Sailboat Dufour 48 for sale

The All-Rounder: 50 feet, a delight for owners and large families with friends alike

Don’t be fooled: the ‘48’ in the name of the Dufour 48 makes it seem smaller than it actually is. With an overall length of 15.29 m to the bowsprit, this yacht is just over 50 feet long, placing it firmly in the upper echelons of production yachts. The 15-metre yacht segment is fiercely competitive, so every manufacturer is trying to position its product in a particularly distinctive way. So what, in essence, makes the Dufour 48 stand out? We believe that this cruiser, designed by Umberto Felci, is ideally suited above all to active sailing holidays with friends or family: The modern hull offers both sufficient stability and rigidity to sail confidently even in slightly rougher weather and seas, whilst also creating exactly the space inside that discerning owners rightly expect from a dedicated holiday yacht. Are you looking for a new or second-hand sailing boat around 15 metres in length? Then let’s find out whether the Dufour 48 could be your new yacht …

Outdoor living and maximum relaxation: the concept behind the Dufour 48

The Dufour shipyard in La Rochelle has completely reinvented itself since the 1990s: once known for performance-oriented sailing yachts that were more than capable of competing in regattas, the shipyard on the Atlantic coast has, particularly since the 2010s, increasingly focused on recreational sailors and the perfect holiday on the water. In-house designer Umberto Felci, who has also designed for the luxury yacht brand ICE Yachts and worked on many luxurious one-off projects, has been responsible for this development for over 20 years. Even the Grand Large series – the generation of yachts preceding the current one – clearly signalled the trend towards greater volume. Alongside the increase in volume, which is particularly evident below deck in the form of spacious saloons and cabins, Dufour yachts are increasingly being fitted with holiday gadgets and gimmicks: It was, for instance, a Dufour yacht that was the first to offer a ‘plancha’ grill at the stern as a fixed feature. An option that has been further developed on the current Dufour 48, for example, into a fully-fledged wet bar with a BBQ and sink. Added to this are ever more lounge and sunbathing areas for guests: sun loungers on the foredeck, a large cockpit, the spacious bathing platform and many modular, convertible features enhance comfort whilst at anchor or in harbour. It is, quite simply, a true holiday machine, a veritable island of relaxation.

Felci nevertheless tries not to overlook the issues of weight, rigging and sail area: after all, the Dufour is intended to remain an agile sailing yacht that provides enjoyment for owners and guests when it’s not at anchor. Not all Dufours manage this; the smaller models in particular tend to be rather heavier than their competitors (and therefore more sluggish, especially in light winds – which are, after all, what you prefer on holiday), but the Dufour 48 is not one of them: With a light displacement of just 13 tonnes, it sits comfortably in the upper mid-range of its mass-produced competitors from Beneteau, Jeanneau, Hanse and Bavaria.

Dufour 48 for sale: modern lines and visual touches by designer Umberto Felci

In the current generation of Dufour yachts, the large, black hull windows dominate the modern, angular design. For the most part, these are merely decorative; the actual window openings behind them are considerably smaller – so there’s no need to worry about anything happening here. Felci employs these design tricks to visually conceal the yachts’ relatively high freeboard, i.e. the high side walls. The elongated windows make the boat appear flatter, giving it a very dynamic look. This appeals particularly to a younger buyer demographic: combined with the beautifully designed bow shapes (particularly successful on the Dufour 470!), it creates the impression that these yachts are performance cruisers.

They certainly aren’t, though. Even though a Dufour has always been known as a good-sailing boat compared to its mass-produced rivals, these volume-oriented hulls are no longer really capable of winning regattas. They can, however, still achieve good daily averages even on long legs, as the Dufour 48’s sail plan – as is evident from the dynamic mast angle – is certainly capable of generating good speeds even in light and moderate winds.

Below deck, Luca Ardizio has once again brought his vision of a modern boat interior to life. The dinette, in particular, is the highlight below deck; you won’t find anything quite like it on any other yacht – more on that later.

Buy a Dufour 48 – Hull, design, construction & sail plan

The usual high-quality construction: infusion on the deck and hull

Unlike most other series manufacturers, Dufour uses modern vacuum injection and infusion manufacturing methods even for the smallest yacht in its range. For example, for the deck of the Dufour 48, the fibreglass mats and sandwich foams are laid ‘dry’ into the mould; everything is meticulously aligned and fixed in place with spray adhesive. In vacuum injection moulding, there is an A mould and a B mould, which guarantees a flawless result on both sides of the mould. The A and B moulds are placed on top of one another and sealed airtight. A precisely measured quantity of resin is then injected into one end of the mould (hence the term ‘injection’), whilst a vacuum (not a complete vacuum, but a very strong negative pressure) is created at the other end of the mould via hoses. Due to this strong negative pressure, the vacuum ‘pulls’ the resin through the entire mould. All layers of fibre mats and foams are completely saturated, right down to the smallest corner. After about a day, a large lamination mould can be opened and the component is ready.

