The Dufour 29 Sailboat

The Dufour 29, a masthead sloop, was designed by Michel Dufour and built in France by Dufour Yachts.

A Dufour 29 sailboat launches the spinnaker

A Dufour 29 sailing slowly in very light winds under her spinnaker

Published Specification for the Dufour 29

Underwater Configuration: Fin with skeg-hung rudder

Hull Material: GRP (fibreglass)

Length Overall: 29' 4" / 8.94m

Waterline Length: 25' 1" / 7.64m

Beam: 9' 8" / 2.95m

Draft: 5' 3" / 1.60m

Rig Type: Masthead Sloop

Displacement: 7,250lb / 3,289kg

Designer: Michel Dufour

Builder: Dufour (France)

Year First Built: 1975

Year Last Built: 1984

Owners Association: Dufour Owners Association

Published Design Ratios for the Dufour 29

1. Sail Area/Displacement Ratio: 15.6

Less than 16 would be considered under-powered;
16 to 20 would indicate reasonably good performance;
Over 20 suggests relatively high performance.

2. Ballast/Displacement Ratio: 36.5

Under 40: less stiff, less powerful
Over 40: stiffer, more powerful

3. Displacement/Length Ratio: 205

Under 100: Ultralight
100 to 200: Light
200 to 275: Moderate
275 to 350: Heavy
Over 350: Ultraheavy

4. Comfort Ratio: 20.7

Under 20 indicates a lightweight racing boat
20 to 30 indicates a coastal cruiser
30 to 40 indicates a moderate offshore cruising boat
40 to 50 indicates a heavy offshore boat
Over 50 indicates an extremely heavy offshore boat

5. Capsize Screening Formula: 2.0

Under 2.0 (the lower the better): Better suited for ocean passages
Over 2.0: Less suited for ocean passages

Summary Analysis of Published Design Ratios for the Dufour 29

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A Sail Area/Displacement Ratio of just 15.6 suggests that she'll need a stiff breeze to get her going. In any other conditions, unless you've got plenty of time on your hands, motor-sailing will be the way to go.

A Ballast/Displacement Ratio of 36.5 means that unless the bulk of the ballast is concentrated in a bulb at the foot of her keel, she'll have a tendency to heel excessively in a gust, and she'll need to be reefed early to keep her sailing upright in a moderate breeze.

A Displacement/Length Ratio of 205, tells us she's a moderate displacement cruiser, which means she'll carry all your cruising gear without it having a dramatic effect on her performance. Most of today's sailboats intended for offshore cruising fall into this displacement category.

Ted Brewer's Comfort Ratio of 20.7 suggests that crew comfort in a seaway is similar to what you would associate with the motion of a coastal cruiser, which is not encouraging news for anyone prone to seasickness.

Her Capsize Screening Formula of 2.0 tells us that she would not be a good choice of sailboat for ocean passage-making.