Dufour Arpege

[lustyd]

Hi all, I'm thinking about upgrading to one of these next year some time. Ignoring the deck issue for now but I'm looking at the interior. Does anyone have any good pics of the sail locker? Nobody ever seems to get that far forward when photographing.

My thinking is that the heads looks reasonably sized, and the hanging locker looks good but it might be nice to increase the size of the water/fuel tanks on board, and possibly add a bit of a decent shower. I have no use whatsoever for a sail locker since I will have roller reefing and probably won't use a spinnaker. Even if I did, there would be a birth to stuff the spinnaker into

Any comments welcome, I've not decided on one of these yet but the more I look the more this is looking like my next step.
Thanks
Dave

 

[30boat]

It's been a while since my father sold his but from memory(and this pic) I think there's quite a lot of space up front.Quite a nice boat.Very well built and by now most will have had their decks fixed.

 

[snooks]

It's French and therefore has wine bottle racks under the bunks! It has a lot of of handy little design features and inner moldings.

Things like the pilot berth cushions double as cockpit cushions as they are the same size.

I'll dig out some pics on Tuesday

 

[lustyd]

Thanks guys, that's exactly the sort of info I wanted. I like the sound of the wine racks, that's something sorely missing from the Vivacity although I manage OK

 

[30boat]

It's French and therefore has wine bottle racks under the bunks! It has a lot of of handy little design features and inner moldings.

Things like the pilot berth cushions double as cockpit cushions as they are the same size.

I'll dig out some pics on Tuesday

It also had a tray for a folded suit...

 

[Robin]

Many moons ago when I had a Liz 30 I was holed up in Cherbourg in F11 from SW (yes really) winds waiting to get home after a Bank Holiday weekend. Ferries were not running across Channel for days, QE2 was anchored off the eastern IOW with engines running because to berth was impossible. The pontoons in the marina (old part now all French) were 'S' shaped as gusts hit and they moved on their chains... Got the picture?

OK, so in comes a French guy in an Arpege. We were told he had arrived single handed (he had wind vane steering) from the Solent, so UPWIND at least for part of his trip although the wind went SW/W/NW. He was so tired the HM boys went out and took his sails down and towed him to a berth.

Nice boats, odd layout below but very sea goingly practical. Get the Mk2 if you can which is I believe 30'4" LOA with a nicer bum.

 

[Seajet]

LustyD,

have you seen the thread titled 'Wicking & Moisture Content' on the PBO forum ?

Seems like the Arpege is boat of the moment !

 

[lustyd]

LustyD,

have you seen the thread titled 'Wicking & Moisture Content' on the PBO forum ?

Seems like the Arpege is boat of the moment !

I suspect everyone has seen the very cheap one on boatshed I actually had an interest before this as I met someone in one at Gosport a month or two ago but it seems like the sort of boat I want.

 

[jamesjermain]

Within the context of its day, this was one of the best and most innovative designs ever.

If you have the choice, go for a MkII with the extended transom, deep keel and rudder - performance, handling and looks are much improved. Thespace which is now invariably used for a forecabin was, instead, a traditional forepeak with sail stowage, heads etc. It can be a bit of a smelly glory hole but also very practical. The rest of the accommodation was also unconventional - some like it (me) and some hate it. It works very well on passage when the working part of the boat can be isolated from the sleeping/resting part. The only big downer was the original galley wheich was too small for modern tastes. Many have been upgraded though it can require extensive cutting out of GRP. The chart table is excellent.
Walk away from unreconstructed decks unless the price is very low and bear in mind that the interior mouldings, while providing excellent stowage, can hide a multitude of sins and increase hull repair costs.

 

[tomski]

I suspect everyone has seen the very cheap one on boatshed I actually had an interest before this as I met someone in one at Gosport a month or two ago but it seems like the sort of boat I want.

Yes indeed, and thats the one I am pursuing...had a look at her today, she is in a rather sorry state alot of it is cosmetic (bird droppings, torn sail covers etc), though there are a few probs from previous survey so we'll see what the surveyor says now...in the end my intention is to sail her to Australia but not for a while yet (at the very earliest I plan to cross Biscay next summer) so will have the time to rectify issues, however if there is anything that will affect integrity/structure etc then it is unlikely that I will proceed...

 

[lustyd]

Yes indeed, and thats the one I am pursuing...had a look at her today, she is in a rather sorry state alot of it is cosmetic (bird droppings, torn sail covers etc), though there are a few probs from previous survey so we'll see what the surveyor says now...in the end my intention is to sail her to Australia but not for a while yet (at the very earliest I plan to cross Biscay next summer) so will have the time to rectify issues, however if there is anything that will affect integrity/structure etc then it is unlikely that I will proceed...

I wish you the best of luck with her. In case you're not aware of how much everything costs make sure you check first. A sail cover for instance is going to be probably £200 alone. That said the boat is cheap as chips so worth spending a couple of grand fixing and fettling.

 

[tomski]

Hey Lustyd, thank you I'm just going through the numbers of what I'm getting myself into she's been untouched for while so will need to test her thoroughly...by the way great blog mate! I think I shall start one myself...

 

[lustyd]

Hey Lustyd, thank you I'm just going through the numbers of what I'm getting myself into she's been untouched for while so will need to test her thoroughly...by the way great blog mate! I think I shall start one myself...

It's a great way to remember where you've been and what you've been up to. I also think it would be nice for the next owner of the yacht to see a bit of its history. Definitely start one and let us know where it is

 

[Boathook]

Changing the subject.

Many moons ago when I had a Liz 30 I was holed up in Cherbourg in F11 from SW (yes really) winds waiting to get home after a Bank Holiday weekend. Ferries were not running across Channel for days, QE2 was anchored off the eastern IOW with engines running because to berth was impossible. The pontoons in the marina (old part now all French) were 'S' shaped as gusts hit and they moved on their chains... Got the picture?

I think that I was in St Vaast then. Looking out over flat seas and a lot of large ships at anchor in the shelter of the land. Got home 2 days late.

 

[Robin]

I think that I was in St Vaast then. Looking out over flat seas and a lot of large ships at anchor in the shelter of the land. Got home 2 days late.

Has to be 25 years or more ago now I guess. Adfins Rival sank in the western approaches in the same storm, one life lost when their liferaft broke up IIRC. We went to the phone box (no mobiles then) in twos, one to talk and one to hold the kiosk door shut. We finally got out when it dropped to a F6, then got back to Poole earlier than the then club expected because of the weather, only to find they had put a boat on our mooring that had been on walkabout in the harbour. Not best pleased that cold wet and weary we had to go in the marina at Salterns, walk to the club and sort out another mooring, retrieve our dinghy we had left on our buoy now in the yard and take it out to the mooring with the club launch, then move the boat onto the mooring. In those days we didn't live locally either so had a two hour drive home as well.

The Arpege guy apparently had taken 30 hours to get to Cherbourg. That guy had bottle, or had drunk a few of them!

 

[Sybarite]

.

it might be nice to increase the size of the water/fuel tanks on board, and possibly add a bit of a decent shower.

The interior moldings that others have referred to might make these types of alterations complicated.

Otherwise a good sailing boat which, IIRC, won the Trans-Pacific race when it first came out.