Dufour accelerates its comeback with
the launch of a distinctive new line
Pacific Yachting - October 2003
By Sven Donaldson
Following more
than a decade of inactivity, the historic
Dufour name was revived under new management
in the mid-1990's and has since rejoined the
ranks of the major French boatbuilders.
Until last year, the company offered two
lines : the somewhat dated Dufour
"Classics", and the Gib'Sea series of
budget-priced sailing cruisers. Lately,
however, they have started replacing the
classics with a new series that simply goes
by the name Dufour. Currently available are
the 34, 40 and 44 footers. Others will be
added in years to come.
The three new Dufours were designed by
Umberto Felci and Patrick Roseo of Italy.
Italy is one of the few countries where
racing under the IMS (international
Measurement System) continues to thrive.
It's therefore not surprising that the new
boats appear "IMS friendly"- by no means a
bad thing if not taken to extremes.
Construction is considerably more
sophisticated than that of the earlier
Dufours and the styling, too, represents a
major step forward.
The Dufour 40 was first out of the
blocks, but the Dufour 34 reviewed here is
fundamentally very similar. The test boat,
first of the breed to reach the Pacific
coast, joined the bareboat fleet at Bosun's
Charters in Sidney at the end of June.
DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION
The Dufour 34 is by no means an all-out
IMS raceboat, although its plumb bow, fine
entry, and relatively deep after body are
characteristics of the breed. However
compared to the typical raceboat, the
Dufour's length-to-bean ratio of 2.85 is
considerably higher, a necessary concession
to gain the accommodations that today's
buyers expect. On the other hand, thanks to
modern building technology, the 34 is
impressively light, just 4,500 kgs (9.900
lbs) in the deep draft version despite a
very healthy 33% ballast ratio. Combined
with a generous rig of 512 sq-ft (100%
foretriangle), it adds up to a snappy
performer.
To weigh in at just five tons, the 34 is
built using bi-axial and unidirectional
fiberglass with Kevlar reinforcements for
extra impact resistance. Vacuum-bagged PVC
foam sandwich is used in the hull, while the
deck is built using a new technique known as
RTM, or resin transfer molding. This is a
variation on the resin infusion theme and
involves a two-part mold, pre-loaded with
dry reinforcements and coring foam. After
the mold is closed and sealed, a special
low-styrene resin is injected and
distributed by suction throughout the
laminate stack. The finished deck has a
gel-coat finish on both sides, and is said
to be 30% lighter than a conventional deck
that is finished inside with a
non-structural liner. Better yet, these deck
moldings are significantly thinner, allowing
standing headroom to be combined with a
sleeker, lower profile.
Like many other mass production
sailboats, the Dufour 34 has a bonded
internal pan that reinforces the keel root
area, supports the floors and cabinetry, and
provides strong anchorages for the chain
plate tie rods. In this case, the latter are
only a modest distance behind the main
bulkhead, a structurally desirable
arrangement made possible by the choice of
the 9/10th fractional rig.
The 6'4" lead keel is a high-aspect fin
with a smoothly integrated bulb, and the
rudder is a deep, efficient spade.
RIGGING AND SYSTEMS
The Dufour 34 cockpit is superb for
cruising and short-handed sailing, but less
than ideal for fully-crewed racing. The helm
is far aft, with the boom-end traveler just
ahead of the binnacle and the primary
winches on low coamings nearly alongside the
helm. This is convenient for single or
double-handed sailing, but sure to get
crowded when three racing sailors are trying
to maneuver around one another during a busy
mark rounding.
The forward portion of the cockpit is
protected by high, wide coamings and offers
secure, comfortable seating for guests.
Unusual in today's wide-bodied boats, the
footwell is narrow enough that the average
person can brace their feet against the
opposite seat edge as the boat heels.
Auxiliary power is a Volvo-Penta 2020
sail drive unit (19 hp) which can push this
slippery hull at speeds into the 7 kt range.
Although the sail drive is soft-mounted, the
engine box insulation could stand some
upgrading to reduce air-borne noise. The
test boat offered Webasco forced air heat
(optional), and a number of upgrades to the
sailing gear including larger cabin top
winches and jib leads that can be adjusted
from the cockpit. The standard 34 comes with
reasonably comprehensive DC/AC electrical
and plumbing systems. Accessibility was
generally good, and components appear to be
good quality.
LIVING QUARTERS
The tried-and-true layout offers
comfortable settees on either side of
substantial drop leaf table in the salon
with an aft galley to starboard and complete
nav station to port. The latter is quite
generous (considering that many boats of
this size range offer only a vestigial
navigational facilities), and includes a
fair bit of storage space both under the
table and in shelves above the seat.
The L-shaped galley has a nice double
sink, and a two-burner LPG stove with oven,
but not a great deal of counter space.
Nevertheless, it should be adequate as long
as the cook is reasonably neat and tidy.
Two and three cabin layouts are available, but the former will likely
be much more popular with North American
buyers. The two cabin layout has a
good-sized head accessed through a door
behind the nav table and a huge cockpit
locker that the three cabin variant must
forego. In addition, the forward head of the
three cabin version takes a healthy nip out
of the V-berth, so at least one of the
sleepers there had better be on the short
side.
The Dufour 34 interior is fitted out in
dark mahogany which contrasts nicely with
the large expanses of white fiberglass of
the injection-molded overhead.
The slit-like hull portlights are too
narrow to do much more than peer through,
but they do a good job of illuminating the
edges of the cabin, thereby improving the
sense of space.
The fiddles features sawn, solid-wood
corners as opposed to the wrap-around
laminated woodwork that's often seen on
contemporary European sailboats. Although a
few hidden details were a bit on the rough
side, by and large the living spaces looked
pretty darn nice. Five overhead hatches and
two opening ports provide reasonable, fair
weather ventilation. However, the overhead
hatches in the sleeping cabins are too small
to serve as emergency escape routes.
UNDERWAY
Any shortcomings in the interior fit-out
are readily forgiven at the mouth of the
harbor, because the Dufour 34 is a superb
sailing boat. I sailed it off Sidney on a
cloudy, fluky day when the breeze never
topped 10 kts, but it still was a pure
delight to sail. Putting the nose down a bit
built speed quickly, so nearly every decent
puff brought us up to around 6 kts on a
close reach. The gang-tackle backstay
adjuster and powerful boom-end sheeting
provided excellent control of the mainsail
draft, twist, and headstay sag, all easily
accessible to the helm. Single-handed
tacking was easy because of the primary
winches and traveler cross-haul tackles are
immediately alongside the helm. Steering is
comfortable too with a choice of the aft
helm seat (life raft stowage under), or the
windward side coaming which is angled
appropriately to provide a secure perch.
CLOSING REMARKS
With the 34 and its two larger sisters,
Dufour now has some of the most advanced
production sailboats coming out of Europe.
But more than simply representing good value
for the money, the 34 is a compelling,
attractive sailboat, thanks in large part to
its outstanding sailing qualities. On the
other hand, the price isn't half bad either
: about $ 170,000 base price (Cdn, with the
Canadian dollar at $1.35 US), or $183,000 as
tested with a long list of extras including
deep lead keel, folding prop, extra sailing
gear, electric windlass, full batten main
and instrumentation. This new line could
conceivably make Dufour a widely recognized
brand again - just as it was back in the
70'. |
