BoatsJeanneau Sun Fizz 40

Jeanneau Sun Fizz 40

Masthead Sloop · Fin keel, spade rudder · 1980–1984

A Philippe Briand-designed masthead sloop also marketed as the O'Day 39 and 40, available in both fin and keel/centerboard.

Designed by Philippe Briand.

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

See her sail

The Jeanneau Sun Fizz 40, on the water

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

Footage from LE VOYAGE DE NAMASTE

Is it for you?

Character

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

LivelySea-kindly

Her moderate displacement on a moderate beam gives 24 — a moderate, middle-of-the-road motion.

Comfort ratio 24
CoastalBluewater

2.00 — right around the 2.0 line, the edge between coastal and offshore.

Capsize screening 2.00
LightHeavy

191 — moderately heavy for her waterline, a balanced cruising weight.

Displacement / length 191
EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 16.9
TenderStiff

41% of her weight is ballast — moderately stiff, a middle-of-the-road stability.

Ballast 41%

A balanced, easily-driven cruiser — comfortable and forgiving for coastal work.

What the fleet has seen

The Jeanneau Sun Fizz 40, as the fleet has seen it

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

The Jeanneau Sun Fizz 40 is a 12.3-meter masthead sloop designed by Philippe Briand and built by Jeanneau from 1980 to 1984, also sold in the US as the O'Day 39 and later O'Day 40. It features a fin keel with a spade rudder, and a keel/centerboard version was also available. Aboard *LE VOYAGE DE NAMASTE*, the crew sailed a Jeanneau Sun Fizz 40 from Malendur, Guadeloupe, to Virgin Gorda in the British Virgin Islands, maintaining 6 to 7.5 knots in 10 to 20 knots of wind using a poled-out genoa and solent jib.2:43 The crew later transited from Cayo Largo, Cuba, to the Cayman Islands, managing an autopilot failure with a temporary repair and battling mosquito infestations.12:06 After five months away, the crew returned to their boat in Guatemala to find it heavily fouled and undertook an interior refit, including rebuilding the forward cabin floor, replacing the galley countertop, and installing a new autopilot with updated wiring.0:58

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

The channels sailing this model, and where they were last seen.

LE VOYAGE DE NAMASTEClaire and Max document their ongoing circumnavigation aboard the sailboat Namasté, focusing on technical repairs, remote cruising, and the realities of life offshore.

Seen 41 times across one channel of the fleet.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

On the water

The Jeanneau Sun Fizz 40 on video

Boatlife welcome to the San Blas Islands S2/E13The crew of Namaste pays park fees in Porvenir before sourcing freshwater from a river in Nargana.LE VOYAGE DE NAMASTEWe escaped the pirates 🏴‍☠️! S2/EP12The crew of Namasté navigates from Roatán to Panama while avoiding piracy zones and managing battery failures.LE VOYAGE DE NAMASTESporty sailing and an unpleasant surprise upon our arrival in Utila S2/EP11The crew secures a visa extension in Roatan after immigration disputes over their original transit destination.LE VOYAGE DE NAMASTESailing in Belize and tsunami alert S2/EP10The crew of Namaste navigates the Belize barrier reef while managing a tsunami alert and upwind conditions.LE VOYAGE DE NAMASTEBack to the boat, repairs, and we visited Tikal S2/EP8After a lightning strike on Namasté, Max replaces the autopilot and rewires the full NMEA network in Guatemala.LE VOYAGE DE NAMASTESalkantay Trek to Machu Picchu S2/EP7Max and Claire hike the Salkantay Trek to reach Machu Picchu after four days of mountain travel.LE VOYAGE DE NAMASTEInto the Hell of the Potosi Mines S2/E6Max and Claire tour the silver mines of Potosi, Bolivia, while distributing supplies to local miners.LE VOYAGE DE NAMASTEOn the trail of the dinosaurs of the Maragua crater!!! S2/EP5Claire and Max hike 36 km to the Maragua crater near Sucré, nearly running out of water on day one.LE VOYAGE DE NAMASTESalar de Uyuni, the ultimate adventure in Bolivia S2/EP4.Claire and Max cross from Chile into Bolivia on a 3-day 4x4 circuit to the Salar de Uyuni.LE VOYAGE DE NAMASTEWhat to do in San Pedro de Atacama? S2/EP3At Licores Don Matteo in San Pedro de Atacama, Claire and Max hand-bottle Sirentour bitter from altitude-grown herbs.LE VOYAGE DE NAMASTEColca Canyon Trek: 3 days of adventure and beautiful encounters. S2/E2Claire and Max descend 1,200 meters into Peru's Colca Canyon on a three-day thermal-bath trek.LE VOYAGE DE NAMASTELaguna 69 hike, Peru reveals its most beautiful landscapes ❤️. S2/EP1Claire and Max hike to Laguna 69 in the Cordillera Blanca, reaching an altitude of 4,600 meters.LE VOYAGE DE NAMASTE

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 Sun Fizz 40 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
41.1%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Masthead Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
16.9
Displacement / length
191.2
Comfort ratio
23.9
Capsize screening
2.00
Hull speed
7.8 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
1512
Hull
Hull type
Fin w/spade rudder
Construction
Fiberglass
Ballast type
Iron
Production
Years built
1980–1984
Designer
Philippe Briand
Builder
Jeanneau

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Dufour Yachts 4012.32 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 12.32-metre fractional sloop featuring a 1.65-metre draft and a balanced 36% ballast ratio for coastal cruising
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The family

Boats like this

Nearby designs by size, type, and era — worth a look alongside her.

O'day 39A Philippe Briand-designed masthead sloop built under license from Jeanneau as the French Sun FizzGin Fizz 37A versatile Michel Joubert design offered in ketch or sloop rigs and multiple cockpit configurations.Jeanneau Sun Fast 40A 12-metre performance cruiser with a 1.93m draft and a balanced 18.93 sail-area-to-displacement ratioJeanneau Sun Odyssey 39A Jacques Fauroux-designed masthead sloop sharing its versatile hull with the Sun Fast and Sun Charm 39 seriesJeanneau Sun Fast 39A performance-oriented Jacques Fauroux design featuring a fractional rig and a high sail area-to-displacement ratioJeanneau Sun Odyssey 40A 12.2-metre masthead sloop with a high sail area-to-displacement ratio, designed for spirited performance cruising

Keep asking

The fleet has more to say

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