J-class yacht
Encyclopedia
The J-Class serves as a rating for large sailing yacht
Yacht
A yacht is a recreational boat or ship. The term originated from the Dutch Jacht meaning "hunt". It was originally defined as a light fast sailing vessel used by the Dutch navy to pursue pirates and other transgressors around and into the shallow waters of the Low Countries...

s designed between 1930 and 1937. Reserved for a wealthy elite of yachtsmen, these boats were used to compete with the best sailing talents in three races of the America's Cup
America's Cup
The America’s Cup is a trophy awarded to the winner of the America's Cup match races between two yachts. One yacht, known as the defender, represents the yacht club that currently holds the America's Cup and the second yacht, known as the challenger, represents the yacht club that is challenging...

.

The 1930s

The J-Class is a development of Nathanael Herreshoff
Nathanael Herreshoff
Nathanael Greene Herreshoff I , was an American naval architect-mechanical engineer. "Captain Nat," as he was known, revolutionized yacht design, and produced a succession of undefeated America's Cup defenders between 1893–1920....

's Universal Rule
Universal Rule
The Universal Rule determined a yachts eligibility to race in the America's Cup from 1914 to 1937. Ships built according to the rule reached their peak in the large J-class yachts....

 for racing boats. It was established in 1929, two years after it was agreed amongst American yacht clubs that the International Rule would be used for 12-metre class
12-metre class
The 12 Metre Class is a rating class for racing boats designed to the International rule. It enables fair competition between boats that rate in the class whilst retaining the freedom to experiment with the details of their designs. The first 12 Metres were built in 1907. The 12 Metre Class was...

 boats and smaller. As a result the Universal Rule was retained for large boats in the United States and the 1930s America's Cup regattas were all raced in the J-Class.
Following Sir Thomas Lipton's near success in the 1920 America's Cup, he challenged again for the last time at age 79, in 1929. The challenge drew all the novelties developed in the previous decade on small boats to be ported onto large boats, and pitted British and American yacht design in a technological race. Between 1930 and 1937, the improvements brought to the design of sailboats were numerous and significant:
  • the high-aspect bermuda rig
    Bermuda rig
    The term Bermuda rig refers to a configuration of mast and rigging for a type of sailboat and is also known as a Marconi rig; this is the typical configuration for most modern sailboats...

     replaces the gaff rig
    Gaff rig
    Gaff rig is a sailing rig in which the sail is four-cornered, fore-and-aft rigged, controlled at its peak and, usually, its entire head by a spar called the gaff...

     on large sailboats
  • solid-rod lenticular rigging for shrouds
    Shroud (sailing)
    On a sailboat, the shrouds are pieces of standing rigging which hold the mast up from side to side. There is frequently more than one shroud on each side of the boat....

     and stays
    Stays (nautical)
    Stays are the heavy ropes, wires, or rods on sailing vessels that run from the masts to the hull, usually fore-and-aft along the centerline of the vessel...

  • luff and foot grooved spars with rail and slides replace wooden hoops
  • multiplication of spreader sets
    Spreader (sailboat)
    A spreader is a spar on a sailboat used to deflect the shrouds to allow them to better support the mast. Often, there are multiples, called spreaders. The spreader or spreaders serve much the same purpose as the crosstrees and tops in a traditional sailing vessel.Spreader design and tuning can be...

    : one set previously (1914), two sets (1930), three sets (1934), four sets (1937)
  • multiplication of the number of winch
    Winch
    A winch is a mechanical device that is used to pull in or let out or otherwise adjust the "tension" of a rope or wire rope . In its simplest form it consists of a spool and attached hand crank. In larger forms, winches stand at the heart of machines as diverse as tow trucks, steam shovels and...

    es: 23 winches, Enterprise (1930)
  • electrical navigational instruments borrowed from aeronautics with repeaters for windvane and anemometer
    Anemometer
    An anemometer is a device for measuring wind speed, and is a common weather station instrument. The term is derived from the Greek word anemos, meaning wind, and is used to describe any airspeed measurement instrument used in meteorology or aerodynamics...

