JEANNEAU NC9
BUILT: 2014 PRICE: £119,950
In 2010 Jeanneau launched the NC11, an 11m deck saloon boat. NC stood for New Concept and the idea was to take on the Scandinavians at their own game with a practical, clever deck saloon boat – exactly the sort of boat the Scandis do so well. Knowing that as good wouldn’t be good enough, Jeanneau threw a plethora of clever features at it and then followed it up with this a year later, the smaller NC9. It might have been more compact, but it was no less cunning.
INTERIOR The cleverness starts as soon as you slide the triple saloon doors and discover they open both ways, allowing the aft saloon settee backrest to flip, giving sheltered seating looking out over the cockpit. The forward settee on the other side of the dinette table pulls an even cleverer trick, somersaulting through 90¡ to give raised forward-facing seating next to the helm and beneath the optional glass sliding roof developed with Webasto. On the lower deck, two cabins give sleeping for four, and just to prove that the smart thinking runs throughout, the central double in the forward cabin has a lateral removable section so you can shorten the bed to create more floor space during the day.
EXTERIOR Asymmetric side decks mean a wider (and deeper) deck to port, accessed directly from the helm via a sliding door. In the cockpit, the entire rear seat slides on tracks, allowing you to choose between greater cockpit space or a larger swim platform.
PERFORMANCE A Volvo Penta D4-260 was the only diesel option at launch. When we tested it we achieved 27 knots, which should allow for a relaxed 20 knots at 3,000rpm at a relatively parsimonious 34lph.
SEAKEEPING The ability to plane right down to the low teens allows the NC9 to punch through big seas at lower speeds. With a single outdrive it turns quickly and predictably too.
LOA: 30ft 11in (9.4m) Beam: 10ft 4in (3.1m) Draught: 2ft 11in (0.9m) Displacement: 4.8 tonnes Fuel capacity: 300 litres Engine: Volvo Penta D4 260 260hp diesel FOR SALE: Salterns Brokerage; www.salternsbrokerage.co.uk