Design and Construction
Lombard gave the 39i a hull with a hair more depth to the forefoot and a harder forefoot knuckle than some rivals, and in plan view she shows more beam at the transom — arguably more than a traditionalist might expect a harder forefoot knuckle. The keel itself is unusual: a long root footprint with elongated trailing and leading edge fillets, a 23-degree sweep to the leading edge, and a bulb that reaches well past the keel's trailing edge. Buyers could choose a 6-foot 6-inch standard draft or a shoaler 4-foot 11-inch draft. The chainplates are bolted to the hull outboard, a straightforward structural arrangement that keeps load paths short.
Against the Bavaria 39, the Jeanneau is 12 inches shorter on deck and 4 inches narrower, with a length-to-beam ratio of 3.07 versus the Bavaria's 3.01 and a displacement-to-length ratio of 166 against 187. Those numbers describe a slightly lighter, less beamy boat than her German competitor, yet Cruising World found that her generous beam carried well aft yields interior volume greater than expected.
Rig and Handling
The 39i carries a fractional rig with swept spreaders and an inboard, aft lower shroud. A short mainsheet traveler — about 32 inches end to end — sits in the cockpit, and the bow is prepped for a retracting bowsprit to fly an asymmetric spinnaker. Twin steering positions put the primary winches on the coamings just forward of the wheels, with halyards, reefing lines, furling lines, and the mainsheet led aft to winches either side of the companionway. Test sailors found the helm light and the boat obedient to a flick of the fingers on the wheel, a quality that makes short-handed sailing far less taxing than the specification sheet alone would suggest.
Accommodations
Below, the two-cabin arrangement offers one head and one aft stateroom to starboard, with a single head featuring a separate shower stall; the saloon gains opposing settees, the port one extending under the chart table, which takes pressure off the main living space. Cruising World described a large, airy saloon with a wraparound dinette to starboard just forward of an L-shaped galley, seating five or six, and a settee berth opposite by the nav station. The forward cabin is roomy with a large V-berth and ample hanging-locker and shelf storage. Owners could instead opt for twin aft cabins, and on that three-cabin layout the head is considerably smaller and loses the separate shower. Jeanneau deliberately did not try to squeeze a second head into the hull, a choice that preserved volume elsewhere. All staterooms use fore-and-aft double berths. A large port lazarette remains for gear stowage.
Deck and Equipment
On deck, the cockpit is a big triangle comfortable for lounging, with a centerline table that seats six alfresco. Twin wheels and a broad swim platform are paired with a hot-and-cold transom shower, and for safety a dedicated life raft locker is integrated into the stern skirt. The CE Category A-9/B-10/C-12 rating confirms her offshore-capable certification for limited crew numbers.
The Verdict
The Sun Odyssey 39i is a Lombard-styled coastal cruiser that punches above her length in usable volume thanks to beam carried aft, yet keeps a light, responsive helm and a clean sail-handling layout from the twin wheels. The choice between two-cabin comfort and three-cabin flexibility is a real one, and the shoal draft option broadens her cruising grounds.
Pros
- Light, obedient helm with all controls led aft to the companionway and twin-wheel winches
- Generous interior volume for a 39-footer, with a separate-shower head on the two-cabin layout
- Distinctive keel-bulb and forefoot geometry from Marc Lombard
- Dedicated life raft locker and CE Category A certification
Cons
- Three-cabin layout sacrifices head size and the separate shower
- Short mainsheet traveler may limit fine mainsail trim range
- Shoal 4-foot 11-inch draft trades away the standard keel's performance
