Review of Sun Odyssey 41 DS

The hull is made of hand laid fibreglass. A hull made of hand laid fibreglass requires only a minimum of maintenance during the sailing season.

The boat is equipped with 2 cabins, 4+2 berths and 330 liters (87 US gallons, 72 imperial gallons) fresh water capacity.

The headroom is above average

The interior is like most other boats made of teak. Teak has the advantage of being naturally very oily and therefore water-repellent, which is suitable on boats.

The Sun Odyssey 41 DS is built with a fractional rig. A fractional rig has smaller headsails which make tacking easier, which is an advantage for cruisers and racers, of course. The downside is that having the wind from behind often requires a gennaker or a spinnaker for optimal speed.

Fin keel

The Sun Odyssey 41 DS is built with a fin keel. The fin keel is the most common keel and provides splendid manoeuvrability. The downside is that it has less directional stability than a long keel.

The boat can only enter major marinas as the draft is about 2.06 - 2.16 meter (6.76 - 7.06 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.

The fuel tank has a capacity of 200 liters (52 US gallons, 43 imperial gallons).

The Sun Odyssey 41 DS has been equipped with different engine alternatives.

Alternative 1:

Sun Odyssey 41 DS may be equipped with an inboard Yanmar 4JH57-CR diesel engine at 57 hp (42 kW). Calculated max speed is about 7.7 knots

The transmission is a saildrive.

Alternative 2:

The boat may be equipped with an inboard Yanmar 4JH45-CR diesel engine at 45 hp (33 kW). Calculated max speed is about 6.8 knots

The transmission is a saildrive.

What is Capsize Screening Formula (CSF)?

The capsize screening value for Sun Odyssey 41 DS is 1.95, indicating that this boat could - if evaluated by this formula alone - be accepted to participate in ocean races.

Sun Odyssey 41 DS holds three CE certifications:

If less than 7 in on board the boat is by European Union certified as Class A. OCEAN:
If less than 8 in on board the boat is by European Union certified as Class B. OFFSHORE:
If less than 10 in on board the boat is by European Union certified as Class C. INSHORE:

What is Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed?

The theoretical maximal speed of a displacement boat of this length is 8.0 knots. The term "Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed" is widely used even though a boat can sail faster. The term shall be interpreted as above the theoretical speed a great additional power is necessary for a small gain in speed.

The immersion rate is defined as the weight required to sink the boat a certain level. The immersion rate for Sun Odyssey 41 DS is about 294 kg/cm, alternatively 1646 lbs/inch.
Meaning: if you load 294 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm. Alternatively, if you load 1646 lbs cargo on the boat it will sink 1 inch.

What is Motion Comfort Ratio (MCR)?

The Motion Comfort Ratio for Sun Odyssey 41 DS is 26.0.

Comparing this ratio with similar sailboats show that it is more comfortable than 34% of all similar sailboat designs. This comfort value is just below average.

What is L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?

The l/b ratio for Sun Odyssey 41 DS is 3.01.

Compared with other similar sailboats it is more spacy than 76% of all other designs. It seems that the designer has chosen a significantly more spacy hull design.

What is a Ballast Ratio?

The ballast ratio for Sun Odyssey 41 DS is 36%.

This ballast ratio shows a righting moment that is higher than 31% of all similar sailboat designs. A righting moment (ability to resist heeling) just below average.

What is Displacement Length Ratio?

The DL-ratio for Sun Odyssey 41 DS is 183 which categorizes this boat among 'light racers'.

79% of all similar sailboat designs are categorized as heavier. A light displacement requires less sailarea and has higher accellerations.

SA/D (Sail Area Displacement ratio)
Indicates how fast the boat is in light wind:
- Cruising Boats have ratios 10-15
- Cruiser-Racers have ratios 16-20
- Racers have ratios above 20
- High-Performance Racers have ratios above 24
Sail-area/displacement ratio (SA/D ratio): 15.95

When buying anti-fouling bottom paint, it's nice to know how much to buy. The surface of the wet bottom is about 50m² (538 ft²).
Based on this, your favourite maritime shop can tell you the quantity you need.

Note: If you use a paint roller you will need more paint than if you use a paintbrush.

If you need to renew parts of your running rig and is not quite sure of the dimensions, you may find the estimates computed below useful.

This section is reserved boat owner's modifications, improvements, etc. Here you might find (or contribute with) inspiration for your boat.

Do you have changes/improvements you would like to share? Upload a photo and describe what you have done.

We are always looking for new photos. If you can contribute with photos for Sun Odyssey 41 DS it would be a great help.

If you have any comments to the review, improvement suggestions, or the like, feel free to contact us. Criticism helps us to improve.

[Ref 1]: ISO 8666 Small craft — Principal data.
[Ref 3]: ISO 12215-5 Small craft — Hull construction and scantlings.