BoatsJeanneau 34.2

Jeanneau 34.2

Masthead Sloop · Fin keel, spade rudder · First built 1999

A Jacques Fauroux-designed masthead sloop widely favored for Mediterranean and Aegean charter fleets

Designed by Jacques Fauroux.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Ballast
Hull type
Fin w/spade Rudder

See her sail

The Jeanneau 34.2, on the water

The fleet's own footage — the truest look at how she really moves.

Footage from The Sailing Doodles Podcast

Is it for you?

Character

Where this design lands on the numbers a shopper trusts — read straight from her own ratios.

LivelySea-kindly

Her light displacement on a moderate beam gives 22 — a moderate, middle-of-the-road motion.

Comfort ratio 22
CoastalBluewater

1.98 — just under the 2.0 offshore line; her beam is modest for her weight.

Capsize screening 1.98
LightHeavy

178 — light for her waterline, so she is easily driven and quick to accelerate.

Displacement / length 178
EasygoingPowered-up

16.1 — moderate power for her weight; steady, all-round performance.

Sail area / displacement 16.1
TenderStiff

33% of her weight is ballast — on the tender side; she'll heel readily and want a reef sooner.

Ballast 33%

Light and lively — happiest day-sailing and coastal-hopping in settled weather.

What the fleet has seen

The Jeanneau 34.2, as the fleet has seen it

Derived from the videos the fleet has analysed of this model. ▶ marks open the moment aboard.

The Jeanneau 34.2 is a 10.3-meter masthead sloop designed by Jacques Fauroux and built by Jeanneau from 1999 onward, often marketed as the SUN ODYSSEY 34.2 in Europe. This fin-keeled sailboat, displacing 4650 kg, was popular in the European, Mediterranean, and Aegean charter trade, with the STARDUST 342 and 343 also based on its design. Aboard a Jeanneau 34.2, a Golden Globe Race 2026 entrant sailed south off the West African coast at five to six knots, navigating by dead reckoning to clear Cap Blanc and then setting a course for Trindade Island, 2,600 miles away.6:34 This skipper noted Raymarine LCD screens failed in rain while screenless Simrad units survived, and found a tiller pilot more effective than a Hydrovane wind-vane for light air and spinnaker sailing.1:12:10

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Seen 4 times across 4 channels of the fleet.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

What broke, what changed

Gear aboard, as the crews told it

Moments from individual boats of this model that the fleet has filmed — one crew, one piece of kit, one day on the water. Not a review of the class, and not a count of anything.

Each line is one crew's account of their own boat. Another Jeanneau 34.2 may be fitted out entirely differently.

The record

Full specifications

The complete reference set — tap any figure to switch between metric and imperial.

Dimensions
Weights
Ballast / displacement
32.7%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Masthead Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
16.1
Displacement / length
178.3
Comfort ratio
21.8
Capsize screening
1.98
Hull speed
7.3 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
1133
Hull
Hull type
Fin w/spade rudder
Construction
Fiberglass
Production
Years built
First built 1999
Designer
Jacques Fauroux
Builder
Jeanneau

Boats like this, on the water

More boats like her, on the water

Comparable boats the fleet has on camera: same type, within a quarter of her length. Open the boat, or watch the video — a timestamp means she only appears in passing.

Beneteau 33110.34 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 10.34-meter masthead sloop featuring a fin-and-bulb keel and a balanced displacement for coastal cruising
Hanse Yachts 34210.35 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 2006 performance cruiser with a 19.44 sail-area-to-displacement ratio for spirited light-air handling
Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 34910.34 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Marc Lombard-designed fractional sloop featuring a modern hull with dual rudders for responsive, stable cruising
X-Yachts X-3410.36 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Niels Jeppesen-designed fractional sloop balancing performance and comfort with a stiff, bulb-keeled hull
Hallberg-Rassy 34210.32 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA German Frers-designed fractional sloop balancing a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio with Hallberg-Rassy comfort
Beneteau 3410.34 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 2008 production cruiser featuring a modern fin-and-bulb hull and a 7.42-knot hull speed for efficient coastal sailing

The family

Related models

The designs closest to hers — usually the rest of the builder's range, sometimes the same hull sold under another name.

Keep asking

The fleet has more to say

Search what's been said about the Jeanneau 34.2, or ask a specific question — the answer comes back written out, with links to the moments it draws on.

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