Dufour 375 Grand’ Large Boat Review

Systems guru Sherman praised the access to mechanical systems throughout the 375. “As far as the overall systems access and level of installation, engine batteries, and so forth, they’re doing a great job across the board in those departments,” he said.

But Sherman was less enamored with the side-opening door to the LP storage locker, which was vented into the cockpit. That’s a case, he said, where European installation standards differ from the standards of the American Boat & Yacht Council, which require that LP lockers vent outside the boat.

Under power, the 30-horsepower diesel propelled the boat at a comfortable cruising speed of 5.6 knots and at 7 knots under full throttle. The auxiliary engine is fitted with a saildrive leg, which offers advantages in labor hours during the building. But the leg’s dissimilar metals require careful attention to anode protection against galvanic corrosion. The noise under power—89 decibels at 2,800 rpm and 98 decibels at 3,600 rpm—was right in the middle of the pack for this year’s boats under 40 feet.

Hull construction is mostly a traditional hand layup, with computer-aided design tools employed for cutting the fiberglass cloth and mat. The hull is cored from the keel up. The deck is vacuum bagged, which provides a stiff cored structure and saves hundreds of pounds. A structural liner below the cabin sole adds stiffness and bears the keel and rig loads.

“The 375 is intended for people who want to sail,” said Eric Macklin, Dufour’s U.S. importer. “A lot of boats are designed for comfort around the dock, and sailing performance can easily take a secondary priority. The first and foremost priority of the 375 is that it be fun to sail.”

Given that overview, my fellow judges and I felt that Dufour had firmly achieved the design’s primary objective.

LOA    36’ 8”    (11.18 m.)
LWL    32’ 5”    (9.88 m.)
Beam    12’ 8”    (3.86 m.)
Draft (shoal)    5’ 3”    (1.60 m.)
(deep)    6’ 3”    (1.90 m.)
Sail Area (upwind)    721 sq. ft.    (967 sq. m.)
Ballast (shoal)    4,298 lb.    (1,950 kg.)
(deep)    4,078 lb.     (1,850 kg.)
Displacement
(light ship)    14,740 lb.    (6,686 kg.)
Ballast/D    .29
D/L    194
SA/D    19.15
Water    100 gal.    (380 l.)
Fuel    53 gal.     (200 l.)
Holding    14 gal.    (52 l.)
Mast Height    51’ 10”     (15.80 m.)
Engine    30-hp. Volvo diesel
Design Group    Umberto Felci and Dufour
Sailaway Price     $235,000
Dufour Yachts
(352) 871-0362
www.dufour-yachts.com

Tim Murphy is a CW editor at large.