Sun Fizz 40
Jeanneau · Philippe Briand · 1981
Updated
The Sun Fizz 40 is a 11.74 m heavy displacement racing yacht designed by Philippe Briand and built by Jeanneau, first launched in 1981. It races in Class C.
Length
11.74 m
38′ 6″
Beam
3.77 m
Draft
1.92 m
Displacement
7.8 t
Sail area
77 m²
On the podium
Where a Sun Fizz 40 finishes when she goes racing.
On the podium
12%
of 33 starts by 2 boats
Wins
0%
Read from 33 starts by 2 boats between 2017 and 2026, counting races with six boats or more.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a Sun Fizz 40 was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
Aegean Regatta2026- Kypello Voreiou Aigaiou2026
- Aegean Regatta2025
- 22th Aegean Regatta2023
- Aegean Regatta2022
Raced one we are missing?
Report a regattaRound the buoys, or offshore
A short windward-leeward and a night at sea ask different things of a boat. Here is how this one does in each.
Round the buoys
—
Not enough data yet: 9 races of 10 NM or less carry a published distance.
Offshore & coastal
12%
of these races end on the podium
Who she races against
The designs a Sun Fizz 40 actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.
Also met, too few times for a figure:
Grand Soleil 45 (Judel/Vrolijk) (5 meetings), First 38 (5 meetings), Hallberg Rassy 26 (5 meetings)
Some of the boats it races against
How the Sun Fizz 40 has fared against each of them, boat against boat on corrected time. Ordered by how often the two meet, not by who wins.
Speed at every angle
The shape of this design's speed, drawn from the measured fleet. Pick a wind and watch it stretch.
Upwind VMG
4.93
41°
Beam reach
8.02
90°
Broad reach
8.66
135°
Downwind VMG
7.67
170°
Speed in knots at 20 knots of true wind. Green marks the angles that pay: the closest useful beat and the deepest run worth sailing.
Where it wins and where it pays
Every boat is judged against its own measurements — length, weight, sail area. The quicker those say it should be, the more it has to deliver just to break even. Going fast is not enough: it has to go faster than its own numbers promised.
There is no obvious weak spot here. It rewards preparation and crew work more than it rewards picking the right day.
Where it gains
Its best ground is on a reach once the breeze fills, where it goes better than its measurements say it should, and by a margin worth having. It holds that advantage off the wind as well, so the gain is not down to one leg of the course.
Where it pays
It falls short off the wind in a strong breeze, giving away time it never gets back. That is weight that has to be driven rather than released.
Above the line it delivers more than promised and gains on the fleet. Below, it falls short. Move the wind: plenty of boats sit on one side in the light and the other when it blows.
Full width is 0.4 kn either way.
At 10 knots this design makes back more than its rating asks on the beam reach.
How fast is a Sun Fizz 40
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 3.02 | 4.25 | 4.79 | 4.93 |
| 52° | 4.71 | 6.36 | 6.97 | 7.15 |
| 60° | 5.01 | 6.62 | 7.19 | 7.40 |
| 75° | 5.22 | 6.82 | 7.41 | 7.74 |
| 90° | 5.14 | 6.89 | 7.51 | 8.02 |
| 110° | 5.20 | 7.05 | 7.77 | 8.38 |
| 120° | 5.02 | 6.96 | 7.78 | 8.68 |
| 135° | 4.51 | 6.56 | 7.60 | 8.66 |
| 150° | 3.82 | 5.88 | 7.21 | 8.23 |
| Run VMG | 3.31 | 5.12 | 6.48 | 7.67 |
How they are set up
The range each sail spans across the fleet.
Most run a fixed propeller. Crew weight is declared around 500 kg.
Rigging
Sun Fizz 40 rig and sail dimensions
A Sun Fizz 40 carries 13.34 m of mainsail hoist on a 4.30 m boom, a forestay 14.75 m above the deck and a 4.06 m bowsprit. Typical figures across the 4 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails
The spinnaker spreads widest of all — 92 to 100 m² depending on bowsprit and set-up. Before ordering a sail, read the figure on your own measurement record rather than the typical one for the design.