Boat test – Dufour 370
French boatbuilder Dufour has always sat slightly apart from rivals Beneteau and Jeanneau. Sure, they produce a similar flavour of cruising yacht but it has generally been the case that Dufour aims to be that bit different from their French neighbours. With their latest line of boats, this has meant pumping up the internal volume. This, you could argue, follows the trend adopted by all the other big manufacturers, be that Beneteau, Jeanneau, Hanse or Bavaria. That may be true but I would argue that Dufour, under the guidance of Italian designer Umberto Felci, has gone for it in the biggest way.
What do I mean by all this? Well, since about 2016 there has been something of a design revolution going on when it comes to penning the lines for production cruisers which started with the Beneteau Oceanis 51.1. Prior to this, designers wishing to win a bit more internal space would often run an angular chine aft to the transom and also and sharp below, you win that extra space without losing light air efficiency. Meanwhile in heavy weather, with the boat hard pushed and the full bow sections immersed, you gain power and buoyancy.
