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Survey the desires of the owners
To design the Jeanneau Yachts 55 following a questionnaire, they established a profile of their customers and designed a boat that met their criteria.
François-Xavier Debeaupte, Product Marketing Manager at Jeanneau explains, " Our clients are over 55 years old, mainly sailing as a couple, for an annual period of about 6 months and on an offshore program. They no longer have children to support and occasionally have friends on board."
at the time, Jeanneau was one of the only shipyards to offer an owner's aft cabin. On this new model, the idea is to go even further by dedicating 2/3 of the boat to the owner. The main companionway at the bow gives access to the saloon and galley in the center of the boat, then to the beautiful owner's cabin located at the bow and equipped with a spacious bathroom. The bow is equipped with a standard sail locker that can be transformed into a skipper's cabin.
Two other double cabins with private bathrooms are positioned aft, but only accessible from private side companionways companionways in the cockpit, at the helm stations.
"The owner's area is completely soundproofed and separated from the other cabins by a shower room or a technical corridor. We reinforce the soundproofing of each cabin. For young children on board, the saloon can be transformed into a sleeping area. It's a sort of owner's lounge area."
To offer the advantages of catamaran and monohull
He continues: "Today, the sailing catamaran market has double-digit growth. The monohull market is maintaining its sales capacity, but not reaching that growth figure. We asked ourselves what a catamaran offers that a monohull does not and what a catamaran could never offer. A monohull goes upwind, which is not the case with a catamaran. You are not constrained by the wind direction on a monohull and that is a real advantage. The catamaran, on the other hand, offers large sunbathing areas and allows you to live outside. However, we realize that our boats are increasingly used for everything that is farniente. Some industrial manufacturers in northern Europe have chosen this specific market share by developing small series, like Oyster, which produces real cruise ships."
Thus, the Jeanneau Yachts 55 offers a cockpit that is different from what is found on the market. The aft is dedicated to lounging with two squares with tables that can be converted into huge sunbeds. The hydraulic bathing platform provides access to the bathing area.
A real protected watch post
The front of the cockpit is dedicated to maneuvering with a double helm station and winches to manage the maximum sail area of 160 m2. Two types of rigs are proposed, classic with a genoa or furling mast as standard, with a self-draining jib. A Code 3 is also proposed by the shipyard to replace a Code 0, rigid and more difficult to store in the anchorage, especially with a reduced crew. Bow and stern thrusters facilitate the port maneuvers of this 17-meter long sailboat. As standard, the 2.45 m long draft can be reduced to 1.95 m.
This large cockpit has been designed to be practical and can be covered by a hard top. It is equipped with an external chart table, protected by the windshield and a saloon opposite.
The product marketing manager explains, " Just behind the roll bar and the steering wheels, a canvas closes the cockpit completely, with the classic hood or the rigid hood. The chart table and its dinette for 3 or 4 people can be used as a lookout, especially during night sailing. During the day, it can be used for resting and at night, it can be transformed into a watch bench for offshore sailing
This new model will be presented in Düsseldorf in January 2023.
