Design and Construction
Briand’s lines combine good looks with generous interior volume. The boat has a 27-foot-11-inch waterline, a 10-foot-10-inch beam, and a displacement of 9,700 pounds, including 3,020 pounds of iron ballast. Those figures give her a contemporary profile among small French cruisers of the era. The wide beam carries aft to a broad transom, broken up by a swim platform and two seats rather than left as a single slab.
For its smaller models, Jeanneau built the solid fiberglass hull using a traditional hand-layup process. The builder sprayed NPG gelcoat, laminated woven roving with vinylester, and completed the mat-and-roving layers with polyester resin. A laminated plywood grid, bonded to the hull and glassed with biaxial or unidirectional cloth, carries the structural loads. The cabinetry bases are molded into a single pan bonded with epoxy.
Unusually for the period, the deck was built using a closed-mold resin-infusion method that met regulatory standards. The headliner is screwed in place and can be lifted for access to deck hardware. A stainless steel holding tank sits aft of the head and above the waterline, allowing it to drain by gravity.
Rig, Handling, and Sailing Performance
The Sun Odyssey 32 has a fractional sloop rig, with a deck-stepped Sparcraft mast, stainless steel wire rigging, and a single set of swept spreaders. The 135 percent genoa sets on a Profurl furler, while the mainsail has 80 percent battens to help retain its shape. Jeanneau’s lazy bag and lazy jacks make the sail easier to stack.
The mainsheet leads from mid-boom to coachroof blocks forward of the dodger. The headsail tracks sit low at the base of the cabin, and there’s no outboard sheeting track for spinnakers. A split backstay is standard, although the test boat’s owner added a block-and-tackle system for easier tuning.
Test sailors found that the semi-balanced rudder and tiller produced only slight weather helm at the upper end of the wind range. The 4-foot-11-inch fin keel with bulb tracked well, and the boat maneuvered easily in a tight marina.
In 5 knots of wind, she close-reached at 3.5 to 4.5 knots. In 10 to 13 knots, she made 5 to 6.3 knots; on a broad reach in 9 to 10 knots, she held steady near 6 knots. At 15 degrees of heel, she settled into a comfortable groove and tacked through less than 90 degrees.
Cockpit and Deck
The cockpit seats are nearly 7 feet long and 15 inches wide, with 12-inch backrests. The centerline cockpit measures 73 inches from the tiller to the companionway. For access to the swim step, the helm seat drops into the sole.
A 38-by-20-inch locker with a false floor can hold an inflatable. Forward, a sealed anchor locker carries the ground tackle on a standard Lofrans electric winch.
Accommodations
Below, minimum headroom of 6 feet 1 inch throughout helps the interior feel open. Two hull portlights sit at seated eye level, while extensive teak and teak veneers contrast with a white battens headliner.
The port settee is 5 feet 7 inches long and seats three or four people at the centerline table. The navigator faces a 28-by-20-inch chart table with 4 inches of storage. The C-shaped galley includes a two-burner stove-oven, a single sink, a dry locker, an aft refrigerator, and a 31-inch work surface.
A bi-fold door encloses the forward cabin, which has 6-foot-2 headroom. Its berth is 6 feet 1 inch on centerline but narrows to a sharp V. The aft cabin is an almost-square, almost-queen-size space where athwartships sleeping works better than fore-and-aft.
Engine and Tankage
A Yanmar diesel of 14 to 27 horsepower drives a shaft. Fuel capacity is 19 gallons, and water capacity is 45 gallons.
The standard 18-horsepower Yanmar pushed the test boat quietly at 6 knots in calm water. Period testers, however, noted that a 27-horsepower 3GM would be the wiser choice in some areas. Practical Sailor’s survey found the standard engine adequate in calm conditions but implied that it had limitations in stronger currents or chop.
The Verdict
The Sun Odyssey 32 is a thoughtfully packaged small cruiser. Briand gave her substantial volume and a modern hull, while Jeanneau used a resin-infused deck and bonded structural grid. Her tiller-steered fractional rig behaves predictably from light air into a stiff breeze.
She is best suited to coastal cruising and light charter, where two cabins and standing headroom matter more than offshore payload.
Pros
- Wide beam carried aft provides a near-queen-size aft cabin and a roomy cockpit
- Tiller steering and a semi-balanced rudder give quick, communicative handling
- Resin-infused deck and bonded structural grid in a 2002–2005 boat
- Minimum 6-foot-1 headroom and a teak-rich interior create an open, finished feel
Cons
- Standard 18-horsepower Yanmar may feel underpowered in current or chop
- No outboard headsail or spinnaker sheeting track, limiting downwind setups
- Forward berth narrows to a sharp V at the foot
