What boat... Jeanneau 40 2001... and others.

[SmileyGiley]

All,

Looking at maybe buying a new boat. Wife & 2 teen daughters. So be real, three cabins a must 2 heads minimum, it's a caravan that I can sail.

Me - 53 (or am I 54 now) and hoping to retire soon (55maybe)

Currently - Countess 33.

Nice and tubby - comfy for the youngsters. I can sail it on my own.

For the future. Daughters a little older, so preferably another cabin so they can both sulk on their own as necessary (and include girl/boyfriends as time passes maybe)

Took a look around. Lots of choice, really bewildering. To get three cabins, 2 heads & saloon seems to be about 39-40 ft minimum.

Prefer not a very deep keel due to location, staid performance is fine by me (Currently Colvic Countess - c'mon)

Online shopping only so far....

Looked at a Saltram Saga 40. 1996
Cutter, furling headsails & stackpack.

Looked at a Jeanneau 40 2001
Jeanneau has furling main & genny. The rest of the bits will stay in the bag.
Read Ric's tale re Jeanneau keel bolts.

Looked at Moody 376 - might just stick with the Countess & spend the cash

Looked at Moody 422 - but as old as the countess, as expensive as the Jeanneau, and more tired.

Looked at Moody 425 - out of range, out of UK!

Other ideas?

 

[RupertW]

I loved the 2001 Jeanne 40 so much on a windy week’s charter in Greece in 2004 that when went looking in 2010 it was top of our list (and we’d chartered loads of boats after giving up after 10 years of ownership in 2000).

We ended up with a 1999 Jeanneau 42.2 which had a similar hull and layout but with a couple of extra bits we liked.

Perfect Med and warm water layout, and can cope easily with rough offshore stuff.

 

[SimonKNZ]

We bought a Bavaria 39 (2006) about a year ago. I'd never been keen on Bavarias, having chartered one a few years ago and not liking it (not sure why now but I think it just wasn't set up well) and hearing stories of "keels falling off". So I didn't even short-list Bavarias and was keen on Hanses until I actually looked at one. Then I did some proper research among surveyors etc, and some reading about the keel incident (one specific class with different construction), and lost my prejudice. Our shortlist eventually came down to a 2004 38 and a 2006 39 Cruiser, and we bought the latter. To me, it's an excellent family boat - yes a bit of a sailing caravan - that ticks your boxes. If you get a chance, have a look at one

 

[V1701]

If the daughters are likely to still want to come sailing with you for a few years yet then the best example of any of the big manufacturers that ticks the boxes that you can find be it Ben, Jen, Bav, Hanse, Dehler, Dufour, whoever else. Saltram Saga I'd have thought an outlier as more of a long distance voyaging boat which might suit if your daughters realistically in a few years won't be interested in coming sailing...

 

[Norman_E]

I loved the 2001 Jeanne 40 so much on a windy week’s charter in Greece in 2004 that when went looking in 2010 it was top of our list (and we’d chartered loads of boats after giving up after 10 years of ownership in 2000).

We ended up with a 1999 Jeanneau 42.2 which had a similar hull and layout but with a couple of extra bits we liked.

Perfect Med and warm water layout, and can cope easily with rough offshore stuff.

The Jeanneau boats from the late 90's to very early 2000's were well built as you will have found with your 42.2, and had nicely finished woodwork below decks with matched veneers and solid hardwood edgings. I looked at a 42.2 but preferred the layout of the 45.2 and bought a 1998 one. If the OP finds a jeanneau of that age that has been well maintained it will be a good choice. Mine is a great boat for the Med, but copes well in rough conditions. After Beneteau took over Jeanneau there were a few years when quality declined sharply to the point that at one time the high quality wood veneers were replaced with a paper thin printed synthetic stuff. Fortunately that era did not last long and more recent Jeanneaus are better, though I still don't think they are as solidly built as the late 90's boats.

 

[ashtead]

We have a Moody 41 which offers space , self tracker, electrIc winches,bill Dixon design, not the weight of a rustler but more space and not the price or price of an HR , Najad, Xc etc but a dufour would be on my list if you cannot stretch to an arcona or xc . Sail with family and much easier to manage one on watch than a smaller Bav .

 

[Bajansailor]

Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 40's are nice boats - a pal here had one for 6 years, and I went sailing occasionally on her.
And there are a lot of them around - here is one for sale in Falmouth (quite a few others for sale in Britain as well).
2000 Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 40 Sail New and Used Boats for Sale

 

[SmileyGiley]

Thank you all. That was the impression I had on the late 90's Jeanneaus - well put together.

 

[Sailfree]

The acid test for build quality is how the boat does on charter market.

Baverias and Jeanneau's stand up to the increased wear and tear and do well.

We have one of the last Jeanneau 43DS built in 2005. It's been solid and reliable.

An important thing for me was a Yanmar engine as had problems with Volvo saildrive engine on 2 previous new Dufours. Another was to have a hull strengthened by ribs and beams - not an inner glued on egg crate type. This later type of construction is adequate, lighter and cheaper to make but I wanted the heavier more solid construction that they stopped making in 2005 so we got our order in quickly when we heard they were stopping making them. We ordered the deck saloon but with a conventional fully battened rig.

Jeanneau made the 40 & 43 in 3 types Sunfast(v deep keel and bigger rig) sun odyssey with conventional keel and rig and deck saloon usually in mast furling.

In comparison sailing tests the sun fast was best but the deck saloon always out sailed the conventional sun odyssey. This better sailing ability of the DS was even with the smaller sail area and no battens with in mast furling. This is due to the raised floor enabling the water tank and fuel tank being positioned right over the keel bolts.

After sailing with us friends bought a 40 deck saloon and have sailed it all around the Mediterranean and to the Canary isles.

The hulls of this period/range between the three types are identical only the rigs and keels change.

After this range Jeanneau changed their marketing and separated the DS from the sun odyssey making the hulls slightly longer and less cabins to appeal as owners versions.

Recommend you look at both the sun odyssey and the deck saloon and compare.

We currently live on our 43DS in Nazare Portugal while we having a house built nearby.

If you want any more info PM me.

 

[SmileyGiley]

Sailfree - thank you!