Sun Shine 38
Jeanneau · Tony Castro · 1982
Updated
The Sun Shine 38 is a 11.09 m heavy displacement racing yacht designed by Tony Castro and built by Jeanneau, first launched in 1982. It races in Class C. Across the measured fleet it goes better than its own numbers promise, ahead of 45% of the designs it races against.
Goes better than its own measurements promise, and does it better than 45% of the boats it races against.
88th of 159 in its class.
This design has been found in real race results — 21 starts across 11 events — not only in measurement files.
Length
11.09 m
36′ 5″
Beam
3.81 m
Draft
1.93 m
Displacement
6.0 t
Sail area
69 m²
On the podium
Where a Sun Shine 38 finishes when she goes racing.
On the podium
0%
of 21 starts by 3 boats
Wins
0%
Read from 21 starts by 3 boats between 2020 and 2026, counting races with six boats or more.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a Sun Shine 38 was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
"Αγκιστρι 2026"2026- Memorial Koumiotis2024
Regata de los Descubridores2024- "Ειρηνης & Φιλιας - Βαθυ Μεθανων"2023
- "Agistri 2023"2023
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: no races of 10 NM or less carry a published distance.
Offshore & coastal
0%
of these races end on the podium
Who she races against
The designs a Sun Shine 38 actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.
Also met, too few times for a figure:
Gin Fizz (7 meetings), Dufour 33 (7 meetings), Maxi 95 (7 meetings), Sun Odyssey 36 (7 meetings), Sun Odyssey 40 (7 meetings), Oceanis 37 (7 meetings), Dufour 36 (7 meetings), Sun Odyssey 45.1 (7 meetings)
Some of the boats it races against
How the Sun Shine 38 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
4.97
39°
Beam reach
7.92
90°
Broad reach
8.66
135°
Downwind VMG
7.61
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 downwind in a working breeze, where it outruns what it looks like on paper. It holds that advantage upwind as well, so the gain is not down to one leg of the course.
Where it pays
It falls short on a broad reach when it blows, 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 Shine 38
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 3.12 | 4.36 | 4.87 | 4.97 |
| 52° | 4.82 | 6.42 | 6.94 | 7.06 |
| 60° | 5.12 | 6.62 | 7.11 | 7.29 |
| 75° | 5.32 | 6.79 | 7.30 | 7.62 |
| 90° | 5.20 | 6.89 | 7.45 | 7.92 |
| 110° | 5.31 | 7.03 | 7.74 | 8.41 |
| 120° | 5.14 | 6.94 | 7.70 | 8.77 |
| 135° | 4.63 | 6.62 | 7.49 | 8.66 |
| 150° | 3.96 | 6.02 | 7.17 | 8.24 |
| Run VMG | 3.42 | 5.24 | 6.51 | 7.61 |
How they are set up
The range each sail spans across the fleet.
Most run a fixed propeller. Crew weight is declared around 450 kg.
Rigging
Sun Shine 38 rig and sail dimensions
A Sun Shine 38 carries 12.18 m of mainsail hoist on a 4.05 m boom, a forestay 13.88 m above the deck and a 5.00 m bowsprit. Typical figures across the 8 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails
The spinnaker spreads widest of all — 74 to 106 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.