j160 sailboat

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• By Mark Schrader
• Updated: December 5, 2001

While the racing heritage of the J/Boats-TPI partnership is legendary and their genuine contribution to the Joy Of Sailing enormous, nothing yet produced by that design-and-build team punctuates those achievements as impressively as the new J/160. In today’s world of better equipment, more exotic materials and truly sophisticated design, stretching the parameters of the old “performance cruiser” is long overdue. This boat gives modern sailors racing and cruising performance without requiring the burden of a large crew. On a more subjective level, all in a glance she is clean, simple, elegant, comfortable, fast and capable.

With modern composite construction, a typically easily-driven J/Boat hull form and a very low center of gravity, the 160 needs less sail area for comparable performance than do other sailboats in the 50-foot-plus size range. This translates into lower winch loads, easier sail management, more relaxed cruising and racing.

The standard Hall triple-spreader aluminum rig (a Hall carbon fiber rig is a tempting, albeit expensive, option) carries a large, low-aspect-ratio mainsail and a comparatively small, high-aspect-ratio foretriangle. This big-main/small-headsail combination is efficient for any kind of sailing and easily managed by a diminutive crew. For relaxed cruising or offshore work, a furling #3 jib is recommended in conjunction with the main. The jib is a cinch to tack, and trimming the main with the 6:1 Lewmar Ocean Racing mainsheet traveler system is equally unconstrained.

On deck and in the cockpit the hardware and winches are arranged so that almost all sail handling, hoisting and trimming can be done easily from a safe position aft. Sitting outboard of the large (66″) wheel gives the helmsperson an excellent view forward, and this driver’s seat actually becomes more comfortable as the boat heels. Leaving the helm station to go forward in the cockpit is a step-up-and-go-around-the-wheel affair, potentially awkward in dicey sailing conditions. All the way aft, the scoop transom makes for convenient boarding from the water, dinghy or dock. Up on the bow, a large storage locker with an overhead deck hatch provides room to stow sails, ground tackle, lines, fenders and errant gear.

Setting a spinnaker on a 53-foot sailboat without a full crew was never at the top of most people’s Must Do list. Enter the modern-day asymmetrical kite, a retractable pole disguised as a bowsprit, and a cockpit-operated snuffer system. On the 160, relaxed shorthanded spinnaker work becomes routine. And that’s without even going forward.

Belowdeck, the 160 is nothing short of elegant. The interior is offered in all-teak or all-cherry wood, with enough off-white laminate and trim to promote that open, spacious sensation. The layout emphasizes liveaboard and long-term cruising comfort, with pumps and machinery grouped in convenient, accessible locations for easy inspection and service.

Aft of the companionway to port and starboard are two staterooms, one accessible to the after head, sink and shower. The cabins are snug yet comfortable, with 48-inch wide berths and good available storage. Just forward of the companionway to port is a roomy J-shaped galley, with a double sink close to centerline and a gimbaled three-burner Force 10 stove outboard. Icebox/refrigerator capacity is vast (12.5 cubic feet), general storage is ample, the wraparound design of the galley, secure and safe.

The forward-facing nav station opposite the galley offers visible and protected space for mounting the latest yacht electronics. Extra-tall fiddles keep charts, books and pencils from ending up on the floor; a curved, contoured seat keeps the navigator from doing the same. The main saloon features a settee berth to starboard and a full-size pilot berth outboard of the oval dining settee to port. All the way forward is the owner’s cabin — truly a “stateroom” — with a 56″ x 78″ double berth, shelves, storage and hanging lockers, a vanity, a private head with shower…the works.

Engine and mechanical installations are excellent. Seacocks are tagged, all plumbing hoses below the waterline are double clamped, access to machinery — engine, shaft, optional generator, watermaker and so on — is handy, and ventilation to those areas is good. A turbo-charged 88-horsepower Yanmar connected to a 22-inch Martec folding prop delivers a comfortable and quiet cruising speed of 8 knots plus. Tankage is formidable at 95 gallons for fuel and 162 for fresh water.

Construction emphasizes light weight by way of TPI’s signature SCRIMP resin-infusion molding technique. Hull and deck are cored with Baltek end-grain balsa, with solid glass at critical structural junctures such as where the chainplates attach. All bulkheads are tabbed on both sides. Hull-to-deck features an in-turned flange sealed with structural sealant and fastened mechanically every four inches.

The hull is designed with a fine entry and short overhangs, moderate topside flare, and a low-wetted-surface underbody. The rudder is a balanced high-aspect spade. Two antimony-hardened cast lead keels are offered, the deeper of which is 11,000 pounds and draws 8’10″, the other 12,000 pounds and 7’0″. They are externally mounted. The non-dimensional ratios point to a lot of sailpower and relatively light displacement, and the limit of positive stability according to the designer is a whopping 140 degrees (a respectable 125 degrees by IMS calculations).

Sailing the 160 is every bit as fun as advertised. Hoisting the main takes a tolerable amount of effort (unless you spring for the electric winch option), and from there you simply pick a direction and go fast. Extending the bowsprit, setting the kite, jibing it and dousing it are simple. Behavior on all points of sail is truly refined; the platform feels as stable as something much larger, but the response to helm, trim and tweaking is very apparent.

The base price of the J/160 is advertised at $497,550, with an estimated sailaway figure, depending upon your choice of equipment, sails and rig, in the $550,000 to $700,000 range. If you require quality, performance, elegance, safety, a yacht built to exceed the Offshore Yacht Service standards of ABS, and a 10-year hull warranty against blistering, then this boat has to be at the top of the list. Rod Johnstone has expanded the parameters of the “performance cruiser” genre, and TPI has built the vessel strong enough to prove that lighter can be better.

