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The Dufour 45 Classic: A French Reconnection
Cruising World August 1988
by Herb McCormick
After a long absence from the U.S. market place the French builder Dufour has returned to the State's, Last fall it introduced the Dufour 45 Classic and the 41 Classic at the Annapolis Boat Show. The Classic line is cruising-oriented and is one of the company's several purpose built series that include the lntegral line of swing-keel boats, the Trophy line of racer/cruisers, and the Nautitech cruising catamarans. An earlier variation of the 45 Classic (the Gib Sea 45) was produced by Gibert Yachts, which Dufour acquired in 1996. Under new management since the late '8Os, Dufour - France's second largest boat builder behind Beneteau, is celebrating its 30th anniversary.
Construction: The 45 Classic is built in the "traditional" manner of composite fiber-glass construction, with structural stringers (as opposed to a molded structural grid liner) bonded to a hand laid hull of uni- and tri-directional fibers. A non-structural liner is then tabbed in to provide the frame- work for the nicely finished mahogany interior. From the waterline to the hull/deck Joint, a PVC foam-core sandwich is incorporated into the lay-up. The vacuum-bagged deck is cored with Baltek. The foam-injected rudder employs an aluminum stock with a pair of flexible, self-aligning bearings that combine 'with the boat's Whitlock rack-and-pinon steering system to give an extremely light feel to the helm. The lead keel is bolted directly onto the boat's rather flat underbody. This makes a simple, strong arrangement, but due to the lack of a dedicated molded-in sump the biIge is extremely shallow.:
Interior Accommodations: The forward cabin is comfortable and spacious, with a big hanging locker and better-than average floor space at the foot of the berth. The large sail locker in the peak offers dual benefits: besides being a great storage space, it provides a bulkhead at the forward side of the cabin that has allowed the designers to fit in a real double hunk in lieu of a V-berth. The prominent feature in the main saloon is the straight-line "American" galley to port. (In the States, it's known as "European.") For those used to wrap around U-shaped galleys, this may at first seem impractical, but at sea it works quite well. The cook has support in a seaway from the island settee in the middle of the boat, which offers a port-tack backrest. Although the galley eliminates the settee/seaberth often found in this space, cozy twin doubles aft more than compensate by offering two comfortable place's to snooze on either tack.
Rig, Deck Layout & Auxiliary: The double-spreader, Deck stepped sloop rig features a 135% roller-furling genoa. While the primary winches are within easy reach of the helmsman, to trim the mainsheet and traveler one must move forward to the controls that are set up on either side of the companionway. The nonskid deck finish is very well done; teak decks are optional. The sloped coachroof provides excellent footing when the boat is heeled, but while it's level you must be careful not to step into the outward-angled opening ports. The power plant is a Volvo diesel Saildrive which eliminates the prop shaft and its attendant fitting; and dampens vibration when under power Dufour also uses Saildrives on its Nautitech catamarans and believes they're a better, more modern option for rnonohulls as well,
Under Sail: We tested the Classic 45 on two separate occasions - during our Boat of the Year tests on the Chesapeake last fall (the boat was a runnier-up in the Best Value Full Size Cruiser category) an off La Rochelle, France, earlier this year, On both outings we found the boat to be an outstanding sailor and a delight to drive on all points of sail. To windward in an 8- to 12-knot breeze, the boat sailed consistently between 5.8 and 7.2 knots, With a deep draft of nearly 8 feet, one would expect the boat to track well, and it did. But it's also a cruising vessel that will need to favor deeper anchorages.
The Verdict: From the standpoints of quality and competitive pricing, the new Dufours, including the 45 Classic, are on a par with the latest offerings from the major American production boat builders. The 45 in particular is a fast, good-looking boat that leans toward the performance end at the cruising-boat spectrum. This fall Dufour will introduce two more monohulls in the United States - the 39 Center Cockpit and the 38 Classic as well as an 82-foot Nautitech Catamaran, If you're in the market for a Hunter, Beneteau, Jeanneau, or Catalina in the size ranges Dufour is now exporting to North America , it's worth your while to comparison shop and take a look at what Dufour has to offer.
This article was written by Herb McCormick and published in the August 1998 edition of Cruising World. Pictures from the article have not been reproduced in the reading room
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