails. The ballast displacement ratio indicates how much of the weight of a boat is placed for maximum stability against capsizing and is an indicator of stiffness and resistance to capsize.

Ballast / Displacement * 100

Displacement / Length Ratio

A measure of the weight of the boat relative to it's length at the waterline. The higher a boat’s D/L ratio, the more easily it will carry a load and the more comfortable its motion will be. The lower a boat's ratio is, the less power it takes to drive the boat to its nominal hull speed or beyond. Read more.

D/L = (D ÷ 2240) ÷ (0.01 x LWL)³

• D: Displacement of the boat in pounds.
• LWL: Waterline length in feet

Comfort Ratio

This ratio assess how quickly and abruptly a boat’s hull reacts to waves in a significant seaway, these being the elements of a boat’s motion most likely to cause seasickness. Read more.

Comfort ratio = D ÷ (.65 x (.7 LWL + .3 LOA) x Beam 1.33 )

• D: Displacement of the boat in pounds
• LOA: Length overall in feet
• Beam: Width of boat at the widest point in feet

Capsize Screening Formula

This formula attempts to indicate whether a given boat might be too wide and light to readily right itself after being overturned in extreme conditions. Read more.

CSV = Beam ÷ ³√(D / 64)

Features ‘UFO’ keel, which, according to the builder is ‘part wing and part bulb’. Displacement was originally listed as 10,000 lb/ 4,536 kg.

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Thoughts about J37c or similar

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I asked this question before as part of a different thread and it got lost so I will try again. We are considering selling our Bristol if we have decided that we have crossed enough oceans. If so we will be mainly sailing on Lake Ontario with possible visits to the other Great Lakes, Atlantic Canada, New England, and possibly Bermuda. In the last few years we have gotten used to doing a lot of sailing and not much motoring. I think we put on 400 hours in 33,000 miles, mainly going into and out of anchorages and harbours. Anyway, back to Lake Ontario. In most of the too short sailing season here the winds are quite light and typically you end up motoring a lot if you want to get anywhere. We are considering a more performance-oriented boat for the future. The other wrinkle we have is that we don't want to go deeper than 5' 6" draft (5' would be better). Generally performance and shallow draft do not seem to go together which is the problem. Our other concern is that we would like to keep the boat to less than $100k if possible. We looked at a J37c in Annapolis and it was interesting. It is 5'3" and has a PHRF (for illustrative purposes) of 81. Our 45' Bristol is 117 so it would be quite a bit faster than what we are used to and way faster than most mid 30s cruising boats. There also are J35c and J34c models that are similar and slower than the 37. The Admiral really liked the X35c at the boat show but it is pretty new model and they are not on the used market and certainly would not be in our price range. Are there other X-yacht models that would suit? What about other builders? We would consider any boats in the eastern half of North America. Final question - to maximize sailing possibilities what sail additions would make sense for a semi-geriatric, but experienced, couple to have on a boat of this size and type? Thanks for your thoughts.  

We had our girl at a nearby yard yesterday and we were tied up in front of a J122. Nice boat. Bit open in the cockpit for a cruising boat but it got me thinking about the brand. Having a look at the Js from your era they certainly appear more cruiser friendly while still looking suitable for a bit of club racing ..... but hey, I'm just speaking after viewing a few pics.  

I think the 'C' series Jboats would work pretty well for what you're thinking about. What I like particularly is the arrangement of the cockpits.. longish benches forward, with reasonable coaming/backrests while the area around the wheel gives the helms person a good selection of comfortable seating positions (no perching on a narrow coaming top, for example) For accomplished sailors such as yourselves I think you'll appreciate the 'rewards' of careful trim, and the added speed will forever be a bonus and means you'd motor less. Nice layout for two, esp, below.... reasonable galley too. Difficult to tell from pics, but I do wonder if the aft berth is a true double? I seem to recall that neither of you are large people.. we have friends in their later 60s who are similar - they quite successfully sail a rather spritely Beneteau 36.7 up and down the Caribbean chain each winter, from Carriacou to Antigua/Barbuda and back. A quick, light boat that rewards them with some exhilarating rides in the gaps between islands. A 37C wouldn't be as speedy perhaps, but not much slower either; in the trades they do spend most of their time reefed, with a smallish jib - but it works for them. I'd think a 37C on the Lakes would work for you. There are 3 in your 'catchment' that I found on YW ranging from 70 to 90Ks. Seems within you parameters, all seem to have the J's shoal draft keel (think they labeled it a UFO??) Those same friends chose the Bene over the J (or anything else with a cored hull) for the tropics... not an issue so much on the Lakes. And obviously not a big issue with many sailors either way.  

I don't think that Beneteau is available with shoal draft. Another possibility is a C&C 34+ which actually something like 36'. The interior is not so good if you did want to make a passage to Bermuda, but I think the headroom is better. The J has 6' down the centre and perhaps 5'9" in the galley and head (I am a little taller than that, but getting shorter each day). We saw a J37c that was US$62,500. It was looking a little tired in places including the deck. In any case, we are not buying until we decide what future sailing we want. We got into this J-thinking after meeting a couple on a J42 in the Virgin Islands. They did the 1500 in nine days with a crew of two and honking winds followed by a couple of days with no wind. Did look odd to see a J42 with a Monitor on the back, but why not?  

I think the J37C is a good choice for what you want to do. A nice mix of performance and cruising comforts. I wouldn't rule out the J34C and J35C even though the PHRF numbers are higher. They are still on the performance end of things and will probably perform much better in light airs than your Bristol. Remember the PHRF is an average that includes light and heavy airs, and all points of sail. Larger boats have a longer waterline and thus a higher hull speed, but may need lots of wind to get there. Compare the SA/D numbers to get an idea. As noted, the C&Cs of similar vintage are also worth considering if they have a shoal keel. And the Bene 36.7 that was mentioned does come with a shoal keel, but its rare as most were bought as racers and were ordered with the deep keel. Other Bene First series boats might be possibilities if they have a shoal keel. Even something like a Tartan 3500 is worth considering, though a bit lower in performance.  

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