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Dufour, long one of France’s most well-respected builders, has been producing sailboats in La Rochelle since the dawn of fiberglass boatbuilding. Having recently merged with another La Rochelle-based builder, Fountaine Pajot, Dufour has now joined other European mass-production yards in producing a large-scale luxury cruising yacht. Its new Dufour 61, winner of SAIL’s 2022 Best Boat Award in the Flagship Monohull category, combines a competitive price point with high-end comfort and some seat-of-the pants performance.
Design & Construction
Dufour has been working with Italian designer Umberto Felci since the turn of this century when it bifurcated its models into a Grand Large cruising range and a Performance racing range. Stepping now into the big-boat luxury cruising market, Dufour has again teamed with Felci to create a boat that hews to the contemporary design idiom: lots of beam carried aft with a hard chine to increase initial stability, a low-profile cabinhouse, an open flush foredeck and an efficient T-bulb keel.
The boat’s construction is fairly straightforward. The fiberglass hull laminate is solid below the waterline, with the topsides cored in end-grain balsa. An internal aluminum grid supports the keel, which boasts lead ballast. The infused deck is also cored with balsa. Finish quality is better than average for a mass-production vessel.
On Deck
The Dufour 61’s cockpit layout is modern in every respect. There are twin wheels aft turning one deep rudder, and I was pleased to see engine controls and a full set of instruments at both helm stations. All lines are led aft under the deck to two pairs of Lewmar 65 winches positioned just in front of each station. The double-ended German mainsheet is controlled via a narrow bridle positioned atop a tall carbon-fiber arch at the forward end of the cockpit…
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