The Dufour 1800 is a French

sailboat A sailboat or sailing boat is a boat propelled partly or entirely by sails and is smaller than a sailing ship. Distinctions in what constitutes a sailing boat and ship vary by region and maritime culture. Types Although sailboat terminolo ...

that was designed by

Laurent Cordelle Laurent may refer to: *Laurent (name), a French masculine given name and a surname **Saint Laurence (aka: Saint ''Laurent''), the martyr Laurent **Pierre Alphonse Laurent, mathematician **Joseph Jean Pierre Laurent, amateur astronomer, discoverer ...

and Michel Dufour as a trailerable cruiser- racer and first built in 1979.Sherwood, Richard M.: ''A Field Guide to Sailboats of North America, Second Edition'', pages 166-167. Houghton Mifflin Company, 1994. Henkel, Steve: ''The Sailor's Book of Small Cruising Sailboats'', page 339.

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, 2010. The Dufour 1800 is a development of the earlier Dufour 25. The unusual designation does not indicate the boat length in imperial or metric, as is common, but instead the metric displacement of .

Production

The design was built by

Dufour Yachts Dufour Yachts is a French sailboat manufacturer which was founded in 1964 by naval architect and engineer Michel Dufour. It was purchased by Fountaine Pajot in 2018, and Dufour remains a separate brand A brand is a name, term, design, ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

between 1979 and 1982. About 200 examples were completed by the time production ended.

Design

The Dufour 1800 is a recreational

keelboat A keelboat is a riverine cargo-capable working boat, or a small- to mid-sized recreational sailing yacht. The boats in the first category have shallow structural keels, and are nearly flat-bottomed and often used leeboards if forced in open w ...

, built predominantly of

fiberglass Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass ( Commonwealth English) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called a chopped strand mat, or woven into glass clo ...

, with wood trim. It has a fractional sloop rig,

aluminum Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. It ha ...

spars, a

raked stem The stem is the most forward part of a boat or ship's bow and is an extension of the keel itself. It is often found on wooden boats or ships, but not exclusively. Description The stem is the curved edge stretching from the keel below, up to ...

, a

reverse transom A transom is the vertical reinforcement which strengthens the stern of a boat. This flat termination of the stern is typically above the waterline. The term was used as far back as Middle English in the 1300s, having come from Latin ''transvers ...

, an internally mounted spade-type

rudder A rudder is a primary control surface used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, aircraft, or other vehicle that moves through a fluid medium (generally air or water). On an aircraft the rudder is used primarily to counter adve ...

controlled by a

tiller A tiller or till is a lever used to steer a vehicle. The mechanism is primarily used in watercraft, where it is attached to an outboard motor, rudder post or stock to provide leverage in the form of torque for the helmsman to turn the rudder. ...

with an extension and a fixed fin

keel The keel is the bottom-most longitudinal structural element on a vessel. On some sailboats, it may have a hydrodynamic and counterbalancing purpose, as well. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in the construction of a ship, in Br ...

or optional lifting keel. The fixed keel was supplied in three sizes: shallow draft, standard draft and deep draft. The standard draft fin keel version displaces and carries of ballast. The boat has a draft of with the standard draft fin keel. The boat is fitted with a Swedish

Volvo Penta Volvo Penta was founded as Penta in 1907 with the production of its first marine engine, the B1. The Penta company soon became an established internal combustion engine manufacturer, which in 1927 delivered the engine for Volvo's first passenge ...

MD5A

diesel engine The diesel engine, named after Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which ignition of the fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to mechanical compression; thus, the diesel engine is a so-ca ...

of or an

outboard motor An outboard motor is a propulsion system for boats, consisting of a self-contained unit that includes engine, gearbox and propeller or jet drive, designed to be affixed to the outside of the transom. They are the most common motorised method ...

in a well. The fuel tank holds and the fresh water tank has a capacity of . Accommodations include a forward "V"-berth with an opening hatch for ventilation and two cabin berths. The starboard berth foot is under the navigation table. The galley has a two-burner stove and a dinette table that can be stowed under the starboard cabin berth or can be moved to the cockpit for use. The head is located on both sides of the bow, just aft of the "V"-berth and includes a chemical toilet and a sink. A marine toilet was a factory option. A single winch is mounted on the cabin roof for the

halyard In sailing, a halyard or halliard is a line (rope) that is used to hoist a ladder, sail, flag or yard. The term ''halyard'' comes from the phrase "to haul yards". Halyards, like most other parts of the running rigging, were classically made of ...

s and two additional

jib A jib is a triangular sail that sets ahead of the foremast of a sailing vessel. Its tack is fixed to the bowsprit, to the bows, or to the deck between the bowsprit and the foremost mast. Jibs and spinnakers are the two main types of headsail ...

winches are mounted on the cockpit coaming. There is a mainsheet traveller and tracks for the jib blocks. A

boom vang A boom vang (US) or kicking strap (UK) (often shortened to "vang" or "kicker") is a line or piston system on a sailboat used to exert downward force on the boom and thus control the shape of the sail. The Collins English Dictionary defines it ...

and adjustable

backstay A backstay is a piece of standing rigging on a sailing vessel that runs from the mast to either its transom or rear quarter, counteracting the forestay and jib. It is an important sail trim control and has a direct effect on the shape of the ma ...

were standard equipment. The design has a

PHRF Performance Handicap Racing Fleet (PHRF) is a handicapping system used for yacht racing in North America. It allows dissimilar classes of sailboats to be raced against each other. The aim is to cancel out the inherent advantages and disadvantages ...

racing average handicap of 219 and a

hull speed Hull speed or displacement speed is the speed at which the wavelength of a vessel's bow wave is equal to the waterline length of the vessel. As boat speed increases from rest, the wavelength of the bow wave increases, and usually its crest-to-t ...

of .

Operational history

A used boat review in ''Yachting Monthly'' in 2009 described the design, "She is typical of the middle years of Dufour design: a full-bodied, high-volume hull topped by a square-looking coachroof ... The saloon feels a bit cramped, but the galley is adequate for extended cruising. A well-proportioned fractional rig gives sporty performance, and given a crisp, well-cut suit of sails, she makes a good entry-level club racer." In a 2010 review Steve Henkel wrote, "the 1800, which sold mostly in Europe but developed a following in Canada and to some extent in the United States, came with a choice of standard keel ... deep keel, shallow keel, or lifting keel. An outboard well, in the cockpit on the boat’s centerline just forward of the rudder, provides good steering control under power. An inboard was also available. Best features: The cabin table, which when not in use is stored beneath the starboard berth, is unusually clever in that it mounts in any of three different positions: (1) fore and aft attached to the main bulkhead; (2) athwartships attached to the seat backs on either side; or (3) in the cockpit, mounted on the bottom washboard. Down below, a half-size chart table to port, supported by the rear bulkhead, is also handy. Worst features: None noted."

References

{{Trailer sailers and Trailer yachts worldwide Keelboats 1970s sailboat type designs Sailing yachts Sailboat type designs by Laurent Cordelle Sailboat type designs by Michel Dufour Sailboat types built by Dufour Yachts

Production

Design

Operational history

See also

References