Design and Construction
The Sun Fast 35 shares the same Marc Lombard–designed hull and deck as the Sun Odyssey 35, its close sister in Jeanneau's cruising line. The hull is solid fiberglass laminate, with an inner structural moulding laminated to the inside face for stiffness rather than dropped in as a separate liner.
Above the waterline, she can look bulky or even bloated from some angles. A beamy transom, high freeboard, and wide coachroof make her seem larger than 35 ft when viewed from astern. Her beam is 11 ft 5 in, and she displaces 12,202 lb, including 3,219 lb of iron ballast. That gives a displacement-to-LWL ratio near 167 and a ballast ratio around 26 percent—figures that speak to a stiff, volume-forward hull.
Below the waterline, she carries a high-performance bulb keel with a fin profile and 7 ft 1 in of draft.
Rig, Handling, and Performance
The sail plan is optimised for IRC rating. It combines a modest mainsail, trimmable from the weather rail, with a decent overlapping headsail and a near-masthead kite.
The mainsheet runs on a central pod-type moulding. The arrangement looks complex but is simple to use, with coarse and fine-tune controls and a windward-sheeting car traveller that makes short-handed sailing easier. A long tiller and low boom complete the setup, although the boom restricts movement on deck with a full crew.
Under sail, the Sun Fast 35 is balanced and well mannered. Test sailors reported that she handled beautifully in 15–17 knots true and resisted the snatch that troubles many modern performance hulls. Volume forward allows her to remain balanced at high heel angles rather than pitching the bow down. Test sailors also found her easy to handle short-handed and considered her a great offshore boat for four.
Power comes from a Yanmar 3GM3DF rated at 27 hp and driving a shaft. Under engine, she cruises at six knots and reaches 7.5 knots, with useful prop walk.
Accommodations
Below decks, the layout is identical to that of the Sun Odyssey cruiser, and the boat feels large for her length. A big galley sits to starboard, with a large saloon seating area forward and a spacious head and shower to port.
The two main sleeping cabins provide 4 berths: an owner's-style double forward and an aft double to starboard. Lowering the saloon table creates another double. The mini-desk navigation station has a forward-facing navigator's seat and slides on tracks to free more saloon space.
An unusual stowage area beneath the port cockpit seat is reached through the head. Teak-laminate trim and cream headliners keep the interior finish restrained.
Deck Gear and Ownership
Racing-oriented deck gear and winches come as standard, along with an anchor windlass, a removable transom section, and decent cockpit lockers borrowed from the cruising sister.
The solid-laminate hull and glassed-in structure avoid the separate inner-liner moulding common to some sister models, a point owners may appreciate when surveying a boat.
Known Issues
Period testers identified several detail faults. Some fuses are beneath the companionway steps and would be exposed in a seaway when the steps are retracted. The gas shut-off is hidden behind a locker door under the cooker.
Test sailors also found the cockpit sole's centreline footrest woefully inadequate. The tiller could do with being a few inches shorter to clear the mainsheet during tacks, and the review boat produced a dinghy-like rudder buzz at around six knots. Reviewers also considered the backstay's two-purchase arrangement overly complicated.
The Verdict
The Sun Fast 35 is a genuinely dual-purpose 35-footer. Its Lombard-designed hull races well under IRC, while its roomy, Sun Odyssey–derived interior makes it practical for cruising. She sails beautifully and remains balanced when heeled, although the cockpit details and placement of a few systems don't match the quality of her sailing performance.
Pros
- Balanced, well-mannered helm and IRC-optimised sail plan
- Roomy interior with the same layout as the Sun Odyssey 35
- Solid-laminate hull with glassed-in structure rather than a separate inner liner
Cons
- Inadequate cockpit footrest and a tiller that clashes with the mainsheet during tacks
- Fuses exposed if the companionway steps are retracted in a seaway
- Awkwardly placed gas shut-off behind a locker door under the cooker
