Design and Construction
The Sun Kiss 45 measures just over 45 feet on the waterline, with a beam of 14.4 feet and a length-to-beam ratio of 3.12. For her era, she is a broad boat with plenty of volume. Displacement is 25,312 pounds, including 10,304 pounds of lead ballast, for a ballast-to-displacement ratio of about 41 percent.
Both the hull and deck are fiberglass. Jeanneau offered two keel alternatives to suit different cruising priorities: a fin keel with bulb and a stub/centreboard keel. Depending on load, the centreboard version draws just 1.52 to 1.62 meters and can enter most marinas. The fin-bulb version draws 2.08 to 2.18 meters, restricting it to major harbors. The keel itself is lead.
Wetted surface is about 55 square meters. The immersion rate is approximately 334 kg per centimeter, or 1,873 pounds per inch—a measure of how stubbornly the boat settles into the water as stores and crew come aboard.
A capsize screening value of 1.97 and Motion Comfort Ratio of 28.0 place the Sun Kiss 45 among stable, moderate-displacement cruisers rather than twitchy lightweight racers.
Rig and Handling
The Sun Kiss 45 has a masthead rig and carries 75.5 square meters (812.5 square feet) of sail area in its mainsail-and-jib combination. Using the ISO 8666 reference sail, the sail-area-to-displacement ratio is 15.1. That rises to 18.1 with a 135 percent genoa, a meaningful increase that shows how much the standard rig relies on an overlapping headsail for performance.
Her displacement-to-length ratio is 219, categorizing her among moderate racers rather than heavy, full-keel cruisers. Theoretical hull speed is 8.2 knots.
The standing and running rigging dimensions are generous for a boat of this size. The mainsail, jib/genoa, and spinnaker halyards are each 37.6 meters long and 14 mm in diameter. The sheets are 16 mm: 34.4 meters for the mainsheet and 13.7 meters for the jib sheet. The control lines also include a 9.1-meter kicking strap, a 9.1-meter clew outhaul, and a 4.5-meter cunningham.
Accommodations and Tankage
Jeanneau offered an owner’s three-cabin arrangement as well as alternative layouts. The broad hull supports this interior volume without the compromised narrow ends found on older, more slender designs.
Fresh-water capacity is 522 liters (137 US gallons), a generous allowance for a cruising couple or family on an extended stay. Although the sources don’t itemize berth counts or joinery details, the stated 138-gallon water tankage and 47 gallons of diesel suggest a boat sized for passages rather than marina hopping alone.
Verdict
The Sun Kiss 45 is a Briand-designed Jeanneau cruiser built around volume, stability, and flexible keel choices. The centreboard version, in particular, opens up shallow harbors that the fin-bulb model can’t reach. Its reliance on a genoa for spirited performance is clear rather than disguised.
This is a moderate-displacement boat with comfort-oriented numbers, not a featherweight.
Pros
- Lead ballast with a choice of fin-bulb or stub/centreboard keels
- Beamy, 14.4-foot hull and 522 liters of water capacity for passage cruising
- Comfort and capsize ratios consistent with a stable, offshore-capable cruiser
Cons
- The fin-bulb version’s 2.08–2.18-meter draft limits marina access compared with the centreboard option
- A sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 15.1 with the reference sail shows a dependence on a large genoa for pace