The advantages of this (more expensive) manufacturing method are the significant weight saving compared with the solid ‘hand-lay-up’ process and the greater resistance to osmosis, as vinyl ester is used rather than cheaper polyester. As both the A-side and the B-side are moulded in a single mould, the ‘inside’ and ‘outside’ of a deck produced in this way look very attractive. Consequently, less finishing work or panelling is required.

The hull of the Dufour 48 is manufactured using a vacuum infusion process, which works in a similar way but only involves an A-side. Dufour also uses products containing a high proportion of recycled PET bottles for the sandwich-core rigid foams. This is a good approach to the sustainable use of valuable raw materials.

Something for every type of sailor: agile sailing performance

We’ve already hinted at this: Dufour is renowned for its excellent sailing performance. Alongside Hanse Yachts, the shipyard in La Rochelle is the only mass-production manufacturer that continues to rely consistently on single-rudder steering, whilst all others prefer twin-rudder steering. As with everything in boatbuilding, this comes with both advantages and compromises. Sailors who have always sailed single-rudder boats often find the switch to twin-rudder yachts difficult. They have become too accustomed to the rudder positioned in the propeller wash and have developed their own strategies for mooring and unmooring. As twin rudders can no longer utilise the propeller wash, sailors need to fundamentally re-adapt and ‘practise’ again, particularly when manoeuvring. Furthermore, single-rudder yachts offer slightly better feedback, as fewer turning lines and chains are required; twin rudders almost completely dampen the effect of the water on the rudder blade.

On the other hand, single-rudder steering systems have to be designed to be much more robust, and the blades also extend much further down – so take care when mooring in reverse in harbours with a sandy bottom! When heeling heavily and sailing close-hauled, twin-rudder yachts sail much more comfortably, with far less rudder pressure, and are also more efficient, as the angled stub blades now dip straight into the water when the boat heels. Whereas on Hanse and Dufour yachts, the single rudder will always be at an angle. When steering to windward, it attempts to ‘lift the boat out of the water’, and when steering to leeward, to ‘push it into the water’. A fair amount of energy is lost in this process. Autopilots also have to work harder and use up more valuable battery power. As a prospective buyer and future owner – whether you’re a sailing novice or an old hand – it makes sense to test this new steering and manoeuvring behaviour when switching to a new boat, for example during a week’s charter or a trial sail with the boat dealer.

The Dufour 48’s rigging options: from light to heavy

Either way – if single-rudder steering isn’t a problem for you, then with the Dufour 48 you can look forward to a choice of three general rig options. Over the years, the shipyard has increasingly established itself with the major charter fleet operators: They appreciate both the spaciousness and the attractive price of the yachts from La Rochelle. In the charter business, sailing performance is naturally a secondary or tertiary consideration; moreover, only a few charter guests are ‘proper’ sailors. For this reason, the smallest version of the Dufour 48, the ‘Easy Sailing’, is fitted with a simple self-tacking jib and, on request, a furling mainsail. This means that this large yacht can be sailed and controlled entirely using just two winches.

Anyone looking for more sail area – and therefore more power and performance – is better off with the shipyard’s ‘Ocean’ and ‘Performance’ packages: a large, overlapping genoa and the flared, fully battened mainsail then ensure pure sailing pleasure. For light-wind passages, it is highly recommended to equip the Dufour 48 with at least an A3 cruising gennaker, which, on ‘holiday cruises’, between 80 and 160 degrees AWA, providing propulsion even at wind speeds below 10 knots. Anyone wishing to sail this French yacht in particularly dynamic waters with frequently changing wind directions – for example, in the Baltic Sea or in Greece – should also have a Code 0 on board for wind angles between 40 and 100 degrees to windward: That’s definitely more fun than running the 60 HP engine in light winds!

For purely coastal use and day sailing: the Dufour 48 as an electric boat

Yes, that happens too: 50-foot yachts that essentially ‘just’ leave the harbour, drop anchor in a beautiful bay for a few hours, and then return to their mooring in the evening. Anyone who wants to keep their boat close to the coast at all times and has suitable charging facilities at their mooring can order the Dufour 48 as a fully electric boat. In this version, the standard 60 HP diesel engine is replaced by a 25-kilowatt electric pod drive. The modern lithium battery bank now has a capacity of 27 kilowatt-hours, which can be increased to 32 kW. This ensures roughly the same performance in terms of torque, power and speed as the diesel version. Of course, current battery technology cannot yet match the range achievable with 250 litres of diesel.

A diesel generator (so you can’t do without one entirely) can recharge batteries that have run completely flat with its 14 kW output, which is optimised for battery charging, and does so almost silently. If you’re sailing fast, you can activate the propeller’s energy recovery function as part of the upgrade and feed up to 1.5 kW of electrical energy back into the batteries. Are you taking the Dufour 48 to a sunny destination? If you opt for the fixed GRP bimini, you can order the roof fitted with up to 1.3 kW of solar panels, which provide a constant recharge – incidentally, this is also possible, of course, with the classic version featuring a diesel engine. We believe this approach is worth supporting and represents a thoroughly attractive alternative for a sailing programme that uses the yacht purely as a dayboat in coastal waters.