    , Whirlwind (1930)
  • "Park Avenue" boom (Enterprise, 1930) and "North Circular" boom (Rainbow, 1934) developed to trim mainsail foot
  • riveted aluminium mast (4000 lb (1,814.4 kg), Duralumin
    Duralumin
    Duralumin is the trade name of one of the earliest types of age-hardenable aluminium alloys. The main alloying constituents are copper, manganese, and magnesium. A commonly used modern equivalent of this alloy type is AA2024, which contains 4.4% copper, 1.5% magnesium, 0.6% manganese and 93.5%...

    ), Enterprise (1930)
  • Genoa Jib (Rainbow, 1934) and quadrangular jib (Endeavour
    Endeavour (Yacht)
    Endeavour is a J-class yacht built for the 1934 America's Cup by Camper and Nicholson in Gosport, Portsmouth Harbour, England. She was built for Thomas Sopwith who used his aviation design expertise to ensure the yacht was the most advanced of its day with a steel hull and mast...

    , 1934)
  • development of nylon parachute (symmetric) spinnakers, including the World's largest at 18000 sq ft (1,672.3 m²) on Endeavour II (1936)
  • Duralumin wing-mast, Ranger
    Ranger (yacht)
    The J-class yacht Ranger successfully defended the 1937 America's Cup, defeating the British challenger Endeavour II 4-0 at Newport, Rhode Island. It was the last time J-class yachts would race for the America's Cup.-Construction:...

     (1937)


All these improvements would not have been possible without the context of the America's Cup. The competition was a bit unfair because the British challengers had to be constructed in the country of the Challenging Yacht Club (a criterion still in use today), and had to sail on their own hull to the venue of the America's Cup (a criterion no longer in use today): The design for such an undertaking required the challenging boat to be more seaworthy than the American boats, whose design was purely for speed in closed waters' regattas. The yachts that remain in existence are all British, and probably log more nautical miles today than they ever did. This would not have been possible if Charles Ernest Nicholson
Charles Ernest Nicholson
-Biography:He was born in 1868.Nicholson's first design of note was the Redwing class. The Bembridge sailing club met in October 1896 to agree the need for a shallow draughted yacht - to allow for the shoal waters of Bembridge Harbour - which could be sailed single-handed, to replace the expensive...

 did not obtain unlimited budgets to achieve the quality of build for these yachts. Yacht designer Clinton Hoadley Crane noted in his memoires that "America's Cup racing has never led to good sportsmanship. The attitude of the New York Yacht Club [...] has been more that of a man in the forward position at war who has been ordered to hold his position at all costs – at all costs.". In 1930, Thomas Lipton spent $1,000,000 for his Shamrock V challenge when America was facing a stock market crash, but the NYYC still built four cup defenders. The rivalry lead both countries to put a display of true technological demonstrators using the maximum load waterline length authorised by the rule for Endeavour II and Ranger
Ranger (yacht)
The J-class yacht Ranger successfully defended the 1937 America's Cup, defeating the British challenger Endeavour II 4-0 at Newport, Rhode Island. It was the last time J-class yachts would race for the America's Cup.-Construction:...

 in 1937. This seems to concur with J. P. Morgan
J. P. Morgan
John Pierpont Morgan was an American financier, banker and art collector who dominated corporate finance and industrial consolidation during his time. In 1892 Morgan arranged the merger of Edison General Electric and Thomson-Houston Electric Company to form General Electric...

's famous quote about yachts: "If you have to ask how much it costs, you cannot afford it."

Most J-Class yachts were scrapped prior or during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 because steel and lead had become precious to the war effort. In the post-war era, J-Class racing was deemed far too expensive, so no challenge for the America's Cup was placed until 1958 with the smaller third International Rule 12mR class
12-metre class
The 12 Metre Class is a rating class for racing boats designed to the International rule. It enables fair competition between boats that rate in the class whilst retaining the freedom to experiment with the details of their designs. The first 12 Metres were built in 1907. The 12 Metre Class was...

