34 Dufour Sloop 2003

Source: Dave McPhail, Canadian Yachting Magazine

AT DOCKSIDE
We had our first look at the Dufour 34 at the Etobicoke Yacht Club in Toronto. EYC is the host of the J35 North American beginning September 10, 2003, so we knew we were deep in sailboat country.

The 34 was sterned into the berth, and the sleek lines were immediately obvious. The view from the vertical stem through to the wide relatively flat stern gave the strong feeling that this offshore yacht had the potential to be a strong performance yacht among the 10 metre contemporaries in this market of sailboats. First impressions are important at any time and our first impressions were extremely favourable with this Dufour 34 Sloop designed by Umberto Felci.

BOARDING
Initially we thought that we would board the boat via the removable transom gate. This did not prove quite so simple as it looked. With the boat fairly close to the dock, it would have been difficult to clear the swim ladder. Second, the large wheel, so valuable while
under way, is situated well back in the cockpit, making boarding from stern somewhat more difficult. We therefore, boarded along the starboard side through the gate area which provides access to the boat while at dock. This proved to be very simple and with the excellent diamond-patterned non-skid area, footing was sure and secure. The wide walkways provided excellent travel areas during any movement fore or aft or around the decks when under way. Extra care has been taken to provide non-skid in places one might not otherwise consider…. for example, around edges of the cabin roof or comings so that at any angle footing is guaranteed.

THE COCKPIT
The cockpit is large and well designed for double or even single handing. There is plenty of room for passengers or crew and the seat areas are tastefully adorned with teak seating to provide comfort and a stylish appearance. The removable transom, which when in place is the mid beam helm seat, also acts as storage for fenders, extra lines or even a liferaft for big water crossings and safety. When the transom is out of its position it provides a fully open and self-draining cockpit.

The large leather-wrapped steering wheel is located well aft and the Harken traveler system is mounted on the cockpit floor just slightly forward of the helm. This design element provides a larger cockpit space for passenger comfort but it necessitates that the cockpit table be floor mounted on two pedestals rather than be mounted as part of the helm. Since we did not have the table in place on the boat we do not know what limitations, if any, this would pose while underway.

Further inspection of the cockpit area showed four Harken #40 winches. Two primaries were located aft and were aligned with the wheel. There were two coachtop winches with locking winch handles. All were extremely easy to use to keep sails trimmed quickly and efficiently.

BELOW DECK
We had a tour below prior to heading out onto Lake Ontario for our on water portion of the review. A wide companionway with very large, wide, flat steps take you below. The access to the salon is made easy and safe with this design and obviously interior designer, Patrick Roseo, thought things through carefully to keep this part of the boat in tune with the sailing performance that the hull would later deliver.

Starboard, upon entering the salon, is a large navigation station with electronics (GPS)bulkhead mounted and the main electrical panel. The comfortable and generous seat provides plenty of space for working at the station. Immediately aft of the station is a large enclosed head. The fiberglass liner provides easy cleanup for those deciding to shower on board. Port of the companionway is a large L-shaped galley with a two burner gimbaled propane stove with oven, a top-load refrigeration unit and a large deep two sink configuration with both pressure water and foot pedal water for quick rinses.

The L-shape design allows for space to the aft cabin immediately behind the galley on the port side of the boat. This cabin is completely private. All doors, inside the cabin are solid mahogany construction which gives one the confidence of solid construction that is found elsewhere in the vessel as well. The large double bed runs the length of the hull and provides good headroom and storage including a hanging locker for longer cruises. At the very end of the berth space there is a large a door that provides full access to all
of the mechanical things at the extreme stern but inside the boat. From time to time these might need to have some attention. Again careful thought has been given here to wrap any necessary bolt/nut heads with covers so as to keep the crew safe from injury while in this area.

Back in the main salon the teak/holly sole and the mahogany walls present a warm welcome feeling in the cabin. Large couches adorn each side of the boat with a drop leaf table in the middle. Placing the table in the down position provides plenty of room to move around the cabin. In the raised position, the large table would comfortably seat 8 for dinner. Just forward of the table is the keel mounted compression pole providing the support for the deck-stepped mast above.

Fully forward, there is a large private cabin with a double berth using all of the available space of the bow of the boat but still giving ample space to stand and change clothes. This cabin also has storage for clothes and some gear. It is a pleasant space with some
storage that is comfortably private for traveling when there are more than one or two aboard.

We also noted some other points while below deck on this vessel. The bulkhead forward in the front cabin is solid and provides good protection if the boat is involved in a collision. The construction gives the crew a second chance to get to land safely with this strong construction innovation. The mast stay supports in the main cabin are linked to a clever structural system that spread the load over a wider area of the hull. This arrangement takes the stress point across a large area and thus by spreading out this torque, the hull supports the weight over an extremely large area. The head houses the
wet locker. This makes good sense since the water from wet gear can simply run into the shower sump and be easily discharged overboard. It is a good utilization of already onboard technology. Finally, the cabin entry stairs can be easily removed to provide full access to the Volvo 19 hp inboard engine when it becomes necessary.

A final look at the salon and one is very impressed with the amount of storage. There is above and below storage on both sides of the boat. Storage abounds in the galley and an extremely large storage space is found under each of the side couches which also serve as single berths. A large built-in tilt out garbage bin and a very clever floor lift-out for sweeping light things into a removable tray makes inside housekeeping easy and efficient.

BACK IN THE COCKPIT
Another look around the cockpit reveals storage both to port and starboard. To port is a good sized locker for lines and fenders or any incidentals that need to be stored. Aft and still on port, is the propane locker which keeps potentially explosive fumes well away from the cabin and since the locker has overboard discharge, the chance for vapor problems is all but eliminated.

