JEANNEAU LEADER 33
TESTED A back-to-back sea trial of identical diesel inboard and petrol outboard versions reveals some interesting results
It’s an incongruous sight, Jeanneau’s latest Leader 33. It looks a little like someone decided to fit a back-up auxiliary outboard but due to a communications breakdown, a 250hp was mistakenly bolted on instead of a 10hp. And then you notice that there are two of them… Welcome to the future, which for many, is outboard powered. Once the domain of the small runabout, outboard power is big news in the USA where petrol is (comparatively) cheap. They think nothing of adding four engines to boats that stretch past 50ft. And it’s a trend that’s starting to catch on in Europe as outboards get more powerful yet also quieter and more efficient. Fans cite easy access, compact size, the ability to tilt the entire unit, drive and all, clear of the water (something you certainly cannot do with an outdrive), cheaper servicing, reduced space requirements and the ability to easily swap out a motor if required – simply crane one off and bolt a new one in its place. Even traditional European builders like Azimut are dabbling – its outboard powered Verve 40 having
just been joined by the similarly propelled Verve 45. Now it’s Jeanneau’s turn. What makes this test particularly interesting is that berthed alongside it in Cannes is a Leader 33 inboard. Available with Mercruiser petrol or Volvo Penta diesel, I’m aboard the latter; tucked under the back seat are a pair of D3-220 220hp sterndrive diesels.
It’s a good looking boat. Identical bar the twin outboards hanging off the cutaway bathing platform, it’s an innocuous yet pleasing shape, short of foredeck but consequently long of cockpit. Both examples are Sportop versions – Jeanneau offers this boat with a completely open cockpit or with the Sportop hard top (fitted with a solid powered opening roof section) as an option. However the boat remains unashamedly cockpit on the main deck, if you want a deck saloon then Jeanneau’s NC33 is the boat for you. The port side of the cockpit is one huge loop of seating from one end to the other around a folding (but not removable) cockpit table, but it contains a couple of neat twists. Lift the backrest of the rear section vertically an inch or two and you can then drop it flat, creating a sunpad, and what’s really clever is
the ability to then drop the backrest to the side, converting it to a multi-position pillow. There’s a large locker beneath it, accessed via the cockpit or the bathing platform. At the front of the cockpit you can lift the forward edge of the seat, quickly converting it to forward-facing seating, albeit set back slightly from the helm seat rather than alongside it. The starboard deck is simple to access but the port is blocked by the dinette – if you want to get to the port deck it’s easiest to go up the starboard side and across. It feels like a well honed layout from an experienced builder, which of course is exactly what it is. Whilst not devoid of compromise (inevitable on a 33ft boat), it’s well managed for maximum practicality and usability.
CLEVER TOUCHES
The cabin is also thoughtfully laid out. Normally on this size of boat you get a dinette at the front and a mid cabin aft, but very occasionally you’ll find a double bed squeezed into the bow with the dinette squashed into one side as an inevitable consequence. What Jeanneau has done with this boat is put a very small bed in the bow and then a short but wide dinette just aft of it (the table stows beneath the floor). At night you lift the cushions off the centre of the dinette revealing a box section that pulls out over the dinette seat, extending the bed. Drop the base cushion on top of it and you’ve got your full-length bed. It’s pretty rudimentary, but it works perfectly. But what is really clever is the three-section sliding bulkhead that pulls across to turn this area into a private cabin, meaning anyone from the mid cabin using the loo in the night is not passing through your bedroom. It’s not a new idea, Sessa introduced a similar arrangement for its C35 in 2010, but it’s no less effective and no less welcome for that. Between the two areas are the galley and heads, the latter large enough to include a separate shower section. Like the cockpit, the interior is not devoid of compromise, the dinette isn’t massive for example, but it is well judged and it works.
But enough of the details, I’m keen to discover how it goes, and particularly how the two versions compare. Since I’m aboard, I try the diesel first. The twin D3-220 engines suit the boat well, giving strong acceleration and an entirely adequate 33-knot top end, meaning that the 25 knots we all like to cruise at is an easy 3,500rpm, 500rpm off WOT (in fact we hit 4,150rpm, suggesting that once the boat is loaded up and has the drag of a couple of month’s afloat, it should still hit its target 4,000rpm). At this speed the engine noise is making itself felt, but not intrusively so, you can have a conversation with your co-pilot without overly raising your voice. Winding on an armful of lock with the light electronic steering (our boat has the optional joystick control) results in the Michael Peters-designed hull dipping an elbow and turning enthusiastically; it’s a sporty drive.
That keenness to bank hard is the mark of a deeper vee hull, but so is a propensity to lean into a crosswind as the helmsman corrects for the bow being blown off. Trim tabs are on the options list – spec them. All in all it’s exactly what you both want and expect from Jeanneau, a practical boat with a decent hull and entirely adequate performance at a sensible cost. The question is, will outboards enhance or detract from the experience? The twin Yahama F250 250hp outboards are idling quietly when I join the boat. The 4.2 litre V6 petrol engines are not only 30hp up each compared to the D3-220s, they’re also lighter – 254kg each for the outboards plays 363kg for the diesels. While we wait to leave, two things strike me. Firstly, a quick peek under the floor
reveals that Jeanneau has done nothing clever with the now vacant engine space beneath the cockpit. Yes, it’s a huge chunk of extra storage but it looks like what it is, a space for engines, but without engines. The other is that I’m breathing engine fumes. Maybe we’re unlucky with the wind direction, perhaps it would be better with the Sportop’s sliding roof open but it’s bad enough that I move out of the cockpit to the edge of the now far smaller bathing platform, and it leaves me with a slight headache. It would be interesting to measure the carbon monoxide levels…
Once we’re moving, all is well. The engines burble quietly as we idle out of Cannes, exhaust fumes gone. And in open water it’s time to give these engines their head. Although less urgent onto the plane, there’s no getting away from the fact that they’re significantly faster – 38 knots from the Yammy boat vs 33 knots for the Volvo-powered craft. But you’ll pay for it. At 25 knots, 61 litres of diesel are being consumed, those Yamahas are digesting 103 litres of petrol. Then add in the fuel cost disparity. At the time of writing my local fuel barge is charging £1.15 for a litre of diesel, taking into account the 60/40 split for leisure use. Petrol is £1.95. So to put that into hard currency, at 25 knots the diesel Leader 33 would burn through £70/hour. The outboard boat, £200/hour! And there is a further cost that I wasn’t expecting. The outboard boat is significantly louder at planing speeds, so you’ll need to raise your voice in order to be heard.
So in summary, the Leader 33, is a great boat. I like it very much. But unless you’re a deaf American, buy the diesel version.