Jeanneau Leader 8 Review (2013 Edition) by Aquaholic

On Deck

Stepping aboard the Jeanneau Leader 8, the first change against the older 805 is the bathing platform. It’s slightly extended, which gives that bit more get-at-able space for launching a tender or just lounging with your feet in the water. The ladder is neatly integrated beneath, much the same as the earlier version, but still a clever little touch.

The side decks follow the asymmetric format, one side broader to allow a safe and comfortable walkway forward without robbing too much cockpit space. Up at the bow you’ll find some subtle refinements. The anchor winch is now exposed, with the chain locker and controls just beside it. The overall colour palette has shifted too, with this example finished in bright white rather than the cream tones of older builds, and the windscreen styling is more up to date.

One big addition is the radar arch. This GRP goalpost provides a proper mounting point for canopies, nav lights, antennas, and possibly a radar dome if you want one. It also adds a practical handhold when moving between deck and cockpit. Small changes, but they add up to a boat that feels tidier and more contemporary while still instantly recognisable as a Leader.

Step down below and you’ll find the layout exactly as it was on the older Leader 805, but Jeanneau have sharpened it up in a way that makes it feel fresher and easier to live with. The galley sits to port with the same practical arrangement - sink on top, fridge tucked neatly underneath - but the finishes have shifted from dark, glossy cherry to a lighter matte wood. It softens the atmosphere straight away. The headlinings too are tidier, and the lighting has been improved with LED strips fitted as standard along the pelmets, where earlier owners often retrofitted their own.

The main saloon works double duty as a lounge and a guest sleeping space. The table drops, you swap in a shorter leg, and the infill cushions make a proper double berth. It’s a simple, effective system. Around it you’ve got good seating and a hanging locker just inside the companionway. That locker also hides the battery switches, which are more conveniently placed here than in the cockpit on the earlier boat.

The heads compartment has been modernised in detail rather than layout. The sink remains, but with a cleaner, more contemporary design. There’s still a pull-out shower that turns the whole compartment into a wet room, and a rail overhead to hook it in place. A clever addition here is the integrated blind built into the hatch. Instead of fiddling with clip-on covers, you can slide across a blackout shade one way, a fly screen the other, or leave it wide open for ventilation. It’s a small touch, but it makes the space feel more thought-through.

Throughout the interior, the edges are slightly squarer and the styling more contemporary than on the 805. None of the practicality has been lost, but the impression is cleaner and more up to date - it’s the same bones, dressed more smartly, and with the fiddly bits already taken care of.

Owner Cabin

Slip aft into the mid cabin and this is where Jeanneau have made some of the most effective updates. The berth itself is still a transverse double that stretches right across the beam, so you get the same generous footprint as the earlier 805. What changes here is the sense of space and light. Jeanneau added a much larger hull window beneath the side deck, and it makes a world of difference. Rather than feeling tucked away, the cabin feels open and less cave like. A sliding privacy screen lets you shut it down again when you want it, but it is reassuring to know the daylight is there when you want it.

The seating has been extended too. On the old boat you had a little curved perch. On this model the bench runs longer, so you can actually use it for sitting to change or even stacking a weekend bag. The wardrobe is in the same position, but Jeanneau have stretched it all the way up to the headlining, which makes it feel more like proper furniture than a token cupboard.

Above it, the enlarged window and those neat roller blinds, the same system fitted throughout the boat, give you quick control over privacy and light. It is the same cabin as before in concept, but with those extra refinements it feels much more inviting, like a space you would happily call your own on an extended trip rather than just somewhere to crash.

Guest Accommodation

The forward saloon does double duty when it comes to sleeping arrangements. In the day it is the main seating and dining area, but when needed it converts neatly into a guest berth. The table drops down, a shorter leg slots in, and with the infill cushions in place you have a decent double bed. It is a simple system, but one that works well on a boat of this size.

Those infill cushions are stored sensibly in the mid cabin, so they are always close at hand when you want to set up the berth. The cockpit table also plays a part here, doubling up as the saloon table when needed, which shows Jeanneau were thinking carefully about how to make the most of every bit of furniture.

It is not a separate cabin in its own right, but as occasional guest accommodation it does the job without compromise. A couple of friends or visiting family will find it perfectly serviceable, and it allows the boat to sleep four without any fuss.

Access to the engine bay is one of the cleverer tweaks on the Leader 8. On the older 805 you had to remove a set of cockpit cushions before you could lift the hatch. Here, Jeanneau cut the hatch around the seat bases so the cushions rise with it in one smooth motion. No juggling cushions about, you can just lift and you are in.

The layout beneath is familiar, with a generous storage area forward of the engine itself. This particular boat is fitted with a Volvo Penta GXI 320 V8 petrol, producing 320 horsepower. That should make it a lively performer. The diesel version of the 805 will top out around 32-33 knots, so you would expect this petrol to run closer to 35 or 36 knots. Fuel burn will be heavier of course, but you gain that extra punch.

As with most boats in this class, the engine choice comes down to what the first owner specified. Some examples carry diesels, others like this one have petrol power. The actual engine bay design is unchanged, which means whichever installation you get, access for checks and servicing remains the same.

This Jeanneau Leader 8 is a 2013 boat and examples like this were on the market at around £64,000 (as of April 2020). That price point makes it a compelling option if you want modern detailing without moving into brand new territory.

Annual running costs sit around the £6,000 mark for most owners, though the exact figure depends on where you berth, who does the servicing, and how much you use the boat. Here’s the breakdown:

That £6,000 figure is what most owners will spend simply to keep the boat ready to use. Fuel then sits on top. With a diesel engine, typical use adds about £1,000 a year at an average burn of 11-12 litres per hour. With petrol, the same use is two or three times more, often £2,000-3,000 a year depending on speed and hours run.

So the clear way to look at it is this: £500 a month keeps the Leader 8 afloat and maintained, and then fuel is added on top according to engine choice and usage.

There are a couple of compromises with the Leader 8 worth knowing about. Fuel bills can bite if you go for a petrol engine and spend most of your time charging about at planing speeds, and if you berth in a premium marina the monthly costs can quickly climb. The cockpit is a little squarer than the older 805, which shaves a bit of seating space, and in the cabin you’re still using a convertible berth forward rather than having a separate owner’s cabin.

But the plus points stack up quickly.  The engine hatch lifts cleanly without wrestling cushions out of the way, the lighting and finishes inside are fresher, and the overall feel is more contemporary without changing the fundamentals. You can still sleep four, still cook and shower on board, and still take the family out for a proper day on the water. Performance is lively with the Volvo Penta V8, and diesels keep the running costs sensible.