I raced against a J29 phrf this summer and beat them regularly. A J 24 came out only once and we beat them easily, Dont forget that a J24 doesnt really have a cockpit with seats so is nowhere near as comfortable

:: Hi Don,
::
:: Raced J24s alot before e27. e27 vs J24 is a no brianer
:: on the side of e27. e27's have volume in the right
:: places, subsequently, are more boat for racing or
:: cruising with what I think is a more confortable down
:: below including seating areas and full length berths.
::
:: e27's have a longer water line, are lighter, will plane
:: vs skip and tumble, and with a barn door rudder well aft
:: offer much more leverage for easy steering. But that
:: does not mean there is a wetted surface issue as e27s
:: accelerate before most other boats of this volume for
:: their weight in less than 5 knot wind conditions. Speed
:: delta dampens somewhere in the 8 to 12 knot true wind
:: range, with the e27 becoming exponentially faster the
:: harder the wind blows above 12 knots. Off the wind in
:: these conditions its a breeze to sail an e27 and the bow
:: sections nevers take over control of the boat.
::
:: As relayed by others there are times when a well sailed
:: J24 can do okay against an e27, rating wise, at the top
:: of the J24's #1 upwind only. Otherwise an e27 is faster
:: on all points of sail, wave and wind speed conditions.
::
:: For PHRF, e27s do very well and some say have been
:: blessed by the rating Gods over the years for what is
:: essentially now a 25 yeat old design. With tthe e27
:: certainly deserving its PHRF adjusted upward to at least
:: 135 which is the national average vs 129 which is a
:: unique Northern California rating. Maybe I'll start
:: working on that w/PHRF committee.
::
:: Round these parts, e27's have a large, active and
:: growing class with both a well participated class bouy
:: racing series. And a well participated Fun point to
:: point racing series that includes e27 competing together
:: as a subset of larger PHRF fleets in some events.
::
:: e27 Fun series offers both point to point in the bay, a
:: handful of ocean races and the SSS doublehanded series
:: as components of its total series event set. Check out
:: the e27 web site for the list of Fun series races to see
:: the PHRF options.
::
:: Compared to three to five year ago, when e27s were
:: hitting $21K +, boats prices are depressed right now so
:: its a great time to pick up an e27. With the class
:: focused on some really unique schedule options aimed to
:: raise participation from various types of owners; buoy,
:: fun, with a short set option being considered in 2010
:: for those with time and family commitments, there's
:: something for everyone and a trophy for every like and
:: preference.
::
:: On crew, yes, the boat can be easily sailed by 4, 3, 2
:: or 1 for that matter. Currently buoy and fun series race
:: (like J24) with an 880# crew weight limit, so most boats
:: sail with 5. Although the boat actually likes a little
:: more crew weight to achieve its highest physical
:: performance capabilities upwind and reaching. So if
:: there was a situation in which the e27 fleet thought
:: J24s were starting to get us upwind all the time in
:: PHRF; just add one.
::
:: There are at least 4 boats for sail right now; check
:: them out.
::
:: mb
:: :: Hi,
:: ::
:: :: I am looking at buying an express but own a J/24
:: :: currently.
:: ::
:: :: I do not want to debate which boat is better, faster,
:: :: etc as that could lead to many discussions. LOL!
:: ::
:: :: I do race PHRF right now and would be racing against 3
:: :: other J's plus various other boats but that are not
:: :: close to the J's. Any thoughts on how the express would
:: :: perfrom via PHRF? Do people find them easy to sail with
:: :: 3-4 people?
:: ::
:: :: Thanks,
::
:: :: Don