Jeanneau Yachts 51

A 15.38 m Jeanneau cruising yacht, no longer in production, set up for long spells away from port and suited to couples or families with friends aboard.

Jeanneau no longer builds the Jeanneau Yachts 51, but on the used market she's worth a close look if you want to spend weeks aboard rather than weekends. She was planned around self-sufficiency, with generous tanks and battery capacity, and she carries 640 litres of fresh water and 240 litres of fuel.

Start in the cockpit, because that's where you'll live much of the time. The mainsail and genoa sheets are led back to the helm, so the person steering can trim without asking anyone to move. Guests get two sun loungers, one on each side of the companionway. At anchor the table seats six to eight and has a refrigerated compartment in it, and the wide swim platform is handy both for getting into the water and for stretching out.

Below, the owner's cabin takes the bow. It's a big, bright space with a lot of stowage. Aft you'll find either a single spacious guest cabin or two smaller ones, depending on the options chosen when she was built, and headroom back there is good. The galley is well arranged, there's storage throughout, and a separate pantry leaves room for extras such as a washing machine or a wine fridge.

She measures 15.38 m overall, with a 14.98 m hull and a 4.7 m beam. The design work came from Philippe Briand Yacht Design, Winch Design under Andrew Winch, and Jeanneau's own team.