Boat Test: Jeanneau Sun Fast 30
Designing an environmentally friendly offshore one design class is a big ask – but Jeanneau’s Sun Fast 30 OD may have it cracked as Sam Jefferson discovers.
Jeanneau Yachts
Jeanneau Yachts has a proud history of racing going back to 1976 when a Jeanneau Melody battled against the Atlantic greybeards to complete the OSTAR. Since then the company has been one of the leading forces in making racing more accessible by mass producing genuinely rapid mass produced racing yachts. Models such as the Rush Royale, Selection 37 and the JOD 35 when they came out in the 80s and 90s, while the latest iterations of the SunFast range have been at the forefront of the offshore racing scene.
The Jeanneau Sun Fast 30
It was therefore welcome news when the French manufacturer announced that it as going to bolster its Sun Fast range – already represented by the excellent and successful Sun Fast 3300 – with a smaller 30’ offshore racer. Just to add a bit of extra spice into the mix, they also stated it would be the first recyclable composite production yacht. This is big news because Jeanneau, being part of the Beneteau Group, is the biggest yacht manufacturer in the world and when they lead, others follow. If they can demonstrate that a production yacht can be made cost effectively using recyclable materiels, it opens the doors to other smaller manufacturers. By the same token, by mass producing an affordable, fun offshore racer they can also do much to broaden the appeal of the sport. Because be in no doubt, that is the aim of the boat which was born out of the desire of RORC, the Trysail Club in the US and the Yacht Club de France to produce an affordable small offshore racer that wasn’t too complicated or technical to sail. VPLP won the commission for this project with Multiplast but it soon became clear that in order to produce the yacht in big numbers, they needed the muscle of a big yard – this was where Jeanneau stepped in and the Sun Fast 30 OD was born.
There’s therefore a lot to like about the Sun Fast 30 OD even before you step on the boat and eyeing her from the dockside she certainly looks the part. She’s clearly a fairly serious racer and VPLP has drawn up a purposeful looking boat that features a moderate scow bow, twin rudders, a single shine that runs from the stern almost to the bow, a big cockpit that extends a long way forward and a rig that carries almost as much sail area as the Sun Fast 3300 OD. Weight is modest at 2,500kg making this a light though not ultra light displacement boat. Despite the radical look of the boat the design is sensible with beam aft being kept modest – not least to ensure the boat is trailerable. The scow bow is defined but not nearly as extreme as many modern Mini Transats or Class 40s while the hull features plenty of rocker and also flares out considerably above the waterline. The rockered hull makes for a sea kindly motion but also hints towards the fact that VPLP clearly wanted a boat the performed well in light airs and this distinct rocker keeps the ends of the boat out of the water in light winds, thus reducing wetted surface area and drag. When the breeze kicks in, the fuller bow and flat upper aft sections point to much fun to be had off the wind, while the twin rudders and chine should give her good grip.
The Jeanneau Sun Fast 30 is a strict one design and the hull is constructed using 100% recycled materiels and is of foam cored sandwich construction with recycled PET foam used on the deck. Both deck and hull vacuum infused using Elium resin. This is a biodegradable epoxy resin which means that at the end of the boat’s working life, the boat can be broken down and the raw materials recycled – this is a big advance away from standard GRP construction which must go to landfill.
In terms of rig, the boat is fitted with a deck stepped carbon fibre mast from Sparcraft. The rig carries a pair of heavily aft swept spreaders and the shrouds set outboard. There is no backstay – a surprising configuration for this size of boat and one which requires a very strong and stiff mast profile. There are running backstays but these are for tweaking sail shape and are not vital to keep the rig up. A powerful mainsail with square top and a relatively wide overlapping genoa can be set and, as noted, the upwind sail area is only marginally less than the larger Sun Fast 3300 and downwind she sets a big masthead gennaker which means offwind sail area is only 5% smaller than her big sister. Shrouds made of Dyform with little stretch. There is a retractable sprit which slides back into a moulded recess in the deck which is far better than having a hole in the hull. When extended, it protrudes some 4’ from the stem when extended. The boat comes with a suit of seven sails and membrane fabrics have been banned to keep costs down.
The keel is a relatively narrow chord width L Shaped cast iron and lead bulbed affair and the twin rudders are transom hung and connected by tye bars which can be fine tued to perfect the rudder angle. The rudders are steered by a single tiller with an extension. The hull shape and sail plan point to a yacht that will perform well in light airs – somewhat surprising given that this is clearly a purpose built offshore racer – but it does ad another string to the yacht’s bow and also sticks to the tradition of light wind fliers like the iconic Selection 37. The boat has not been designed for IRC but the projected rating is 1.040 so it sounds like this will be a contender in mixed fleet racing too.
On Deck
Step onboard the Jeanneau Sun Fast 30 and, although the hull lines feature modest beam, the Cockpit feels broad and spacious with a moulded groove down the middle that works as a foot brace. The traveller is situated right aft and thus within easy reach of the helm. There is space enough for a crew of four – even five at a push but by that point you are starting to penalise yourself in terms of weight onboard.
The deck has been thoughtfully put together with mouldings for a bottle holder forward and a liferaft valise aft. The companionway is offset to port with all the lines for the running rigging set to starboard and run through a bank of ten jammers. Thre are two winches just forward of the helm for the genoa or gennaker and a third on the coachroof for the halyards. The chart plotter is well placed, being set into aft the end of the coachroof. Aside from that there are some nice foot braces to keep you secure when sitting out on the coamings.
In terms of sail controls, the main sheet is on the centreline within easy reach of the helm or a dedicated trimmer just in front of the helm and the fine adjustment is just aft of this with both lines on cleat jammers. The headsails use Jeanneau’s tried and tested 3D car system using thimbles as opposed to fixed cars which allows for lateral adjustment in addition to longitudinal movement. This system is becoming the norm on most racing boats of a certain size in the Beneteau Group fleet and it works very well.
