The shipyard in Les Herbiers in western France has now built and sold around 1,400 Sun Odyssey 349s in ten years on the market. Jeanneau's competitor in the highly competitive ten-metre class has thus become an absolute longseller and bestseller for the shipyard and for dealers. Now, however, the time seems to have come for a renewal. Jeanneau is retiring its long-serving entry-level model and launching a new Sun Odyssey 350 for 2024.
What is surprising is that Jeanneau has finally realised a cockpit with the tried-and-tested, award-winning walkaround layout on the new, small boat as well. This concept is already standard on all larger models in the Sun Odyssey cruising range. However, the shipyard representatives had previously always mentioned that it would be difficult to implement on the small boat. Now, however, the French have apparently taken on the challenging task. The idea behind the ingenious arrangement is that the side decks slope steplessly from the centre of the ship like ramps down to the level of the cockpit floor. This creates a kind of channel between the cockpit coaming and the overhanging hull, a kind of stepless passageway from the cockpit to the side deck and on to the foredeck.
The hull design comes from Marc Lombard's studio in collaboration with Piaton Yacht Design and the designers at Jeanneau Design. Compared to the previous model, the hull with its pronounced and almost continuous chine edges is around 15 centimetres wider for the same length and has also become significantly fuller, especially in the foredeck area, which is in keeping with the general zeitgeist in the development of modern cruising yachts.
Like its predecessor, the 349, the Sun Odyssey 350 is also available in a version with the increasingly popular swivelling keel. Together with the standard double rudder blades and the use of wading props, this makes the boat suitable for dry-docking. However, the basis remains the fixed L-shaped cast iron keel with ballast bomb, which is available with draughts of 1.98 m (standard) or 1.49 m (short keel).
Sun Odyssey 350: More power, more sport
In the new Sun Odyssey 350, the aluminium mast with two pairs of spreaders is now slightly higher and carries more sail area because the rig is positioned further aft and the J-measurement, which is relevant for the size of the headsail, is longer. The rig concept is planned without a backstay, giving the customer the choice of a conventional mainsail or a more powerful version with a wide top section (squarehead). The genoa with 110 per cent overlap is specified in the shipyard standard. However, the self-tacking jib is also available as an option. And of course the performance can be further enhanced with additional sails such as a gennaker, code zero or reacher. A very long bowsprit (110 cm) is permanently attached to the bow.
For the interior below deck, Jeanneau has essentially adopted the layout of the previous model, seemingly one-to-one, with only a few visual adjustments. The Sun Odyssey 350 can be fitted with either two or three cabins. If the buyer opts for the two-cabin version, the aft section on the port side is converted into a spacious forecastle, which can be accessed both from the inside through the wet room and directly from the cockpit. In this version, the longitudinal bulkhead aft is slightly offset in favour of a larger berth for the double cabin on the starboard side. And: the wet room is extended to include a separate shower area.
To mark its presentation as a world first at the trade fair in Düsseldorf, Jeanneau has of course now also put a price tag on its new entry-level model. It states a basic price of 157,910 euros, including 19 per cent VAT, with a built-in engine and a single set of sails.
Technical data Sun Odyssey 350
- Designer: Marc Lombard/Piaton Yacht Design/Jeanneau Design
- CE design category: A (6)/B (8)/C (10)
- Hull length: 9.99 m
- Overall length (with bowsprit): 10,94 m
- Waterline length: 9.38 m
- Width: 3.59 m
- Weight: 5.65 tonnes
- Draught standard L-keel: 1.98 m
- Draft short keel: 1.49 m
- Draught swing keel: 1.28-2.54 m
- Mast height above waterline: 15.85 m
- Mainsail: 31.6 m²
- Genoa (110 %): 23.40 m²
- Motorisation: Built-in diesel Yanmar 29 hp
- Motorisation alternative: Torqeedo 6 kW electric pod (only for inland waters)
- Fuel capacity: 130 litres
- Fresh water capacity: 206 litres (336 litres optional)
