Dufour 38 Classic
Chesapeake Bay Magazine Boat Test February 1999
Well thought-out and cleanly built, this European is a sailors's sailboat
by Tom Dove
Conceived in Slovenia, Developed in France and Delivered in Annapolis, the Dufour 38 Classic is a true "world boat." It's a pretty craft - neither stodgy-traditional nor molten-plastic modern - with an attractive profile, well-proportioned rig and fine detailing. Greater freeboard in future boats (for about 2 inches more headroom inside) shouldn't spoil its good looks.
Construction:
The hull is solid glass with vacuum-bagged quadriaxial cloths and an NPG gelcoat, the outermost layer impregnated with NPG resin to create a water barrier, A. molded interior grid, bonded to the inside, accepts stresses from the rig and stiffens the hull. The bulkheads, tabbed all around, complete the structure (the wooden furniture is not load bearing). The balsa core in the deck is cut out and reinforced at winches, cleats and other fittings. Hidden glass surfaces are smooth, and hull ceilings and locker interiors are neatly finished in veneered plywood.
The cabin overhead has a fiberglass liner, but Dufour has thoughtfully installed access ports under deck fittings and wiring bundles to allow easy access for repairs, and the wiring diagram includes ii list of circuits which can be reached through each port. The hinged electrical panel is beautifully executed, and hoses and clamps are routed neatly and bundled for security.
The mechanic in me shouted "Bravo!" at the engine compartment. Remove the companionway steps to check the drive belts, or take off the large side and rear panels to reach everything else. The power plant is a 40-hp Volvo Saildrive, typically quiet and efficient. Some sailors worry about the aluminum underwater components of these units, but proper zinc anodes and reasonable care in maintenance should prevent electrolysis problems. And one beauty of Saildrive is no stuffing box to maintain.
Interior:
The interior has it V-berth, sizable locker and a small seat in the forward cabin, and a large dinette in the saloon should seat six adults. Occupying the port side of the saloon, the efficient galley has plenty of counter space and maneuvering room, but it's unsuitable for offshore sailing when the cook wants to brace within an enclosed area. For coastal and Bay sailing, it should be excellent. The refrigerator appears to be well insulated, and galley stowage is plentiful. Numerous opening ports and hatches scattered throughout the boat should keep the air flowing, and the whole interior is bright and cheerful.
The head is abaft the saloon, and it has a one-piece fiberglass liner that will be easy to keep clean. The shower has its own seat. Two sleeping cabins are aft under the cockpit, and their bunks will serve best as wide singles, not as doubles. Lights are well positioned for reading in bed.
The details reveal the designers' cruising know-how. While many builders put tanks under the settees, Dufour leaves that space for storage by locating tanks under the aft bunks and in the seat lockers. Only the hot water heater is under the settees. There's a clever stowage compartment under the movable dinette seat as well as beneath the nav seat, and lockers are plentiful. A wet locker at the base of the companionway will keep dripping foul-weather jackets out of the cabins.
The design creates a few limitations. Tall sailors will feel cramped by the 5 foot 10 inch headroom in the saloon and the 6-foot-1-inch bunks in both sleeping cabins. The nav station leaves little space for electronics; adding a radar or chart plotter will require converting a small locker into a panel. The house batteries are rather inaccessible under the nav table. (See updated info from Dufour below)
The owner of our test boat is an avid racer who likes to maximize sailing performance, so it had the deep keel (6 feet 9 inches); the shoal version (4 feet 9 inches) is better suited to the Chesapeake, the ICW and the Bahamas. There may be a slight performance loss with the shoal keel, but I think it will be negligible for cruisers.
Sea Trial:
Too often, the Chesapeake offers up light air for boat tests. Not for the Dufour. We motored out of West River in a boisterous 20 to 25 knot breeze. The owner of our test boat had installed a detachable inner forestay for a stay sail, and the conditions were on the lower edge of the wind range for that sail, but we decided on a single-reefed mainsail and partially rolled jib, The boom is low enough for short sailors to reach easily, the winches are sized properly and all the forces on the lines were quite manageable.
I liked the comfortable cockpit with its angled seat backs and moderate coamings that made sitting either to windward or to leeward pleasant, with good visibility all around. It was easy to stand over the winches for efficient cranking, and the crewmembers didn't get in each others' way, indicating proper placement of the lines and controls.
Halyards and reefing lines lead back to the cockpit, creating the typical bowl of Dacron spaghetti there. Builders do need to address this problem. The lines ran freely, so we actually could hoist and reef from the cockpit, unlike some boats I have sailed that require a person at the mast and at the cockpit winch. The wide side decks and cabintop grab rails made moving about easy and safe.
This is a sailor's boat. It has just enough weather helm for safety and positive control and the steering is light and responsive. It tracked exceptionally well and tacked and jibed with ease, accelerating quickly to hull speed on reaches. Even with the rail down during puffs, the boat remembered its manners, never rounding up or showing excessive helm force. The ride was dry and the boat showed no tendency to hobbyhorse or plow through waves. There's enough sail area that it should also move well in lighter conditions.
The boat was pleasant under power, with a sound level of 74 decibels in the saloon at 2200 rpm providing a 6.2-knot cruise; that's quieter than most boats this size. Wide open at 3200 rpm, we reached hull speed. While the brochure shows a 30-hp engine, the "Grand Cruiser" model imported to this country has the 40-hp power plant. I think the 30-hp engine would be a bit too small to punch through the short, steep chop we often get on the Bay. The turning circle is about one boat length and the horizontal thrust line of the Saildrive makes it stop and reverse promptly, even with the optional folding propeller.
Conclusions:
This boat's price tag of $164,694 (delivered to the Fast Coast) includes mainsail and furling genoa jib, electric anchor windlass, self-tailing winches, hot water, refrigeration, Autohelm ST 50 log/speed, depth and wind instruments, VHF radio, Autohelm ST5000 autopilot, Coast Guard safety equipment and dishes for eight.
We will see more boats from J&J Design in Slovenia, and we will surely see more of these impressive Dufours on the Chesapeake. Such international cooperation and competition can only improve the entire breed of cruising sailboats as other builders borrow some of the good ideas that abound in this fine 38 footer.
April 99 - Dufour UPDATE: The 38 is now built with 6 foot 2 inch headroom
This article was written by Tom Dove and published in the February 1999 edition of Chesapeake Bay Magazine. Pictures from the article have not been reproduced in the reading room.
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