In terms of electrical equipment, this is standardised to conform with one design rules and consists of B&G’s H5000 autopilot, the very popular Raymarine Type 1 ram in a watertight compartment accessible from both the deck and inside. The motor is a Nanni 10hp two cylinder inboard affair which has plenty enough power to push along such a small yacht.
The foredeck is understandably nice and wide which is great for working on deck and the non skid is excellent plus there are nice foot chocks moulded into the deck which is great. There is no anchor locker, just a pair of deck cleats and an open pulpit.
Down Below
As mentioned, the companionway is offset to port and there is a shallow descent down below into a surprisingly roomy interior with full standing headroom aft. The boat has been kept incredibly spartan though and contrasts with the Dehler 30OD where there has been a bit more of a concession to creature comforts. This is truly stripped out and spartan with the bare minimum of wood finish and only the smallest concession to comfort. This is fair enough because this is after all a racing yacht and it speaks of the manufacturer’s recognition that they do not want to even try to be all things to all people which is fair enough.
Despite this, there is quite a bit of space down below as the full bow sections forward create a fair amount of space. Back aft tucked underneath the cockpit are twin cot berths then bench seats. Ultimately you can sleep four without any great fuss. There is a big chart table to starboard with the instrument panel set on the bulkhead forward of this. There is also a small sink aft of this with a manual pump and water tank just below. You could add a small stove for longer passages. Forward there is a huge sail storage area with the bare stringers exposed and access to a watertight crash bulkhead forward of this. The heads to is just aft of this to starboard which is just a sea toilet with a canvas ‘door’ and slightly aft of this. It does feature a holding tank. The interior is all in white and feels surprisingly light but – let’s be honest here – it’s a very stripped out racing machine.
Under Sail
I sailed the Jeanneau Sun Fast 30 on a moderate in the Bay of Cannes with a modest 10-12kn breeze blowing. There was a bit of chop as we plugged upwind and the trial was made more interesting in that we were following in the wake of the larger and heavier new Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 350. I rather assumed that we would leave this cruidsing yacht for dust but things didn’t completely pan out this way. First things first, as previously mentioned, Jeanneau has designed this boat to perform strongly in light airs and inmorning I was able to observe from the dockside as the little racer sailed in 4-5kn of wind and she did notably well in conditions where other heavier yachts were simply not moving. By the time I got on the water the breeze had filled in somewhat. We had five onboard and that probably tipped the balance against the boat as acceleration was good but not blistering as we headed upwind. As mentioned, we followed in the wake of a brand new Sun Odyssey 350 and hard on the wind with the J3 set we very, very slowly gained on her, making about 5.5kn at a true wind angle of of 40-42°. The steering was light, sensitive, well balanced and felt perhaps a touch too neutral. This is in part because Jeanneau wanted to have a helm that consumed the minimum amount of power when under autopilot. Anyway, the boat sat comfortably in her chine and was quick without being blistering – although I suspect if we’d have had one less crewmember onboard that would have made a big difference given how light the boat is.
Easing off the wind and unfurling the gennaker, the difference was immediate and we stormed past the Sun Odyssey 350 with the greatest of ease. With 12kn of breeze, there wasn’t quite enough wind to get the boat planing, although with some friendly waves, it probably would have been possible to get the boat to lift off. As it was, I suspect that breezes of 15-20kn would see the 30 lift up her skirts and take flight. As it was, the full bow sections and twin rudders made the boat feel incredibly stable and balanced with masses of grip, allowing us to sail very high in the moderate conditions without even a hint of a broach. All of this pointed to much fun to be had with just a touch more wind. Sail handling was all very simple and the running rigging set up seemed to be very well thought out although the need to use the same set of winches for the running backstays and the headsails was a minor inconvenience although, of course, you use the lee winch for the jib sheets and the windward for the running backstay so perhaps the weight saving makes it worth not bothering with a second pair. On the other hand, in the even of gear failure, it’s good to have more than three winches.
Sam’s Verdict
The Jeanneau Sun Fast 30 is a fun, forward thinking boat that promises to broaden the appeal of offshore racing. It’s a versatile yacht that can be put on a trailer and sails fast in a range of conditions. It’s not some carbon fibre ultra light displacement flier but it is still light and very fast and also affordable. The design also strikes a balance between upwind and offwind with that moderate scow bow while the big sail area and low wetted surface area in light airs makes for a versatile boat.
Specifications
LOA (sprit extended):10.4m (34’1”)
Hull length: 8.99m (29’6”)
LWL:8.4m (27’6”)
Beam:2.99m (9’10”)
Draught:2.0m (6’7”)
Displacement:2,700kg (5,952lb)
Ballast:1,000kg (2,205lb)
Mainsail:32m2 (344ft2)
Headsail:27m2 (290ft2)
A2 spinnaker:105m2 (1130ft2)
Ready to race price:€200,000 inc VAT
Builder: jeanneau.com
Alternative Boats
Dehler 30 OD
This is a boat that shares most with the Jeanneau in terms of concept and is of similar dimensions and weight. Conceived as a double handed offshore racer, this Judel/Vrolijk design has been a slow burn but has built up a loyal following.
Beneteau Figaro 3
A more sophisticated – and expensive – alternative to the Jeanneau. This is a foiling pocket rocket that, after a relatively slow start, has become a big hit. This is a more technical boat to sail and the foils put it in a different price bracket.
Farr X2
Constructed in Portugal, this Bruce Farr designed offshore racer is a bit lighter than the Sun Fast and features water ballasting and bigger beam carried aft. She is optimised for single and double handed racing.
sea-ventures.co.uk
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