Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 45.2

Jeanneau just keeps on delivering. Be it a small homemarket powerboat or a 50ft yacht, the French manufacturer has a reputation for consistently serving up the very best in boats.

Trade-A-Boat got a generous offering of Jeanneau's wares when it tested the flagship Sun Odyssey 45.2 - an all-round aft-cockpit performance cruiser that exudes class and refinement.

From the TV antenna at the top of the 45.2's mast to the magnificent main saloon this is a yacht that mixes creature comforts with sailing savvy and confidence. It therefore came as no surprise when European Marine (Vic)'s David Spriggs welcomed me at Pier 35 on Melbourne's Yarra River like the cat that ate the cream. For he's unashamedly aware that European Marine has backed a winner, given that Jeanneau has long been one of the best-selling yacht lines in the world. Thus with the billy on the boil, we motorsailed European's drop-dead gorgeous demonstration 45.2, Francesca of Sydney, down the Yarra to a brisk Port Phillip Bay 15-18kt southwester.

LAUNCHED A FACE
M.Henri Jeanneau sowed the Jeanneau seed when he founded his company in 1956 building small, outboard-powered boats. By the 1970s Jeanneau was producing fibreglass yachts, and by late 1995, purchase of the company by Beneteau formed the world's largest sailboat group.

Though still owned by Beneteau, Jeanneau is operated as a completely independent brand with separate production facilities and distribution networks. It is proud to claim that its yachts - which range from 17-52ft - are built to the highest international production specifications for long life and value.

The Sun Odyssey 45.2 is certainly high quality and a very attractive package with its performance-orientated hull, clean, modern lines and an interior that has the sex and sass to blow your thermal socks off. Not to mention more teak than your average Burmese rainforest...

The 45.2 comes standard with working sails - a self-furling main that doesn't need battens and a high-cut, furling genoa with enough grunt to power the moderate-displacement, high-freeboard hull through an ocean seaway.

To give you some idea how slippery the kevlar-reinforced hull is, Spriggs recounts how the yacht's two-handed maiden delivery voyage from Sydney to Melbourne took just four days, with the vessel surfing to 14kts on a broad reach in 30kts-plus of breeze.

Sure, there's a performance trade-off with the furling main, but it is, without a doubt, more important for cruise-moders to easily reduce or increase sail than worry about sail shape and reef slabs on raceday.

Push a button on the 45.2's cabin top, and the main will furl or unfurl -- all you have to do is tail or ease a sheet on the Harken 44 winch and the self-furler will do its thing. The genoa isn't electric, but the Profurl and Harken two-speed primary winches make light work of grinding its 58sqm in or out.

With the 'genny' about 165% vis-a-vis the main (35sqm), the Sun Odyssey fanged along uphill and made light work of the Port Phillip Bay chop as it hovered around 6kt in 18kt apparent wind. When cracked off, it settled at 7-8kt in 19kt apparent wind.

The leather-bound twin wheels are a delight to use. The 45.2 holds its beam well aft into the cockpit area, so twin wheels are undoubtedly a better set-up than a single wheel, as the latter would have to be huge for efficient steering.

In fact the biggest 'problem' you have in steering the beamy sloop is when you take your eyes off the instruments - you don't realise how fast you are moving! It's a short hop from wheel to wheel and steering from both sides gives you the chance to look beyond the spray dodger which, despite its clears, will get the better of any helmsman with a hankering for sail trim and speed.

With the testboat's Brookes and Gatehouse Hydra Pilot autopilot in action, one person could tack the boat from the protection of the spray dodger.

Sadly for this boattester, a spinnaker pole and sheets hung used on Francesca's Sparcraft Performance mast - the kite (all 130sqm of it) had been left behind in Sydney.

THE UNDERWORLD
Below the water, the 45.2 has a standard bulbed fin keel with a 2m draft and a well-balanced rudder. A 'shallow keel' option is available with a draft of 1.60m.

Francesca of Sydney is fully kitted-out with Jeanneau's deluxe package, which basically means a luxury fitout above and below decks.

The standard 45.2's deck instruments, for example, would consist of two compasses and engine instruments. You don't get a teak deck or wind instruments with the standard package.

The testboat's wind gear was definitely deluxe, with the aforementioned pilot and B&G H2000 log and GPS Plus 12. The TV antenna takes precedence over a masthead wind vane, which gives you some idea of this boat's luxury bent.

Circle the 45.2's deck a couple of times and you begin to fully appreciate the wide walkaround areas Jeanneau has cleverly incorporated into this 45-footer. A beam of 4.48m makes all the difference to a boat of this length. And inboard shrouds not only promote close sheeting and easy bow access; they also lend to a teak-freeway feeling. Compare 45-footers of yesteryear with a 12 or 13ft beam, where there's seemingly half the space above and below decks.

A step in the pulpit doubles as a comfortable prow-like place to sit and enjoy a full frontal view of the scenery ahead.

