Design and Construction
The Sunbeam 39 came from the same designer-and-builder partnership that had shaped the yard’s larger cruising line since the early 1990s: J&J Design and Schöchl Yachtbau designed and built the Sunbeam 39, the same partnership that had shaped the yard’s larger cruising line since the early 1990s.
The hull is fiberglass and configured as a long-keel cruiser. Its standard draft is 2.00 meters, a profile that favors directional stability and tolerance of grounding over agility in shoal water. The listed minimum draft of 0.00 meters is a database placeholder, not evidence of a lifting-keel or twin-keel variant.
With its 12.30-meter length and 3.90-meter beam, the hull supports a cabin-cruiser layout intended purely for cruising.
Rig and Auxiliary Power
The Sunbeam 39 has a sloop rig with a total sail area of 78 square meters. Mast height and the individual areas of the mainsail, genoa, and spinnaker are unrecorded, so only the combined area can be stated.
A 78 m² working sail plan on a 9,500 kg hull with a long keel suggests a moderate, manageable rig for a couple or small crew on passage, rather than a race-derived fractional setup. A Yanmar 4JH2E 48HP engine provides auxiliary power for maneuvering and battery charging.
Accommodations
In its standard version, the Sunbeam 39 has two cabins, two toilets, and six berths. That arrangement points to forward and aft sleeping cabins with shared day heads, a layout typical of a European cruiser of this size intended for owner cruising or light charter use.
The cabin-cruiser designation and stated cruising purpose indicate that the interior was designed for living aboard rather than minimal coastal hopping.
Verdict
The Sunbeam 39 is a straightforward, J&J-designed long-keel cruiser from a yard experienced in fiberglass construction. Its strengths include a roomy two-cabin hull and a proven auxiliary engine. However, the sparse recorded specifications leave several technical details unconfirmed.
Pros
- Fiberglass hull from an experienced Austrian builder
- Two-cabin, two-head, six-berth cruising layout
- Long keel for stable tracking under sail
Cons
- Several key specifications—including ballast, tankage, mast height, and individual sail areas—are unrecorded
- Standard draft of 2.00 meters limits access to shoal water
- Only the aggregate sail area is known; detailed rig information is incomplete
