SUN FAST 3300 BEAUTIFUL AND FAST

This year was a great year in what regards fast small racer-cruisers, boats that are more used to race than to cruise and one of them was the Sunfast 3300.

The new boat is faster than the previous one (3200) but it has needed some adjustments: it has received bigger rudders and to be competitive in solo/duo sailing, water ballast (it seems that the WB system still needs some improvements).

Its racing career on the big classics started well on the Spi-Ouest (two handed) being 2nd, in compensated and real time behind a JPK 10.80 but beating its rival, the JPK 10.30 that won one of the races but was handicapped by problems due to lack of tuning (the boat was launched just some days before).   

Anyway the Spi Ouest was this year raced on atypical conditions with weak winds, being some races cancelled due to lack of it.

JPK 10.30

Then the 3300 was beaten by the 10.30 on the Fastnet and on the Quadra Solo/duo Med. 

On the Quadra Solo/Duo they have not competed on the same class, the JPK 10.30 won the solo division and the Sun Fast 3300 was beaten on the duo division by a JPK 10.10 (the model the JPK 10.30 replaced) but I would say mostly due to the inconsistency of the results on the several legs.

The next big battle between the two in major races will be on the Middle Sea Race  where we will see two very good teams racing them, the 10.30 skippered by Laurent Camprubi and the 3300 by Mallaret. The Middle Sea Race starts next Saturday and I will be following it.

 Lots of interesting sailboats racing this edition. Besides these  two we will have a very well sailed Grand Soleil 34, a MMW33 and several JPK and Sun Fast as well as many Jboats, but unfortunately not the new 99, that seems to be a step behind the new JPK and the new Sun Fast in what concerns performance.

 It is going to be interesting to see how fast performance cats, used almost exclusively for racing (and that do the Fastnet) will perform on the med waters and this year the conditions will be Med typical, lots of upwind sailing, weak winds and strong ones will be met.

 And on on the two handed division how the Pogos 36 will perform against the JPK 10.80/Sunfast 3600 and the Pogo 12.50 against a J122.

 Without doubt the Sun Fast 3300 is a great sailboat, faster than its predecessor the 3200 and faster than the JPK 10.10. The only problem for the Sun Fast 3300 is the JPK 10.30 that seems to be just a bit faster overall and has a better handicap.

The JPK 10.30 interieur

It is yet too soon to make a definitive evaluation because the races where the two boats raced together, with top crews, are few. It is yet to be seen if the JPK 10.30 will leave the Sun Fast 3300 on its shadow, the same way the JPK 10.10 has done with the Sun fast 3200 (that nonetheless is a great sailboat too).

It remains to be said that while both boats have interiors mostly thought for ocean racing the one of the JPK is nicer and more adapted to cruising and many racers like to do some summer coastal cruising with the family.