According to PHRF ratings
Beneteau 235 WK phrf rating of 192 w/spinnaker to 212 w/o. J-24 rated at 165 to 174. Doing the math that's 23 to 49 seconds faster per nautical mile. These numbers are closer for the fin keel Bene' but the J still comes out on top. What I've heard is that the J's almost always beat the beneteau, even on adjusted time because the 'groove' for sailing the Beneteau fast is small and sometimes hard to find, where the J is pretty forgiving and sails fast even when things aren't tweeked just right. I think the primary thing to keeping the Bene fast is weight distribution. Keeping her tail clear of her stern wave will mean she's moving out, and that groove will win the race. This is harder than it seems and takes some playing around with what's inside the cabin as well as where crew sits. And when the crew needs to move for sail handling, this can drop you out of the groove. I also think that steering as little as possible with the rudder helps too. The Bene' has a very large appendage for her size and while this means great responsive handling, it comes at the price of drag. Smoothly carved tacks and gentle adjustments to headings will keep the speed up best. All that said, if you want to win the silver from time to time and there are J-24's in the fleet, be prepared to practice, practice, practice and you'll probably smoke em'. The following is an excerpt from the Beneteau people on how to make the 235 go fast. GENOA LEAD POSITION The long spreaders on the First 235 make sheeting positions extremely critical as a light genoa with a normal leech shape gets hooked up on the uppers very easily. We believe that a hollowed leech helps sail shape substantially. We also do not recommend going for a genoa larger than 150%. In stronger winds do not hesitate to move your genoa lead further aft and sheet the genoa tight, as well as, tighten halyard tension so that the foot does not have too much fullness. This has two effects: 1) It opens the crucial slot and reduces the backwinding on the main. 2) Flattens the genoa and moves the draft forward allowing for better pointing ability. WEIGHT DISTRIBUTION This is extremely important especially on the wing keel version. In light airs keep the boat floating on her lines and do not drag the transom. Therefore, you will normally have the helmsman in the cockpit, one crew member in the companionway, and the 3rd member to leeward on the sidedecks. As the wind increases, slowly move your weight to weather and aft. In strong winds, keep everyone well aft and hiking to windward. You have to keep the rudder working. BACKSTAY The backstay is extremely important and generally follow this: Light airs = No backstay tension Medium airs = Medium backstay tension Heavy airs = Hard backstay tension Remember that in most conditions you should release the backstay when you go off wind, except in strong wind so that bend is kept in the mast. It is a good idea to mark your backstay so that you can revert back to similar settings easily. The reasons for altering backstay tension has the following effects: 1) Light air: no backstay tension gives you fuller, more powerful sails. 2) Heavy air: Hard backstay tension tightens your forestay and moves the draft forward on the genoa. The mainsail is flattened out by the mast bending and opens the leech allowing the wind to spill out of the main easily. CONCLUSION Finally, and most importantly, if you want to race, strip your boat of all excess gear. Weight is extremely critical. However, it is up to you how serious you want to become. Keep the fun in it, but let's face it, the further up the results sheet you go, the more fun it is! Try these suggestions. We're sure you will like the results. Best of luck! BENETEAU SERVICE
