Jeanneau 42cc

[Hjem]

does anyone have any experience or opinion to share regarding a Jeannea 42cc? I understand only 46 were built, so they are few and far between now. finding any information online has proved difficult in that I can find very little. I’d be concerned about the lack of experience out there in owning these should I need help with an issue and also the availability of spares. Are these legitimate concerns? It’s worth noting that this would be my first boat, though I’ve sailed a lot on other peoples. Having said that I expect a steep learning curve when owning a boat and am a bit unsure this is a good bet for the first one. Would welcome any feedback.

 

[lustyd]

If it's the one I was looking at recently I wouldn't hesitate. The only reason I didn't go see it in person is my boat is a relatively recent purchase. Jeanneau build sensibly and lay things out sensibly with built in conduits and easy maintenance. Parts availability is only an issue on engines, everything else can and will change on any boat but isn't a challenge.
My only small reservation with that boat was deck space for lounging in the sun, modern twin wheelers have larger cockpits for this purpose and while less good at sea it's definitely a decision point.

 

[Tranona]

The boat was an attempt to enter the centre cockpit market that had been dominated by UK and Scandinavian builders but at a time when it was actually in decline - hence the relatively small numbers. However it is in most respects a typical mass production French boat of the period and nothing about it is out of the ordinary in terms of its construction and the equipment fitted to it. Do not expect sparkling sailing performance - it was designed for leisurely cruising and liveaboard. If it is the one in Brighton then that looks to be well equipped for that purpose and maintained to a good standard. Might need some new sails though. Seems the boat was used in the Med and it would be wise to look closely at the teak decks, although in the photos they look remarkably good for the age. Whether it is a good buy depends on what you are looking for and how you intend using it. Not an obvious first boat buy, but if Moodys, Westerlys, Bavaria Oceans are also on your short list it is a good alternative and probably very well priced in that sector. As lustyd says if you plan hot weather cruising and liveaboard it lacks outdoor lounging space, but that is true of all centre cockpit of that size and one of the reasons why they fell out of favour. I was in the process of buying a boat for cruising and ending up long term in the Med in the late 90s and my first choice was a boat like that until I actually chartered one out there and discovered its shortcomings so bought an aft cockpit Bavaria. Having said that I have met many people (mainly mature couples) for whom the interior accommodation outweighs the lack of outside space. If you are sailing in UK and N Europe waters then there is much to commend this style of boat.

Make sure you get a good surveyor - it is a big and complex boat with lots of systems - who will go through it with you and explain how it all works.

 

[ashtead]

I guess it depends on quality/hours of engine/usage proposed and wher you intend to sail. Serve you well enough if aiming for south coast and Brittany etc but not the quickest vessel -you might feel rather perched up in that cockpit compared to an aft cockpit vessel .

 

[sailoppopotamus]

A friend owns on of these, so I've been on a short day trip on his boat. Unfortunately with my girlfriend, who couldn't stop comparing it to my 30 footer. Unlike the Sun Odyssey 42cc we went on a trip with, we have no freezer, air-conditioning, generator, desalinator or TV, nor do any of our cabins provide comfort anywhere near the luxury of the 42cc's stern cabin with its double bed. We were out in a full F6, sailing downwind -- the boat felt like a lorry, it just tracked largely oblivious to the nasty sea on its quarter. We motored the upwind return journey, but it was quite pleasant given the circumstances, very little slamming ,and, while the odd wave did get us, we remained quite dry. Not a racy boat, definitely, but a comfortable cruiser that felt much more solid than my boat.

Having said that, and as a rookie sailor myself, it does feel like a lot of boat. As much as I did envy the creature comforts, I realized that I would've been very uncomfortable being the captain of such a large vessel. I don't know about your level of experience, but I had ~20 days at sea (0 as captain) and some windsurfing experience before buying my own boat, and two years later I'm still glad it wasn't larger than 30ft. Far fewer systems to maintain, I don't need winches or furling systems to control the main sail, and if I do mess up when docking (which I guess is more likely to happen, given that I do not have bow thrusters), it's not such a big deal. Personally, and some here may well disagree, I think 42ft is too big a boat for a rookie.

