boot Düsseldorf: World premiere for the Jeanneau Yachts 55 - now with gallery!
Jochen Rieker
· 21.01.2023
The French have always been inventive when it comes to thinking outside the box. Does anyone still remember the Atoll 43 from Dufour, which, shortly before the turn of the millennium, threw conventional ideas of a cruising boat overboard?
She had a huge superstructure that spanned half of the cockpit and turned the saloon and galley into a kind of open-air event. The end of the cellar ship, so to speak, also dubbed the birth of the "monomaran" - in other words, the intersection of cat attributes with those of the monohull world. However, the idea never really caught on.
Four years ago, Jeanneau presented the Sun Loft 47, a model designed exclusively for the charter market, which was conceptually similar to the Atoll, but with a much more voluminous hull. Annette Roux, the Grande Dame of the Beneteau Group, was particularly enthusiastic about the unusually large aft seating area, which can be converted into a large sunbed. She is said to have remarked incredulously that this could not possibly be a 47-foot yacht.
Now, with the new 55, developed specifically for the owner's market, Jeanneau is once again pushing the boundaries of what is possible.
The sheer amount of space available, across the full width of 4.99 metres, is simply out of this world. Even if you only turn the starboard side into a lounge, you can provide four to six crew members with a berth under the sun or - optionally - under a shady bimini. And there is almost as much space available on the port side.
Oh yes, and there are also mattresses for two or three sailors on the foredeck on request, of course also covered by a canvas that is attached to the mast and two carbon fibre struts fixed to the railing. There has never been so much usable deck space - if you exclude cruising catamarans as a comparison.
More, more, more is of course not a sufficient concept, especially as there are always limitations somewhere in the finite space of a boat, even if its hull measures an impressive 16 metres in length. And of course there are also limitations on the Jeanneau Yachts 55.
So why this surprise egg of a yacht, when the Jeanneau Yachts 60, also designed by Philippe Briand, is so completely different, comparatively normal? And what else can the 55 do?
Let's first look at what other unique features it has to offer. Because there are quite a few. The helm stations are located in front of the aft deck, but behind the covered part of the cockpit. Strictly speaking, they are connected to the cabin superstructure of the two aft compartments. And that fits well, because thanks to the stepless "walk-around cockpit" realised here too, they offer numerous really first-class positions for rowing.
If you are looking for protection from spray or rain, stay aft. If you want an optimum view of the sails and the sea, stand slightly to the side. From there you can also easily reach the winches, which are mounted at waist height. In terms of ergonomics, there are hardly any better layouts on the market. When the boat is in position, you can also lean against a pleasantly high railing section, which is made of stainless steel tubes in the area of the steering columns instead of the usual wire. Great!
In front of what can be described as the working cockpit are the two companionways to the aft compartments, in front of which is a kind of centre cockpit for guests including a navigation station. Compared to the rest of the boat, it is rather cramped here, but extremely sheltered. The seating area on the starboard side offers space for a maximum of four co-sailors, although the boat has six berths. This means that you can't fit the whole crew under the fixed roof in bad weather. However, the table can be lowered and the U-shaped sofa can be converted into a double bed at deck level, which can be attractive for standby watches on long trips.
Below deck, the Jeanneau Yachts 55 deviates most from the standard of modern cruising boats, if only because of the two companionways to the aft cabins that open like double doors. These each offer their own, acoustically completely decoupled rooms, which also have their own heads - with large double berths, plenty of headroom and good freedom of movement. The only thing you have to get used to is the feeling of being largely cut off from the rest of the crew as soon as you close the Plexiglas bonnet over the companionway.
But the intention is clear, as with the deck concept: the Jeanneau Yachts 55 should offer as much privacy on a hull as only catamarans can.
As a result, the rest of the interior is - well, different. From the central companionway, a compact saloon with two tables that can also be converted into a lounge and a seating area can be reached on the port side; the very large L-shaped galley is located on the starboard side, which visually merges with the saloon to a certain extent. Although it feels like the largest space on board, it only takes up around a quarter of the length of the hull - and doesn't look as opulent as is usually the case on boats of this calibre.
Interior designer Andrew Winch has therefore provided two sliding doors to the owner's cabin in the foredeck. They open up the main bulkhead enormously and can remain open most of the time anyway, as this is part of the Jeanneau Yachts 55 concept: to reserve the forward and central part of the cabin for the owners by completely separating the guest cabins. The forward cabin with its wet room in front is roughly the same size as a Jeanneau Yachts 60.
The interior has a thoroughly dignified appearance, both in terms of style and feel. You can feel the experience that Jeanneau has gained in the upmarket motorboat segment, where the shipyard is now part of the establishment with the Prestige brand. Nevertheless, the boat still takes some getting used to when viewed from the outside: despite all the tricks used by designer Philippe Briand, the deckhouse looks massive; the aft edge of the superstructure with the steering wheels could not be seamlessly integrated into the design either.
In terms of sailing, the Jeanneau Yachts 55 promises a lot of potential. At 18.5 tonnes, she weighs less empty than other yachts of this size. In the standard configuration with furling mainsail and self-tacking jib, she has a sail carrying capacity of 4.3 tonnes, which is typical for a cruising boat. However, with the optional genoa (110%) and full battened main, this can be increased to a sporty 4.8. So much for the paper form. We will be able to test her for the first time in spring.
The question of why remains!
It is worth looking at the market development of the last 20 years. During this period, the proportion of sales accounted for by cruising yachts over 45 feet has risen rapidly, and the proportion of revenue even more so. Serial shipyards must operate successfully in this segment if they want to be successful in the long term. Jeanneau alone has sold more than 1,100 boats in the top segment since 2002, totalling around one billion in sales.
In the same period, the multihull segment has grown even more strongly, both in the charter and owner market. So what could be more obvious than to develop a boat that combines many of the advantages of cruising cats with the sailing experience and lower operating costs of a monohull yacht - and for which there is absolutely no alternative on the second-hand market.
The Jeanneau Yachts 55 was born from these considerations and if the concept works, it will undoubtedly continue the brand's success in the luxury segment. In any case, she already deserves the title of being the boldest, most unconventional and most innovative world premiere at this boot Düsseldorf. To be found in Hall 16, behind the Bavaria stand.
The base price is 821,100 euros including VAT.
Technical data Jeanneau Yachts 55
- Designer: Philippe Briand
- Design and styling: Andrew Winch
- Hull length: 16.09 m
- Overall length (with bowsprit): 16,93 m
- Waterline length: 16.05 m
- Width: 4.99 m
- Weight: 18.5 tonnes
- Draughts: 2.55 m (standard)/1.98 m (optional)
- Mast height above waterline: 25.2 m
- Sail area downwind: 130.1 m² (standard) / 159.0 m² (optional)
- Gennaker: 250.0 m²
- Engine: Yanmar 110 hp/shaft drive
- Fuel capacity: 230 litres
- Fresh water capacity: 760 litres
- CE category: A (12 persons)
