Jeanneau 39i or 42i

[farquart]

Looking at buying ex charter 42i
Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 42i Used Boat for Sale 2010

but have seen 39i
Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 39 Used Boat for Sale 2008

the 39i is 55k and the 42 is 76k
Could anyone put together a good reason to buy the 42 over the 39

 

[Dragon461]

Because I. 3 years time you wish you had bought a 45.2

 

[farquart]

Because I. 3 years time you wish you had bought a 45.2

What’s the reasoning, as the 42 seems big enough to me?

 

[dunedin]

What is your planned usage - location, type of sailing, number of people on board?

For many doing coastal cruising with 2-4 people and berthing in marinas, a 39 footer is an optimum size, with boats over 12m more expensive and difficult to park in some locations. Bigger is not necessarily better (we spent more on a quality smaller boat in preference to a much bigger AWB (just like I chose to buy a high spec, big engined medium sized car, rather than a big cheaper one).

For blue water, Caribbean etc where ocean crossings are planned and anchoring rather than marinas the norm, 45 foot or so may be preferable (though masses of much smaller boats do this fine).

 

[farquart]

South coast cruising with the view to crossing the atlantic in a few years time. 2 full time crew, kids when they can be bovered

 

[davethedog]

We had a Norwegian family next door to us here in Gran Canaria with a 39i (performance version) and that was a man, wife and 2 children and they came from Norway with no issues. They had fitted a 12v watermaker and an arch at the back for solar. Apart from that they did not do much to it at all. After they were here for a year it was sailed back to Norway and being used there, so I would say it was ok!

 

[grumpy_o_g]

I think the question is better stated as "does anyone know of any specific issues with the Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 42i or the Jeanneau Sun Oddyssey 39" and then add in the layout, boat year, engine model, prop make and anything else you can think of that people may have experience of problems with. It's impossible for us to know what you prefer really especially, as per Dunedin, when we don't even know the intended use or the condition or equipment on the boats.

I will say that I have helped several folk with boat purchases and the first thing we did every time was knock up a spreadsheet of first year cost (which included the purchase price of the boat) and then subsequent years. It was amazing how often the cheaper boat quickly became the more expensive but also how often the bigger boat also had higher costs beyond purchase price - new suits of sails, re-rigging, new engine, mooring costs, etc are all likely to be higher. There aren't many free berths or moorings round Poole way at the moment either so that may be a factor if you haven't already got one lined up.

In my experience boats are rarely the right size as something that is comfortable for 3 couples and some kids is going to be too big for a couple on their own most likely and most folk will be in both situations at some point. Also a 2 cabin 39 may be more roomy than a 3 cabin 42 if there are only two couples on board. On the other hand a 3 cabin with 2 couples on board has a huge storage area for cushions, bikes, etc. It's what YOU want that matters.

 

[farquart]

We had a Norwegian family next door to us here in Gran Canaria with a 39i (performance version) and that was a man, wife and 2 children and they came from Norway with no issues. They had fitted a 12v watermaker and an arch at the back for solar. Apart from that they did not do much to it at all. After they were here for a year it was sailed back to Norway and being used there, so I would say it was ok!

Very helpful, I’m concerned of having a boat to big to handle and having all the added costs associated with that. Just so I can have an extra toilet

 

[farquart]

I think the question is better stated as "does anyone know of any specific issues with the Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 42i or the Jeanneau Sun Oddyssey 39" and then add in the layout, boat year, engine model, prop make and anything else you can think of that people may have experience of problems with. It's impossible for us to know what you prefer really especially, as per Dunedin, when we don't even know the intended use or the condition or equipment on the boats.

I will say that I have helped several folk with boat purchases and the first thing we did every time was knock up a spreadsheet of first year cost (which included the purchase price of the boat) and then subsequent years. It was amazing how often the cheaper boat quickly became the more expensive but also how often the bigger boat also had higher costs beyond purchase price - new suits of sails, re-rigging, new engine, mooring costs, etc are all likely to be higher. There aren't many free berths or moorings round Poole way at the moment either so that may be a factor if you haven't already got one lined up.

In my experience boats are rarely the right size as something that is comfortable for 3 couples and some kids is going to be too big for a couple on their own most likely and most folk will be in both situations at some point. Also a 2 cabin 39 may be more roomy than a 3 cabin 42 if there are only two couples on board. On the other hand a 3 cabin with 2 couples on board has a huge storage area for cushions, bikes, etc. It's what YOU want that matters.

ok that’s a much better way of asking the question thank you

 

[Clancy Moped]

South coast cruising with the view to crossing the atlantic in a few years time. 2 full time crew, kids when they can be bovered

Have a look around for an owners version with a saloon conversion on the 39I.