. A revival of the J-Class was triggered in the 1980s when Elizabeth Meyer
Elizabeth Meyer
Elizabeth E Meyer, was born in Baltimore in 1953. She was instrumental in the restoration of the J Class Yachts beginning with Endeavour in the mid 1980s. She is married to Michael McCaffrey.-Life:...

 oversaw the refits of Endeavour
Endeavour (Yacht)
Endeavour is a J-class yacht built for the 1934 America's Cup by Camper and Nicholson in Gosport, Portsmouth Harbour, England. She was built for Thomas Sopwith who used his aviation design expertise to ensure the yacht was the most advanced of its day with a steel hull and mast...

 and Shamrock V.

List of J-Class yachts

Ten yachts were built to the J-Class rule between 1930 and 1937, six in America and four in Great Britain. All three which survived were designed by Charles Ernest Nicholson
Charles Ernest Nicholson
-Biography:He was born in 1868.Nicholson's first design of note was the Redwing class. The Bembridge sailing club met in October 1896 to agree the need for a shallow draughted yacht - to allow for the shoal waters of Bembridge Harbour - which could be sailed single-handed, to replace the expensive...

: Shamrock V, Endeavour
Endeavour (Yacht)
Endeavour is a J-class yacht built for the 1934 America's Cup by Camper and Nicholson in Gosport, Portsmouth Harbour, England. She was built for Thomas Sopwith who used his aviation design expertise to ensure the yacht was the most advanced of its day with a steel hull and mast...

 and Velsheda
Velsheda (yacht)
The J-class yacht Velsheda was designed by Charles Ernest Nicholson and built in 1933 by Camper and Nicholsons at Gosport, Hampshire. She was built for businessman William Lawrence Stephenson and named after his three daughters, Velma, Sheila and Daphne...

, of which the latter never served for an America's Cup challenge.

Other boats raced in J-Class regattas: The yachts Katoura (Starling Burgess, 1927), Resolute (Nathanael Herreshoff, 1914) and Vanitie (William Gardner, 1914) served as trial horses and most International Rule 23mR yachts were converted to the J-Class, of which three remain in existence: Astra, Cambria and Candida.

The creation of the J-Class Associationin 2000 and the launch of a new replica of Ranger in 2004 accelerated the revival of the class. Several replicas and original designs were subsequently built and the association now organises races for the J-Class in Newport, Falmouth and Cowes.
font style=background:white>J-Class conversions    did not compete or qualify    Challengers    Defenders    replicas
LaunchName|SailDesignerFirst ship-owner and Yacht ClubDescription
1893 Britannia
HMY Britannia (Royal Cutter Yacht)
His Majesty's Yacht Britannia was a gaff-rigged cutter built in 1893 for Commodore Albert Edward, Prince of Wales. She served him and his son, King George V, a long racing career.-Racing career:...

K1   George Lennox Watson
George Lennox Watson
George Lennox Watson was a Scottish naval architect. He was born in Glasgow, son of Thomas Lennox Watson, a doctor at the Glasgow Royal Infirmary, and grandson of Sir Timothy Burstall, engineer and entrant at the 1829 Rainhill Trials.-Early life:...

Prince Albert Edward, RYS converted to the J-Class (1931). scuttled after King George V's death (1936). replica in construction
1907 White Heather II K7   William Fife III Myles Burton Kennedy
Myles Burton Kennedy
Myles Burton Kennedy was a Furness ironmaster, proprietor of Roanhead mines and chairman of the North Lonsdale Iron & Steel Co.-Parentage:...

, Royal Albert YC
23mR converted to the J-Class (1930). scrapped to cast the lead for Velsheda (1932)
1928 Astra JK2   Charles Ernest Nicholson
Charles Ernest Nicholson
-Biography:He was born in 1868.Nicholson's first design of note was the Redwing class. The Bembridge sailing club met in October 1896 to agree the need for a shallow draughted yacht - to allow for the shoal waters of Bembridge Harbour - which could be sailed single-handed, to replace the expensive...

Sir Adam Mortimer Singer, RYS 23mR converted to the J-Class (1931). Refitted (1987)
1928 Cambria K4   William Fife III Sir William Berry, RYS 23mR refitted (1995, 2001). Re-rated as a J-Class (2003)
1929 Candida K8   Charles Ernest Nicholson
Charles Ernest Nicholson
-Biography:He was born in 1868.Nicholson's first design of note was the Redwing class. The Bembridge sailing club met in October 1896 to agree the need for a shallow draughted yacht - to allow for the shoal waters of Bembridge Harbour - which could be sailed single-handed, to replace the expensive...

