Boat test for the 2007 Jeanneau 50 with boat pictures, boat specifications, and boat test results. Includes pricing, videos, engine test reviews, and ratings for the 2007 Jeanneau 50.

On the other hand, comfort is a big plus. The 50 can be had with three staterooms, but don't go there unless you'd like a midcabin VIP with its head in the bow. Our two-cabin layout's the ticket. I couldn't figure out which was the master—the forpeak's got the big walk-in, but the aft cabin's bigger and brighter and has a desk/vanity. (Its hanging locker doesn't go to the ceiling. Go figure.) Between the two staterooms are a workable galley with an American-size refrigerator and an LCD TV that rises from the galley island.

As to the garage, opinions about such places versus extended swim platforms are hotly held. It's my sense they're falling out of favor in this size range. That said, this is a good design, although you'll have to pony up for an electric winch to haul in your RIB. (Is there an alternative?) A major benefit is the great sunpad atop; a major drawback is engine access. There's just 16 inches between the Volvo Pentas. Access to the clear raw-water strainers, dipsticks, and fills is fine, but I never saw the filters. I did spot the fuel-water separators, one on each saddle tank and neither with clear sediment bowls. If this kind of stuff bothers you, don't blame the boat, give up the garage.

I liked the 50 despite her few quirks. She's smartly designed and well put together, and has a killer price. The quirks? They give her panache, and that's a compliment in any language.

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SPOTLIGHT ON: Happy 50th Anniversary

It all started with M. Henri Jeanneau fiddling around in his father's workshop after competing in the Six Heures de Paris powerboat race. Out of that came the first Jeanneau boat—not a sailboat but an outboard-powered dinghy that debuted in 1957. By 1958—well before many American builders—the company was molding boats like the Amazone speedboat out of FRP. By 1960 Jeanneau was selling all of the Amazones it could build, and it has been a force in European boatbuilding, both power and sail, ever since. This year it celebrates 50 years since the first Amazone hit the water.—R.T.

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