What comes after good?
by John Curnow, Global Editor, SailWorldCruising.com 17 Sep 2024 19:00 NZST
Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 350 slipping along easily © Gilles Martin-Raget
Well if you get it right, then it's usually, great. Miss the mark, and the slide down and out the other side is not so glorious. Often leaves everyone with a, 'Well. That didn't work, now did it?' kind of feeling. Good thing then that Jeanneau's new Sun Odyssey 350 is all about the former, and none of the latter.
For my money, the new Sun Odyssey 350, which is penned by the ML Yacht Design Group (founded by the late Marc Lombard) hasn't suffered from what the last 10 years have delivered. Namely, cruising boats that just look big, everywhere. This boat looks slender. Lee Condell from Performance Boating added, "Yes. I've looked at it sitting on a mooring from all the different angles, trying to work out what it is they've done, how they've managed to achieve it, and I just can't quite pick it, but it looks great. It looks really, really smart."
The Lombard office have done the entire package - naval architecture, exterior and interior design - and the consistency is noteworthy. This is ever more so in a smaller vessel, where you just do not have the real estate to be too cute. In the Sun Odyssey 350 you have something that is svelte, despite a hefty chine and slab topsides. Short version? Contemporary without being ultra-modernist, purposeful without being overtly aggressive.
"What really got my attention when sailing her was just how easily driven the hull is," added Condell. "Yes, you can go to town with performance sails, and I for one would love to see the Sun Odyssey 350 with a deck sweeper jib, and a fat head main (on cars). The power of the latter, especially off the breeze, would be demonstrable. I think it is fair to say one of the first owners may well carry out this exact transformation, especially if they want to upset the racing fraternity."
"In October we'll take her on a trip around the clubs in Sydney and do the twilight races. We did this with her predecessor, the 349, and it really allowed people to see how well they sail. This new 350 is really going to turn heads," added Condell.
"Whether you're downsizing to it; whether you're new to sailing; whether you want to twilight it; or whether you just want to cruise with your family, the 349 proved that it's a great do-anything yacht, which is part of its appeal. And the 350 is no different, you know."
"There were two paths to choose from. One was to go with something completely radical and different, or the second option was to take the things that made the 349 such a popular boat (like 1200 of them sold), and make them better, which is the direction Jeanneau took."
The embodiment of advancement;
One.
Jeanneau's brilliant sloping side deck arrives with the 350. As a result, the coaming is slightly higher, as you don't have to climb over them to get on the side deck. Basically, the cockpit dimensions are the same, which is incredible, as it means Jeanneau incorporated the side deck without compromising the internal cockpit dimensions.
Two.
Bigger and better access from the cockpit into the even larger storage lazarette that is part of the two-cabin version, which was the most ordered format of the 349. Upshot is that you can actually get large cushions, sails, and all of those sorts of things straight through the hatch without having to take them through the interior.
Three.
Separate bathroom and wet room carries over, and then the extra beam across much more of the vessel translates directly into floor space in the main saloon. In combination with even more light coming in, it means the actuality and the feel are of a larger craft.
The beam treatment is also carried forward, and so there is over 70mm of extra space in both the for'ard and aft ends of the V-berth. The primary water tank does reside under said berth, but there is an optional one aft (under starboard rear berth), which is great for performance under way as you can empty the for'ard one, and you also get to carry more water than before for cruising, which is a direct result of where it is now stored.
Four.
Larger cabin top electric winches available. New option makes for even easier sailing if so desired. No more five-minute-rule on sail changes to avoid a mutiny, just don't go bare headed unless you have to... As a cruiser, with a lot of these boats doing significant coastal hops, this aids the amenity immeasurably. Good stability, and balance with twin rudders makes for one very forgiving and seaworthy package.
Five.
Horsepower. Elect to choose the boat that sails in 12 knots apparent when fully loaded in the Trade Winds, as this is what you will be doing in cruising mode. There is NO need to be out in anything heinous these days with the weather routing and comms that are on offer. Not using the smelly is always advantageous. The 350 does this and delivers that all important smile-on-the-dial aspect at the same time. After all, it is what you are there for...
The 350 will sail as well as an old 50-foot cruiser, and scare many an Etchells on the way to the weather mark, too.
Six.
Integrated bowsprit with anchor ready to deploy (as opposed to being stored in the anchor locker), as well as tack points for code sails and A-bags. i.e. Practicality and performance. Thank you very much...
Seven.
Mod cons. Options now include electric fans and heads, along with other treats, and this goes some way to highlighting how much these boats are used for both sides of the sailing equation.
Eight.
Not so much new, as it is worth highlighting, given Jeanneau must have had them for the best part of a decade now. The L-shaped shoal draft keel has wings. Once heeled over you must pick up at least 300mm of now vertical foil, which will really assist with slip. A shoal draft keel equipped Jeanneau even won its division at the 2024 Hamilton Island Race Week (Peter Barry's Sun Odyssey 389, Shearwater, in Orange Division). Add in the form stability from the chine and the twin rudders and the equation with the 350 sounds good! "There is no compromise in getting a shoal draft boat, which is staggering compared to where it was 10 years ago," added Condell.
Over the last decade or so, cruiser/racer boats have had to be stiffer to handle the horsepower, and offer copious amounts of room on board. Often wetted surface area was on the larger side of the equation. Having steps above the chine, static overhang at both ends, and the least amount of rocker possible all helped swing the pendulum back to being able to sail better, more often, in a wider range of breeze.
The 350 achieves this with no backstay and sweptback spreaders, which really is a mark of the total achievement. It does not preclude the use of a fat head main, either, just a nod to the prevailing conditions in which you elect to sail. Of course, the other thing it all means is that you can go short-handed at the drop of the proverbial hat, and there will be a lot of people for whom that resonates!
Simplicity and fun coexist and operate in harmony with the Sun Odyssey 350, and that all means more time on the water for all involved. When that happens, the bar room stories go from how hard we got smashed, to how much fun we had. Seems like the latter is winning favour each and every day.
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Finally, stay safe, and let's see where it all goes now.
John Curnow
Global Editor, SailWorldCruising.com