Hermann Anton Andreae, RSYC
Royal Southern Yacht Club
The Royal Southern Yacht Club is a yacht club in Hamble, Hampshire, United Kingdom. It was established in 1837 in Southampton as the Royal Southampton Yacht Club and was given Royal patronage by HRH Queen Victoria....

23mR converted to the J-Class (1931). Refitted (1989)
1930 Shamrock V JK3   Charles Ernest Nicholson
Charles Ernest Nicholson
-Biography:He was born in 1868.Nicholson's first design of note was the Redwing class. The Bembridge sailing club met in October 1896 to agree the need for a shallow draughted yacht - to allow for the shoal waters of Bembridge Harbour - which could be sailed single-handed, to replace the expensive...

Sir Thomas Lipton, RUYC Unsuccessful challenger (AC1930). Refitted by Pendennis shipyard (2001).
1930 Weetamoe 1   Clinton Hoadley Crane George Nichols syndicate, NYYC Defender trials (AC1930, AC1934). sold for scrap (1937)
1930 Yankee JUS2   Frank Cabot Paine John Silsbee Lawrence syndicate, NYYC Defender trials (AC1930, AC1934, AC1937). Sold for scrap (1941)
1930 Whirlwind 3   Lewis Francis Herreshoff
Lewis Francis Herreshoff
Lewis Francis Herreshoff , was a boat designer, naval architect, editor and author of books and magazine articles. Early in his career he worked for the Herreshoff Manufacturing and for naval architect Starling Burgess....

Landon Ketchum Thorne syndicate, NYYC Defender trials (AC1930). Sold for scrap (1935)
1930 Enterprise 4   Starling Burgess Harold Vanderbilt syndicate, NYYC Successful defender 4:0 (AC1930). Sold for scrap (1935)
1933 Velsheda
Velsheda (yacht)
The J-class yacht Velsheda was designed by Charles Ernest Nicholson and built in 1933 by Camper and Nicholsons at Gosport, Hampshire. She was built for businessman William Lawrence Stephenson and named after his three daughters, Velma, Sheila and Daphne...

JK7   Charles Ernest Nicholson
Charles Ernest Nicholson
-Biography:He was born in 1868.Nicholson's first design of note was the Redwing class. The Bembridge sailing club met in October 1896 to agree the need for a shallow draughted yacht - to allow for the shoal waters of Bembridge Harbour - which could be sailed single-handed, to replace the expensive...

William Lawrence Stephenson, RYS restored by Southampton Yacht Services (1997)
1934 Endeavour
Endeavour (Yacht)
Endeavour is a J-class yacht built for the 1934 America's Cup by Camper and Nicholson in Gosport, Portsmouth Harbour, England. She was built for Thomas Sopwith who used his aviation design expertise to ensure the yacht was the most advanced of its day with a steel hull and mast...

JK4   Charles Ernest Nicholson
Charles Ernest Nicholson
-Biography:He was born in 1868.Nicholson's first design of note was the Redwing class. The Bembridge sailing club met in October 1896 to agree the need for a shallow draughted yacht - to allow for the shoal waters of Bembridge Harbour - which could be sailed single-handed, to replace the expensive...

Sir Thomas Sopwith, RYS Unsuccessful challenger 2:4 (AC1934). Restored by Royal Huisman
Royal Huisman
Royal Huisman, founded in 1884 is a family-owned builder of unique custom sailing and motor yachts, classic or modern, between 26 and 90 meters. The yard was awarded the Royal seal by Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands in 1984...

 (1989) and refitted by Yachting Developments (2011)
1934 Rainbow J5   Starling Burgess Harold Vanderbilt syndicate, NYYC Successful defender 4:2 (AC1934). Defender trials (AC1937). Sold for scrap (1940)
1936 Endeavour II JK6   Charles Ernest Nicholson
Charles Ernest Nicholson
-Biography:He was born in 1868.Nicholson's first design of note was the Redwing class. The Bembridge sailing club met in October 1896 to agree the need for a shallow draughted yacht - to allow for the shoal waters of Bembridge Harbour - which could be sailed single-handed, to replace the expensive...