As far as your concern regarding spare parts goes, I don't think you should worry, in the sense that you are unlikely to be ordering spare parts from Jeanneau in any case. If you need a spare part for the engine, you chase the engine manufacturer. If you need spare parts for the deck hardware, you chase the deck hardware manufacturer. If you need boat-specific spare parts (e.g. a rudder bushing), you're generally on your own anyway. It's not like a car where you can just order the relevant part from the distributor. With old boats you'll have to find someone to make you a part, or figure out how to make one yourself. It doesn't matter how many of these Jeanneau has built, they probably won't be able to provide you a replacement part, and even if they are, it will be at a ridiculous price.

The boat has teak decks -- watch out for this. If the teak is in bad condition, you're looking at GBP10-20K to replace.

 

[Ric]

I looked at one about a decade ago. I liked it but what really put me off was the lack of any sea berths. You would end up like Quasimodo if you tried to sleep in the curved berth around the fancy saloon table. So for me it was not really a voyaging boat - but I suppose nice in marinas or anchorage.

 

[Ric]

And as somebody else wrote - don't buy anything of that age with teak decks....

 

[dankilb]

We've got a 41' Jeanneau - a '89 'Voyage 12.50'. This was the first marketing iteration of the same hull moulding that, I believe, was the basis of various 42' models (until the early 2000s, I think?). They narrowed the lines of the transom in the mid-90s and the 42CC looks like a derivative of this. It's the first time I've seen one - but a nice (and unusual) boat.

This isn't really specific to Jens, but I would check very carefully for signs/areas of (fresh) water ingress or collection inside the boat. It may sound obvious - but some of the worse culprit areas are often hidden behind/under furniture, sole boards, berths/upholstery, etc. Even the surveyor didn't find all the damp/rotten areas on our boat - and he did a reasonable job of looking!

As with any boat - deck fitting, hatch and window seals will be nearing/past their best. It only takes a few drips over time to start rotting bulkheads, locker divides, even where the mast compression post is stepped (on some Jen models it sits on a scrap plywood plinth encapsulated in polyester GRP - so if left wet, it will rot). It didn't help that the worker assigned to drill limber (draining) holes was clearly off on the day our boat was in the factory, because we had none and as a result water collected in some of the worst possible (hard to access/structural) places and caused serious damage.

We had a reasonable inkling of this when we bought the boat, although it was mostly dry (and bodged) by the time we saw her. But the amount of (DIY) work required to piece back together the bottoms of bulkheads, re-do GRP tabbing, even reinforce engine bearers, etc. was quite ungodly!

I've always liked Jeanneaus so jumped at the chance to 'rescue' ours, as a project boat, in 2019. I think the design and conception (spec etc.) are much underrated. I can't say the same about aspects of the build quality on ours (and I hate to fuel a hackneyed trope, on here, by admitting so!). The lack of limber holes was one fault. The handling of resin/gelcoat could've been better (lots of small voids/bubbles that exacerbate osomosis - probably fixed by the mid-1990s though). But they are built using proper boatbuilding methods (tabbed bulkheads, hardwood veneer furniture, hull-deck join glassed all round, no bonded liner, etc.). I think this was the case for most of the 90s.

The teak deck is very likely glued - rather than screwed (tbh I haven't looked at that particular boat). We found Jen gelcoat lasted quite poorly on our boat. So stripping the teak and re-instating the GRP (painted or gelcoat) or fake teak might not be as much of a drama as it otherwise could be.

 

[sailoppopotamus]

The teak deck is very likely glued - rather than screwed (tbh I haven't looked at that particular boat). We found Jen gelcoat lasted quite poorly on our boat. So stripping the teak and re-instating the GRP (painted or gelcoat) or fake teak might not be as much of a drama as it otherwise could be.

My friend just replaced the teak on his. He wanted to get rid of it entirely, but after removing it he realized that it would be impossible to clean the black sika-type stuff used to bed the teak out of the deck's anti skid. So he ended up replacing the teak.