On Test: Sun Fast 3300

Jeanneau’s Latest Sun Fast is a Whole Bundle of Fun

When Jeanneau decided it was time to replace their popular, 11-year-old Sun Fast 3200 they knew it was time to shake things up, so they invited Guillaume Verdier, designer of foiling IMOCAs, to collaborate with Daniel Andrieu, the Sun Fast’s original architect, and the result is an eyebrow-raising punchy pocket rocket.

Sailing from La Trinité the day after the boat had secured a podium position in the hugely competitive double-handed class at the Spi Ouest regatta. I found a boisterous and adventurous bundle of fun that made my face ache from grinning at the end of each downwind run.

The Sun Fast 3300 has a bold look, accentuated by an orange and grey wrap. It’s got a high volume reverse bow, full-length chines, chamfered toerail and a short, fixed bowsprit. From on deck, the fullness of the bow makes the boat seem short for a 33-footer. It reminds me of a Mini Transat yacht, the 21-footers raced solo across the Atlantic.

Despite the radical offshore looks the 3300 is designed to be versatile, for both inshore and offshore racing, fully crewed and short-handed. The concept was to retain simplicity, to make a boat that everyone will want to sail.

Punching upwind

We left the dock in a building breeze, tacking our way out of the channel in 16-18 knots, leaving both of the split backstays off to allow quick tacks among the buoys and the traffic. In the flat water of the channel the boat was easy to handle, and built speed quickly.

Once in open water I found beating into the oncoming waves on the 3300 a physical experience, as the big flat bow slapped the water. This upwind slamming is completely normal for a bow of this design and the ride can be made more comfortable by good, active helming.