If you mean this JointsWP, https://github.com/JeremyEnglert/JointsWP/, then no. You don’t need to use a child theme as per the theme description
This theme is meant to be your starting point, not the end product. No
need to use child themes.
…
Save time and modernize your workflow with the included Gulp setup.
With just a few commands, you can quickly compile Sass files, minify
JS files, watch files for changes and so much more.
You should just use it as a starting point and customize it to match you exact needs – add what you need and remove what you don’t. The updates you can install, if you want, are the ones published by Zurb to the Foundation framework, which you can install by npm.
The theme author has also written a blog post regarding updating the theme, https://materiell.com/2016/04/dont-need-update-jointswp-foundation/
I’m not affiliated with JointsWP, but I’ve used it on many occasions to build custom themes.