Jeanneau Sun Fast 52

A 15.56 m Jeanneau performance yacht, no longer built, designed for fast sailing with a simple deck and furling sails that a small crew can manage.

The Sun Fast 52 was built to go quickly without making hard work of it. She's light for her size, and her generous sail area is handled on two furling systems, so setting and reducing sail doesn't need a big crew on deck.

Much of that thinking came from Philippe Poupon, Jeanneau's technical adviser at the time, who had spent years racing solo. His idea of fast, easy sailing shaped the light displacement, the furlers and the uncluttered deck layout. The design work was done by the team at Philippe Briand Yacht Design, and it took thousands of hours to get her right.

She measures 15.56 m overall, the hull length is the same, and she draws 2.65 m. That's a deep keel, so you'll want to keep an eye on depths when choosing harbours and anchorages.

Jeanneau's builders put her together with a lot of care, and the finish was something they set out to get right. Jeanneau no longer builds the Sun Fast 52, so any boat you look at now will be one that's already been sailed.