Design and Construction
Jeanneau built the Sun Odyssey 24.2 in France, predominantly from fiberglass with wood trim built in France. The hull is solid fiberglass, as is the deck. The boat carries lead ballast and has a fin keel with a weighted bulb.
The underbody features a nearly plumb stem, a reverse transom, and an internally mounted spade rudder controlled by a tiller. Three keel configurations left the factory: a fixed fin keel with weighted bulb drawing 3.61 feet, a full-keel inboard version, and a full-keel outboard version. Jeanneau also offered an optional stub keel and centerboard, drawing 4.59 feet with the board down and 2.13 feet with it retracted for shallow-water sailing or trailing.
The boat displaces 4,200 pounds and has a beam of 8.16 feet on a 21.67-foot waterline.
Rig, Cockpit, and Handling
The 24.2 is a fractional sloop with a Bermuda rig. Its 265-square-foot sail plan consists of a 135-square-foot mainsail and a 130-square-foot jib. The fractional arrangement and straightforward deck layout reflect the builder’s stated aim of simplified sailing.
Hull speed is 6.24 knots. The boat’s easy-to-launch nature—and, in particular, the centerboard version—invites trailer sailing and gunkholing in places deeper fin-keel boats can’t reach.
For a boat of this length, the cockpit is generous and well protected. Free access to the stern swim platform also makes movement from the companionway and boarding over the stern straightforward.
Accommodation
According to the factory specification, the Sun Odyssey 24.2 sleeps six. The layout includes a double V-berth in the bow cabin, two straight settees in the main cabin, and an aft cabin with a double berth to port. The manufacturer’s description confirms a genuine double berth aft and two forward berths.
A practical U-shaped galley sits to port, just forward of the companionway ladder, and includes a two-burner stove and sink. Opposite, a toilet-equipped washroom is positioned just aft of the companionway on the starboard side.
Teak furnishings warm the interior, while a forward hatch provides clear vision ahead and admits plenty of natural light. The maximum rated capacity for day sailing is four people.
Verdict
The Sun Odyssey 24.2 is a small, intelligently arranged cruiser that offers more livability than its length might suggest. Fauroux gave it a genuine aft cabin, a protected cockpit, and a centerboard option that opens up thin-water cruising and trailer sailing. The fractional rig keeps handling simple.
Its modest size limits payload and offshore ambition. As a lake, estuary, or coastal weekender, however, it remains a complete package.
Pros
- Genuine six-berth accommodation, including an aft double and bow V-berth
- Centerboard version can be trailed and used to explore shallow water
- Protected cockpit with direct access to the swim platform
- Simplified fractional rig suited to short-handed sailing
Cons
- 4,200-pound displacement limits carrying capacity and sea-kindliness
- Dependent on an outboard unless the rare inboard option was fitted