Our review model was the 2 cabin configuration which allows for a very large storage locker on the starboard side of the cockpit. This space, which is actually a walk-in locker, would be an excellent location to store extra sails, an inflatable, fenders and any other
gear that might otherwise be too large to store in other locations on the boat.

TO THE HELM
The 19 hp Volvo provides ample power to move this vessel smoothly and quickly while under power. Controls are mounted low on the starboard side of the boat and the single lever which incorporates both the gear shift and the throttle moves smoothly and easily. The position of the controls eliminates any need to reach through the wheel spokes when docking or undocking is taking place. The wheel is extremely well balanced and the boat responds quickly and smoothly to minor changes in the wheel position. We made some under power moves while on the lake and the boat tracked well in both forward and reverse providing us with an understanding of why the boat could easily be sterned into the dock…an aspect we were to experience later. But enough, it is time to hoist the sails and proceed to the aspect of the review that the avid sailor really wants to read.

UNDERWAY
The raising of the sails was simple. The foresail is mounted on a smooth Facnor Genoa furler with removable drum. The main is fully battened with the lazy bag, so the need to carry or handle a large sail cover is eliminated. The rigid boom vang with tackle, the tackle adjustable back stay, the upgraded coach roof winches and the 150% Genoa lead adjusters all added to the ease of raising the Dacron sails to trimming and controlling while underway. All lines are led aft so that control is easily at the ready hand of the skipper or the crew while in the cockpit area.

The sails on the review boat were the standard relatively heavy Dacron which can be used for the heavier duty of ocean sailing should the crew choose to do so. This proved to work just fine for our time aboard from extremely light air of 3 to 5 knots to later winds that were in the18 knot range. In all cases, the response and performance moving in all directions was crisp, immediate and without surprise.

The sailing of the 34 Dufour was simple and crisp. In light air the boat moved respectably. Pointing to the wind and away but towards the wind, the boat moved about 3 to 3.5 knots in 7 to 8 knots of air. Sailing downwind in 12 knots of air we moved along at 5.5 knots and we were not taking time to trim sails to get each speck of speed. On our final leg towards the harbour with winds to our port quarter, 18 knots of winds gave us 7 plus knots of speed and this was extended as we got more serious with sail trim and consideration of the winds to the point of sail.

The large wheel was extremely well balanced and responsive. The wheel could safely be left for short periods to trim sheets, with the loss of course or moving off or into the wind. Small changes in the wheel position allowed for course change or correction and it was easy to gain some performance when wheel adjustments and sail trimming was done in a co-ordinated manner. The heavier air showed the performance end of the vessel as the narrow point of entry of the bow allowed the boat to enter waves and the slight chop of the lake gracefully and comfortably while the wide flat stern of this great design kept the speeds up even in lighter air.

We did several course changes from tack to tack and even a couple of jibes to see how the vessel would respond. The heavy duty rig took care of all maneuvers and the height of the boom over the cockpit, even when standing, provides a considerable measure of safety. The location of the traveller and the positioning of the winches allowed for easy sail changes and re-trim to get us underway quickly and smoothly.

AS TESTED
Dufour Yachts of Canada order their sailboats with many features that they refer to as Standard Canadian Packages.

Included in the Standard Canadian Packages are:

• The extra service battery, battery charger and shorepower
• Deck hatch blinds
• Seawater foot pump in galley
• FM/CD with 2 speakers
• Main anchor rode
• 6 fenders, 4 dock lines
• the Dufour dish set for 6
• 2 Life Line gates
• Shoal draft keel

OPTIONS INCLUDE:

• The Electronics Package… ST 60 with Log/Speed/Depth/Wind, Multifunction repeater
  at Nav Station, GPS by Furuno, GP32 at Chart Table, and VHF Radio.
• Full Baton Main and Lazy Bag
• Genoa Lead Adjusters
• Upgraded Coach Roof Winches
• Deep Draft Lead Keel

FINAL THOUGHTS
Dufour appears to have matched the cruise/racer boat characteristics extremely well in the Dufour 34 Sloop. This vessel will perform so that there is a thrill while under sail, yet it still has plenty of onboard amenities to make even the weekend cruiser comfortable and satisfied. Sails are easy to raise and trim. Engine controls are located for ease of use and the large wheel makes keeping this vessel on course simple and easy from either the center of the cockpit or on either side. Visibility is extremely good, even when the 150% Genoa is reined in tightly to get a few extra bits of speed and performance. Some might want to install a clear window for extra visibility, but that would probably be a personal preference depending on what kind of sailing you were doing.

Sail storage at the end of the sail was almost too simple. The headsail furling was a breeze…(no pun intended), and with the Lazy Bag for the main, dropping the sail and storing it for return to port was really little more than fastening one long zipper.

The Dufour 34 is a fine vessel. From the clean pleasing lines to the smooth well laid up gelcoat, probably a result of the Dufour vacuum bag construction process, this boat looks great. The extensive use of non-skid in areas sometimes forgetten by others, to double safety lines and quiet engine operation, this boat is a beauty.

The blend of the beauty in the Dufour 34’s appearance and its efficient performance makes this a quality vessel for racing or for cruising.

Boat Specifications: 34 Dufour Sloop 2003

Length                         34ft 5in

Beam                           11ft 10in

Draft                           4.7/5.11ft

Dead Rise                   N/A

Weight                                    9900lb

Fuel Capacity              25

Make                           Volvo

Model                          IB D Saildrive

HP                               19