Sir Thomas Sopwith, RYS Unsuccessful challenger 0:4 (AC1937). Sold for scrap (1947)
1937 "77C"-Ranger
Ranger (yacht)
The J-class yacht Ranger successfully defended the 1937 America's Cup, defeating the British challenger Endeavour II 4-0 at Newport, Rhode Island. It was the last time J-class yachts would race for the America's Cup.-Construction:...

J5   Starling Burgess & Olin Stephens
Olin Stephens
Olin James Stephens II was an American yacht designer of the 20th century. Stephens was born in New York, but spent his summers with his brother Rod, learning to sail on the New England coast. He also attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for a term.Stephens' name had a long history...

Harold Vanderbilt, NYYC Successful defender 4:0 (AC1937). Sold for scrap (1941)
2004 "77C"-Ranger J5     Reichel/Pugh
Reichel/Pugh
Reichel/Pugh is a yacht design company based in San Diego, California, USA. It is led by John Reichel and Jim Pugh.Since the late 1990s, Reichel/Pugh-designed yachts have successfully competed in many major races, including the America's Cup...

 & Fred Elliot
John A. Williams
Post Properties
Post Properties, Inc. is a developer and operator of multifamily communities, including resort-style garden apartments and high-density urban apartments...

, NYYC
  Starling Burgess & Olin Stephens
Olin Stephens
Olin James Stephens II was an American yacht designer of the 20th century. Stephens was born in New York, but spent his summers with his brother Rod, learning to sail on the New England coast. He also attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for a term.Stephens' name had a long history...

 replica ("77C"-Ranger, 1937)
2009 Hanuman JK6   Gerard Dijkstra James H. Clark
James H. Clark
James H. Clark is an American entrepreneur and computer scientist. He founded several notable Silicon Valley technology companies, including Silicon Graphics, Inc., Netscape Communications Corporation, myCFO and Healtheon...

  Charles Ernest Nicholson
Charles Ernest Nicholson
-Biography:He was born in 1868.Nicholson's first design of note was the Redwing class. The Bembridge sailing club met in October 1896 to agree the need for a shallow draughted yacht - to allow for the shoal waters of Bembridge Harbour - which could be sailed single-handed, to replace the expensive...

 Replica (Endeavour II, 1936)
2010 "77F"-Lionheart JH1   Andre Hoek   Starling Burgess & Olin Stephens
Olin Stephens
Olin James Stephens II was an American yacht designer of the 20th century. Stephens was born in New York, but spent his summers with his brother Rod, learning to sail on the New England coast. He also attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for a term.Stephens' name had a long history...

 original design ("77F", 1937)
building Rainbow JH2   Gerard Dijkstra Chris Gongriep   Starling Burgess Replica (Rainbow, 1934)
building Azure J7   Andre Hoek   Frank Cabot Paine original design ("A", 1935), formerly Atlantis

Specifications of the J-Class

The Universal Rule
Universal Rule
The Universal Rule determined a yachts eligibility to race in the America's Cup from 1914 to 1937. Ships built according to the rule reached their peak in the large J-class yachts....

 was established in 1903 by Nathanael Herreshoff
Nathanael Herreshoff
Nathanael Greene Herreshoff I , was an American naval architect-mechanical engineer. "Captain Nat," as he was known, revolutionized yacht design, and produced a succession of undefeated America's Cup defenders between 1893–1920....

 and the NYYC to normalise the sailing sport at every size of boat. The J-Class was first developed in 1929 from the Universal Rule and rates boats with the following criteria:
  • rating:
    where:
    • is the Load Waterline Length
      Waterline length
      The Waterline length is a measurement of ships and boats. The term denotes the length of the vessel at the point where it sits in the water. It excludes the total length of the boat, such as features that are out of the water...

       in feet
    • is the quarter-beam length in feet
    • is measured in square feet
    • is measured in cubic feet

} 88 ft (26.82 m)
  • maximum draught
    Draft (hull)
    The draft of a ship's hull is the vertical distance between the waterline and the bottom of the hull , with the thickness of the hull included; in the case of not being included the draft outline would be obtained...

