J Boats Tillotson Pearson J/42

BoatsJ Boats Tillotson Pearson J/42

See her sail

The J Boats Tillotson Pearson J/42, on the water

The fleet's own footage — the truest look at how she really moves.

Footage from Eternal Sailing

Is it for you?

Character

Where this design lands on the numbers a shopper trusts — read straight from her own ratios.

LivelySea-kindly

Her moderate displacement on a narrow beam gives 29 — a moderate, middle-of-the-road motion.

Comfort ratio 29

CoastalBluewater

1.81 — just under the 2.0 offshore line; her beam is modest for her weight.

Capsize screening 1.81

LightHeavy

203 — moderately heavy for her waterline, a balanced cruising weight.

Displacement / length 203

EasygoingPowered-up

17.4 — moderate power for her weight; steady, all-round performance.

Sail area / displacement 17.4

TenderStiff

36% of her weight is ballast — moderately stiff, a middle-of-the-road stability.

Ballast 36%

A capable cruiser that sits just inside the offshore line — coastal work with real passages in her.

What the fleet has seen

The J Boats Tillotson Pearson J/42, as the fleet has seen it

Derived from the videos the fleet has analysed of this model. ▶ marks open the moment aboard.

The J Boats Tillotson Pearson J/42 is a masthead sloop designed by Rodney S. Johnstone and built by J Boats Tillotson Pearson from 1995 to 2006. It measures 12.8 meters LOA, with a 3.7-meter beam, 2.0-meter draft, and 8935 kg displacement. Aboard *Eternal Sailing*, a couple hauled their J/42 catamaran in Pilada for maintenance after two years afloat.1:28 They replaced brass through-hull valves with composite fittings and relocated the toilet seawater intake to prevent interference.5:45 The owner used a step drill bit to remove old valves, filling the holes with wooden plugs and laminating over them with biaxial fiberglass.5:10 They also addressed wet spots on hull stringers and the keel area, treating them with thinned epoxy and biaxial cloth.13:53 The crew planned to clean and repaint the outboard motor’s power trim hydraulic housing due to corrosion.14:39 During inspection, structural concerns near the keel of the starboard hull were identified for further investigation.7:31

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Seen once across one channel of the fleet.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

The record

Full specifications

The complete reference set — tap any figure to switch between metric and imperial.

Dimensions

Weights

Ballast / displacement

35.5%

Rig & sail area

Rig

Masthead Sloop

Ratios

SA / displacement

17.4

Displacement / length

203.4

Comfort ratio

29.3

Capsize screening

1.81

Hull speed

7.9 kn

Pounds / inch immersion

1530

Hull

Hull type

Fin w/bulb & spade rudder

Construction

Fiberglass

Ballast type

Lead

Production

Years built

1995–2006

Units built

77

Designer

Rodney S. Johnstone, Rod Johnstone

Builder

J Boats Tillotson Pearson

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The family

Related models

The designs closest to hers — usually the rest of the builder's range, sometimes the same hull sold under another name.

J Boats Tillotson Pearson J/46A masthead sloop designed for offshore cruising, featuring a 1.89m draft and a balanced 10,886kg displacement J Boats Tillotson Pearson J/44A 13.69-metre masthead sloop designed for offshore performance with a 2.44m draft and a powerful 21.26 SA/displacement ratio J Boats Tillotson Pearson J/39A masthead-rigged 12-metre performance cruiser with a 2.21m fin keel, built for speed and offshore stability J Boats Tillotson Pearson J/41A 12.47-metre IOR 1-ton level racer available in both masthead and fractional rig configurations J Boats Tillotson Pearson J/32An Alan Johnstone-designed fractional sloop balancing performance with a comfortable, cruiser-friendly interior J Boats Tillotson Pearson J/92A lightweight 9.14-metre fractional sloop with a 24.17 SA/displacement ratio built for rapid, responsive performance

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