Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 34.2

While Jeanneau's production yachts don't stretch the boundaries of yacht design, they certainly honour traditional values. Rather than being showy and daring, these yachts are fun to sail and functional to live aboard.

Of course, Jeanneau has achieved good successes on the European racing circuit in years past - from taking out the Sailing Tour de France to the Route du Rhum -while in 1994 it gained ISO 9002 accreditation for its factory which turns out both power and sail craft.

Together, these virtues help explain why 60 Jeanneau yachts were sold at last year's Paris Boat Show. They also help define why some savvy local marine companies have decided the time is right to relaunch the brand here.

Pitched as upmarket, stylish and strong craft, Jeanneau's hulls are quite unlike that of some production yachts. These hulls are hand-laid with fully glassed-in bulkheads, stringers and cross-frames, often designed with computers, but always encased in Kevlar cloth to create a stiff monocoque-style structure.

Combined with all-teak interiors - cut by a computer which claims accuracy to within 0.1mm - Jeanneau yachts come with a five-year fully transferable hull guarantee and a year-long aftersales service program in Australia.

At the time of writing, a Sun Odyssey 34 and 36 footer had arrived in Sydney. Both a 40 and a 44-footer are also due to land and could well be on the water by the time you read this. Dealer Maurice Drent had planned a Jeanneau Boat Show at his base, the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia. Tellingly, the biggest problem Drent had was getting hold of stock. Such is demand.

Indeed, the Sun Odyssey 34.2 was deemed the fastest selling yacht in Europe. Incredibly, 250-odd sailed out of dealership floors in a year. Well-priced and roomy, the Jacque Faroux-designed all-rounder looks set to achieve greatness here as well. Or at least that's the theory...

ALL DECKED OUT
Deep and wide, the Sun Odyssey 34.2 is a high-volume handy-sized yacht with a keenness to sail and room to share the fun.

Though its deck hasn't the bold curves and bumps of other French yachts, its styling is still contemporary if not utilitarian.

The teak-lined cockpit is a good size, with a walk-through transom, handy boarding platform and user-friendly mouldings. The wheel, which comes with a big-boat binnacle for mounting gauges and compass, is flanked by L-shaped benches and comfortably-flat outer decks.

Able to seat at least six adults, the cockpit rolls into a flat coachhouse and past shrouds and genoa tracks mounted inboard. With integrated handrails and halyards on the coachhouse, moving forward in a headsea should be both tangle- and tumble-free.

Worth mentioning are a deep anchor locker, optional windlass, and pulpit offering support for the bowman. Being open-ended, it's also a way for passengers to leap aboard from a wharf.

Aft, the cockpit lockers are tremendously deep and include gas bottle and liferaft storage. And there's a freshwater deck shower, which is all you need if you're Gallic and sassy.

A SPACIOUS SALOON
While there is an optional third cabin layout (costing an extra $5000), the two cabin version holds greater appeal for the new-age yachting set.

For those empty-nesters long past catering for kids, the surfeit of space in the aft cabin and the washroom gives this 34-footer a bigger boat feel.

Down below, through the plexiglass hatch, there's a strong teak influence, but a choice of some 10 different fabrics ensures there's a finish for all tastes. Any fears one might have of the boat being dim are eclipsed by the big saloon windows, hatches (with retractable screens), and halogen downlights. Headroom is at least 1.85m.

The saloon includes a stylish semi-circular lounge around an elliptical table. The inboard side of the lounge has a sliding bench seat that can be tucked under the dinette to ensure free passage through to the forepeak cabin and plenty of room to cook up a storm.

Nice touches include a drinks cabinet, saloon cabinets and handholds to help your crew and galley slaves move about in a seaway. There's a small nav station conveniently located near the companionway and the helm on the starboard side tails off the lounge.

Though it isn't L-shaped and doesn't offer bracing at sea, the linear galley along the portside of the saloon is bigger than you'll find tucked away in most 34-footers. Big on teak cabinet and pantry space, it comes equipped with a 100lt fridge, two-burner gimballed stove/oven, twin stainless sinks and a useful amount of bench space.

A 23lt hot-water system was fitted as an option, but the 1.77m of headroom in the galley comes standard.

BIG TWIN CABINS
Sleepyheads will find it a toss-up between the forepeak cabin and the aft double cabin on the starboard side. While in port or anchored in calm water, the forepeak is perhaps the more cheery of the two.

A big deck hatch with ventilation draws air over a double berth measuring 1.4m x 2.0m. There's storage under the berth, in a deep hanging locker with shelving, and in a separate cupboard.

While the walls are teak-lined, the floor is carpeted and the 1.85m headroom is impressive for a 34-footer.

Where there's movement at your mooring or while nipping up the coast, sleep will come more easily in the big aft cabin on the starboard side. It gains in stability and has a bigger 2.0m x 1.85m mattress.

Cross ventilation comes from opening inner and outer ports, there's a hanging locker and storage on a shelf, and access to the 27hp Yanmar engine, battery, steering, fuel and water tanks.

Most impressive is the bathroom (it's much more than just a head) located near the companionway on the starboard side. Commodious and fully moulded, it features a big basin, clothes hook, towel rail, mirrors, storage cupboards, twin portholes, manual loo and a terrific hanging locker which lets you hang and drain your foulies.

Perfect for day sailing, cruising and racing around the cans with a few cans, the 34.2's two-cabin layout suits the owner/operator who wants something easy to berth. But if you're prepared to pay an extra $30,000 in survey, the three cabin version will bring more income when in charter.

SAILING DAYS
To be totally honest, I didn't have much of a sail. After all, it was late afternoon on Christmas Eve and drinks on dry land were beckoning. Also, this was the first time the 34.2 had been sailed since sliding off its cradle. To put it simply, things weren't quite set up yet.

Nevertheless, the masthead rig proved more powerful than I imagined. In 12-15kt of wind, with the headsail fully unfurled and the high cut, fully-battened main hoisted, the wide-bodied yacht displayed a willingness to knife through the water and was almost overpressed at times.

Fitted with the optional spinnaker pole and rigging, the 34.2 would make a pleasant club racer and a handy one-design twilight boat, should enough of them find a home in the same club or charter fleet. However, while there is a shallow-draft version for chartering, the deeper fin-bulb keel will sail better.

Like a good red, I guess time has stood Jeanneau in good stead. With a touch of class and less froth and bubble, Jeanneau is back with a more serious air about it. The 34.2 is an honest performer, ideal for a couple or a half-dozen midweek sailors, and well priced to boot.

I don't doubt it's a sign of bigger and bigger things to come...