• More: 2001 - 2010 , 50+ ft , Bluewater Cruising , J/Boats , keelboat , monohull , racer / cruiser , Sailboat Reviews , Sailboats
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2002 J Boats J/160 $274,000

Proven Performance, Modern, Elegant J/160 is a true Performance Cruiser

The racing heritage of the J/Boat is legendary and their genuine contribution to the Joy Of Sailing enormous, nothing yet produced by that design-and-build team punctuates those achievements as impressively as the J/160.

Specifications

Features and Options

A True Performance Cruiser

This high-performance offshore cruiser and racer has been in the family since day one. Custom ordered by a highly experienced Yachtsman from San Diego Yacht Club, this extraordinary sailboat has conquered the seas and raced great distances. With so many great adventures and memories, it's time for her heritage to continue on.

Welcome aboard "Innocent Merriment"

This boat gives modern sailors racing and cruising performance without requiring the burden of a large crew. J/160s are fast, sleek, and user friendly, making he perfect combination. In a glance this performance cruiser is clean, simple, comfortable, fast and capable.

Below deck, the J/160 is nothing short of elegant. The interior is in all-teak wood, with enough off-white laminate and trim to promote that open, spacious sensation. The layout emphasizes liveaboard and long-term cruising comfort, with pumps and machinery grouped in convenient, accessible locations for easy inspection and service.

Aft of the companionway to port and starboard are two staterooms, one accessible to the after head, sink and shower. The cabins are snug yet comfortable, with 48-inch wide berths and good available storage. 

Just forward of the companionway to port is a roomy J-shaped galley, with a double sink close to centerline and a gimbaled three-burner Force 10 stove outboard. Icebox/refrigerator capacity is large (12.5 cubic feet), general storage is ample, the wraparound design of the galley, secure and safe.

The forward-facing nav station opposite the galley offers visible and protected space for mounting the yacht’s electronics. 

The main saloon features a settee berth to starboard and a full-size pilot berth outboard of the oval dining settee to port. All the way forward is the owner’s cabin with a double berth, shelves, storage and hanging lockers, a vanity, a private head with shower.

Engine and mechanical are excellent. A turbo-charged 88-horsepower Yanmar connected to a 22-inch Martec folding prop delivers a comfortable and quiet cruising speed of 8 knots plus. Tankage is formidable at 95 gallons for fuel and 162 for fresh water.

Sailing the J/160 is every bit as fun as advertised. Hoisting the main is simple with the electric winch, and from there you simply pick a direction and go fast. Extending the bowsprit, setting the kite, jibing it and dousing it are simple. Behavior on all points of sail is truly refined; the platform feels as stable as something much larger, but the response to helm, trim and tweaking is very apparent.

If you require quality, performance, and safety in a yacht built to exceed the standards look no further.  

Accommodations

In the forward stateroom, you will find a generous pullman berth to port and a hanging locker, drawers and counter space to starboard. There is a generous head with stall shower well forward. Next aft is a large salon with a dropleaf table. There is a pilot berth to port and lockers and an entertainment area to starboard. The large U shape galley is to port and the forward facing nav station is to starboard. Also aft starboard is the guest head. There are two guest staterooms aft, port and starboard.    

• 110V refrigeration/Engine Compressor
• 3-burner Force 10 propane stove (2008)
• Microwave (2018)
• Pressure dockside fresh water

Electronics and Navigation

• Speed & distance logs
• Depth sounder
• B&G autopilot
• Chart plotter
• Furuno radar system
• Hand-held VHF radio
• Icom SSB radio
• 12V DC and 110V AC
• Battery parallel switch
• Battery charger/inverter
• Northern Lights generator
• 50' 50-amp shore power cord
• Danforth anchor with chain and rode
• Electric windlass
• Anchor and steaming lights
• Running lights
• Tricolor light
• Bow pulpit and rails
• Lifelines and stanchions
• Boarding gates
• Dock lines and fenders
• Swim ladder
• Swim platform
• Outboard mount
• Radar reflector
• Lazarette lockers, propane locker and port cockpit seat locker
• Lexan drop boards for companionway hatch

Sails and Rigging

• Manual boom vang
• Rod standing rigging
• Manual backstay adjuster
• Mast and boom painted
• Mainsheet traveler
• Winches: (2) electric self-tailing primary winches, (2) self-tailing cockpit utility winches, (2) self-tailing main sheet winches, (2) self-tailing cabin top halyard winches

North Sails

• Main- Cruising -Dacron
• #2 Jib- Cruising -Dacron
• #3 Jib- 3DL (2012)
• Storm JIB- Dacron
• Storm TriSail -Dacron
• A2 Spinnaker (2012)
• A4 Spinnaker
• Spinnaker Staysail
• IJPE : 1375.00 sq ft
• I : 66.50 ft
• J : 18.75 ft
• P : 62.00 ft
• E : 24.17 ft
• Working Sail Area : 1376.00 sq ft  

The Company provides the details of this vessel in good faith but cannot guarantee or warrant the accuracy of this information nor warrant the condition of the vessel. Buyers should instruct their agents or surveyors to investigate such details as they desire validated. This vessel is offered subject to prior sale, price change, or withdrawal without notice.

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J/160 Standard

Sailboat specifications.

• Last update: 13rd March 2020

J/160's main features

J/160's main dimensions, j/160's rig and sails, j/160's performances, j/160's auxiliary engine, j/160's accommodations and layout.

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• Sailboat Guide

J/160 is a 52 ′ 8 ″ / 16.1 m monohull sailboat designed by Rod Johnstone and built by J Boats between 1996 and 2000.

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)

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