The 319 draws its bones in part from the Polish-built Delphia 31 but departs meaningfully in execution: a more rounded bow above the entry, crisp hard chines aft, and twin rudders as standard. Those twin rudders are not decoration. Out on the water they deliver a helm that is, as one sea-trial account put it, buttery smooth yet totally precise. At 32 feet and just over eleven thousand pounds, this is a boat light enough to feel nimble in a puff and honest enough to reward the sailor who takes the time to learn its sailplan options.
Hull, Deck, and Construction
The hull is solid fiberglass laminate set in polyester resin; the deck is balsa-cored and both bonded and screwed down as part of the hull-deck joint. Two keel configurations are offered: a conventional fin with a cast-iron bulb, or a stub wing keel from which a centerboard descends — the latter opening shallow anchorages that a fixed-keel boat would never see. Draft on the fixed fin runs to six feet; the shoal option lifts to two-and-a-half feet with the board up. The CE Category A6 rating places it squarely in the offshore-capable tier for a boat of its size.
Topside, the cockpit is the social hub the designers intended. Seats run a generous seven feet, with high coamings that provide real back support. The large one-piece companionway washboard stows cleanly in a slot in the hatch garage — a small detail that reveals the thinking throughout. Jib sheets run straight back to Harken 35 cockpit winches on either side of the wheel, while mast lines including the mainsheet arrive at Harken 20 winches flanking the companionway. One ergonomic wrinkle: the standard mainsheet arrangement makes it difficult to reach from the helm, which makes the optional double-ended German mainsheet — tails led to the cockpit winches — a worthwhile addition. The folding Lewmar steering wheel is similarly worth specifying; without it, the only path to the stern is hopping up and around the helm on the seats.
Rig and Sailing Performance
The sailplan is where the 319 rewards thought at the order stage. The base configuration pairs a slab-reefed mainsail on a Seldén mast with an overlapping genoa on sidetrack; a second option substitutes in-mast furling and a self-tacking blade jib for shorthanded simplicity; a third adds a bowsprit for flying an asymmetric or code-zero reaching sail. The advice from the sea-trial record is unambiguous: avoid the in-mast furling option unless physically unable to handle anything more. A boat of this size does not present onerous sail-handling demands, and the roachless in-mast main paired with a small jib leaves the boat underpowered in anything below a decent breeze.
In a gusty fifteen to twenty knots of northerly, the 319 easily knocked off six knots hard on the wind. In lighter conditions the boat rewards being sailed at its designed angles — pinching kills pace more obviously than on heavier displacement cruisers. The twin rudders track cleanly through tacks, and the boat loses little way coming through the wind.
Accommodations
The interior is the 319's most immediately persuasive argument. Standing headroom runs to six feet four inches or better throughout, including the forward stateroom — an achievement on a thirty-two-foot hull that many boats a full ten feet longer cannot match. The V-berth forward is wide and long enough for two adults to sleep without the apologetic geometry that compromises so many production boats at this length. Aft to port sits a proper double stateroom with good vertical clearance; to starboard, a head that reads as impressively large for the overall size of the boat.
The saloon layout is conventional and functional: two full-length settees usable as sea berths, a drop-leaf centerline table, an L-shaped galley to port with a two-burner Eno stove and a top-loading refrigerator, and a proper chart table to starboard. The galley is compact, and the refrigerator lid doubles as the only meaningful counter space — a compromise the size demands rather than the designer chose. Natural light pours in through portlights in both the cabinhouse and hull sides, making the interior feel larger than its measurements suggest. Storage throughout is genuinely more than adequate. Four people can honestly live aboard for extended cruises; six for shorter passages.
Engine and Mechanical Access
The sole powerplant is a 21hp Yanmar diesel driving through a saildrive, with a Flexofold folding propeller available optionally. Under power, the boat reaches a useful cruise at modest revs and tops out in the high sevens at wide-open throttle. The twin-rudder setup makes it one of the more responsive sailboats under engine, backing down with confidence. The mechanical note to file: the engine compartment is cramped enough to make routine maintenance a challenge. Access to the oil filter is genuinely poor, and accessing the raw-water pump impeller housing requires battery removal. Buyers planning to maintain the boat themselves should plan accordingly and budget time for what should be routine service intervals.
Known Considerations
The 319 carries two layout-level issues worth noting before purchase. First, the inner shrouds on their sweptback spreaders cut directly across the sidedecks at an awkward angle — a now-common consequence of the fractional rig geometry that wide-beam modern hulls demand, but annoying nonetheless when moving forward in a seaway. Second, the cockpit coamings, while supportive, mean the only way to reach the stern in the standard configuration is over or around the helm; the folding wheel largely resolves this but it is an optional extra rather than standard.
Those choosing the swing-keel variant should note that the centerboard trunk is incorporated into the central dining table, which slightly alters the interior layout compared to the fixed-keel version.
The Verdict
The Sun Odyssey 319 is a genuinely accomplished compact cruiser — not a shrunken version of a larger boat, but a boat designed from a clear brief and executed with evident care. Jeanneau's own summary — elegance and simplicity — turns out to be accurate rather than marketing copy. The interior space-to-LOA ratio is class-leading, the twin-rudder helm is a consistent pleasure, and the menu of sailplan and keel options makes the boat adaptable across a wide range of sailing contexts and crew capabilities. The main caveat is the engine room: buy this boat understanding that mechanical maintenance requires patience. Specify the proper sailplan and steering wheel from the start, and there is very little to complain about.
Pros
- Standing headroom over six feet throughout, including the forward cabin
- Twin rudders deliver precise, responsive helm in all conditions
- Three sailplan configurations with real keel-depth options for shallow-water access
- Interior liveability punches well above the boat's length
- Nimble under power with confident prop walk control
Cons
- Engine compartment access is genuinely cramped; routine maintenance is harder than it should be
- Standard mainsheet arrangement is awkward to reach from the helm
- Inner shrouds interrupt sidedecks at an inconvenient angle
- In-mast furling option noticeably undersails the hull's potential
