Warning bells required

[andrewfollett]

Hi All. Mate of mine is considering a Jeanneau 49 ds Does anyone have experience of these?
How similar is the quality to beneteaus (worse/better)
How well put together is the hull and fittings
he is looking at a 49ds (2006/7) which seems to use better finishes than the current version (49ds i ) Any thoughts?
There seem to be quite a few around and the prices seem low for a 49 footer which rings some alarm bells. Is this justified do you think.

 

[Phoenix of Hamble]

Construction no better or worse than Beneteaus of the same period. Different approach though.... Bens use an inner liner, whereas the Jens are a more traditional stringer style construction.... Jen slightly smaller interior than equivalent sized Ben, but perhaps a tad quicker...

Nice boats generally, the deck saloon Jens IMHO

One forumite had some minor build quality probs with his similar aged Jen around the cutlass bearing area, but that wasn't really becuase it was a Jen, as i've seen other marques suffer similar probs.

 

[VO5]

S####y building, all of it....flimsy..

 

[FullCircle]

S####y building, all of it....flimsy..

Oh, very objective and highly technical, just what the OP was looking for..

 

[Tranona]

There seem to be quite a few around and the prices seem low for a 49 footer which rings some alarm bells. Is this justified do you think.

Not sure why any "alarm bells" should ring. These boats are built by a large corporation and meet all industry requirements. They are sold in the hundreds.

There is no secret why they are less expensive size for size than boats of a different style. It is a combination of being lighter (ie less material) for a given overall length and produced by mechanised means rather than manually. In general the equipment such as engines, rig, deck gear etc are from the same manufacturers as on more expensive boats, but they may use less expensive materials for internal furnishings etc.

Whether your mate should buy one depends on what he is looking for. Boats like this outsell more expensive boats many times over, so clearly many people think they are worth buying.

The question for your mate should really be If I want a 49footer, why should I pay twice as much for another brand rather than a Jeanneau (or Beneteau, Bavaria, Hanse etc)?

 

[pyd]

Jeanneau 49DS

Andy,

We took one from Lanzarote to Brisbane in early 2010 and she stood up to the passage extremely well. We think they're pretty decent boats for the money.

Phil

 

[Juniperskip]

I think it really depends on what he is going to do with the boat. Coastal sailing vs ocean primarily. Check the ARC list from last year to see how many owners buy these boats and go trans ocean - at least gives a consumer survey of sorts. My experince of looking at french boats (big generalisation coming up) was that they used smaller fittings and less materials than slightly more expensive ones, thus the price difference. Nevertheless they come from a large Group with the appropriate back-up.

I would personally look a something slightly older and more "sturdy" if I was off long distance but I do know a number of owners wh would disagree. Have chartered Fr boats in the past and my comments above were bourne out by our experience of using one and comparing to the Moody's (S31 & S38) and Elan we have owned.

 

[Phoenix of Hamble]

S####y building, all of it....flimsy..

Also, blatantly untrue.

 

[jonic]

I would say Jens slightly better (but not much) than Bens. Surveyors tell me this too. Very little in it though.

The 49DS was good value in its time. (Don't compare it to yours though Andrew .)

Morgana what are you switching to?

 

[Ubergeekian]

Not sure why any "alarm bells" should ring. These boats are built by a large corporation and meet all industry requirements. They are sold in the hundreds.

Just like the Beneteau 235, then?

 

[Tranona]

Just like the Beneteau 235, then?

Same thing happens to MG/Contessa 27s - products of major (dead) UK builders - that is if the rudder has not snapped off or the bottom pintle pulled out first! Only boat I know where some owners carry a spare rudder when racing!

Above based on boats in our club!

 

[andrewfollett]

Thanks all for the helpful input.
cheers Phil!