jeanneau nc11 (2014)...jeanneau's mindset towards safety was evident not only from the 33"...

11/06/2015 Jeanneau NC11 (2014) Captain's Report Printer Friendly | BoatTEST.com

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Jeanneau NC11 (2014)

Captain's Report

The NC11 is a compact cruiser with plenty of storage space under the salon deck. Note the separate shower stall in the head.

The Mission of the NC11

The "new concept" is to have a boat that can be a cruiser, a watersports platform, a small cottage on the water, or a dayboat entertaining platform. It is also designed to be economical to buy and operate and to that end she is available witheither a singe sterndrive engine or twins. This is all made possible because much of her furniture performs double duty.Check out report below and see how.

A Stern Difference

The aft deck of the NC11 is designed for entertaining in the cockpit or watersports off the swim platform. When the benchseat is in the aft position as seen in the drawing above there is plenty of room on the deck for table and two or threedirectors chairs for a cocktail party, al fresco dining, or just hanging out.

Move the bench seat forward and now there appears a large stern platform, known in large motoryachts as a "teakbeach." In that configuration the boat makes a large swim platform, a sunning deck, or a launch side for scuba diving. Inthis mode it also is a 'mini marina" and when friends come to visit in their tenders there is plenty of room to get themaboard.

Casual anglers might even use the platform for lighttackle fishing. Why not?



Here you can see how much space is available when the cockpit seat is moved aft. Two full deck hatches allow for access tothe twin Volvo Penta D3 diesel sterndrives and the optional generator.

We also liked the standard teak decking that runs from the aft end of the deck to the aft end of the salon. Teak decking isalso available on the side decks.

Two notable options are available for this deck area; one is a retractable awning from the aft end of the coach roof, andthe other is a full enclosure.

The aft seat slides fore and aft to provide more room in the cockpit or, more room abaft the seat on the "swim platform."Here it is fully forward adding to the swim platform space.



With the cockpit bench seat forward there is about 3' (.91 m) of foreandaft room on the stern platform. Storage under theseat can be access from both front and back.

Cockpit Space

Moving forward in the cockpit we have a few more interesting features. First, to be clear, we use the term cockpit to denotethe space forward of the gates. Again, it's on the same level so these gates and the aft seat are all that differentiate thisarea from the stern platform.

There is a triplewide, forwardfacing bench seat that has the requisite storage underneath, with access from the back ofthe bench as well.

With the seat moved back, there is access to the deck hatches covering the engine compartment. Jeanneauaccommodated room for not only the twin Volvo Penta 5.7L sterndrives, and the optional 5kw generator, but copiousamounts of storage space as well. Jeanneau's mindset towards safety was evident not only from the 33" (83.8 cm) railheight, but from the standard manually operated bilge pump nestled in the starboard bulwarks.

Speaking of side decks, the NC11 has an asymmetrical layout. There is considerably more width the the side decks on theport side than the starboard. This has much to do with the side entry door to port but we'll get back to that shortly.

Main Salon

Sliding glass doors will allow access to the main salon. I was impressed that these weren't just glass panels thataccommodated an opening at one side. With one panel open there is entry to the port side with a companionway leadingstraight to the forward cabins. But with a crowd onboard, that just won't do. So Jeanneau mounted the doors to open fromeither the left or the right side. The four panels compress into the space of one door in either direction and lock in place.

I noticed that there is an aft settee seat that is pretty close to the starboard doors so why the opening from that starboardside? The answer is in the fact that aft seat has a flipback and now there is more seating in the cockpit. Since the salonand cockpit are on the same level there is easy flow and no stumbling.



The storage on the far bulkhead holds plates, cups, and silverware. This eliminates the need for cabinets over the galley,which means more natural light and better visibility.

Under the starboard bulwarks are two stools that tuck out of the way when not in use. This allows dining for six at the salontable.



This settee wins the BoatTEST.com award for the world's most versatile and clever dinette/settee. It can do almost anythingexcept deal cards.

The forward seat flips over and elevates to allow your guests to share the same view as the captain. A very cleverarrangement and great use of space.

An Incredible Boothtype Dinette

Back to the settee. Here there is boothstyle seating, flip the outboard leaf of the table up and now two more people cansit facing to port.

