Dufour 35

[alla_breve]

Morning all,
I’m considering a Dufour 35 as a Med purchase for my impending retirement! It’s the late ‘70’s one , not the “Classic”. They seem reasonable value. I’m fine with fixing things, and most seem to have had replacement engines by now.
Any owners out there care to share opinions, what to look for, known faults(balsa cored deck leaks?), etc.
Me solo or plus 1 crew. Does the forward bunk sleep 2 ok?
Thanks,
Tim.

 

[pandos]

Morning all,
I’m considering a Dufour 35 as a Med purchase for my impending retirement! It’s the late ‘70’s one , not the “Classic”. They seem reasonable value. I’m fine with fixing things, and most seem to have had replacement engines by now.
Any owners out there care to share opinions, what to look for, known faults(balsa cored deck leaks?), etc.
Me solo or plus 1 crew. Does the forward bunk sleep 2 ok?
Thanks,
Tim.

My first boat was a dufour 35. Great sea boat. A lot of freeboard and she slammed a lot in seas. But was really safe and was great with ks the cockpit being so deep.

The balsa core on the deck and the cockpitlockers was rotted in places but I just scraped it out and infilled with some sort of foam cored fiberglass, and then glassed over the top and added a layer of flowcoat/filler and sanded..

Front cabin was fine...my engine was a Perkins 4108 which was a replacement....

The boat stink of oil and diesel, and I was on one recently which was the same...

I think the cause was the original engine mountings were hollow and in the case of my boat had filled up over the years with gunk and fuel/oil.

I'd certainly buy one again once it was cheap ..

 

[Fimacca]

A friend has one. A classic though. he sailed a lot over summer and went pretty far and wide. Good space down below, cockpit is roomy and it has better toe rails than mine, although I thought the deck fittings were a little light for a 35 in a blow.....

 

[pandos]

A friend has one. A classic though. he sailed a lot over summer and went pretty far and wide. Good space down below, cockpit is roomy and it has better toe rails than mine, although I thought the deck fittings were a little light for a 35 in a blow.....

A classic is a completely different yacht. From a different era...

 

[Fimacca]

well excuse me for being a dunce.....just trying to help !

 

[V1701]

That era Dufour 35 is a big, solid, go anywhere boat. If you're lucky she'll still have the psychedelic bunk cushions and orange plastic sinks. Inner moulding to the hull is great for low maintenance/easy cleaning and gives a bit of insulation. I had a 29 of the same era and was very happy with it...