Design and Construction
The hull is a solid fiberglass shell with iron ballast. According to the yachtdatabase review, the interior is finished in teak, like most production boats of the era.
The 29.2 displaces roughly 6,283 pounds and carries 2,227 pounds of ballast, giving her a ballast ratio near 39 percent. Her length-to-beam ratio is 2.95, while a displacement-length ratio of 174 places her among what reviewers categorize as light racers. She was built with different keel alternatives.
Wetted surface is about 279 square feet. An immersion rate of 860 pounds per inch points to a modestly proportioned hull that responds to added load without dramatic sinkage.
Keel and Draft Options
Jeanneau offered several keel configurations rather than a single fixed profile. One option is an iron stub or centreboard keel, drawing about 2.3 to 2.6 feet depending on load and allowing the boat to settle into shallow marinas. The 29.2 was built with different keel alternatives, including a common iron fin keel with a bulb. Its draft ranges from about 4.6 to 4.9 feet, depending on load.
Sources differ on the standard keel draft. The builder cites 0.75 meters, while reviews list both shallow and deep alternatives. Buyers shouldn’t assume a single draft figure without confirming the configuration of the specific hull.
Rig and Sail Handling
The boat was offered with more than one rig, including a fractional sloop and an alternative fractional setup. On the fractional rig, the jib, genoa, and mainsheets are all 10 mm in diameter. The mainsheet is 72 feet long, while the headsail sheets are about 29 feet. Halyards are 8 mm, and the spinnaker gear includes a 63-foot sheet and an 88-foot halyard.
The builder described the cockpit as protected and spacious. A steering wheel was optional, alongside the standard tiller.
Under Yanmar power, the calculated maximum speed is about 4.5 knots, compared with a theoretical displacement-hull speed of 6.7 knots.
Accommodations and Cockpit
The 29.2 was conceived for family cruising. Its protected cockpit and teak interior make for a practical weekender, while the builder emphasized the cockpit’s spaciousness as both a social area and a helm station rather than a cramped quarter.
With a beam of 9.78 feet, the boat was designed to carry people comfortably both at anchor and under way.
Performance Envelope
Writing in yachtdatabase, reviewers calculated a capsize screening value of 2.12, which they use to indicate that the boat wouldn’t qualify for ocean races. The Motion Comfort Ratio is 17.6.
Taken together with the review’s light-racer displacement-length classification and the 39 percent ballast ratio, these figures suggest a moderately stiff coastal cruiser rather than a bluewater contender. The shallow-keel version, in particular, trades ultimate windward bite for easier marina access.
Verdict
The Sun Odyssey 29.2 is a sensible small-family cruiser, combining Fauroux’s hull logic with genuine keel flexibility and a teak-lined interior that punches above its 29-foot length for sheltered-water cruising.
Its multiple keel and rig options make it important to identify the exact configuration of any boat under consideration. Conflicting published draft figures also require hull-specific verification.
Pros
- Choice of a shallow stub or centreboard keel and a deeper fin-bulb iron keel for different cruising grounds
- Protected, spacious cockpit with optional wheel steering
- Light-racer displacement profile combined with a family-cruising purpose
Cons
- Capsize screening value of 2.12 excludes ocean-racing acceptance
- Conflicting published draft figures require hull-specific confirmation
- Limited to about 4.5 knots under the Yanmar engine
