Built of hand-laid fiberglass without a core, the 43 hull, like other Jeanneau sailboats, is stiffened with laminated-wood longitudinal stringers and ring frames and without structural liners. .

The Sun Odyssey 43 is designed with families and charter guests in mind.An L-shaped galley and U-shaped dinette, each to starboard, provide ample room for guests and those tending to them, as do two separate heads. Standing headroom in the cabin ranges from 6 feet 2 inches to 6 feet 11 inches.

The cockpit’s been created with a mind toward opening one clear path from the companionway past the helm and over the transom for swimming and dinghy access. Twin helm stations leave the center alley open, and the middle section of the helm seat drops down to clear the way. A mid ships cockpit table provides a foot brace under sail. One drawback to the cockpit arrangement is that the mainsheet traveler and winch mounted on the cabin top, can’t be reached from the helm. The boom is quite high—a good thing for noggin clearance but at the expense of raising the rig’s center of effort. All sail handling lines from the mast run through stoppers on the cabin top and their tails drop down the companionway.

The deck is low profile, offering an easy step from side deck to cabin top.

Tenders & Toys

Features