Jeanneau | Yacht Builder
French Seafaring Heritage,
Designed for Real Life on the Water
Jeanneau is one of the most respected and widely recognised yacht builders in the world, known for creating sailing yachts and motorboats that balance innovation, comfort, and accessibility.
Founded in 1957 by Henri Jeanneau in Les Herbiers, France, the brand began as a small boatyard and grew into a global reference for well-engineered, owner-focused yachts.
Rooted in France’s strong maritime culture, Jeanneau has always approached yacht building with a practical mindset.
Performance, safety, and usability are central to the brand’s identity, making Jeanneau a natural choice for both first-time owners and experienced sailors looking for reliability without unnecessary complexity.
Today, Jeanneau operates as part of the Groupe Beneteau, with production facilities in France and a worldwide distribution network.
Jeanneau Vision
Jeanneau’s vision is built around making life at sea more intuitive, comfortable, and rewarding.
Rather than focusing on exclusivity, the brand aims to open up boating and sailing to a broader audience by combining smart design, proven naval architecture, and continuous innovation.
Jeanneau yachts are designed to adapt easily to different cruising styles, from weekend escapes to extended voyages, without demanding professional-level experience from their owners.
This vision has allowed Jeanneau to remain relevant across decades, evolving with modern lifestyles while staying true to its practical roots.
What Makes Jeanneau Distinct
Jeanneau’s strength lies in its ability to blend innovation with approachability.
User-Friendly Design
Layouts are designed with everyday use in mind. Clear deck plans, ergonomic cockpits, and logical interior flow make Jeanneau yachts easy to live with and easy to handle.
Proven Hull Performance
Jeanneau works closely with leading naval architects to develop hulls that deliver a balance of speed, stability, and comfort, particularly important for cruising sailors.
Innovation That Serves the Owner
From walkaround deck concepts to modular interior layouts, Jeanneau focuses on features that genuinely improve the onboard experience rather than adding complexity.
Strong Value Proposition
Jeanneau is known for delivering high-quality yachts at competitive price points, offering a compelling balance between build quality, performance, and long-term ownership costs.
Jeanneau Yacht and Boat Ranges
Jeanneau offers one of the broadest portfolios in the industry, covering both sailing and motor yachts.
Sun Odyssey (Sailing Yachts)
The Sun Odyssey range is designed for comfortable cruising with strong sailing performance. These yachts are ideal for family sailing, charter use, and long-term ownership.
Typical size range: 35–49 feet
Jeanneau Yachts (Luxury Sailing)
This range represents Jeanneau’s more premium sailing offering, with refined interiors, larger volumes, and enhanced sailing capability.
Typical size range: 51–65 feet
Cap Camarat (Outboard Motorboats)
The Cap Camarat range focuses on versatility and ease of use, ideal for day boating, coastal cruising, and water sports.
Typical size range: 5–12 metres
Merry Fisher (Motor Cruisers)
Designed for practical cruising, the Merry Fisher range combines enclosed comfort with efficient hulls, making them popular in a wide range of climates.
Typical size range: 6–11 metres
NC and DB Series (Modern Motor Yachts)
These ranges focus on contemporary styling, indoor-outdoor living, and relaxed cruising, appealing to owners looking for modern design with everyday usability.
Typical size range: 9–14 metres
Jeanneau Brand
Jeanneau is a brand defined by consistency and trust. It does not aim to be the most extravagant, but it excels at delivering yachts that owners genuinely use and enjoy over time.
Jeanneau represents intelligent design, strong heritage, and an understanding that true quality at sea is measured by comfort, reliability, and confidence rather than excess.
Jeanneau ‘s History
Founded by hardware store owner, Henri Jeanneau who started by racing and then building small power boats. His first fiberglass model was introduced in 1960 and the first sailboat in 1964.
TIME LINE 1956 M. Henri Jeanneau starts boat building in his Fathers workshop following his success in the “Six heures de Paris” power boat race.
1957 Creation of the first “Jeanneau” a simple wooden outboard motor dinghy 1958.
The first “Jeanneau” fiberglass hull molded 1960 The “Sea-bird” speed boat, Jeanneau’s first full production fibreglass boat 1970 First of 2800 Sangria sailing yachts produced 1970 – 1990 Corporate ownership change to United States based Bangor Punta.
1981-1985 O’Day – also under Bangor Punta, built (under license in US) about 120 Sun Fizz yachts marketed as the O’DAY 39. In 1986 this was remodeled by Hunt & Associates and produced as the O’DAY 40.
Ownership subsequently reverted to France with acquisition by Chatellier SA 1990 Short lived joint venture with Italian Ferretti Craft to build the Yarding Yacht range 1990-1992 The ATLANTIC 44, is built in Athens, Greece on license from Jeanneau, is almost identical to Jeanneau SUN MAGIC 44. Similarly the SUN LEGENDE 41 was produced under license in Greece as the OLYMPIC SEA 42.
1995 Acquired by Groupe Beneteau to create the largest sailboat group worldwide 1995-1997 Polish built yachts include SUN FAST 17 & Sun ODYSSEY 24.1 (The SUN FAST 17 later was available as the BALT FAMILY 17) 2001 Jeanneau acquires Ostroda Yachts of Poland.
A separate division, JAT (Jeanneau Advanced Technologies) were the builders of the Lagoon range of catamarans as well as a number of custom projects such as Americas Cup yachts and the Kevin Costner ‘Waterworld’ trimarans. (During the 1990’s TPI in the USA produced some Jeanneau catamarans)
A few Sun Fast yachts were produced in Australia under license, during the early 1990’s. Some Polish yards produced a number of Jeanneau Yachts and motorboats during the mid 1990’s. Notably the Jacek Centowski designed SUN ODYSSEY 24.1.
Following the 80 or so models produced under the Jeanneau brand during 1995 to 1997.
These have continued to be produced in Poland and marketed under a variety of brands including: Sportina 730: Clever 24.5: Sportlake 730: Apolonia 24: Noryacht 770: Fly23S: and Delphia 24. Jeanneau is a division of Groupe Beneteau. Jeamnneau Owners Network