    : 15 ft (4.57 m)
  • minimum mast weight: unrestricted in 1930; 5500 lb (2,494.8 kg) in 1934; 6400 lb (2,903 kg) for the whole rig in 1937
  • standards: Lloyds' A1
    Lloyd's Register
    The Lloyd's Register Group is a maritime classification society and independent risk management organisation providing risk assessment and mitigation services and management systems certification. Historically, as Lloyd's Register of Shipping, it was a specifically maritime organisation...

     scantling rules
  • build: aluminium hull forbidden in the 1930s, authorised today
  • design: 1930s (replicas are only rated to the J-Class provided their design dates back to the 1930s)
  • racing: elapsed time (1930s), Velocity Prediction Program
    Velocity prediction program
    A velocity prediction program is a program which solves for the performance of a sailing yacht in various wind conditions by balancing hull and sail forces...

     ratings (today)
    LaunchNameBuilderLOALWL
    Waterline length
    The Waterline length is a measurement of ships and boats. The term denotes the length of the vessel at the point where it sits in the water. It excludes the total length of the boat, such as features that are out of the water...

    Beam
    Beam (nautical)
    The beam of a ship is its width at the widest point. Generally speaking, the wider the beam of a ship , the more initial stability it has, at expense of reserve stability in the event of a capsize, where more energy is required to right the vessel from its inverted position...

    Draught
    Draft (hull)
    The draft of a ship's hull is the vertical distance between the waterline and the bottom of the hull , with the thickness of the hull included; in the case of not being included the draft outline would be obtained...

    Displacement
    Displacement (ship)
    A ship's displacement is its weight at any given time, generally expressed in metric tons or long tons. The term is often used to mean the ship's weight when it is loaded to its maximum capacity. A number of synonymous terms exist for this maximum weight, such as loaded displacement, full load...

    Sail area
    1930 Shamrock V   Camper and Nicholsons
    Camper and Nicholsons
    Camper and Nicholsons are the oldest leisure marine company in the world, producing and managing yachts for the world's richest people.As Camper and Nicholsons was founded at Gosport, Hampshire before organised seawater yachting had even started, John Nicholson of the founding family once overheard...

    119 ft 1 in 81 ft 1 in 20 ft 14 ft 9 in 134 tons 7,540 ft²
    1930 Weetamoe   Herreshoff Manufacturing Company
    Nathanael Herreshoff
    Nathanael Greene Herreshoff I , was an American naval architect-mechanical engineer. "Captain Nat," as he was known, revolutionized yacht design, and produced a succession of undefeated America's Cup defenders between 1893–1920....

    125 ft 9 in 83 ft 20 ft 14 ft 6 in 7,550 ft²
    1930 Yankee   George Lawley & Son
    George Lawley & Son
    George Lawley & Son was a shipbuilding firm operating in Massachusetts from 1866 to 1945. It began in Scituate, then moved to Boston. After founder George Lawley retired in 1890, his son, grandson and great-grandson upheld the business, which continued until 1945...

    126 ft 83 ft 22 ft 6 in 14 ft 6 in 148 tons 7,288 ft²
    1930 Whirlwind   George Lawley & Son
    George Lawley & Son
    George Lawley & Son was a shipbuilding firm operating in Massachusetts from 1866 to 1945. It began in Scituate, then moved to Boston. After founder George Lawley retired in 1890, his son, grandson and great-grandson upheld the business, which continued until 1945...

    139 ft 86 ft 21 ft 9 in 15 ft 6 in 158 tons 7,335 ft²
    1930 Enterprise   Herreshoff Manufacturing Company
    Nathanael Herreshoff
    Nathanael Greene Herreshoff I , was an American naval architect-mechanical engineer. "Captain Nat," as he was known, revolutionized yacht design, and produced a succession of undefeated America's Cup defenders between 1893–1920....

    120 ft 9 in 80 ft 23 ft 14 ft 6 in 128 tons 7,583 ft²
    1933 Velsheda
    Velsheda (yacht)
    The J-class yacht Velsheda was designed by Charles Ernest Nicholson and built in 1933 by Camper and Nicholsons at Gosport, Hampshire. She was built for businessman William Lawrence Stephenson and named after his three daughters, Velma, Sheila and Daphne...

