Design and Construction
The 389 measures 11.75 meters overall, with a 10.98-meter hull and a 3.76-meter beam. Displacement is 6,920 kg, and the standard 3,900-pound iron bulb keel gives a draft of 1.98 meters. Its ballast-to-displacement ratio is a moderate 25.5 percent.
Lombard’s hull earned the 389 a CE Category A rating for eight aboard, while its B and C certifications extend to twelve. The swing-keel version carries a B8 notation. These ratings signal that the boat was conceived for serious passage-making, not just harbor hops.
The solid fiberglass hull sits on a spade rudder. The construction reflects Jeanneau’s production-fiberglass methods of the period, without the vacuum-infused structure that Jeanneau adopted across entire hulls in 2007.
On deck, testers found one bench lazarette and two deep aft lockers, one of which housed the cooking gas. That makes for practical stowage, but swim access is less successful. The same review noted that there’s no swim platform, only a swim step about the length of a size-eight foot. The reviewer also considered the swim ladder much too short.
Rig, Performance, and Handling
The 389 carries a fractional sloop rig with a full-size jib and 754 square feet of sail area. Test sailors recorded the boat surfing past 8 knots downwind and easily making 7 knots to weather.
Visibility from the helm was praised as nice, and the cockpit is spacious. At its center is an innovative table with generous storage. Dropping the mainsail still requires climbing two or three steps up the mast, a small concession in an otherwise easy-handling setup.
The companionway steps earned particular praise: they feel more like stairs than a ladder. Well-placed grab rails and handholds above and below deck also help the crew move around in any conditions.
Accommodations
The boat reviewed had the fixed-keel, three-cabin layout, though Jeanneau also built two-cabin versions. The head provided more room than the tester’s own Dufour 382, with additional space devoted to a shower. It felt very comfortable and included a stainless-steel sink and shower head.
Every cabin had 220V outlets and USB ports, which the reviewer noted as a bonus. The 200-liter, or 53-gallon, water capacity was judged a good size for the yacht. The same crew easily spent ten days aboard without exhausting both tanks.
The V-berth is a weak point. It has no hull windows, and only one hatch admits light, leaving the cabin dark.
The galley also has a few shortcomings. Its cabinets don’t have soft-close hinges, and the cabinet above the stove opens downward over the range. When it drops, it knocks off anything left on the stove. There’s also no salt-water foot pump.
Stowage, Systems, and Ownership
Engine access below is helped by hydraulic arms that hold the hatch open—a small but useful ownership convenience. The 220V outlets and USB ports suggest that most owners would need only modest upgrades rather than rewiring.
The fixed three-cabin arrangement reviewed is the more common cruiser configuration. Depending on the build, the two-cabin version provides a larger saloon or more owner’s space.
The hands-on record is narrow but specific. None of the reported drawbacks is structural. Instead, they’re livability issues: awkward swim access, a dark V-berth, the inconvenient galley cabinet, the lack of a salt-water foot pump, and cabinet doors without soft-close hinges. A buyer can weigh those details against the boat’s otherwise thoughtful layout.
The Verdict
The Sun Odyssey 389 is a purpose-built cruiser with lively performance and genuinely thoughtful cockpit and head arrangements. Its shortcomings are smaller but still noticeable, particularly the dark forepeak and the awkward galley and swim-access details.
Pros
- Quick upwind and downwind performance for its size
- Spacious cockpit with an innovative, storage-rich table
- Head larger than the comparable example cited, with separate shower space
- Good water capacity for extended cruising without replenishment
- Easy companionway and plenty of grab handles for safer movement
Cons
- Dark V-berth with no hull windows and only one hatch
- Galley cabinet above the stove drops over the range
- No swim platform and a swim ladder judged too short
- No salt-water foot pump
- Galley cabinets lack soft-close hinges