The 45.2's sail controls lead aft to cabin-top mounted Spinlock jammers and Harken winches. Adjustable genoa leads are also Harken, with the kicking strap rigid. The mainsheet traveller is forward of the companionway and dodger, with the sheeting mid-boom.

The 45.2's deck has a remarkable 12 opening hatches, yet is free of sharp angles or hard spots. Offshore quality Goiot ports are plentiful.

SUN WORSHIP
The 45.2's cockpit, meanwhile, has party written all over it. Centrestage is a laminated teak table with drink holders and a built-in icebox. The table is enormous when the leaves are opened out. Comfortably angled cockpit seats beg to be slept on and port and starboard cockpit lockers are generous in size.

Two stainless steel LPG gas bottles are housed in the port aft locker, while a floor hatch gives easy access to a hotwater service that heats up from the engine water and/or shorepower. And, yes, there's plenty of room for a generator here.

The yacht's smallish steering wheels (90cm diameter) make for easy access to knee-high swing doors at the stern. Swing the doors open and it's a simple step down to a swim platform where cruising crew members can sit and trail their feet in the water on a hot day.

Sun worshipping and swimming is further helped by a telescopic swim ladder and there's a freshwater shower to wash the saltwater away, while a split backstay further improves stern access.

SPACE ODYSSEY
Below decks, this 45.2 is impressive to say the least. Jeanneau offer several cabin arrangements, with our testboat featuring a single cabin forward and two double cabins aft.

If you were thinking of putting your 45.2 into charter, you might opt for two cabins forward, chairs or a lounge seat, an office in the forward or aft cabin, and so on. You can also choose the finest leather or other fabrics and custom cabinetry throughout.

On stepping below, the first word to come to my lips was wow! We're talking Teak City here and the fitout and ambience is superb.

In the main saloon an oversized wraparound dinette seats four or five people, with lockers behind for storage. There's a dinette settee to port and a full-sized, leaved table for wining and dining.

Lighting and ventilation is excellent with overhead hatches, cabin ports and spotlights aplenty. Sky Shades are standard on every overhead hatch.

The saloon is designed 'around' the portside galley. This includes a two-burner Eno stove with oven (that can be locked or gimbaled), double stainless steel sinks, pressure hot/cold water and abundant counter space and storage. The 12-volt fridge is battery-powered so you won't have to keep the engine running to keep the champagne cold.

The fridge is partitioned with a fan blowing cool air from one side to the other.

A separate bar area is neatly tucked away beside the stainless steel mast support and Royal Mariner quartz clock and barometer.

To starboard of the stairwell is the navigation station - the most comfortable and well appointed I have seen on a cruising yacht. There's room for a host of electronics and, at a pinch, you could set up a mini-office with a laptop computer and printer - such is the space.

Jeanneau has cocked the chart table and seat at just the right angle for wedging yourself in during high sea sailing. The under-table footrest is, however, too high in this tester's opinion.

The testboat's electrics and electronics panel includes circuit breakers, voltmeters, ammeters, Sea 322 HF/SSB radiotelephone, ICOM VHF, a water flowmeter with a reset button, and water pump gauges including bilge, water press, shower and drains. And neatly tucked away amongst all this was a JVC CD player.

North Sydney's Nokes Boat and Ship Yard fitted-out the testboat.

Many switches on the 45.2 are labelled in French and English. Some are not. The companionway 'Guindeau' switch for example is, I discovered, 'the anchor winch cutout switch'...

The aft head is located to port of the stairwell. Completely moulded in fibreglass, you can splash water around to your heart's content.

Aft, there are two full-sized double berth cabins with a surprising amount of storage and sleeping space. Ventilation and lighting are exceptional. Jeanneau says one of these aft cabins could be converted to an office/study or utility room/workshop.

Access to the 80hp Yanmar JH(2) Series diesel is a three-way thing: via the companionway steps or from each aft cabin.

The engine bay is fully soundproofed, with the motor mounted on a galvanized steel bracket. The stuffing box is dripless and 'maintenance-free'.

Fuel capacity is 205lt and there is a 600lt water onboard.

Head to the forward cabin, and the wow factor continues. This cabin features a full-sized island berth with Bed Flex battens for a superior sleep and squeak-free support.

The berth's mirrored headboard enhances the feeling of space and folds down to give access to the bow's sail and anchor chain storage bin. Storage lockers are lined; there are four skylights and two sealed ports. The forward cabin's mirrored vanity with its retractable seat could double as a TV pedestal if you swept the lippy aside. Not to mention the cabin's piece de resistance - an en suite-like head with a sliding curved door that encloses a separate shower.

The 45.2 comes with a comprehensive owner's manual with wiring and plumbing diagrams, engine installation documentation, cable pipe positioning for optional extras and other valuable information about the yacht's fitout.

For those of you who are in the market for a luxurious and fast passagemaker, the Sun Odyssey 45.2 offers an excellent choice. Jump on a Jeanneau and viva le difference!