Sun Odyssey 45
Jeanneau · Philippe Briand · 2004
Updated
The Sun Odyssey 45 is a 13.72 m displacement racing yacht designed by Philippe Briand and built by Jeanneau, first launched in 2004. It races in Class B. Across the measured fleet it goes better than its own numbers promise, ahead of 3% of the designs it races against. It comes alive as the breeze builds, and gives time away in the light.
Goes better than its own measurements promise, and does it better than 3% of the boats it races against.
89th of 92 in its class.
This design has been found in real race results — 60 starts across 20 events — not only in measurement files.
Length
13.72 m
45′ 0″
Beam
4.38 m
Draft
2.04 m
Displacement
9.9 t
Sail area
95 m²
On the podium
Where a Sun Odyssey 45 finishes when she goes racing.
On the podium
18%
of 60 starts by 6 boats
Wins
3%
Read from 60 starts by 6 boats between 2016 and 2026, counting races with six boats or more.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a Sun Odyssey 45 was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
6η Regatta Σαρωνικού2026- Friendship Regatta2026
- Κασίδι2026
Helsinki Tallinna Race2026- AHEPA Cup Perama2026
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: 6 races of 10 NM or less carry a published distance.
Offshore & coastal
4%
of these races end on the podium
Who she races against
The designs a Sun Odyssey 45 actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.
Some of the boats it races against
How the Sun Odyssey 45 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
5.44
41°
Beam reach
8.96
90°
Broad reach
9.61
135°
Downwind VMG
7.86
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.
It does most things without giving much away. It rewards preparation and crew work more than it rewards picking the right day.
Where it gains
Its best ground is on the beam in a strong breeze, where it goes better than its measurements say it should, and by a margin worth having.
Where it pays
It falls short running deep when it blows, giving away time it never gets back. That is a displacement hull working to its designed speed.
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 0.6 kn either way.
At 10 knots this design makes back more than its rating asks on the beam reach.
How fast is a Sun Odyssey 45
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 3.23 | 4.62 | 5.28 | 5.44 |
| 52° | 5.06 | 6.94 | 7.69 | 7.92 |
| 60° | 5.45 | 7.24 | 7.93 | 8.21 |
| 75° | 5.71 | 7.45 | 8.17 | 8.66 |
| 90° | 5.62 | 7.67 | 8.43 | 8.96 |
| 110° | 5.69 | 7.81 | 8.70 | 9.74 |
| 120° | 5.47 | 7.66 | 8.62 | 9.96 |
| 135° | 4.86 | 7.12 | 8.30 | 9.61 |
| 150° | 4.06 | 6.25 | 7.70 | 8.82 |
| Run VMG | 3.52 | 5.42 | 6.69 | 7.86 |
How they are set up
The range each sail spans across the fleet.
Roughly half carry a folding propeller. A bowsprit is standard across the fleet. Crew weight is declared around 700 kg.
Rigging
Sun Odyssey 45 rig and sail dimensions
A Sun Odyssey 45 carries 15.38 m of mainsail hoist on a 5.30 m boom, a forestay 16.53 m above the deck and a 4.96 m bowsprit. Typical figures across the 15 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails
The spinnaker spreads widest of all — 102 to 140 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.