Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 350: sea trial of a small great sailboat

Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 350 Sea Trial

It’s a gloomy day today, the sky is dark, and the wind is weak. These are challenging conditions for most pure cruising sailboats. I’m aboard the new Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 350, which we are about to test in its performance version, with some slightly more efficient sails and a slightly more elongated mainsail, which adds about two square meters of canvas. Something that today, judging by the glassy surface of the water, we will certainly need.

As we leave the harbor, we take the opportunity to assess the engine performance, which, in our case, is a 29HP Yanmar equipped with a folding propeller. The boat sails well and, despite its size, allows for a cruising speed of nearly 7 knots, not bad at all when there are many miles to cover and the wind is absent. By reducing the speed a bit, I find it really comfortable to sail at 6.5 knots, around 2,500 RPMs, an economical cruising speed that takes full advantage of the Sun Odyssey 350’s waterline length to glide the boat through the water without the stern dipping.

We hoist the mainsail, which, although it’s a standard sail, is of excellent quality. Then we bear away, unfurl the 110% genoa, turn off the engine, and pull the throttle back to close the folding propeller blades.

There’s no more than 6/7 knots of true wind, but to our pleasant surprise, the Sun Odyssey 350 immediately finds its pace and begins to generate apparent wind. I tighten up to the customary 30°, adjust the mainsail and genoa, and the boat accelerates quickly, reaching a speed of 5.3 knots. Intrigued by this performance, I bear away a bit and trim in the small genoa, feeling the boat heel as the speed increases even more. At 50° apparent wind angle, we sail steadily above 6 knots, with peaks at 6.2 knots.

This Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 350 is lively and responsive, responding to the helm sincerely but directly, without tending to luff or bear away. Letting go of the wheel, the boat continues to sail straight; the autopilot won’t have to work much on this sailboat.

Tacking is done with great simplicity; the low-overlap genoa makes maneuvers easier, and the Sun Odyssey 350 doesn’t slow down much when changing tack, always sailing smoothly and fast.

We bear away to hoist the Code 0, another very simple maneuver on this boat where everything is always within reach, and above all, where electric servomechanisms are not needed. The loads are always relatively low, so they can be managed without much effort by hand.

With this sail, speeds immediately increase by about a knot, and thanks to a few gusts at 8/9 knots of true wind, our Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 350 treats us to close-reaching/reaching speeds close to 7 knots, really not bad for a cruiser!

Conclusion

This new Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 350 has honestly won me over. Easy-to-handle, maneuverable, and unexpectedly fast, it’s a sailboat capable of providing great satisfaction, both in sailing and during long motor passages where, thanks to a certainly successful hull design, it can offer respectable daily averages.

Livability is the second strenght of this sailboat, both above and below deck, where it decidedly offers spaces comparable to those of larger vessels, making it perfect for a family of four or a group of friends who want to sail and stay on board for long periods.

My favorite version? Certainly the one we tested, the performance version that I would choose in my case, with two cabins, a technical compartment, and a bathroom with a separate shower.

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Performance

Test Conditions: true wind from 6 to 9 knots; slight sea state; 6 people on board; fuel at 80%; water at 30%.

Technical Specs