‘Abilyn’

J/120 · 1996 · Rod Johnstone design

LOA40 ft
Year1996
DesignerRod Johnstone
Home portSea Cliff, NY / Warwick, RI
Overview

Raced hard, kept right.

Abilyn is actively sailed and hard raced, and I have no plans to part with her. While I race her and look after her, this page captures her results and the meticulous work that goes into keeping her the best J/120 on the water.

1996 J/120
Dimensions & details
  • LOA40.0 ft (12.19 m)
  • LWL34.5 ft (10.5 m)
  • Beam12.0 ft (3.66 m)
  • Draft7.0 ft (2.13 m)
  • Displacement~13,900 lb (6,305 kg)
  • Ballast~6,000 lb (2,722 kg)
  • Keel / rudderFin w/ bulb; spade rudder
  • RigFractional sloop; carbon mast
  • EngineYanmar 3JH2E diesel (~38 hp), shaft drive
  • DesignerRod Johnstone
  • BuilderJ/Boats (TPI, Rhode Island)
  • Year1996

Hull, rig and weight figures are standard J/120 model specifications; owner-specific figures (tank capacities, sail dimensions) appear in the panels below.

Rigging
  • Carbon mast (repainted 2021)
  • Rod rigging (replaced 2021)
  • Stainless steel rod forestay
  • Stainless steel chainplates (new 2026)
  • Armare synthetic backstay
  • Hydraulic backstay adjuster (replaced 2025)
  • Second spreaders reinforced with carbon on the aft edge (2025) to carry a genoa-staysail lead lashing (J/121-style)
  • Tides Marine mast track (replaced 2024)
  • Aluminum boom (modified 2020 with four sheave boxes for three reef lines plus outhaul)
  • Stainless steel lifelines (replaced 2021)
  • Two spinnaker halyards (stacked vertically)
  • Two jib halyards (one rigged to the forestay; the second to hoist a genoa / jib staysail via a lead lashed to the second spreader)
  • 2:1 main halyard
  • Genoa-staysail / storm-jib infrastructure built 2025: deck pad eye, under-deck tie rod to the hull, and second-spreader lead lashing
Sail Inventory

New Doyle package (2025)

  • Mainsail — Doyle Stratis
  • 147% genoa (G1) — Stratis
  • 100% jib (J3) — Stratis (reef point converts to J4; foot zipper to tidy the loose foot)
  • Genoa staysail / storm jib with structured luff
  • A2 with ATN sock
  • Code Zero on a Wichard/Facnor FX2500 top-down furler
  • Spinnaker staysail on a Wichard/Facnor FX1500 furler

Additional sails

  • 2022 UK main (X-Drive), one-side taffeta
  • 2019 UK J3
  • North A3 in ATN sock
  • North G1 (3Di)
  • North main (3Di), three reef points, no cars (cars moved to the 2025 Doyle Stratis main)
  • Various older spinnakers
On Deck
  • Spinlock triple clutches, port and starboard (new 2025)
  • Four Constrictor rope clutches, two port and two starboard (new 2024–25)
  • Spinlock single clutches (one port for genoa-staysail tackline; two starboard for dual tack lines)
  • Additional deck organizers (2025)
  • Inhaulers (2025)
  • Extra-long jib tracks with adjustable cars
  • Six winches: two Lewmar 55 primaries; four Lewmar 44 secondaries (cabin house and helm)
  • Center pedestal with binnacle and single Edson aluminum wheel (sandblasted and repainted 2025; new leather wrap 2025)
  • Cockpit closed-cell foam mats (GT3 Creative, 2023)
  • Deck repainted 2026 (KiwiGrip)
Interior & Accommodation
  • Herreshoff styling: white interior with varnished wood trim
  • Custom nav-station paneling with an angled section for a 15-inch external monitor
  • Marinemat closed-cell foam flooring over the original floorboards (GT3 Creative, Jamestown)
  • Four salon berths (foldable seatbacks become elevated bunks)
  • Marine head with sink/shower (rarely used)
  • Forward V-berth and aft berth
  • Cushions for all bunks, berths and the nav station (mostly stored; removed for racing)
  • 13-gallon fresh-water tank (port, rarely used); racing uses a 7-gallon portable Reliance jug under the galley sink
  • 13-gallon holding tank (starboard)
  • Galley sink with faucet (currently removed for racing); foot pump plumbed from the 7-gallon Reliance jug through a 3M filter to the galley spigot
  • Isotherm refrigeration in the ice box (2018)
Machinery & Systems
  • Yanmar 3JH2E marine diesel; serviced as needed, filters changed regularly, fluids monitored
  • 15-gallon centerline HDPE diesel tank
  • PYI PSS dripless shaft seal (replaced 2022)
  • Two-blade feathering MaxProp (2018)
  • New engine mounts (2020)
  • New prop shaft (2020)
  • Custom sprit-pole nose (2026): two tack leads, 2:1 connection, internal bobstay
Electrical & Power

Full Victron battery / energy upgrade (2024)

