- Founded
- 2002
- Headquarters
- 230 Clarks Neck Rd, Washington, NC 27889, USA
- Shipyard location
- Washington, North Carolina, USA
- Official website
- https://mjmyachts.com/
Brand Overview
North Carolina builder of Downeast-styled pilothouse yachts founded in 2002 by J/Boats founder Bob Johnstone with naval architect Doug Zurn — six outboard models of 11.7 and 14.2 metres in the X, V and R series, built in vacuum-infused, oven-cured epoxy at Washington, NC.
YachtCodex Analysis
AI-generatedAn independent reading of this builder written by AI. Unlike the specifications and descriptions elsewhere on this page, it is interpretation rather than a sourced fact — treat it as a starting point, not a citation.
What this builder is
MJM's timeline says the company was established in 2002, when Bob Johnstone, founder of J/Boats, partnered with naval architect Doug Zurn; the first boat, the MJM 34z — the 'z' stands for Zurn — followed with what the yard calls a revolutionary 3.5:1 length-to-beam ratio and epoxy construction that burned half the fuel of its competitors. The 40z became, by the yard's account, the first 40-foot Downeast-style yacht with ISO Category A Ocean certification in 2009, the 50z of 2014 carried a Seakeeper gyro as standard, and the 35z of 2017 was the first MJM on outboards. In 2019 building moved from Boston BoatWorks to the company's own facility in Washington, North Carolina; the site is owned and operated by Seolta Holdings, LLC, doing business as MJM Yachts. Every hull uses MJM's C5 process — dry-stacked E-glass and foam core compressed under vacuum, infused with epoxy and post-cured for eight hours in a 20 by 60 foot convection oven — which the yard says gives half the weight and twice the strength of typical production boats and lets the hulls plane at about 12 knots. Today's range is six pilothouse boats in three series: the X Series 38X and 47X for open entertaining, the V Series 38V day yacht, and the R Series 38R cabin cruiser, 38RS sportfish crossover and 47R; all are 38'6" or 46'8" long, run on twin Mercury Verado outboards from 300 to 600 hp (the 47s also with Volvo D6 diesels) and are quoted at 50+ mph.
Who sails them
MJM owners are couples and families, many on the U.S. East Coast, who want a Downeast-looking boat they can run themselves — buyers who value a protected pilothouse that extends the season, joystick docking, a light and fuel-efficient hull and a smooth ride over sheer size, and who use the boat for day runs, weekends aboard and, with the 38RS, offshore fishing.
Signature models
The 34z of 2003 — named for designer Doug Zurn — is the boat that started MJM and set its narrow, light, efficient formula; today the 47R, with a queen primary berth, a full amidships berth and twin 600 hp or Volvo D6 power, is the flagship of a range that the builder now presents in X, V and R series.
Strengths
MJM is known for its C5 vacuum-infused, oven-cured epoxy composite construction, slender modified deep-V hulls that plane at low speed and burn less fuel, Downeast styling with a fully enclosed or open-sided pilothouse, joystick docking with Skyhook station-keeping, owner-friendly helms, and a lineage that traces back to J/Boats founder Bob Johnstone and designer Doug Zurn.
Considerations
The model pages print a short strip in imperial units only — length overall, length on deck, beam, draft with engines up and down, displacement, fuel and water, air height — with no cruising speed, range, cabin count or CE category; top speed is given only as '50+ mph'; the four 38-foot boats share the same hull figures; the 38V lists only an optional twin 425 hp package; no designer is named for the current models; and the brochures say the boats are engineered to ISO Category B rather than the Category A some earlier MJMs held.
Analysis generated 10/17/2026
Part of
Fleet at a Glance
Calculated from the models in the YachtCodex catalog, not from the builder's claims.
- Models in catalog
- 6
- Length range
- 11.73–14.22 m
- Hull forms
- Motor Monohull 6
Models by this brand
6 models
History
MJM says it began with a simple idea: build boats that owners actually want to use. Its timeline dates the company to 2002, when Bob Johnstone, founder of J/Boats, partnered with the naval architect Doug Zurn, and puts the first launch, the MJM 34z, in 2003 (the introduction to the same page speaks of 'the first 34z in 2004'); the 'z' stands for Zurn, and the yard describes the boat as revolutionary for its 3.5:1 beam ratio and epoxy construction, burning half the fuel of its competitors. In 2009 the MJM 40z became, in the yard's words, the first 40-foot Downeast-style yacht to achieve ISO Category A Ocean certification. In 2014 the company entered the large-yacht market with the 50z, equipped with a Seakeeper gyro as standard, and in 2017 the 35z was its first outboard boat, which the yard says proved a Downeast-style boat could run efficiently at 50 mph. In 2019 manufacturing moved from Boston BoatWorks to a new private facility in Washington, North Carolina, for vertical integration, faster production and better quality assurance, and in 2025 the whole range began an interior transformation towards a more yacht-inspired standard.
History written frommjmyachts.com/the-mjm-difference· Timeline: The MJM Story of Innovationread 10/17/2026