Sun Light 31
Jeanneau · Daniel Andrieu · 1986
Updated
The Sun Light 31 is a 9.20 m heavy displacement racing yacht designed by Daniel Andrieu and built by Jeanneau, first launched in 1986. It races in Class C.
Length
9.20 m
30′ 2″
Beam
3.20 m
Draft
1.52 m
Displacement
3.7 t
Sail area
49 m²
On the podium
Where a Sun Light 31 finishes when she goes racing.
1
Wins
0
Seconds
0
Thirds
5
Starts
Not enough races yet for a percentage — these are the counts so far. We keep collecting results, so this will fill in.
Read from 5 starts by 3 boats between 2017 and 2024, counting races with six boats or more.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a Sun Light 31 was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
Νικος Γκρανιας2024- Αιγεας2023
Trofeo Repsol CN Dehesa Campoamor2018- 60 Millas a Dos2017
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
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Not enough data yet: 1 race of 10 NM or less carry a published distance.
Offshore & coastal
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Not enough data yet: 4 races over 10 NM carry a published distance.
Who she races against
The designs a Sun Light 31 actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.
Met too few times for a figure:
Dromor 26 (3 meetings), Grand Soleil 343 (3 meetings), First 35 (Berret) (3 meetings), Sun Light 30 (3 meetings), Grand Soleil 43 (Design) (3 meetings), Yca 29 (3 meetings), Sun Odyssey 42.1 (3 meetings), Albin Ballad (3 meetings), First 44.7 (2 meetings), New Gambler 35 (2 meetings), Oceanis 331 (2 meetings), Rush 31 (2 meetings), Sigma 33 (2 meetings), Sun Odyssey 26 (2 meetings), Xp 44 (1 meeting), Bh 36 (1 meeting), IMX 40 (1 meeting), X-34 (1 meeting), First 40.7 (2 meetings), Elan 333 (1 meeting), Dufour 34 (1 meeting), Sun Odyssey 36 (1 meeting), Bavaria Match 35 (1 meeting), Dufour 410 (1 meeting), Dehler 34 (Stadt) (1 meeting), Dufour 334 (1 meeting), J/80 (1 meeting), X-332 (1 meeting), Vrolijk 37 (1 meeting), Maxi 95 (1 meeting), Toro 25 (1 meeting), First 27.7 (1 meeting), Sydney 40 (1 meeting), X-302 (1 meeting), X-99 (1 meeting), First 285 (1 meeting), Hanse 301 (1 meeting)
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
4.31
42°
Beam reach
7.36
90°
Broad reach
8.21
135°
Downwind VMG
7.13
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.
This design is even-tempered. It rewards preparation and crew work more than it rewards picking the right day.
Where it gains
Its best ground is cracked off in a working breeze, where it goes better than its measurements say it should. It holds that advantage on the beam as well, so the gain is not down to one leg of the course.
Where it pays
It falls short on the beat once it pipes up, 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 broad reach.
How fast is a Sun Light 31
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 2.91 | 4.00 | 4.38 | 4.31 |
| 52° | 4.53 | 5.94 | 6.37 | 6.39 |
| 60° | 4.82 | 6.16 | 6.56 | 6.64 |
| 75° | 5.00 | 6.33 | 6.78 | 7.01 |
| 90° | 5.04 | 6.49 | 6.94 | 7.36 |
| 110° | 5.16 | 6.66 | 7.30 | 7.89 |
| 120° | 5.00 | 6.58 | 7.30 | 8.23 |
| 135° | 4.50 | 6.28 | 7.07 | 8.21 |
| 150° | 3.82 | 5.65 | 6.67 | 7.72 |
| Run VMG | 3.31 | 4.93 | 6.09 | 7.13 |
How they are set up
The range each sail spans across the fleet.
Nearly all carry a folding propeller. A bowsprit is standard across the fleet. Crew weight is declared around 400 kg.
Rigging
Sun Light 31 rig and sail dimensions
A Sun Light 31 carries 10.70 m of mainsail hoist on a 3.31 m boom, a forestay 11.74 m above the deck and a 4.28 m bowsprit. Typical figures across the 3 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails
The spinnaker spreads widest of all — 60 to 70 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.