Jeanneau has announced EX, a new line of powerboats built around a simple idea: a boat you understand as soon as you step aboard, ready to go out in any season. The first two models are the EX 34 Hard Top and the EX 34 Cabin, both 34-foot day boats sharing the same platform.
The thinking behind the range is refreshingly modest. Jeanneau says it has stripped out anything superfluous, kept the technology discreet and concentrated on what matters when you head out, so that newcomers feel as comfortable at the helm as owners with decades of experience. For anyone who has stood on a pontoon puzzling over a crowded dashboard, that's an appealing brief.
The EX 34 Hard Top is the more open of the pair. Jeanneau describes it as the fullest expression of the EX concept, aimed at keeping you close to the sea and the weather. It has a hard top overhead for shade and shelter, plus a soft enclosure for when conditions turn, and there are two cabins below.
The EX 34 Cabin takes the same hull and layout and wraps it in a fully enclosed, sheltered space. It also has two cabins, and it's designed for cruising through every season, which matters if you'd like to keep using the boat well beyond the summer months. Jeanneau stresses that even with the enclosure, the boat stays connected to the outside rather than shutting you away from it.
Both boats are arranged around five living areas: aft swim platforms, an aft cockpit, a central saloon, the helm station and a lounge at the bow. That spread gives a day on board some flexibility. You might run along the coast in the morning, drop anchor for a swim, settle in the bow for a quieter hour or load up the cockpit with water sports kit for the afternoon, and the layout is meant to cope with all of it without rearranging the boat.
Choosing between them will largely come down to how and when you boat. The Hard Top suits owners who want fresh air and plenty of open deck, with the soft enclosure as a fallback. The Cabin makes more sense if your season runs long or the weather where you keep the boat tends to be changeable. Because the two share a platform, the decision is really about how much protection you want, not about giving up space or features.
Jeanneau, founded by Henri Jeanneau at Les Herbiers in the Vendée and now part of Groupe Beneteau, has long built both sailing yachts and motor boats, and EX marks a fresh direction for its powerboat range.
If you'd like to know more about the EX 34 Hard Top or EX 34 Cabin, or talk through which might suit the way you use your boat, do ask us.
