With a fiberglass hull and wood trim, a masthead sloop rig, and a tiller-steered spade rudder, she is a compact, purposeful coastal cruiser rather than a stripped-out racer. A reverse transom with an integrated swimming platform adds a practical touch for cruising.
Design and Construction
Jeanneau built the Sun Odyssey 31 in France as a recreational keelboat, predominantly of fiberglass with wood trim. The hull has a raked stem and reverse transom, with the swimming platform built into the stern.
Below the waterline, buyers could choose a fixed fin keel or an optional shoal-draft keel. The standard keel has a draught of 1.45 m. An internally mounted, spade-type rudder is controlled by a tiller.
The manufacturer lists a displacement of 3100 kg and a separate stated weight of 1250 kg. The boat carries CE Category 2 certification and has a maximum capacity of six to eight people, figures consistent with the two- or three-cabin configurations offered.
Her derivation from the Sun Light 30 and relationship to the Sun Fast 31 help explain her moderate, cruising-oriented proportions rather than a design brief focused purely on speed.
Rig, Engine, and Handling
The Sun Odyssey 31 carries a masthead sloop on a Bermuda rig, a straightforward, serviceable arrangement for short-handed cruising. Tiller steering keeps the cockpit simple, while the spade rudder provides direct feedback when maneuvering.
Auxiliary power comes from a Japanese Yanmar 2GM20 diesel, fitted for docking and maneuvering. It is a modest auxiliary appropriate to a boat of this size.
The hull length is 9.15 m, while length overall is 9.30 m. That compact footprint makes the boat manageable in marinas and lends itself to single-handed handling. The reverse-transom platform also makes boarding easier from the water or a dinghy.
Accommodations
Jeanneau offered the Sun Odyssey 31 with two factory interior layouts. Both have a double “V”-berth in the forward cabin and an aft cabin with a double berth to port.
The first layout sleeps four. Its main cabin has a U-shaped settee around a table. A straight galley sits amidships to port and includes a two-burner stove, ice box, and sink. Farther aft, the navigation station is also on the port side, while the head is to starboard, abeam of the companionway ladder.
The optional second layout sleeps six. It replaces the U-shaped settee with two straight settees and a drop-leaf table. The galley moves aft to the port side of the companionway ladder and becomes an L-shaped work area, retaining the same two-burner stove, ice box, and sink. The navigation station moves opposite, to starboard, and the head remains beside the ladder on the starboard side.
Both arrangements keep the essential cruising functions compact but clearly separated. The manufacturer also notes that the boat was offered with two or three cabins overall.
Verdict
The Sun Odyssey 31 is a clearly defined small cruiser from Daniel Andrieu and Jeanneau’s early Sun Odyssey era. Its fiberglass construction with wood trim, tiller-controlled spade rudder, and masthead sloop rig favor straightforward sailing over complexity.
The two factory layouts balance social space against sleeping capacity, with accommodation for either four or six. The reverse transom and swimming platform remain genuinely useful cruising features.
The Sun Odyssey 31 has been out of production since 1997, after a production run beginning in 1991. Its CE Category 2 rating and stated capacity of six to eight people suit coastal and moderate offshore use.
Pros
- Compact, manageable 30-foot cruiser with tiller steering and direct rudder feedback
- Two distinct factory layouts for four or six sleepers, both with practical galleys
- Reverse transom and swimming platform make boarding and dinghy use easier
- Derived from the Sun Light 30 and related to the Sun Fast 31
Cons
- Tiller steering and the small auxiliary suit calm-water cruising more than heavy offshore work
- Out of production since 1997, so spares and layout familiarity favor buyers who do their research
