Jeanneau 57 Purchase - Advice please

[tj1]

Hi, I am hoping to buy a second hand Jeanneau 57 in the next six months. Does anyone have any advice on this boat and what to look out for. Many Thanks

[Zanshin]

I have a J57 and am quite happy with it.

Is there anything specific that you would like to know? What year is the one you are looking at and what configuration does it have?

[tj1]

Hi Zanshin, 

Its 2010, 3 cabin with the Owners Cabin Aft. I have seen your posts from when you bought your boat. Have there been any major issues that I should look out for? Many thanks. 

[tj1]

Hi Zanshin, I also meant to ask, are you happy in a furling main? Any issues? 

[Zanshin]

Overall I'm quite happy with the boat. As a single-hander I couldn't do it without in-mast furling and I now have a new mast and sail (Thank You, Irma...) and that sail has vertical battens which I feel give me a bit more power.

The VW Engine was an issue, mainly because of the lack of maritime support from Mercruiser. But on the other side of that issue, any competent VW Diesel car mechanic can work on the engine and wherever there are VW/Audi dealerships you will have a source for parts.

The aft cabin is roomy and comfortable in the 3-cabin configuration.

The sheeting arrangement in the early models was problematic but Jeanneau offered a fix for that, you should have no chafe problems with that installed.

I have a Cubigel compressor for the fridge and freezer and don't like it - I would have preferred a standard Danfoss. But both systems are still working so I shouldn't complain.

[tj1]

Hi Zanshin,

I am hugely impressed you are single handed on the J57. I remember being stuck at my desk in London several years ago and seeing your post that you were buying your boat. I am still working towards mine.

Can you elaborate on the sheeting issue please. Where was the chafe and what was the fix so I can look out for it.

The VW engine was on my mind. Is there an expected life on the VW and would you have any knowledge if it would be easy to replace with a Yanmar / Volvo when the time comes?

Thank you for the kind advice.

[Zanshin]

The bigger the boat the easier it is to singlehand (sail, dock, pick up a mooring). No little gust of wind is going to move the bow of 28 tonnes while picking up a mooring or docking - but if you get it wrong a 28t dent is going to be bigger than a 10t dent

The chafe is between the furling line and the sheeting system. The Jeanneau fix is a metal rod that moves 2 blocks from the boom centreline a couple of centimetres outwards so that the furling line doesn't chafe on the blocks. I got the fix, but the rod was the wrong size and since logistics to the Caribbean were so complex I never got that fixed; I wrapped the offending blocks in teflon tape and have lived with that issue ever since with no problems.

The VW Engine will outlive the boat hull. It is a solid engine and I looked into repowering and it would be prohibitively expensive.

Jeanneau had one or two years where they used a Yanmar (saildrive, I believe) in the J57 and also had 360 degree docking.

[tj1]

Hi Zanshin,

Many thanks for all your advice. Greatly appreciated. 

[NZL50505]

We were considering a J57 a couple of years ago and likewise had reservations about the VW engine but likewise concluded that swapping out a perfectly serviceable unit for an alternative (Yanmar) didn’t make $ economic sense.

Zanshin - did you ever sort that max rpm issue?

[Zanshin]

I think I know what the issue is, but didn't want to "touch a running system" while I was still travelling and once I arrived in the BVI from the offshore passage I had other problems to deal with. And I'm thousands of miles away from the boat with no chance of getting there.

I believe it has to do with the physical installation of the new fuel pump, the belt needs to be adjusted which requires 2 people and the VCDS-Software attached to the engine. It should be an easy fix.

[nieamm]

Hi tj1

I have a J57 hull 73, 2012, not sure if that makes it an early model, but I have not detected the mentioned chafe issue, but I don’t have in mast furling either.
My boat has been resurected after being `forgotten` in the carabien for 3 years, this has proven to be`not good`🙄, mainly because the adhesive/sealer that Jeanneau uses, aparently does not like heat and moisture in prolonged periods, so I have had to re-seal all deck hardware and replace galvanized iron backing plates(badly corroded)with stainless steel ones. So my advice is to look out for water ingress from`above` as this will have you spending a lot of hours ‘getting to know you boat’😉.
Also make sure the electrical connections are sound, as I have had to re-connect a lot of the connections with proper heat shrinking ones, wost exampels are the heavy duty ones, dinghy garage, autopilot motor, which can draw a lot of current and with bad connections will fail to operate. Also check to se all relays for lighting works as I have seen post on this forum searching for those special ones Jenneau uses, I had the luck of a very profiecient local Jeanneau dealer and got mine plus ekstras.

I also have a VW engine it works perfect, I luckily found a local mechanic trained in the specific engine👍.
As per EU directive seacocks must have a lifespand of minumum 5 years for new boats to be certified, so that exactly the lifespan Jeanneau provides using brass ones (just joking, I know a lot of Jeanneau boat have brass seacocks working for much much longer), mine where corroded and badly functioning, so all have been changed to TrueDesign incl ABYC adapter, so make sure you check for the state of those also.

In preparation for ARC I also had the rigging inspected and the resulted in a set of new speaders, and an some work on the stays from top speaders upwards.

But I would any day of the week buy a J57, as I have found it rock solid, mast on keel etc.
Hope to see you out there🙂

BR
Niels
S/Y Liberty