What might have been
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
The Dufour Arpège was a cutting edge yacht when it was launched in 1966. The wide beam of almost 10ft set a new trend for yacht design, while the low centre of gravity bulb keel hints at what might have happened in the 1970s and 80s had the IOR rating rule not heavily penalised stability, arguably setting the course of yacht design back 20 years.
The interior of the Arpège also set new standards for space, incorporating many neat features that clearly added considerably to build time, but which improve life on board.
It was the second boat from French designer Michel Dufour, following the 21ft Sylphe two years earlier and was an instant hit, with 1,500 Arpèges leaving the factory near La Rochelle over the following decade. A slew of larger designs followed, including the 27ft Safari in 1969 and the Dufour 35 and Dufour 41 two years later.
Fun on a 48-year-old boat
Our test boat, , is hull number 694 and was launched in 1972. She was originally a sea school yacht and is believed to have completed the Fastnet Race a number of times. She has been owned by Andy and Christine Lewis since 2012 who
