- Price: 15 000 to 20 000 euros
- Built from 2004 to 2010 in 500 copies
After the success of the Sun 2000 - already sold 1,000 copies in 2005 -, Jeanneau is working very logically to offer a big brother to its mini best seller. Target clientele? The owners of the 2000 who would feel cramped, of course! The architect Olivier Petit has therefore redesigned the boat to be very similar in terms of aesthetics, but of course much more comfortable.
Many versions from 2006 onwards
Initially distributed in old-fashioned ballasted dinghy - cast iron salmon and swivelling daggerboard -, the 2 500 is propelled by a small diesel of 9 horses. In 2006, Jeanneau launched a keelboat and outboard version. On the gel coat side, most models are cream or navy blue. The former are more resistant to hard UV treatment.
Uneven performance
The basic version with its massive salmon and its drift in sheet metal ensures a mediocre performance upwind and the extra ballast seals the potential of this beautiful hull. As a result, due to the lack of a generous sail area, the Sun 2500 is disappointing in light weather and when sailing. The keelboat version, with a beautiful appendage that plunges 1.60 m below the surface and a weight gain of 340 kg, offers a completely different face to the boat, especially in the outboard version. With diesel, a folding propeller significantly improves performance. Downwind, the 2500 remains somewhat constrained by the modest surface area of its asy spinnaker - 36 m2 against 56 for the First 25.
An attractive deck layout
The yard wanted to offer a very large cockpit, with comfortable seating. The notch of the transom, in the absence of a real skirt, facilitates access to the bathing ladder. The basic but effective deck fittings are concentrated at the rear of the deckhouse. Forward gangways and forward deck are wide enough to facilitate movement - preparation and lowering of the spinnaker, mooring operations, setting up mooring lines.
Two double berths
Priority to volume: Jeanneau has omitted the traditional partitions to offer only a living space. In couple or family mode, you get used to it very well. The headroom reaches 1.70 m at the foot of the descent - compared to 1.48 m for the Sun 2000. The small table in the saloon is lowered to form a huge front bed. The site has provided a toilet and a kitchen. The latter was optionally equipped with a cooler or a small fridge.
The diagnosis of Bateaux.com
A small cruiser that ages rather well - except for the dark gel coat. The dinghy requires a few precautions when stranding: the two rudders ensure relative stability on soft ground. Squeezing two buckets under the shovels ensures a better grip. The drift, by stranding in the mud, can get stuck in the salmon. Jeanneau finally proposed a kit to remedy this - access pipe, valve and metal bar.
The benefits
- Successful design
- Large and ergonomic cockpit
- Several engine and draught versions
Disadvantages
- Disappointing in light winds in the dinghy version
- Stranding on both rudders may be unstable
- Relative privacy
But what does he miss?
Insulated berths from the saloon and a larger spinnaker.
The equivalent today?
French yards are no longer very interested in these sailboat sizes; the First 25 (ex 260/25.7) remains. On the Polish side, large transportables like the TES 246 Versus, not to mention the Maxus 26.
