I just had her decks refinished and her wood oiled, her bottom done, and stripes repainted. She looks great.
I have sailed her steadily for the last fifteen years and kept her well maintained.
The J29 is a great day sailor and has a comfortable cabin with four bunks for weekends. Her fractional rig is versatile giving more control in a variety of air. She accelerates fast for a 5500 lb. boat, powers well through chop, and runs at 6.5 knots upwind. She sails dry in most winds and the 11 ft beam makes her stiff. She has running backs that improve upwind speed and point in heavy air. Her deck is uncluttered making moving about easy and if you want to take 15 of your friends sailing you can. A full crew is eight, but five is adequate for most conditions. She also sails well with only the main for single handing in most conditions, and in light air I can easily handle both main and jib by myself. Hotsy has been on a lift for the last 15 years and sailed in fresh water. She spent her first five years in the Gulf and then five more years in fresh water. There are two significant repairs on her hull which were properly done. One before I got her and another due to my not having the lift properly adjusted in early days. There are some small blisters aft of the keel.
