Jeanneau 57 and Jeanneau 53
With two new models in the 50-plus range, the company launches its "Yacht" line. A boat review from our August 2010 issue.
As I glanced over at Henry Ford's summer house on the tony shores of Grosse Point, Michigan, I couldn't help but contemplate mass production. Of course, the new line of Jeanneau "Yachts," comprised of the Jeanneau 53, which I was test-sailing, and an equally well-appointed 57-footer, have little in common with a Model T, except that they're built on a production line.
As I glanced over at Henry Ford's summer house on the tony shores of Grosse Point, Michigan, I couldn't help but contemplate mass production. Of course, the new line of Jeanneau "Yachts," comprised of the Jeanneau 53, which I was test-sailing, and an equally well-appointed 57-footer, have little in common with a Model T, except that they're built on a production line.
And that's what makes these boats so interesting. They have the good looks, waterline length, interior space, big-boat systems, and bluewater capability often found on custom and semicustom boats in the north-of-50-
feet range, but they're designed and built to take advantage of many of the mass-production techniques that Jeanneau has developed to enhance both quality and value on its other models. I took the 53 for a test-drive on Lake Michigan to see for myself.
The first thing I noticed on the 53 is that the coachroof is equipped with Jeanneau's signature curved windows, but the topsides are also noticeably lower and less bulbous than the popular 54 DS, which these boats are designed to replace at the upper end of the Jeanneau line. It's a subtle change, and in my view, it works. The lines are sleek and sexy without being radical.
I was also impressed with the overall deck layout. The cockpit is truly large (it should be on a cruising boat this size), the teak-covered decks are classy (ditto), and push buttons are right where you want them, next to big, electric-powered winches. The jib cars are fully adjustable from the cockpit and show that this boat is designed to sail as well as be a pretty home on the water. The dual helms provide excellent visibility and equally excellent access to the large swim platform aft. There's a stout double anchor roller on the bow, the anchor locker is cavernous, and the recessed windlass has plenty of anchor-pulling horsepower. The windlass can even be controlled from the helm station with a separate remote control. It may sound like an oversimplification to say that the layout of the 57 is similar, only bigger, but it's not really, except for one notable difference: The 57 is big enough to accommodate a tender in an aft "garage" that the 53 doesn't have.
The 53's coachroof may be a bit lower slung than that of the 54DS, but you hardly notice it down below. Headroom is way over 6 feet, and the main saloon makes excellent use of the boat's considerable interior volume. The C-shaped saloon table has room for up to 8 to sit for dinner, with two stylish chairs like you'd find around your dining room table at home. Opposite, the second settee is long enough to be a sea berth and also has a cleverly designed wine locker/armrest hidden beneath one of the seats.
Several cabin and head configurations are available; the galley is the only constant. The galley's got ample counter and storage space, two reefer units (one can be run as a freezer), and the requisite microwave oven. Our test model also had a good-size forward-facing nav station, a well-installed electrical panel, and plenty of room in which to mount electronics. The layout of the boat I tested features the master cabin aft and two guest cabins forward.
The master cabin is worthy of the "Yacht" moniker. It has excellent headroom, light, and ventilation despite its location beneath the cockpit. It's also equipped with a large island bed (it seems a bit too luxurious to simply call it a bunk), plenty of storage in both drawers and hanging lockers, a private head with shower, and a TV mounted on the aft bulkhead to watch as you doze off. I found the two forward cabins to be comfortable and well equipped but rather pedestrian. In the sleeping quarters, the master cabin aft seems to have received the most attention.
