JPK 38 FC

Fast Cruising

The JPK 38 FC project was born from the combined experiences of ocean racing, cruising and a desire for a sailing trip combining the pleasure of sailing, the quality of life on board and safety.

There are many boats on the market, but in our opinion none of them really combine all these qualities.

On the one hand, well-fitted mass-produced boats with limited hull designs due to excessively high construction weight specifications. As a result, the pleasure of sailing is not there and the sea behaviour is not very safe.

In the other hand, very light open type travel boats, minimalist in terms of layout but above all intolerant of the extra weight inherent in ocean cruising and with very flat hull sections that cause brutal passage through the sea and total discomfort at close points of sail.

Naval architect J. Valer

LOA 11, 38 m
BOA 3,99 m
Displacement 5,0 t
Volvo engine 30 cv
Keel 1,9 t
Standard keel draft 2,15 m
Lifting keel draft 1,35 - 2,70 m

Upwind sail surface 80 m²
Asy spinnaker 130 m²

Sailing pleasure, safety and comfort

The JPK 38 FC is 11.38 metres long and 4 metres wide. In our opinion, this is a maximum size for simple management of the boat and its maintenance.

Sail surfaces that are easy to handle, even when sailing single-handed, and generate little effort with an asymmetric or code 0 spinnaker on a carbon bowsprit that can be retracted into the hull to avoid obstructing the foredeck. The bow thruster or electric winch are not essential comfort options.

In short, the JPK 38 FC is a true modern synthesis of the seaworthy travel boat, gliding, easy and friendly.

Architecture

Jacques Valer is one of the few architects who know how to design yachts in different classes, but with a resolutely seaworthy character as a common thread. From the masterful JPK 960 in offshore racing, to the Class 40, from the JPK 1010 IRC all class champion in 2010 to the 998 Day Sailor, all these hulls are recognised as models of balance and versatility.

The hull: one programme = one design
Much simpler, the exploitation of the JPK Class 40 hull mould was at one time considered, but Jacques Valer immediately estimated that it was impossible to make a real "good cruising boat" by exploiting the mould of a boat designed to weigh 4500 kg when in the cruising version we would be at 5500 kg.

The JPK 38 FC is therefore a synthesis between the gliding open boats and the displacement boats. A wide and powerful hull but with deep enough front sections for a good passage in the sea and a hull hollow accepting the overload of the trip.

The result is a stable and forgiving boat capable of very high average speeds in all conditions. The very careful construction in 100% infused sandwich on both the interior and exterior elements allows a large hull volume for a light displacement of 5 T despite a consequent ballast of 1900 kg in the keelboat version.

Construction

The weight estimate is the key factor on which
the architect designs the boat. Hull sections and hull depth are perfectly adjusted to the final weight estimate, the objective being to obtain a hull that is sufficiently tensioned to quickly exceed the hull speed (overspeed) without dragging water, even under load, in order to remain fast in light airs and upwind sailing, but also downwind.

The experience of 10 years of infusion on our 6 models of the range, mainly race oriented, allows us to be very precise on this determining factor.

The hull, deck and interior structural elements are built like those of a Class 40 racing boat with a 20 mm sandwich of balsa light and Airex, quadriaxial fabrics and UD (unidirectional) sheets in all stress areas. In order to better resist puncturing ( impact on the planking or deck), the outer skins are reinforced in the stressed areas. The processing is carried out by infusion of vinylester resin.

Inside the ship

The panoramic roof is an essential part of the quality of life on board
on cruise.

The chart table with a raised seat is a real protected watchtower that allows you to devour the miles effortlessly and without stress (collision) thanks to the real windscreen.
The remote saloon with a long kitchen is an obvious choice for all those who have experience of life on board. The saloon table, always on station, is the convivial centre of the boat. The long kitchen generates a lot of storage space and, with the central element, allows a good wedging at sea.

A large rear cabin, a second "extra" cabin that can be transformed into a technical room and a third at the front to invite people along on stopovers.

Cockpit

The lowered entrance step facilitates circulation between the cockpit and the cabin. No manoeuvres get in the way of the wide cockpit benches (and table), the genoa and mainsail winches being thrown back with the twin steering wheels into the aft area of the cockpit, as is the mainsail track attached to the aft end of the boat.

For those who don't want a sprayhood, a moulded plexiglass bubble, inspired by ocean racing, protects the sprayhood which can remain open even in rough conditions.

Keel

Lifting keel option.

Considered too penalizing in terms of weight (overall weight increased by 200 kg) and drag, the twin keel version was finally abandoned in favour of the lifting keel. For lovers of peaceful anchoring and stopovers at the "end of the world", we have developed our lifting keel system which allows the draught to be varied from 2.70 m to 1.35 m.

The keel, with its composite infused appendage and lead "salmon", provides the same sail stiffness as the fixed keel with a slightly lower overall weight estimate. As for the space requirement, the jack positioned vertically on the mast support does not interfere with the layout of the accommodation.