Yachting Monthly – September 2019

Solidly built, decent performance

under sail, and ideal for

long-term family cruising

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A great option for

those on a slightly

smaller budget

For a production yacht Jeanneau’s DS range
offers plenty of boat for the money and,
though maybe more lightly built than many
semi-custom yachts of a similar size, the
49DS makes an excellent blue-water cruising
yacht and ocean passage-maker for those
on a reasonably limited budget.
At the time of her inauguration it was rare
to see such a boat with the amount of smart
wooden joinery and trim below. The large
saloon windows let in plenty of natural light
too, ensuring it is anything but gloomy

below, and there’s bags of living space and

stowage too. Several interior layouts were

available offering two or three double

cabins, but the most popular was the

model with the large owner’s ensuite cabin

forward and two

roomy doubles

aft, along with a

second heads aft.

A well-equipped

L-shaped galley

wraps around the

companionway with generous worktop and

prep area, and the large nav station opposite

faces forward and has room for charts, pilots

and electronic instruments alongside a

comprehensive electrical switch panel.

On deck she’s well

laid out with twin helms,

to which the genoa

sheets lead. The

mainsheet is on the

coachroof though,

so requires a good

autopilot for single-

handed adjustments.

Stowage is very good

with two seat lockers,

a further two large

lazarettes and a

cavernous sail locker on the foredeck.

There’s plenty of uncluttered deck space

for moving about on or mounting solar

panels and room in the engine compartment

for a generator if required.

Although her sail area is somewhat

conservative, she is lighter, stiffer and

quicker than comparative yachts, resulting

in a fast, predictable, well-balanced and

easily handled yacht with a comfortable

motion in a seaway.

to well-placed handrails and high guard

wires, and her foredeck and ground tackle

are tough enough to handle constant

anchoring in all weathers.

Available as a Bermudan sloop or cutter-

rigged with self-tacking staysail, the practical

cockpit layout puts both headsail and

mainsail sheets within easy reach of the

helm. There is obviously less cockpit

lounging space than the larger, twin-helmed

cruisers of today, but the afterdeck and

drop-down transom platform provide a

well-engineered alternative.

Below, she has an excellent U-shaped

galley, a large navigation station and chart

table, roomy, warm and luxurious saloon

and, of course, a simply massive ensuite

aft cabin plus an almost equally plush VIP

forecabin and a twin bunk crew cabin.

Under sail she has the feel and motion

of a true ocean passage-maker. She shrugs

off the waves with ease, her generous

displacement providing the momentum

to keep her going in a heavy seaway and

she is surprisingly fast and stiff when

beating to windward.

JEANNEAU S/O 49DS

MOODY 46

SPECIFICATIONS

LOA 14.98m (49ft 2in)

LWL 12.90m (42ft 4in)

BEAM 4.49m (14ft 9in)

DRAUGHT 2.15m (7ft 1in)

DISPLACEMENT

12,600kg (27,778 lb)

DESIGNER

Philippe Briand

BUILDER

Jeanneau, France

OWNERS’ ASSOCIATION

http://www.jeanneau-

owners.com

SPECIFICATIONS
LOA 14.06m (46ft 2in)
LWL 12.00m (39ft 4in)
BEAM 4.40m (14ft 5in)
DRAUGHT 2.06m (6ft 9in)
DISPLACEMENT
13,500kg (29,762 lb)
DESIGNER Bill Dixon
BUILDER
Marine Projects, Plymouth
OWNERS’ ASSOCIATION
http://www.moodyowners.org

The saloon layout has a

comfortable offset U-shaped

dinette with settee opposite

Quite a few yacht owners favour a centre-
cockpit design for blue-water sailing, often
stating that being so far from the water
proffers a feeling of security in the cockpit
and ensures little, if any, spray hits the crew.
It also enables the builder to fit in a massive
owner’s suite aft.
Moody Yachts has always been king of
the centre cockpit yachts and its Dixon-
designed 46-footer was the start of a new

breed of ocean-going yachts ideal for events

such as the ARC and ARC World rallies, as

well as long-term family cruising.

Moodys were almost always built like

the proverbial, with thickly laid-up GRP hulls,

heavy-duty deck gear and top-quality joinery

below. The yacht exudes solidity with its

plumb bows, tall topsides, high bulwarks

and fixed windscreen. Going forward along

her wide side decks is made easy thanks

PRICE £130,000-£180,000 YEAR 2005-2009

PRICE £150,000-£225,000 YEAR 1998-2002