Promotion is everyone’s responsibility

Organized racing for the J/24 Class began in 1977, and rapid growth led to 72 boats at the first J/24 World Championship in 1979. But in 1994, the Class felt pressure as the Melges 24 and J/80 were emerging. In this report by international class chair Glenn Gustafson, his comments about class promotion are as relevant today as they were 32 years ago:

Over the last several years, a transition has taken place in the Class, with most of our new members coming into the Class by buying a used boat, as opposed to making a new boat purchase. This transition has taken place as there is an established fleet of good quality used boats which are reasonably priced.

It has also happened as a result of the rigid one design standards we continue to adhere to, which no only assures a person that he/she can easily purchase a competitive boat, but also that they will have a boat which has a ready market should they choose to move up to a new boat.

In fact, the price of “entry” into the J/24 Class is less today than it was when the Class was first established, taking inflation into consideration.

This “value” advantage is one we must promote over the higher-priced new designs (such as the J/80 and Melges 24). Combined with the established fleet network of quality racing, it will be our most effective marketing tool.

To help promote the boat to potential members, the Class office has started a database of used boats for sale. This listing is available now, by mail or fax, to anyone interested in buying a used boat.

The Class is fortunate to have an active and supportive copyright holder, J/Boats, which provides the marketing muscle to help the boat get established in new areas with fleet purchase programs. They also provide major regatta support when new boats are required to be available for use by competitors.

The Class is the benefactor, as these boats are usually made available at reduced prices to new owners. We also are fortunate to have active builders in the United States, Italy, Australia, Japan, and Argentina.

Members are attracted to the J/24 most importantly due to the high-quality racing available to sailors in our Class. The J/24 has some of the best competition available around the world, and sailors know that since the boat is a consistent performer in all conditions, the more they sail the boat the better chance they have of moving up in the standings.

The key ingredient to our continued success will clearly require that we take a more aggressive role in promoting ourselves and the J/24.

Unfortunately, we do not have the financial resources to engage in a flashy adveritisng campaign to mass-market the Class. Nor do we believe this to be our primary job. This responsibility is best handled by the copyright holder and dealer network who stand to gain the profit from new boat sales.

Our job is to continue to support the highest quality level of racing to all our members and to promote the boat at the grass-roots level, encouraging sailors to get in the boat and go sailing.

Whether it be local fleet participation at local one design boat shows, or just inviting interested sailors out for a race or two, getting idle boats into the hands of active racing sailors is everyone’s responsibility, not just that of the Fleet Captains, District Governors, or National officers.