The story a boat with 3 double (and a pullman in the 45) cabins and 2 wc meets the requirements of so many different sailors to represent the not to miss target for every builder. And Beneteau, who was the first to go for numbers, learned the job pretty well. They have been loking for that comprimise for decades and they ended up with a pleasant yacht to look at, funny enough to sail, and wide enough to make at least two wives happy.

Outside (control V) every Sun Odyssey is the same and it’s necessary to either check the length on the mainsail or to count the kids jumping in the cockpit to guess the size. Style is not present in large quantities but the cockpit is vast and most of the boat is well protected against bumps.

If you think that the double helm is there for style forget it… it’s just a quicker way in and out of the cockpit.

One of the characteristics od Sun Odyssey is their shyness for winches. Not that they are too few (you can buy as many as you want), only that the designer thinks them a nuisance and tends to sink them in the deck,so that only one part emerges with the result of a sleeker line but with less safe and practical winches.

Mast and rigging could be strengthened, so the anchor bric-a-brac, but then again, it would cost much more…

Inside is what we like more, especially the dining area which sits 6 comfortably and maybe 8, nicely separated from the kitchen which is in its proper place, a corner close to the entrance and with the correct ventilation. This of course means that the chart table is a sad protuberance in the settee on the port side but who needs a chart table on this kind of boats?

Nice cherry woods all over the dining room, the main drawback being the round corners of the sitting couches that prevents the use of it to nap or sleep, or even sleep. The lack of sharp corners on the other side make room for a sexy abat jour. That would be perfect if you want to read quietly at night with your legs on the couch, whuich you cannot do because the corners are round to make room for the abat-jour.

The cabins: the two stern cabins are the usual minimum requirements entities with just enough headroom for sex and air for not feeling in jail, while the front double cabin is definitely ok for both and also enjoy a private ensuite bathroom.

If you have never been on a sailboat before and a Sun Odyssey is your first experience, as so often is the case, be aware that you are renting a Renault, meaning that there is a lot more above and not much below, but difficult to beat in term of price and quality, and a little of style thrown in.

Specifications

builder: Jeanneau

year of build 2008 onwards

loa 42.16 [ft]

beam 13.55 [ft]

draft — [ft]

displacement 18,541 [lbs]

sail area 882 [sqft]

water tank 74 [gls]

fuel tank 29 [gls]

Accomodations

toilets 2

cabins 3

berths 6

Prices /week

low season 2,000 €

middle season 2,800 €

high season 3,200 €

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