Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 33

A Jeanneau cruiser from Daniel Andrieu, no longer built, offered in 2 or 3 cabin layouts, a good fit for families wanting real living space on a 33-footer.

Jeanneau stopped building the Sun Odyssey 33 some time ago, but she's still a boat people ask us about, mainly because of how much accommodation she fits on a 9.98 m hull. At the time Jeanneau described her as the only yacht under 10 metres with 4 rooms.

She came in two layouts. The 3-cabin version gives each cabin a large hanging locker, a fair bit of floor space and portholes for air. Its galley is an in-line, American-style arrangement with plenty of stowage, and the settee runs on a track so the saloon can be fully closed off. Go for the 2-cabin boat and the saloon is set athwartships, with a bigger L-shaped galley to port that has a large worktop, a gimballed stove, drawers and lockers.

In both, the saloon has good headroom and a settee that makes up into a double. There are eleven hatches and ports, so it's light and well ventilated down below. The joinery is finished with solid teak mouldings and fascias, and the layout is sensibly worked out all the way from the chart table to the heads.

Daniel Andrieu drew her to have character, a responsive helm and a turn of speed, and her polars back that up. Sail handling is kept simple. The cockpit is free of the main traveller, the winches sit on the coachroof, the rigging is recessed and the genoa furler is tucked below the deck line. A wheel was fitted at the factory, and a furling main was available as an option.

When you stop for the day there's a sundeck on the foredeck and a generous cockpit, which could be specified with a removable table. The transom extension has a swim ladder built in, and the side decks are broad enough to walk forward without catching yourself on anything.

She measures 10.3 m overall, draws 1.97 m, is rated for a maximum of 6 people, and carries 65 l of fuel and 290 l of fresh water.