But again, this boat begs for a crowd. Do we bring deck chairs in for dining for six? Not hardly. All the way under thestarboard bulkhead are two stools tucked out of the way. Pull them out and there is comfortable seating for six at a sizabledining table. Another brilliant use of space, and my stock in Jeanneau was climbing steadily. But I'm not done...

Above those seats in the starboard bulkhead is storage for the incidentals needed during mealtime. Silly things thatbecome afterthoughts on other boats, like plates and silverware. I really liked this storage area which is wasted on mostboats.

The table also pivots to allow even more room to move around, and by unscrewing (by hand with large knobs) the basefrom the deck, it can be moved against the starboard bulkhead, perhaps for a buffet table, or out to the aft deck for dining.

Galley/Credenza



As the times that one will be spending cooking are limited, the galley is rather concealed in a sort of credenza over to theport side. Rich woods give an impression of class to the salon area, even with its Spartan fixtures. Opening a hinged lidreveals a standard gas stove top (electric is optional), and I was pleased to see the underside lined with stainless steel forprotection. A center hatch opens to expose a single basin stainless steel sink.

This piece of furniture actually houses all of the galley equipment. Since most of the time it will not be used, why have itopen and exposed. In this manner it can serve as a side table when entertaining.

The galley is hidden under a wood counter that doubles as a backsplash. All of the basic equipment is here.



Context is everything and this publicity photo puts the galley/credenza in proper perspective.

Even without overhead cabinets there is storage for the necessities of life onboard but not, it seemed, for an extendedcruise. Having to go grocery shopping at every stop on a coastal cruise is out of the question, so where is all the room fordry storage?

The Wine Cellar

Rolling back the carpet runner reveals two deck hatches that led to what I can only describe as storage cellar. Here thereis enough space to store a month's worth of food and dry goods. Off to the sides of the cellar tucked out of the way, are theoptional air conditioning pumps and ancillary equipment. The forward compartment also accommodates pullout storagedrawers (think Plano) that are locked into place with little dogs that rotate into position.

The Magical Helm Companion Seat

The forward settee seat flips 90degrees to create a forwardfacing companion seat the back becomes the bottom andthe bottom now becomes the back. Now it's facing forward, and because the mounting system is so clever, it is nowroughly the same elevation as the captain's seat.

This makes a double wide seat that has a perfect forward view out the front window. There's even a small shelf just aheadof the seat for holding "stuff". It just doesn't get any better than this.

The aft salon seat reverses for converting to cockpit seating. Notice how the glass doors open extra wide from the right.This makes the cockpit an excellent entertainment area.

Lastly, the entire dinette converts into a berth for overload guests more or less in the conventional manner.



The aft salon storage cellar. There's enough room here for a lot of dry goods.

A second storage "basement" lies to the forward section of the salon. This one even accommodates storage drawers thatlock into place.

The Helm and Joystick

As for the helm: There's an electronics package available consisting of a Raymarine C90 widescreen for GPS and depthreadouts and a 4kw digital radar as well, but neither were on our test boat. The panel is predesigned to accommodatethe displays. We did have the dual Volvo Penta EVC displays, but that didn't stop Jeanneau from adding a complete arrayof analog gauges, a fact that I always appreciate.

We also had Volvo Penta's digital engine controls that added a host of features such as engine sync, cruise assist andsingle level controlability. But the frosting on the cake was the optional Volvo Penta sterndrive joystick. It brought closequarters maneuverability to a professional level for anyone who may be lucky enough to be in control of the helm.



The helm offers plenty of open space for electronics. Notice the sterndrive joystick just ahead of the engine controls. I lovethe opening side door right at the helm. The two buttons overhead are for opening and closing the sunroof.

While the sunroof provides 35 sq ft (3.25 sq m) of open space, you'd have to be taller than me to use it to stand at the helmand see forward.

Because the helm is on an elevated platform it negates the ability to stand while operating. There just isn't enoughheadroom, but those skippers who insist on standing, can stand next to the helm. The alternative is to open the electricretractable sunroof. This presents 35 sq ft (3.25 sm) of open air over the entire forward half of the salon. However, that stillwasn't adequate to allow me to stand at the helm. My 5' 8.5" (1.74 m) had me looking right at the forward frame of thesunroof. Frankly, I didn't care. I was more than comfortable sitting with my foot on the door sill next to me.

