VPLP won the design competition, Jeanneau took on series production, and Multiplast retained responsibility for construction supervision. The result is a strict one-design racer, free of IRC or ORC equalisation, intended to keep both initial and long-term costs in check while delivering close competition.
Design and Construction
The Sun Fast 30 OD is built entirely in France at the Groupe Beneteau site near Nantes. Its hull, deck, and bulkheads use vacuum-infused GRP sandwich construction with Arkema’s Elium thermoplastic resin. The resin contains 20 percent recycled material and can be dismantled and recycled at the end of the boat’s life, making the Sun Fast 30 OD the first production sailboat built from a recyclable composite material. Small repairs can still be made with conventional resins.
The hull shape is radical for a boat of this size. It combines a pronounced scow bow, a continuous chine, and a very wide, flat forward underwater hull intended to encourage planing downwind. Pronounced fore-and-aft rocker in the underwater sections lifts the transom at low speed, while the semi-scow bow’s marked flare above the waterline maintains a balanced waterline when the boat heels.
Fore and aft watertight bulkheads add an offshore safety factor, although the forward bulkhead isn’t a full crash box. The cast-iron keel carries a lead ballast bomb, and the boat has a spade rudder with tiller steering in an open cockpit.
Rig, Handling, and Performance
The one-design specification calls for a Sparcraft all-carbon rig stepped well aft. It carries a square-top mainsail, Dyform spreaders and shrouds, and no permanent backstay. The flying backstays are used only as trim controls to tension the headstay, rather than to stabilise the mast. According to the builder and Multiplast, this makes gybes easier and less stressful in strong winds.
The design’s emphasis on reducing frictional resistance appears to pay off in light air. Writing in Yachting World, testers found that the boat ran rings around others in 2–4 knots of true wind off La Rochelle. Reaching under Code 0 at 100 degrees, it maintained 90 percent of true wind speed. Upwind in 4.5 knots, it made 2.9 knots at 42 degrees; with the J3 in 8–15 knots, it sustained 6.5 knots at 40–42 degrees.
At around 15 degrees of heel, the chine digs in and form stability builds rapidly without a corresponding increase in weather helm. The straight chines produce flat waterlines that reduce drag and help the boat surf off the wind. Yachting World’s testers described the helm as precise, with good feedback. They also found the boat quick to accelerate, responsive to crew weight placement, and almost impossible to broach.
Cockpit and Accommodations
A greater proportion of the boat’s length than usual is devoted to the cockpit, which doesn’t feel cramped with a crew of four or five. The trade-off is that there’s no shelter on deck, in keeping with the open racing layout.
Below, the interior is purely functional and unadorned, but well planned. There are bunks on each side, tubular berths aft for resting on long passages, and pipecots for stacking sails. A large navigation station sits against the main bulkhead, while the small galley provides a sink and space for a Jetboil.
Forward of the main bulkhead is a heads compartment with a full marine toilet, a holding tank, and a fabric privacy door. Maximum headroom is 1.75 metres.
Equipment and Ownership
Standard electronics are based on the B&G H5000 package, with autopilot, GPS, radio, AIS, compass, and wind display. Class rules also specify a Raymarine Type 1 ram housed in a watertight compartment that can be reached from either the deck or the interior.
Standard propulsion comes from a Nanni 10 hp two-cylinder diesel with saildrive and a folding propeller. A Bell Marine pod electric motor is available as an option.
Sails aren’t included in the base price. Class rules prohibit membrane sails and limit the seven-sail inventory, with sails subject to a three-year replacement cycle. The boat is easy to maintain and incorporates durability criteria drawn from racing class rules. Deck details—including a Spinlock Diablo tiller joint, 3D jib leads, and rope bags—reflect its offshore purpose.
Verdict
The Sun Fast 30 OD is a purpose-built one-design racer that combines recyclable composite construction with a scow hull focused on light-air performance. It offers predictable handling, stiff performance, and a serious offshore safety envelope. In return, owners must accept bare accommodations and the costs imposed by tight class controls.
Pros
- Recyclable Elium resin construction, with compatibility for conventional-resin repairs
- Scow bow and chined hull provide strong light-air speed and a stable helm when heeled
- Strict one-design rules control long-term racing expenses
- Watertight bulkheads and a specified autopilot ram enhance offshore safety
Cons
- No deck shelter and a purely functional interior limit cruising comfort
- Sails are excluded from the base price, and class-bound replacement rules add cost
- The forward bulkhead isn’t a full crash box, despite the boat’s offshore framing
