The 47 CC combines a moderate-displacement hull with a center-cockpit deck plan designed to separate the helm from the principal accommodation below. Briand’s balanced cruiser-racer profile remains evident; this is not a dedicated passage-maker. Compared with the standard 47, the CC sacrifices some open deck flow in exchange for greater privacy aft.
Design and Construction
Briand designed the Sun Odyssey 47 with a fiberglass hull reinforced with Kevlar, together with a bulb-fin keel and spade rudder. The 47 CC retains the same underwater profile.
The boat measures 14.40 meters overall, with an 11.70-meter waterline, a 4.45-meter beam, and a 2.10-meter draft. Displacement is 12,000 kilograms, including 4,400 kilograms of ballast.
Those figures produce a ballast-displacement ratio of 36.7. That is just below the 40 mark, but it still suggests a reasonable degree of stiffness and power. A displacement-length ratio of 209 places the boat firmly in the moderate-displacement category.
The Kevlar-reinforced shell and spade rudder are characteristic of a late-20th-century Jeanneau cruiser. The result is the relatively lively motion associated with a coastal cruiser of moderate stability, rather than the inert glide of a heavy voyager.
Rig and Handling
The 47 CC carries a masthead sloop rig with an I measurement of 17.00 meters, J of 5.20 meters, P of 15.00 meters, and E of 5.20 meters. Total sail area is 112 square meters.
Against the boat’s moderate displacement, that sail area produces a sail-area-displacement ratio of 21.8. The design record presents this as relatively high-performance capability for a boat of this size. Calculated hull speed is 8.3 knots.
The 47 has a capsize screening formula value of 2.0, placing it at the threshold for bluewater capability. Taken together, the ratios describe a well-rounded sailboat that balances performance, stability, and coastal utility. Its spade rudder and bulb-fin keel provide the predictable steering authority expected of a modern cruiser-racer rather than a full-keeled offshore type.
Cockpit and Accommodations
The defining feature of the CC version is its center-cockpit arrangement. It places the helm station amidships and reserves the extreme stern for a dedicated owner’s cabin. Compared with the standard 47 or the related 47 DS, this layout typically offered more privacy aft and a different sailing experience.
The DS, a deck-saloon sibling, raised the saloon to provide more interior light, headroom, and improved visibility from the cabin. The CC made a different trade at deck level: the helmsperson sits lower and farther forward, while the aft cabin becomes a quiet enclave.
Water capacity is 580 liters, while fuel capacity is 210 liters. That gives the platform capacity for extended coastal cruising, though without the raised-saloon sightlines of the DS.
Verdict
The Sun Odyssey 47 CC is a limited-production Briand design that combines center-cockpit privacy with a moderate-displacement, Kevlar-reinforced hull and genuine turn of speed. Its 40-unit production run makes it a comparatively scarce find. Beneath the CC layout, however, the 47 platform remains a coherent coastal and light-bluewater cruiser with a performance-oriented sail plan and a sensible ballast stance.
Pros
- Center-cockpit layout provides strong aft-cabin privacy
- Kevlar-reinforced fiberglass hull with bulb-fin keel and spade rudder
- Sail-area-displacement ratio of 21.8 indicates high-performance capability
- Capsize screening value of 2.0 places it at the bluewater threshold
Cons
- Only 40 were built, limiting brokerage availability
- Comfort ratio of 28.0 implies somewhat lively motion in a seaway
- Ballast-displacement ratio of 36.7 sits slightly below the 40 stiffness benchmark