Adoorable

And that leads us to another one of the unique features of this NC11, the portside midships door. We were testing thisboat on an oppressively hot Florida day, and opening that side door was literally a breath of fresh air. It closes watertight,and slides aft to open so it doesn't take up any side deck space to operate.



With the side door at the helm, I was able to lay up against the dock and reach over the rail to tie up to the midships cleat.Could there be any better testament to the NC11's singlehanding appeal?

Accommodations

The forward accommodations are accessed by a center companionway. To starboard is the guest stateroom with twinsidebyside berths, and a filler cushion will join them into a single queen sized berth. Thankfully, there's a privacy doorinstead of a curtain, and natural light is allowed in via opening port lights. The single head is located across thecompanionway from the starboard stateroom.

The forward accommodations feature an island berth with ample storage underneath, two opening portlights and anoverhead hatch. But as if this boat didn't have enough unexpected features to it, the master stateroom also has a walkincloset.



The mid cabin to port has twin beds and with the filler cushion shown here makes into a queensize bed. Importantly, there isstanding head room at the entrance to this stateroom.

Performance and Handling

Now between the 1015 winds and the wakes of the camera boat, we managed to find our fair share of waves to test themettle of this cruising boat. And I'm here to tell you that it was sufficient to allow me to feel comfortable getting caught in astorm and getting me back safely the boat felt that good under my feet.

Now will it be entirely comfortable.... probably not, but that's another matter. As for the comfort, she seemed to handleseas best at about half throttle. This allowed the NC11 the room and agility to go through the waves rather than up andover, so that made for a better comfort level. Considering that this is primarily a coastal cruiser, this it the sort of handlingshould be fine in most conditions.

Tall friends will be the least of your concerns onboard the NC11.

For the complete test numbers click on the "Test Results" tab at the top of this page. WOT speed was over 36 mph, bestcruise was 26 mph.

At the Dock

In the twin configuration the NC11 comes with Volvo Penta's sterndrive joystick (as standard by the way) and it madehandling a dream at the dock. There are two power settings and I needed them both for this docking as we had a stiffwind running with a fair tide across the dock. So it was high power to maneuver to the dock, and low power to lay upagainst. But, where this boat really shines was because of that convenient side door, and the midships cleat right nextdoor, I was able to lay the boat up portside to, AND reach over the rail to tie the boat up single handed. Now that's an



admirable quality for a cruising yacht. For a singlehander, or even a cruising couple, this is an adept boat with a lot tooffer.

We think the NC11 is a "do anything" boat, and the most innovative we have seen in a long time. Not sliding door is tostarboard.

Here we have the sliding door panels to port and the booth dinette seat back forward in cocktail party mode.

Observations

Like many boats from Jeanneau the NC11 base boat is configured for day cruising, entertaining and lowcost operation.With a propane stove, single sterndrive engine the NC 11 will have significant range. She is particularly capable on therivers and many of the canals in Europe to say nothing of the Baltic Sea, Med, and the numerous archipelagos in that partof the world. In North America she is suited for coastal work from the Alaskan panhandle to Cabo and from Nova Scotia tothe Bahamas, or down island.

By outfitting an NC11 with twin diesels, a generator, an electric stove top, microwave, air conditioning, ice makers and thelike, she can be a comfortable cruising boat for a family or two couples used to speed and creature comforts. With a topspeed of over 31 knots she will be able to keep up with boats in the annual yacht club cruise and possibly be thepreferred boat upon which friends would like to hang out at day's end.

Even with twin Volvo Penta 200hp D3 engines she has a range of 317 nautical miles at 15.3 knots with a 10% fuelreserve. At that speed she gets nearly 2 nm per gallon (nearly 1 km per liter). That is pretty economical cruising in the fast



lane when we look at other diesel powered boats in class to say nothing of gasolinepowered boats.

jeanneau nc11 (2014)...jeanneau's mindset towards safety was evident not only from the 33"...

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