      Camper and Nicholsons
    Camper and Nicholsons
    Camper and Nicholsons are the oldest leisure marine company in the world, producing and managing yachts for the world's richest people.As Camper and Nicholsons was founded at Gosport, Hampshire before organised seawater yachting had even started, John Nicholson of the founding family once overheard...

    127 ft 6 in 83 ft 21 ft 6 in 15 ft
    1934 Endeavour
    Endeavour (Yacht)
    Endeavour is a J-class yacht built for the 1934 America's Cup by Camper and Nicholson in Gosport, Portsmouth Harbour, England. She was built for Thomas Sopwith who used his aviation design expertise to ensure the yacht was the most advanced of its day with a steel hull and mast...

      Camper and Nicholsons
    Camper and Nicholsons
    Camper and Nicholsons are the oldest leisure marine company in the world, producing and managing yachts for the world's richest people.As Camper and Nicholsons was founded at Gosport, Hampshire before organised seawater yachting had even started, John Nicholson of the founding family once overheard...

    129 ft 6 in 83 ft 6 in 22 ft 14 ft 9 in 143 tons 7,651 ft²
    1934 Rainbow   Herreshoff Manufacturing Company
    Nathanael Herreshoff
    Nathanael Greene Herreshoff I , was an American naval architect-mechanical engineer. "Captain Nat," as he was known, revolutionized yacht design, and produced a succession of undefeated America's Cup defenders between 1893–1920....

    127 ft 6 in 82 ft 21 ft 15 ft 141 tons 7,535 ft²
    1936 Endeavour II   Camper and Nicholsons
    Camper and Nicholsons
    Camper and Nicholsons are the oldest leisure marine company in the world, producing and managing yachts for the world's richest people.As Camper and Nicholsons was founded at Gosport, Hampshire before organised seawater yachting had even started, John Nicholson of the founding family once overheard...

    135 ft 6 in 87 ft 21 ft 6 in 15 ft 162 tons 7,543 ft²
    1937 Ranger
    Ranger (yacht)
    The J-class yacht Ranger successfully defended the 1937 America's Cup, defeating the British challenger Endeavour II 4-0 at Newport, Rhode Island. It was the last time J-class yachts would race for the America's Cup.-Construction:...

      Bath Iron Works
    Bath Iron Works
    Bath Iron Works is a major American shipyard located on the Kennebec River in Bath, Maine, United States. Since its founding in 1884 , BIW has built private, commercial and military vessels, most of which have been ordered by the United States Navy...

    135 ft 87 ft 21 ft 15 ft 166 tons 7,546 ft²

Rigging problems

The original yachts would carry 165 ft (50.3 m) masts, but they dismasted frequently in conditions other than the lightest of winds. As a consequence, British yachtsman Sir Richard Fairey (Chairman of Fairey Aviation
Fairey Aviation
The Fairey Aviation Company Limited was a British aircraft manufacturer of the first half of the 20th century based in Hayes in Greater London and Heaton Chapel and RAF Ringway in Greater Manchester...

, and owner of Shamrock V at the time) suggested an America's Cup challenge in the smaller K-Class (less expensive with a more manageable rig), but the New York Yacht Club
New York Yacht Club
The New York Yacht Club is a private social club and yacht club based in New York City and Newport, Rhode Island. It was founded in 1844 by nine prominent sportsmen. The members have contributed to the sport of yachting and yacht design. The organization has over 3,000 members as of 2011. ...

refused the drop in size. In 1937, disaster struck on the delivery trip of the Vanderbilt's defense candidate, Ranger, from Maine to Newport, when rigging parts fell from the mast whilst under tow. Nothing could be done to save the top 30 ft (9.1 m) from breaking off. Fortunately, a new aluminum mast built for the 1934 defender Rainbow (a candidate for the 1937 defense) was loaned to the project and used throughout the Defender selection series until Ranger's mast could be repaired.

The J-Class rule was amended in 1937 to force rigs to weigh a minimum of 6,400 lb. The larger scantling would prevent the frequent dismastings that had been previously observed in the British Big Class seasons.

Further reading

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