Here’s a big, stylish cruising boat from Jeanneau with the focus on comfort. The Jeanneau Yacht 60 is designed by Philippe Briand, a very accomplished designer of both racing and cruising boats.

Looking at the hull in plan view I have become accustomed to seeing the beam carried all the way aft, but in this design, the beam has pushed forward as well. Compare the plan view of the Hallberg-Rassy in the next review. There is only one reason for this, and that is to create more usable volume forward for accommodations. Although, I also see some similarity to the scow-type hull shapes that are dominating the racing development classes today. Could be my imagination. 

The D/L of 118 is quite low for a cruising boat but the only displacement that is listed is for “empty displacement.” This begs the question, empty of what? I’d love to see the hull lines of this design but I don’t have any. I think I am seeing a chine aft. There are twin rudders and two draft options­—a 8-foot 4-inch standard draft and a 6-foot 10-inch shoal draft. Using the deeper draft keel the ballast-to-displacement ratio is 25%. The L/B is 3.35.

The 60 offers two basic layouts, each with a number of options as is typical today. The big difference in the layouts is that one features three double-berth cabins, each with its own head, and the other features two larger double-berth cabins. You can add a fo’c’sle sleeping cabin with either a single or a double V-berth. You can add a tight single berth cabin just aft of the saloon to starboard. 

The galley looks small but there is the option of expanding it to the starboard side for a refrigerator and  freezer. Or you can use this area to starboard as a small seating area. The big fridge and freezer makes more sense to me. The saloon has separate chairs to starboard with a large U-shaped dinette to port. The nav station is aft of the dinette. Aft you can have the entire area devoted to a large cabin or you can shave off some of that volume and have a crew cabin with upper and lower berths and its own head. Note the garage for a tender.

There are two deck layouts for the 60. The differences are aft in the cockpit area. You can have a wide open cockpit with twin wheels aft or you can have an elaborate hard bimini with a sliding top and what appears to be a soft dodger forward of that. This is a very big cockpit. There is a large door to access the garage aft and serve as a swim and boarding platform. All the hatches are flush and the deck is very clean with only short jib lead tracks on the broad side decks.

The rig has three spreaders with split backstays aft. I can’t see any indication of a mainsheet for the open cockpit version. If you get the rigid bimini, version the mainsheet is on a block on top of the bimini. There is a track for a self-tacking jib. The specs list two sail areas with a smaller rig at 17.97 SA/D and a larger rig with a SA/D of 22.6.

No doubt about it, regardless of the options you choose for this boat you will certainly be very comfortable and
very stylish.

LOA 59’11’’; LWL 55’2’’; Beam 17’; Displ. 44,467 lb.; Ballast standard 11,023 lb., shoal 12,438 lb.; Draft standard 8’4”, shoal 6’10”; Sail area 1,410 sq. ft.; Fuel 84 gal.; Water 101 gal.; Auxiliary 110-hp.;  D/L 118; L/B 3.35; SA/D 17.97 standard, 22.6 performance

Our best estimate of the sailaway price: $763,000

Jeanneau America

105 Eastern Avenue, Suite 203, 

Annapolis MD, 21403

410-280-9400

www.jeanneauamerica.com