the ability to then drop the backrest to the side, converting it to a
multi-position pillow. There’s a large locker beneath it, accessed
via the cockpit or the bathing platform. At the front of the
cockpit you can lift the forward edge of the seat, quickly
converting it to forward-facing seating, albeit set back slightly
from the helm seat rather than alongside it. The starboard deck is
simple to access but the port is blocked by the dinette – if you
want to get to the port deck it’s easiest to go up the starboard side
and across. It feels like a well honed layout from an experienced
builder, which of course is exactly what it is. Whilst not devoid of
compromise (inevitable on a 33ft boat), it’s well managed for
maximum practicality and usability.
CLEVER TOUCHES
The cabin is also thoughtfully laid out. Normally on this size of
boat you get a dinette at the front and a mid cabin aft, but very
occasionally you’ll fi nd a double bed squeezed into the bow with
the dinette squashed into one side as an inevitable consequence.
What Jeanneau has done with this boat is put a very small bed in
the bow and then a short but wide dinette just aft of it (the table
stows beneath the fl oor). At night you lift the
cushions off the centre of the dinette revealing
a box section that pulls out over the dinette
seat, extending the bed. Drop the base cushion
on top of it and you’ve got your full-length
bed. It’s pretty rudimentary, but it works
perfectly. But what is really clever is the
three-section sliding bulkhead that pulls across
to turn this area into a private cabin, meaning
anyone from the mid cabin using the loo in the
night is not passing through your bedroom. It’s
not a new idea, Sessa introduced a similar
arrangement for its C35 in 2010, but it’s no less
effective and no less welcome for that. Between
HELM The helm is
well laid out and
offers great visibility,
even when seatedthe two areas are the galley and heads, the latter large enough to
include a separate shower section. Like the cockpit, the interior is
not devoid of compromise, the dinette isn’t massive for example,
but it is well judged and it works.
But enough of the details, I’m keen to discover how it goes,
and particularly how the two versions compare. Since I’m
aboard, I try the diesel fi rst. The twin D3-220 engines suit the
boat well, giving strong acceleration and an entirely adequate
33-knot top end, meaning that the 25 knots we all like to cruise
at is an easy 3,500rpm, 500rpm off WOT (in fact we hit
4,150rpm, suggesting that once the boat is loaded up and has the
drag of a couple of month’s afl oat, it should still hit its target
4,000rpm). At this speed the engine noise is making itself felt, but
not intrusively so, you can have a conversation with your co-pilot
without overly raising your voice. Winding on an armful of lock
with the light electronic steering (our boat has the optional
joystick control) results in the Michael Peters-designed hull
dipping an elbow and turning enthusiastically; it’s a sporty drive.
That keenness to bank hard is the mark of a deeper vee hull,
but so is a propensity to lean into a crosswind as the helmsman
corrects for the bow being blown off. Trim tabs
are on the options list – spec them. All in all it’s
exactly what you both want and expect from
Jeanneau, a practical boat with a decent hull
and entirely adequate performance at a sensible
cost. The question is, will outboards enhance
or detract from the experience? The twin
Yahama F250 250hp outboards are idling
quietly when I join the boat. The 4.2 litre V6
petrol engines are not only 30hp up each
compared to the D3-220s, they’re also lighter- 254kg each for the outboards plays 363kg for
the diesels. While we wait to leave, two things
strike me. Firstly, a quick peek under the fl oor
QUICK SPINThe layout feels well-honed
and fl ows well
The dinette folds down to give
the master bed a bit more lengthSEE MORE
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