J/Boats is a leader among production builders in the use of carbon fiber. The J/32 shown above comes standard with an aluminum mast, but can be ordered with a carbon fiber mast built by Hall Spars, for an approximate weight savings of 100 lbs. aloft—a very significant difference.

by Nick Nicholson

Some 45 years after the introduction of the mass-produced fiberglass sailboat, a large percentage of the boats built today would be instantly familiar to a sailor from the middle of the 20th century. Most boats are still built in an open female mold, using a wet layup consisting of fiberglass reinforcement and polyester resin. The materials may be more sophisticated and the techniques more refined, but the basic construction is the same. From a distance, most sails still look like their counterparts from decades ago, and hull shapes seem evolutionary, not revolutionary.…