Dufour 35, the little-known fiberglass masterpiece by Michel Dufour (10m)

With the 1970s, a new yachting frontier was reached. Fiberglass forcefully entered the recreational market, and the first Whitbread Round the World Races launched sailing into a new season. These are the years of ‘the’ great regattas and great boats, but they are also the years of small sailboats’ boom, the golden age of pleasure yachting, and an overall season of little-known masterpieces. Among the latter ones, although quietly escaping the later celebrations, is undoubtedly a small gem, the yet so powerful Dufour 35.

Dufour 35, Michel Dufour’s masterpiece

Produced and sold in 450 hulls, from 1971 to 1982, the Dufour 35 is an excellent 10 (ten and seventy-five) meter, a particularly marine boat with surprisingly abundant and comfortable volumes. An exceptional hull, especially in medium to high winds, made it revolutionary in its own way, so much so that it still is appreciated today, despite perhaps a more difficult aesthetic than others. Wide at the beam and with a short, somewhat pronounced deckhouse, it is indeed not an immediately iconic boat, but a good deal of prize is to be found by acquired taste.

Dufour 35 – Design and Navigation

Designed by the skilful hands of Michel Dufour, former creator of the iconic and revolutionary Arpège (1969), the Dufour 35 is a blend of tradition and innovation, a hull with powerful and balanced lines, gentle on the water and maneuverable beyond surprise.

At 10.75 meters in length overall (LOA), 8.48 at the waterline (LWL) and a whopping 3.48 at maximum beam, this is a generous hull, designed for the busiest sailing, stable in rough seas and particularly prone to ride swells, where it excels in medium and/or sustained winds. Child of the Arpège, it takes up its lines and wide beam, thus ensuring generous heeled volumes as to increase buoyancy and consequent critical speed, as well as pronounced leaps to make smooth sailing even on formed seas.

[NOTA] According to the notion that a (displacement) hull will never go as much faster than its waterline length (LWL) can allow it to go, theory has it that the longer the LWL, the faster a hull can go. Consequently, by increasing the beam, in addition to the necessary marine qualities transposed, as the wind increases and the hull heels, by necessity the LWL also increases, thus increasing the limited speed of the boat itself.

In addition to such generous water lines , the hull is among the first fiberglass composites – with particularly generous thicknesses by today’s standards – and features a balsa sandwich deck, solution that lightens its superstructure while keeping the weights down, improving its righting torque. In terms of appendages, the keel is fin encapsulated and ballasted for about 2.6 tons on a total displacement of 6/7. The rudder, on the other hand – tiller or wheel depending on the configurations – is fitted with a skeg, and has a long, deep blade (although of an actually small surface area, a quality that underscores the remarkable balance of the water lines, for an excellent ratio of sail and drift centers).

Small, but solid and with powerful momentum, the Dufour 35 is a little gem, agile in maneuvering and generous in sailing. As soon as it exceeds 12 to 15 knots of TWS, it fully reveals its qualities, running fast in gusts, yet keeping its crew safe and secure, snuggled in a deep cockpit, almost foiled by the deckhouse, which well deflects spray and sea. Over 20 knots TWS and increasing, taken in the right reefs and with the correct headsails, she glides powerfully through the water, remaining soft at the helm and well assured, solid in her shifting even with seas on the bow, almost conveying confidence in her own hull, seemingly ready to take on more and more loads.

An affectionate ‘upwinder’, even when the boat is heeled, she offers smooth and sheltered manouvers, brought back to the cockpit or on the deckhouse, granting the entire crew the shelter of the area, except for halyards and reefers, placed at the mast, but safely manageable, thanks to bulk volume that doesn’t give much room to the sea, to the advantage of a smooth roll that makes one feel secure.

Dufour 35 – Rigging

Masthead rigged, the Dufour 35 is a sloop with a particularly balanced sail plan, tending to be under-sailed for lighter winds, but excellent in medium and higher ones. Equipped with a particularly ‘plentiful’ through-mast, it does not suffer in challenging conditions, especially if the sail center is well managed, a factor that is helped by a second forestay in the bow on which to rig yanks, foresails and storm-jibs – sails that continue to provide ample power even at over 20 knots, a situation in which the boat actually still proves particularly enjoyable.

