JEANNEAU LEADER 12.5 WA

Jeanneau’s Leader 12.5 WA is the latest proof of its commitment to provide quality yachting experiences at value pricing.

Michael Peters designed the running surface and made the Leader 12.5 WA fast. He’s been designing Jeanneau hulls since 2002, and while we expected to see steps below the waterline, we did not. This bottom is built on a sharp-entry, deep V-bottom, with lifting strakes and prominent chines designed to knock down spray. We know the latter was successful because we worked the hull and outboards like cheap labor, spinning the power steering wheel, cycling the electronic throttles back and forth, fore and aft, pushing the boat into hard-over turns, holding it on plane, and maintaining better-than-expected speed in those turns. It has the agility to stretch out like a greyhound on the hunt. We did all this without once wetting the tempered-glass windshield or showering the cockpit with spray.

While this performance is attributable to the MP design, don’t discount Jeanneau’s experience—some of the longest in the industry—building recreational boats of fiberglass. Jeanneau be