  • Two Victron Smart Lithium batteries (105 Ah each)
  • Victron Lynx BMS
  • Victron Orion DC-DC charger (charges the engine battery)
  • Four Solbian SP-104-W solar panels (110 W each)
  • Four Victron 75/15 MPPT controllers (one per panel)
  • Victron Cerbo with N2K (2025) — battery, current and charging data to the racing laptop and Expedition
  • Wakespeed alternator regulator
  • Electromaxx Cruiser 140 alternator (2024)
Electronics & Instruments
  • B&G H5000 CPU (2024)
  • B&G H5000 Sailpilot primary AP computer (2026)
  • B&G H5000 Sailpilot keypad (2026)
  • Two AP rams: primary Hy-Pro ML+40 (equivalent to the B&G T2; HyPro builds B&G’s rams), new 2025; secondary B&G T2 ram (2018). Both wired for quick-connect swap; spare ram pins included (ram connects to the Edson rudder-stock mount)
  • Simrad NAC-3 secondary AP computer (2024)
  • Simrad AP44 secondary AP controller (2024)
  • B&G Precision 9 electronic compass (2024)
  • B&G ZG100 GPS (2024)
  • B&G WR10 AP remote BT1 base station and two WR10 AP remotes (2024)
  • B&G RF25 rudder-feedback unit (2024)
  • Airmar ST850 speed sensor (2024); Airmar DT200 depth/temperature sensor (2024)
  • Garmin Cortex AIS/VHF with wireless (interior) and wired (exterior) handsets (2024); wired handset replaced under warranty 2026
  • LMR-240 cable between AIS/VHF and mast; LMR-400 (low-loss) up the rig to a PL-259 connection at the antenna
  • B&G WS710 wind instrument on a vertical carbon wand with N2K (primary), 2024, new chip 2025; B&G WS310 wind instrument on the mast (secondary), 2024
  • B&G 3D motion sensor (2024)
  • Fusion WB675 black-box stereo with NRX300 wired remote at the helm (2024)
  • Ciel et Marine Mer-Veille radar-detector system (2024)
  • Actisense NGX-1 USB-to-N2K interface (2024)
  • Beetronics 15-inch 16:9 external display (HDMI to the racing laptop)
  • Netgear router (links the H5000 CPU to the boat computer via Ethernet and distributes internet); GL.iNet GL-AXT1800 router (bridges Starlink WiFi to the Netgear router)
  • Three Garmin GNX120 displays (2023/2026) on a custom carbon plate
  • Starlink Mini: cable modified to a Marinco trolling-motor male port; Marinco female socket on the transom; AWG-10 cable to the VHF circuit with a bulkhead switch at the nav station
  • Expedition / Adrena ready
  • No onboard chartplotter other than Expedition; a Zeus 2 is used for troubleshooting, software upgrades and bench testing
Refit History
  • 2024 — major lithium-ion battery and energy-management upgrade
  • 2025 — major sail upgrade (new Doyle inventory)
  • 2023 — full bottom job (VC Offshore); bottom maintained and dived weekly in season by me
  • Ongoing — other upgrades and replacements during routine inspections
Restoration & History
  • October 2020 — starboard deck and topside damage from a pier south of the Hinckley yard (Portsmouth, RI) after coming off a mooring; no keel damage
  • 2021 — fully restored in Bristol, RI by a professional team that included builders of American Magic’s AC75 and the 100-ft Comanche; not sailed in 2021
  • Topsides were vinyl-wrapped by GT3 Creative rather than repainted
  • New full standing rigging, plus new starboard lifelines, pulpit and starboard stanchions (2021)
Notable Race Results
  • 2019 Bermuda 1-2 — 1st, Class 1 (solo leg)
  • 2019 Larchmont YC Edlu — 2nd, PHRF Plus 1
  • 2019 Indian Harbor YC Gearbuster — 3rd, DH
  • 2020 Stamford YC Vineyard Race — 2nd, DH
  • 2020 Indian Harbor YC Gearbuster — 2nd, DH
  • 2023 Bermuda 1-2 — 4th, Class 1 (DH return leg)
  • 2024 Sea Cliff YC Around Long Island Regatta — 1st, DH (6th in PHRF overall)
  • 2024 Newport YC Offshore 160 (solo) — Line Honors; 2nd on corrected time
  • 2025 Bermuda 1-2 — 1st Class 1 (solo leg), 1st Class 1 (DH leg), 2nd overall
  • 2025 Sea Cliff YC Around Long Island Regatta — 2nd, DH (Around the Islands course)
  • 2025 Sea Cliff YC Haustblót Shorthanded Regatta — 1st, SH
  • 2025 Indian Harbor YC Gearbuster — 2nd, DH (solo)
  • 2025 Larchmont YC Bitter Ender — 1st, DH
  • 2026 Larchmont YC Edlu — 2nd, DH
  • 2026 Storm Trysail Club Block Island Race — 2nd, DH
  • 2026 Sea Cliff YC Around Long Island Regatta — 1st, DH (2nd in PHRF overall; traditional course)
  • 2026 Stamford YC Vineyard Race — 3rd, PHRF DH
  • 2026 Haustblót Shorthanded Regatta — 1st, SH
Ratings & Documentation
  • ORC-Club certificate
  • PHRF (YRALIS): 39 spin, distance
  • PHRF-NB: 52 spin, distance
  • Federally documented
Miscellaneous
  • Four Aire inflatable fenders with fleece covers
  • Mooring lines
  • Force 10 stove/oven; propane tanks
  • Cushions (see Interior)
  • Custom offshore canvas racing dodger
  • Cruising dodger frame and cruising dodger canvas
  • Winter canvas cover with aluminum frame
  • Harbor Freight Apache case for storing wind instruments, masthead antenna and Garmin displays
  • Full running rigging and spare lines, including a custom genoa-staysail handy-billy

© 2014-2026 Abilyn Sailing. All Rights Reserved.