Introduction
This is the story of the ongoing restoration of a J/29 sailboat named "Fast Freddy". The purpose of the blog is to share information about the boat and about typical hurdles one overcomes to make these boats race worthy.
About the boat
The J29 was manufactured by J/Boats between 1982 and 1987, with nearly 300 constructed. While envisioned as a "one-design" class, there were actually four versions sold. The base design was a fractional rig with an outboard engine. However, options available included a masthead rig and an inboard diesel. Hence there are four types of J29 out there, masthead inboard (MHIB), masthead outboard (MHOB), fractional inboard (FRIB), and fractional outboard (FROB). To add even more confusion to the class, the fractional rigged boats were originally spec'd with a one foot oversized pole and a 163% genoa. Of course, handicappers treat the oversized pole and genoa differently from fleet to fleet, so some "frackys" are rigged with the oversized pole and genoa and some are not. If that weren't confusing enough, there are even some owners who have swapped out their fractional kites for masthead kites (and with considerable success, apparently).
So, with so many choices, one of the most challenging decisions a would-be J29 owner must make is answering the simply question, "Which one?". The MHOB, with a typical rating of 111, is the fastest and therefore the most sought after for one-design racing. The FROB, with a typical rating of 114 is generally considered a bit slower in the light air but go great when the breeze is on. It also has the benefit of smaller ($cheaper$) headsails and likely needs fewer of them. Whereas most mastheads seem to have a Lite/Med #1, and Heavy#1, a #2, a #3 and even a #4, the fracky's get away with a #1 and a #3, and booze cruise quite comfortably with just the large mainsail alone. The outboards are faster, but the inboards add a whole level of convenience. So, which one indeed.
In my case, I chose both! In 2009, I purchased a FRIB called "Smoke!" It was purchased new by friends of mine back in 1983, but was later sold and used very sparingly here in the Great Lakes. I found it and decided to bring it back to the waters of Grand Traverse Bay where it was Boat of the Year back in 1983. Even though the boat had been lightly used, it still took an enormous amount of bring the boat up to racing condition. The keel had to be templated and faired, the bottom barrier coated and long boarded, the exterior wood sanded bare and refinished, the diesel replaced, the interior wood sanded and refinished, new sails, new electronics..... An incredible amount of work, needless to say. The end result is a beautiful boat that is as competitive today as it was 27 years ago. We had a fun and very successful season with the boat, winning our fleet and once again winning Boat of the Year, even after all those years. That the boat is still so competitive after all those years demonstrates why these boats remain so highly desirable.
We found the FHIB to be totally dominant once the winds got above 7 knots - I think we won every race in those conditions. But in the lighter stuff, the fracky was more of a challenge. While we enjoyed some success in the light winds, the modern lighter boats clearly had an advantage. In our defense, our fracky has a roller furling headstay so we couldn't slacken it like we would have wanted as the breeze dropped, and we had the mast butt too far aft and therefore too much prebend. Clearly, we left some light air performance on the table.
"Fast Freddy"
In November 2010, a few weeks after we put the "Smoke" away for the winter, I decided to buy a MHIB out of Oswego NY. Why? No good reason, I guess. Boats are a bit of a hobby for me - we've campaigned ten different boats in the last fifteen years. I enjoy working on them. For me the inboard is a must - we keep the boat in a slip and I swore off carrying outboards up and down years (and a back surgery) ago. I'm hoping our masthead will be as competitive as our fracky in the medium and heavy breeze, and have a little more something in the lighter stuff. Time will tell.
USA 287 has been known for the last couple years as "Luna Nova", before that it was called "American Pride". The new name of the boat is "Fast Freddy", in honor of my brother who we lost tragically and unexpectedly to some disease I cant even pronounce this spring. I hope the boat will be worthy of his name, and will be a place for family and friends to gather and laugh, the way we always did we he was around.
