The design was developed into the Sun Odyssey 32.1 cruiser in 1994, but the Sun Fast 32 stands on its own as a compact monohull with a practical six-berth interior.
Design and Construction
Briand gave the fiberglass hull a raked stem and a reverse transom with steps. The boat measures just over 31 feet overall, with a 26.4-foot waterline and a beam of nearly 11 feet. Construction is predominantly fiberglass with wood trim.
Jeanneau offered a fixed, deep-draft L-shaped fin keel and an optional shoal-draft keel. The deep-draft version draws 6.4 feet, displaces 7,937 pounds, and carries 2,381 pounds of ballast. In shoal-draft form, the boat draws 4.76 feet, displaces 8,488 pounds, and carries 2,888 pounds of cast-iron ballast.
An internally mounted, spade-type rudder is controlled by a tiller. The hull turns tightly in close quarters, a useful trait for harbor maneuvering as well as racing.
Rig, Sailing, and Auxiliary Power
The Sun Fast 32 carries a fractional Bermuda sloop rig. Its deck-stepped aluminum mast has two sets of swept spreaders and continuous stainless steel wire rigging.
Upwind sail area totals 575 square feet, comprising a 269-square-foot mainsail and a 306-square-foot jib. For downwind sailing, the boat can set a 657-square-foot symmetrical spinnaker, bringing total downwind sail area to 926 square feet.
The boat handles heavy seas with ease and has a theoretical hull speed of 6.89 knots. A 17-horsepower diesel handles docking and maneuvering. With only 11 gallons of fuel capacity, however, the design is clearly aimed more at sailing performance than long passages under power.
Accommodations
Below, the Sun Fast 32 sleeps six. There’s a double V-berth in the bow, two straight settees in the main salon, and an aft double berth to port. Maximum headroom is 72 inches.
The spacious salon has a teak sole and varnished makore woodwork, giving the interior a classic finish. The boat’s wide beam also provides more salon volume than its overall length might suggest.
An L-shaped galley sits to port, just forward of the companionway ladder. It includes a two-burner stove, an ice box, and a sink. The navigation station is opposite, to starboard. The head is just aft of the companionway on the starboard side and includes a shower. Fresh-water capacity is 42 gallons.
The Verdict
The Sun Fast 32 is a compact, limited-production cruiser-racer that combines a Philippe Briand hull with a practical six-berth interior and a genuinely weather-capable deck plan. Its tiller-steered spade rudder and tight turning circle make it responsive, while the nearly 11-foot beam gives the salon useful volume.
Only 100 boats were built, and the model is now out of production, so it remains a niche find rather than a common name on the brokerage market.
Pros
- Turns tightly and handles heavy seas with ease
- Wide beam and spacious salon with classic teak and makore finishes
- Fractional sloop rig with provision for a symmetrical spinnaker and downwind speed
Cons
- Limited production of 100 boats; now out of production
- Small 11-gallon fuel capacity constrains motoring range
- Tiller steering may not suit every cruising buyer
