Design and Construction
Andrieu's hull pairs a raked stem with a reverse transom fitted with steps, and the structure is predominantly polyester fiberglass built around a PVC-fiberglass sandwich with carbon fiber reinforcement anchor. The keel is a fixed fin with an L-shaped weighted bulb drawing 6.40 feet, while an internally mounted spade rudder is controlled by a tiller. At 8,070 pounds displacement with 2,750 pounds of cast iron ballast, the Jod 35 carries a ballast-to-displacement ratio near 34 percent, and her beam of 11.48 feet sits over a 29.69-foot waterline. The manufacturer noted specific characteristics in the water lines, keel, and rudder as part of the design, and the boat carries a CE Category 1 rating.
Rig and Handling
The Jod 35 is a fractional sloop with a Bermuda rig, keel-stepped mast, and two sets of swept spreaders on aluminum spars with discontinuous stainless steel rod rigging anchor. Upwind sail area totals 774 square feet from a 448-square-foot mainsail and 326-square-foot jib, and the class may carry a symmetrical spinnaker of 844 square feet for downwind work, pushing total downwind area to 1,292 square feet. The deck plan and cockpit were laid out so that adjustments are within hand's reach and can be carried out without effort, suiting the short-handed and match-race demands that saw the design used in the ACI Match Race Cup in Croatia. Her PHRF handicap ranges from 78 to 90 and hull speed is 7.30 knots.
Accommodations
Below, the Jod 35 sleeps six across a bow cabin with a double V-berth, two straight settee berths in the main cabin, and two quarter berths aft, with a maximum headroom of 68 inches. The L-shaped galley sits to port just forward of the companionway ladder and holds a two-burner stove, ice box, and sink, while a navigation station faces it to starboard. The head is tucked under the V-berth in the bow cabin. The manufacturer's own literature lists capacity for six to eight people, and the compartmentalized racing layout reflects the berth arrangement rather than a conventional cruiser's open saloon.
The Verdict
The Jod 35 is a purpose-built one-design racer with a stiff, well-ballasted hull and a responsive tiller-steered spade rudder that rewards crews who value class-rule parity over creature comfort. Her carbon-reinforced sandwich construction and reach-in cockpit ergonomics mark her as a serious regatta tool, though the racing interior and 14 U.S. gallon fuel and water capacity anchor frame her as a coastal and inshore competitor rather than a long-range cruiser.
Pros
- One-design pedigree with 240 identical hulls and Tour de France à la voile class support
- Carbon-reinforced fiberglass sandwich construction with CE Category 1
- Fractional sloop rig with rod rigging and spinnaker provision for 844 sq ft downwind
Cons
- Racing accommodation limits cruising livability
- 14-gallon fuel and water capacity restricts range
- Tillers and tight quarter berths suit racing more than family cruising
