J/Boats J/35
Built 1983–1992 by Tillotson-Pearson (TPI)
About the J/Boats J/35
Researched from public sources for this model. Any individual boat may have been modified or repowered — confirm before relying on any figure.
- Built
- 1983–1992
- Builder
- Tillotson-Pearson (TPI)
- Designer
- Rod Johnstone
- Length
- 35.5 ft
- Waterline
- 30 ft
- Beam
- 11.8 ft
- Draft
- 6.9 ft
- Displacement
- 10,500 lb
- Ballast
- 4,400 lb
- Hull
- fiberglass-cored
- Hull / keel
- fin keel
- Rig
- sloop
- Propulsion
- inboard
- Fuel
- 20 gal
- Number built
- 330
- Stern thruster
- none
- Steering
- tiller
Hull and deck balsa-cored in biaxial/unidirectional glass; molded fiberglass main structural bulkhead; mast step and external lead keel fastened to glass floor beams. Hulls built after 1988 carried a 10-year anti-blister warranty. Standard Martec folding prop. Shoal-draft version 6.0 ft. A few built under license in Australia. Practical Sailor (2000) said more than 300 built by then.
Known problems for this model
-
Balsa-cored hull and deck delamination risk hull
Both hull and deck are balsa-cored; Practical Sailor notes it has seen deck and occasionally hull delamination on 10-20 year old balsa-cored boats, so a thorough core survey is warranted.practical-sailor.com
-
Hard racing use other
Most J/35s have been raced hard, so sails, rigging and gear may need a full refit.practical-sailor.com
Engines & parts
Yanmar 3GM / 3GM30F parts: good
Factory standard engine — you entered “Yanmar 3GM”
Very popular (used 3GM30Fs sell for $3,000+) and supported by a strong parts network. Cylinder head overhauls (valve seals, lapping, injector service) are a common, parts-supported repair.
Parts sources: Mack Boring & Parts (Yanmar distributor), HDI Marine (stainless exhaust elbows), Parts4Engines
Common problems (2)
-
Overheating at cruise rpm cooling
The 3GM30F has a known overheating tendency linked to its heat exchanger; owners also trace it to coked elbows, worn impellers, scaled heat exchangers or air in the raw water circuit. Some heat exchangers were replaced under warranty.forums.sailboatowners.com
-
Mixing elbow corrosion exhaust
OEM elbows corrode internally and should be inspected or replaced with stainless versions before they let water into the engine.practical-sailor.com · facebook.com
Model sources (2)
Other J/Boats models
- J/Boats J/105 1992–?
- J/Boats J/24 1977–?
- J/Boats J/30 1979–1986
Researched from public sources. Spotted an error? The sources are listed above — tell us what they got wrong.