DOUBLE TAKE
It’s not long since 60ft yachts were the preserve of custom or semi-custom yards that could go to great lengths to provide a small number of discerning clients with the boat of their dreams. Today, however, all the big high-volume boatbuilders have an offering at this size. Yet even at this more price sensitive end of the big boat market, buyers still want a yacht that matches their individual needs for interior layout, preferences for deck gear and sail plans, while also satisfying their sense of style and taste.
It’s a tall order for vessels that need to be built on a production line. Yet when the Jeanneau Yachts 60 was first unveiled in Cannes the two versions on display were equipped and fitted out so differently that at first glance it wasn’t obvious they were the same design. The Sport model, with a palatial owner-aft two/three cabin arrangement, has a very different character to the five/six cabin cruiser version, with (optional) mainsheet arch and hard top, that was alongside it.
This model replaces the Jeanneau Yachts 58, which itself was a revamp of the Jeanneau Yachts 57 launched back in 2010. Considerable in-house knowledge has therefore gone into developing the new boat, but it’s by no means a home-grown effort – Jeanneau also turned to some of the world’s top specialists, including naval architect Philippe Briand and interior designer Andrew Winch.
On paper the differences between this boat and the previous 57/58 initially look modest –
