Manly Junior

The Manly Junior(MJ) is one of the best youth training and racing sailboats. The designer Ralph Tobias designed the hull to achieve optimum performance whist being able to be stacked vertically under the Manly Sailing club. They are sailed with a crew of 2 with a combined weight of 40-90kg. Skippers tend to be 10-14 and crew 7-11 years old.

The boat is an excellent trainer as it features a modern self draining hull, mainsail, jib and a spinnaker. They have a hull weight of 31.75kg and can be easily transported. With a mainsail area of 4.1 square metres they are a great beginner boat that planes, is a fun adventure while not being overpowered even in 30 knot winds. Many MJ sailors have gone onto be world Olympic champions in other classes.

The MJ can be sailed in our regular morning LTS 2+ training groups and afternoon racing. It is a popular class around Sydney and there was a good fleet of over 20 boats at the 2023-24 states and nationals where anyone can enter including novices.

The best time to catch MJ sailors rigging is during the season on Saturdays from 11-1pm, check the calendar.

As sailors grow they can progress into a flying 11.

Obtaining an MJ:

The club has a few MJ’s for hire (see shop link) or there is a healthy used market. Boats that will need time and money start around $400 while competitive ready to sail boats are $1500 -$5000. New sails are available from Truflo sails in Manly and new hulls and hull repair from Dinghy Sports in Mona vale. See Facebook marketplace, gumtree or the association website for sale page.

MJ association website: https://www.revolutionise.com.au/nswmjsa/for-sale

History: https://www.sail-world.com/Australia/Manly-Junior-worth-its-weight-in-Gold/-102276?source=google

Nationals  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAjBqTs7dbw