 

[geem]

South coast cruising with the view to crossing the atlantic in a few years time. 2 full time crew, kids when they can be bovered

In the UK a 45ft boat is considered large. Once you get to the Caribbean a 45ft boat is relatively small. We sail a 44ft boat and wouldn't want anything smaller. Only two onboard and the boat is full, mainly with toys.
A decent dinghy and engine gives you lots more exploring capability. Space for dive gear, kite surfing gear, paddleboard, sewing machine, guitar, etc. This all takes space.

 

[ashtead]

I don’t know either boat but if looking to cross Atlantic I would be factoring cost of a self steering gear plus water maker . Recently we have seen a 42DS set off for an arc crossing after fitting these items and both seemed wise investments. I guess real question to my mind would be what’s on each model available which might help your intended plans eg davits larger outboard, etc along with any spares included and suchlike. Lastly how does storage space compare -even on our 12.8 metres we could do with more storage space and we don’t have the type of kit which might help in Caribbean etc. I also suggest you might post question on owners forum-ultimately it might come down to budget and if you need difference to kit out.

 

[Graham376]

The 39i just sneaks in <12m which can make 30% difference in cost of marina berths.

 

[Norman_E]

Because I. 3 years time you wish you had bought a 45.2

I sold my 1998 45.2 earlier this year after owning it for about 17years and confirm that it was a better boat than any of the later models.

 

[farquart]

The 39i just sneaks in <12m which can make 30% difference in cost of marina berths.

This is what I’m thinking plus 20,000 cheaper

 

[geem]

This is what I’m thinking plus 20,000 cheaper

Relevant if you are UK based but not so for the Caribbean. Very few marinas. Life is on the hook. For the Caribbean, space for a watermaker is a consideration.
Having said that, we left Caernarfon in 6th July and haven't been in a marina or on a mooring yet. Off across Biscay tomorrow?

 

[farquart]

Good luck with the crossing

 

[ashtead]

Just crossing lake Solent and force 5 just now so hope weather is kind tomorrow across Biscay

 

[Tranona]

Really 3 questions there.

First justification for bigger boat. As already suggested, for European and coastal cruising under 12m has distinct advantages because of significantly lower running costs where berthing, haulouts etc are a bigger proportion of total costs. Loss of usable space less noticeable in weekend, annual holiday use. However for long distance cruising bigger boat every time if you can afford to buy and equip it. More space, greater payload, faster passage times - overall just better. If 4 crew the second head may be useful, but otherwise convert to storage or as some have done for a washing machine. If only 2 crew then convert one aft cabin to storage as well.

Second. Are these boats good value for a UK buyer to use in UK? NO. They will end up costing you more to get into service in the UK than buying an equivalent private owner boat locally.

Third. Are they good buys at all. Probably not - almost certainly the 39i is well past it. 5800 hours on the engine, while not an issue with the actual engine if it has been looked after, but 15 seasons of chartering is heavy, and the boat is probably for sale because it is no longer economic to run. Difficult to get bookings in these hard times for such an old boat and boat of an age when things will be going wrong regularly. The asking price is right at the bottom of the range and I suspect it is located in an out of the way place. Lots of gear though including a bow thruster. The 42i looks better, but obviously younger so it should be, but again low priced compared with similar boats. Either might be worth looking at as a holiday boat for use in Greece, which is traditionally where a lot of ex charter boats end up, but would guess this market is dead, particularly for UK buyers with the impact of Covid plus all the extra bureaucracy and costs related to boating there.

You really need to go out there to look at the boats on offer. Not difficult to make them look good in photos and a long list of gear, but they will have had more use in their 10-15 years than a private boat would get in a lifetime. Important therefore to find out who ran them as standards vary enormously. These boats are for sale through a broker rather than direct from an operator so you need to find out the history and who you will actually be buying from. There is a lot to be said for buying direct from the charter operator, although the bigger ones will have few boats below 12m because the trend over the last few years has been toward bigger boats.

 

[KompetentKrew]

Very helpful, I’m concerned of having a boat to big to handle and having all the added costs associated with that. Just so I can have an extra toilet

I have a 40' boat (with larger than average sail area too, I think) as my first boat, and mostly singlehand her. Sailing is more pleasant with two, but I'm sure you'll be fine with either boat.