For downwind routes, a spinnaker was originally planned, but it is often replaced by asymmetric sails, such as gennakers or mps, which are more manageable while short-handed. Obviously, in the latter cases, a bowsprit is required, not provided for in the original plans, and therefore installed in a ‘handcrafted’ manner by the owners, usually in a removable fashion, solution that nevertheless proves functional, although theoretically unforeseen.

In terms of rigging, we find two pairs of winches in the cockpit, intended for the headsails and reachers, while the mainsail, equipped with a trolley track, comes immediately aft of the hatch, served by a hoist with choke. On the deckhouse, on the other hand, two additional winches for side serve the adjustments of spring and base,  as well as whatever else one wants to put there, while 2 additional winches at the mast are for the halyards and reefs. Along the deck run the forwards’ tracks, separated into two sections in early versions, but later brought to a single rail.

Dufour 35 – Interiors

As for the interior plan goes, it is necessary to contextualise the era, as well as the kind of users to which the boat belonged. In the 1970s, interior layouts were primarily aimed at sailing enjoyment, especially on cruising boats such as this 35′, boats designed to be able to take on challenging voyages and consequently equipped to handle all kinds of weathers to be encountered. In light of this intended use, the Dufour 35 presents particularly abundant volumes for a 10-meter, volumes guaranteed precisely by the more than generous beam, thus functional not only to performance, but also to the habitability of the boat itself. In fact, supremely spacious for its class, the Dufour 35 can accommodate up to 8/9 people – albeit it might not be so great of an experience, 4/6 its better – with comfortable heights of around 1.9 meters, numbers that are still rare for its size.

Designed for ocean sailing, it is thus presented as a particularly comfortable boat, with essential but not necessarily spartan furnishings, dominated by wood and ample supports and running handrails. In terms of layout, it is a conventional compartmentalization, with aft berth, salon, galley, bathroom and bow triangle. In fact, accessing from the cockpit, a removable ladder (engine compartment access) overlooks the galley on the left and the chartroom on the starboard side. Both ergonomically pleasing, they prove to be safe locations even in big seas, where small spaces provide safe bearing.

Aft of the chartroom, is the aft berth, which is not particularly convenient to reach, but proves to be, by far, the best place to sleep in whilst in big seas. In the saloon, a C-shaped sofa with a central (can be lowered and expanded easily) accommodates 8 people, facing the starboard bench, while on the broadside there are two additional raised bunks, offering 5 berths already in the saloon alone, as the table can go lower allowing for a queen sized bed. Proceeding forward, a private bathroom with shower separates the spaces, leading to the forward triangle, equipped with additional berths and ample storage compartments.

Market, advantages and disadvantages

Looking at the market, the Dufour 35 turns out to be a boat that is desired beyond expectations, although so little know on the wider spectre. And not only for its great qualities, but also for its value for money. In fact, prices, depending on the condition of the hull, range comfortably between 15.000 and 40,000 euros, with peaks of 45/50 for boats that are almost new and fully updated. This is an excellent price range, to say the least, both for those with a larger wallet and for those with a smaller one, but willing to put in the work. In short, a market that offers both ready-made, perfect-for-use hulls and boats to be fixed, or ideal projects. Of course, to be considered remains the age of the boat, which will range between 40 and 50 years, thus requiring somewhat careful inspections, especially regarding the condition of the hull, deck, and electrical systems. In terms of motorisation, it’s difficult to find boats still equipped with the original one, a note that also applies to instrumentation and on-board systems, which will affect price ranges accordingly.

In terms of positive notes, it is a really safe boat, extremely seaworthy and able to offer comfort even in the most demanding seas. Of course, age has its downsides, for while few boats are as spacious within its lengths, one is also dealing with standards that are now quite different, and thus, the considerable difference between our contemporary and this one should be kept in mind. In addition, age requires different attentions, with perhaps more frequent inspections and possible refits to be expected. Overall, however, compared to market values, the advantage is particularly surprising and, given the right considerations and with one’s needs in mind, a Dufour 35 could be a real game changer in one’s approach to the sea.

Still on the wave of articles related to boats of the past, whether great classics, timeless youngtimers or simply little gems lost in memory, don’t miss previous articles, as well as those to come. When in doubt, here is a link to the earlier and iconic Nautor Swan 65, designed by Sparkman & Stephens in 1969.

Technical specs

Article also compiled through the author’s direct experiences (Hull #12; 1972).

Edited by Doi De Luise