Review of Sun Odyssey 40.3

Basic specs.

The Sun Odyssey 40.3 aka Jeanneau 40.3 is a large sailboat designed by the French maritime architect Daniel Andrieu in the early 2000.

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Hull

Both the hull and the deck is made of fibreglass. Generally, a hull made of fibreglass requires only a minimum of maintenance during the sailing season.

Interior

The boat is equipped with 0 cabins and 7-9 berths.

Rig

The boat equipped with a masthead rig. The advantage of a masthead rig is its simplicity and the fact that a given sail area - compared with a fractional rig - can be carried lower and thus with less heeling moment.

Keel

The boat can enter most marinas as the draft is just about 1.50 - 1.60 meter (4.92 - 5.22 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.

Sailing characteristics

This section covers widely used rules of thumb to describe the sailing characteristics. Please note that even though the calculations are correct, the interpretation of the results might not be valid for extreme boats.

Stability and Safety

What is Capsize Screening Formula (CSF)?

The capsize screening value for Sun Odyssey 40.3 is 1.98, indicating that this boat could - if evaluated by this formula alone - be accepted to participate in ocean races.

EU classification

Sun Odyssey 40.3 holds three CE certifications:

If less than 9 in on board the boat is by European Union certified as Class A. OCEAN:

Designed for extended voyages where conditions may exceed wind force 8 (Beaufort scale) and significant wave heights of 4 m and above but excluding abnormal conditions, and vessels largely self-sufficient.

If less than 10 in on board the boat is by European Union certified as Class B. OFFSHORE:

Designed for offshore voyages where conditions up to, and including, wind force 8 (Beaufort scale) and significant wave heights up to, and including, 4 m may be experienced.

If less than 12 in on board the boat is by European Union certified as Class C. INSHORE:

Designed for voyages in coastal waters, large bays, estuaries, lakes and rivers where conditions up to, and including, wind force 6 (Beaufort scale) and significant wave heights up to, and including, 2 m may be experienced.

Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed

What is Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed?

The theoretical maximal speed of a displacement boat of this length is 8.0 knots. The term "Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed" is widely used even though a boat can sail faster. The term shall be interpreted as above the theoretical speed a great additional power is necessary for a small gain in speed.

Immersion rate

The immersion rate is defined as the weight required to sink the boat a certain level. The immersion rate for Sun Odyssey 40.3 is about 284 kg/cm, alternatively 1591 lbs/inch.
Meaning: if you load 284 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm. Alternatively, if you load 1591 lbs cargo on the boat it will sink 1 inch.

Sailing statistics

This section is statistical comparison with similar boats of the same category. The basis of the following statistical computations is our unique database with more than 26,000 different boat types and 350,000 data points.

Motion Comfort Ratio

What is Motion Comfort Ratio (MCR)?

The Motion Comfort Ratio for Sun Odyssey 40.3 is 24.6 - 24.9.

Comparing this ratio with similar sailboats show that it is more comfortable than 31% of all similar sailboat designs. This comfort value is just below average.

L/B (Length Beam Ratio)

What is L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?

The l/b ratio for Sun Odyssey 40.3 is 2.97.

Compared with other similar sailboats it is more spacy than 79% of all other designs. It seems that the designer has chosen a significantly more spacy hull design.

Ballast Ratio

What is a Ballast Ratio?

The ballast ratio for Sun Odyssey 40.3 is 32%.

This ballast ratio shows a righting moment that is higher than 15% of all similar sailboat designs. A righting moment (ability to resist heeling) significantly below average.

D/L (Displacement Length Ratio)

What is Displacement Length Ratio?

The DL-ratio for Sun Odyssey 40.3 is 180 which categorizes this boat among 'light racers'.

79% of all similar sailboat designs are categorized as heavier. A light displacement requires less sailarea and has higher accellerations.

SA/D (Sail Area Displacement ratio)

What is SA/D (Sail Area Displacement ratio)?

The SA/D for Sun Odyssey 40.3 with ISO 8666 reference sail is 16.1, with a 135% genua the SA/D is 18.9.

The SA/D ratio indicates that it is faster than 38% of all similar sailboat designs in light wind.

Over- / underrigged

The Sun Odyssey 40.3 has more rig than 98% of all similar sailboats, which indicates that the boat is significantly overrigged.

Maintenance

Bottom Paint

When buying anti-fouling bottom paint, it's nice to know how much to buy. The surface of the wet bottom is about 44m² (473 ft²).
Based on this, your favourite maritime shop can tell you the quantity you need.

Note: If you use a paint roller you will need more paint than if you use a paintbrush.

Rig

Dimensions of sail for masthead rig.

Are your sails worn out? You might find your next sail here: Sails for Sale

If you need to renew parts of your running rig and is not quite sure of the dimensions, you may find the estimates computed below useful.

**Guiding dimensions of running rig**
Usage	Length		Diameter
Mainsail halyard	34.3 m	(112.5 feet)	12 mm	(1/2 inch)
Jib/genoa halyard	34.3 m	(112.5 feet)	12 mm	(1/2 inch)
Spinnaker halyard	34.3 m	(112.5 feet)	12 mm	(1/2 inch)
Jib sheet	11.8 m	(38.5 feet)	14 mm	(0.55 inch)
Genoa sheet	11.8 m	(38.5 feet)	14 mm	(0.55 inch)
Mainsheet	29.4 m	(96.4 feet)	14 mm	(0.55 inch)
Spinnaker sheet	25.9 m	(84.8 feet)	14 mm	(0.55 inch)
Cunningham	4.8 m	(15.7 feet)	12 mm	(1/2 inch)
Kickingstrap	9.6 m	(31.5 feet)	12 mm	(1/2 inch)
Clew-outhaul	9.6 m	(31.5 feet)	12 mm	(1/2 inch)

Boat owner's ideas

This section shown boat owner's changes, improvements, etc. Here you might find inspiration for your boat.

Do you have changes/improvements you would like to share? Upload a photo and describe what to look for.

Finally

We are always looking for new photos. If you can contribute with photos for Sun Odyssey 40.3 it would be a great help.

If you have any comments to the review, improvement suggestions, or the like, feel free to contact us. Criticism helps us to improve.

References

[Ref 1]: ISO 8666 Small craft — Principal data.
[Ref 3]: ISO 12215-5 Small craft — Hull construction and scantlings.