Yes, the demand for small and compact cruising boats has increased significantly again, says Jeanneau Product Manager Erik Stromberg. The developers at the high-volume manufacturer in Les Herbiers on the French west coast are currently up to their ears in work: Jeanneau is planning the complete renewal of its touring line. The Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 440 kicks off the revised programme with a whole host of interesting details. The comprehensive exclusive test will be published in the next issue of YACHT, 16/2016, which will be available from newsagents next Wednesday, 19 July.
And now the big surprise: Jeanneau is also launching another small boat with a hull length of around 30 feet. The French company has previously catered for the compact market segment and even doubled up on it back then, with the Sun Odyssey 30i (test in YACHT 15/2008) and the slightly larger Sun Odyssey 32i (7/2006). However, both models were withdrawn from the market. To date, the Sun Odyssey 349 (test 6/2014) has been the smallest boat in Jeanneau's cruising range with a hull length of around ten metres.
The new Sun Odyssey 319 now also has a wider stern and is therefore also equipped with two rudder blades. It will also be possible to order the boat with either a fixed keel or a swing keel and variable draught. The sail plan is kept simple. This means a short genoa (105 per cent overlap), plus a regular mainsail without significant luffing, but an adjustable backstay. A self-tacking jib will also be available as an option. The small Jeanneau will also be fitted with a fixed bowsprit, a so-called delphinière. Additional sails such as a code zero or a gennaker can be attached to this.
The cockpit has a conventional, simple layout with halyard winches on the side of the companionway and sheet winches on the aft cockpit coaming. In contrast to the Sun Odyssey 349, which is around 50 centimetres longer, the new model is equipped with only one steering wheel instead of two; tiller steering is not planned.
The layout below deck provides for two separate double cabins, one aft and one forward. There is also a small galley unit as well as a wet room and a small navigation area. The two benches in the saloon can also be used as berths. This means that the 30-footer offers a total of six berths.
It will be interesting to see what the price tag says; the shipyard is currently working on the specifications and the detailed amounts. We will provide this information here as soon as possible. The prototype of the Sun Odyssey 319 will be ready this summer and will then be put to the test by the YACHT editorial team. The small Jeanneau will be presented as a German premiere at the trade fair in Düsseldorf in January 2018.
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Michael Good
Editor Test & Technology
