Unveiled at Düsseldorf in January 2024, the 350 is the latest evolution of the range. Marc Lombard Yacht Design Group drew the boat, with interior styling by Jean-Marc Piaton. Cruising World’s Boat of the Year panel named it Best Midsize Cruiser for 2025.
Design and Construction
The 350 has an all-new hull with a distinctive contemporary silhouette. Compared with its predecessor, the beam is carried farther aft and forward, creating a fuller bow and a more muscular hull that is about 15 centimetres beamier. Full-length chines help keep the waterline narrow.
A raked negative bow entry, a prominent chine running nearly the length of the waterline, an open transom and a slightly reversed sheerline shape the boat’s profile. A pair of hull windows and a low coachroof with one long window complete the modern look. The bow stands clear of the waterline, which the builder says helps with docking and handling in light wind.
The hull is built from hand-laid fibreglass, while the injection-moulded deck reduces weight above the waterline. Buyers can choose among three keels: the standard deep fin, a 1.49-metre shoal-draught wing keel, and a lifting keel. The lifting keel has a lowered draught of 2.54 metres and a lighter weight, giving the best performance while allowing the boat to remain afloat in 1.2 metres of water.
Rig, Deck and Handling
The 350 carries a backstayless 9/10 fractional rig from Selden, supported by two spreaders swept well aft. The mast is deck-stepped, which opens up the floor plan below.
Walk-around sidedecks and a ramped passage aft of the wheels provide stepless access between the cockpit and foredeck. For much of the way forward, the guardrails sit at waist height, making movement on deck more secure than on most boats.
Twin off-centre aft helms with twin wheels provide the helmsperson with better forward visibility and greater comfort. Cruising World found the boat responsive and high-performing. The twin rudders developed steerage quickly at low speeds and retained their grip when bearing away with the sails pinned in. Despite the boat’s considerable beam, it remained remarkably well balanced and tracked obediently to windward, even when heeled to 20 degrees with the chine dug in.
Period testing recorded more than 5 knots upwind in 12 to 14 knots of breeze, with bursts into the 6s. On a beam reach, the boat made better than 7 knots.
Accommodation
Wide hull and coachroof windows bring plenty of light into the saloon and cabins, while indirect evening lighting creates a warmer atmosphere after dark. There is standing headroom of more than 1.85 metres throughout, and buyers can specify teak or grey cedar joinery with either light or dark oak floorboards.
Long settees flank a central drop-leaf table. The port-side head and shower compartment is closer in size to what might be expected aboard a 45- or 50-foot yacht. Opposite, a workable L-shaped galley sits to starboard beside a compact chart table.
Jeanneau offers two- and three-cabin layouts. In the twin-stateroom version, the forward V-berth closes off behind swinging double doors, with a large aft double berth to starboard. To port is a generous locker accessible from either the cockpit or the head. In the two-cabin layout, this port-side space becomes a vast cockpit locker; the three-cabin version instead has a shallow, sole-depth locker.
All berths are 2 metres long. The forward V-berth measures 180 centimetres wide at the head, while the aft berth is 160 centimetres wide.
Known Issues
Test sailors from Yachting Monthly thought the Alpi-wood veneers felt thin. They also noted that corners without solid-wood mouldings could be vulnerable to wear.
On the same trial, the mainsheet strops fitted in place of a traveller were a little too long to provide enough leech tension to power up the mainsail fully. The stainless-steel wheels also made the helm feel slightly heavy, although optional composite wheels would reduce that weight. As with all twin-rudder boats, the helm provides slightly less feedback than a single-rudder arrangement.
The Verdict
The Sun Odyssey 350 brings Jeanneau’s eighth-generation deck philosophy to a 35-foot cruiser that is easy to handle, bright below and thoughtfully arranged for short-handed sailing. Its narrow-waterline, chined hull and three keel options broaden its cruising possibilities, while the walk-around sidedecks set a meaningful benchmark for secure movement forward.
Thin veneers and overly long mainsheet strops are minor caveats in an otherwise well-resolved package.
Pros
- Walk-around sidedecks with stepless foredeck access and waist-high guardrails
- Three keel options, including a lifting keel for shallow drying
- Bright, roomy interior with more than 1.85 metres of headroom and a large head compartment
- Balanced, responsive twin-rudder handling under a fractional rig
Cons
- Thin Alpi-wood veneers and corners without solid-wood mouldings may be vulnerable to wear
- Mainsheet strops were too long in testing to provide full mainsail leech tension
- Stainless-steel wheels make the helm heavier, with less feedback than a single rudder
