Jeanneau NC 895 Review, From the Original to the Series 2

The Jeanneau NC 895 is three boats under one name

Search for a Jeanneau NC 895 and you will find three different boats. The original NC 895, which Boating tested in 2018 with twin 200 hp Yamahas, grew out of the Merry Fisher 855 that Jeanneau launched in 2012. The NC 895 Sport followed for the US in 2019 and 2020, with a more rugged pilothouse look and twin 250s. Then for 2024 Jeanneau introduced the NC 895 Series 2, a complete redesign with a new hull, deck, interior and propulsion. Power and Motoryacht reported that almost 2,000 Merry Fisher 855s and NC 895s had been built by then.

In Europe the boat is still called the Merry Fisher 895; Jeanneau's 2027 model year specification sheet uses that name, and NC (New Concept) is the North American label. Whatever the badge, the idea is the same: a 29-foot pilothouse with two genuinely private cabins, an enclosed head and twin outboards that tilt clear of the water.

This guide focuses on the Series 2, which is what Jeanneau sells new today, and flags where the earlier boats differ for used buyers.

Series 2 dimensions and the asymmetric deck

Jeanneau's specification sheet gives the Series 2 an overall length of 29 feet 4 inches (8.94 m), a hull length of 26 feet 2 inches, a 9-foot 10-inch beam and a hull draft of 2 feet 3 inches. Weight without engines is about 9,250 pounds, fuel is 2 x 300 liters (158 gallons) and water 160 liters (42 gallons). Maximum power is twin 250 hp. Boating measured a 27-inch draft with engines up, which is why the boat works so well on the Great Loop and in shoal harbors.

The deck is deliberately asymmetric. The starboard side deck is wider and recessed, reached from a sliding door beside the helm, while the port deck is narrower and higher. For a skipper docking alone that matters: step out of the door, grab the midship cleat and you are tied up. A hull-side door to starboard in the cockpit makes boarding, swimming or landing a fish easier, and a roof rack carries kayaks or paddleboards.

At the bow, a triple chaise lounge extends over the anchor locker, and the center section lifts to give a ventilation and escape route from the forward cabin below.

A pilothouse that opens to the weather or shuts it out

Inside, a three-panel sliding door opens the saloon fully to the cockpit, the side windows open, and two large sunroof panels slide back. Shut it all and run the optional reversible air conditioning and the boat becomes a four-season cruiser. Boating's tester called it the Optimus Prime of pocket cruisers, because nearly everything transforms.

The galley sits just inside to starboard on the Series 2, with a two-burner induction or gas cooktop depending on spec, a sink and a fridge, plus a removable counter extension that reaches into the cockpit. The dinette seats four; its forward backrest flips to create a two-person companion seat beside the skipper, and the table lowers to make a third double berth. Visibility from the helm is close to 360 degrees.

In the cockpit, the aft bench slides forward on rails so the engines can tilt fully, and a port lounge folds down to create a U-shaped conversation area that converts to a sunpad. A large locker under the cockpit sole holds most of the cruising gear.

Two real cabins and a stand-up head

The selling point of every NC 895 generation is privacy. Forward is a cabin with a near-queen walkaround berth, hull windows and plenty of stowage. Under the helm deck is a second cabin with its own door; the berth lacks standing headroom, but the Series 2 adds a seat and standing area with overhead glass just forward of it, so it never feels like a coffin. The head has standing headroom, a hull window with opening port and a separate shower.

On the earlier boats, Boating measured a 7-foot V-berth forward and a 55 by 78 inch athwartships double in the second cabin, just short of a queen, with nearly 6 feet of headroom in both cabins and the head.

What twin outboards deliver in each generation

The original NC 895 was limited to 400 hp, and Boating's 2018 test with twin Yamaha F200s described cruising speeds in the 20s with quiet, efficient running. The tester noted the boat was not very efficient in the teens if you had to slow down for rough seas. The 895 Sport raised the limit to 500 hp; Boating hit a solid 47 mph with twin F250s, and PMY's tester saw about 43 knots one way on Tampa Bay.

For the Series 2, Jeanneau says the new hull planes from 20 knots, cruises at about 30 knots and runs close to 40 knots at full throttle with twin 250s. Boating reported about 150 statute miles of range at 35 mph using 90 percent of the 158-gallon capacity, and nearly 300 miles at a 5 mph canal pace. That works out to roughly 1 mile per gallon at fast cruise, typical for a 9,000-pound boat on 500 hp.

The other big change is maneuvering. Engines on the original Sport were mounted too close together for Yamaha's Helm Master joystick, but the Series 2 makes Helm Master EX available, and Boating's tester called the joystick plus bow thruster essential options.

Running costs and the trailer question

Annual costs are modest for a cabin boat. Budget roughly $14,000 to $26,000 for insurance, a slip or dry storage, two outboard services, bottom work and fuel for 80 to 120 hours. Add more if you fit the optional generator and air conditioning, which Jeanneau's 2027 sheet lists as a 4.8 kW generator with a 16,000 BTU reversible system, or the lithium-battery alternative.

At 9 feet 10 inches the beam exceeds the 8-foot 6-inch limit for routine towing in most states, so treat the NC 895 as a slip or rack boat that can be trailered occasionally with permits, not a weekly trailer boat.

Buying a used NC 895, original, Sport or Series 2

Original and Sport boats from 2018 to the early 2020s are the value end, typically $100,000 to $195,000 depending on year, engines and equipment. They are proven, simple and roomy, with the main compromises being the 400 hp limit on early boats, the lack of joystick, and a single-burner galley on some Sport models that Boating criticized.

The Series 2 costs far more but is a better boat in every respect that matters: new hull, better galley, more glass, a more livable mid cabin and joystick availability. If your budget reaches $260,000, a lightly used Series 2 is the one to buy.