Dufour 48 for sale: All the information for skippers and sailors

The versatile 50-foot sailing yacht

With its new 48-footer, Dufour has unveiled a truly versatile yacht designed to appeal to a wide range of audiences. With three rig options and a choice between the standard 2.35-metre-deep keel and the 1.75-metre-deep short keel, there are numerous possible combinations to adapt the boat to your sailing programme and the prevailing weather conditions in your sailing area. Nevertheless, the focus on maximum comfort and relaxation remains the defining feature of this boat, which is why we would like to take a closer look at some of the yacht’s special features here.

‘Let the sun shine into your heart’: The Dufour 48 and the light

Do you sail in a rather dark, often cloudy or changeable area, such as the North Sea, the Baltic Sea or the North Atlantic? Or is it very important to you that the sunshine from your favourite holiday sailing destination can really reach every corner below deck? Then the Dufour 48 is the right choice for you: interior designer Luca Ardizio has fitted this yacht with a surprising number of skylights in the deck, hatches and large windows in the superstructure and hull. Natural light plays a major role in all current Dufour yachts, but the 48 really stands out in this respect: from extra windows in the spacious owner’s cabin to the hull windows in the aft guest cabins, the boat is positively bathed in light. This creates a bright, welcoming atmosphere, especially when the weather outside isn’t so fine: every ray of sunshine is utilised and multiplied inside by the reflection off the many light-coloured panels and wooden surfaces.

Surprise: the Dufour 48 – a true cruising yacht

Strictly speaking, this isn’t really in the DNA of the current Dufour models, but the 48 can also serve as a cruising yacht: when designing the interior layout, you have the option of fitting out the cabin situated in front of the port-side guest cabin as a ‘utility room’: Here, alongside plenty of storage space, you’ll also find your washing machine and tumble dryer. Opposite, you can even have a board office fitted in place of the bathroom. Combined with a Starlink system or other Wi-Fi routers, you can simply move your workplace on board and have a quiet, private office down here.

As a large 15-metre yacht, the Dufour 48 is not only certified in CE Category A for unlimited ocean voyages, but – with the ‘Ocean’ or ‘Performance’ packages – is more than capable of take you quickly, safely and comfortably across the Atlantic and beyond.

Dufour 48 for sale – Cabin and bathroom options

Apart from the rather surprising option of fitting out this boat as a cruising yacht, the Dufour 48 generally offers four layout variants for the interior design. Particularly when it comes to the choice of galley, this offers more scope for customisation than other shipyards provide. When it comes to the galley, you have the choice between a classic longitudinal galley, installed on the port side (where it belongs), or what we consider to be a very attractive and innovative ‘front galley’, which spans the entire width of the boat and is situated against the forward bulkhead. In this case, the galley is situated directly on the keel and thus at the yacht’s centre of rotation – in bad weather and rough seas, this will be the calmest spot on the boat. This is certainly an interesting option for owners with ambitions to sail long distances.

In the spacious and very stylishly designed owner’s cabin in the bow, the shower and toilet are separate. The island bed is generously sized and offers a lovely view through the hull windows. There is also more than enough storage space here for your sailing gear. In the charter version of the Dufour 48, the owner’s cabin is separated by a longitudinal bulkhead, meaning that both forward cabins now have their own bathroom.

Aft, there are always two guest cabins of equal size, which are well proportioned and pleasantly bright. As standard, the Dufour 48 has only the bathroom on the starboard side aft: if you do not require a galley, this space could be fitted out on the port side to create a second aft bathroom. However, this space could also be a Pullman cabin, which would then mean a maximum capacity of 10 berths plus the skipper’s cabin.

It’s not to everyone’s taste: the extravagant saloon

A visual ‘highlight’ in the saloon is the extravagant dining table. Ardizio has, whether consciously or unconsciously, built in a slight ‘stumbling block’ here, as the diamond-shaped design of the table is not to everyone’s taste. This table shape – unique on sailing boats and therefore highly controversial – has already put off quite a few prospective buyers, but it certainly has its admirers who are looking for ‘something a bit different at last’. Either way: The table seats up to 8 (!) people in the longitudinal galley version, or up to 6 people in the smaller forward galley version. We would recommend that you examine both saloon variants very closely on an actual boat, as you will, after all, be spending a great deal of time here.

A swimming island and an oasis of relaxation: the Dufour 48 has it all

Most of life on board takes place on deck. The Dufour 48 offers a variety of areas designed for relaxation and unwinding. Firstly, the foredeck is designed so that you can set up a large sunlounge with very comfortable cushions on the superstructure: if you install a sunshade on the forestay here, this could well become your new favourite spot. Close to the water, yet sheltered and, above all, far away from the hustle and bustle of the cockpit. Here, you can read a book in peace or simply relax in the sun whilst listening to your favourite music.

At the stern, the spacious cockpit is the hub of life on board. Two split cockpit tables leave the central aisle clear, ensuring unobstructed movement at all times. As the Dufour 48’s working winches are installed on either side of the companionway, the skipper or helmsman often has to walk through here, thus avoiding getting in the way of the guests. We feel that, at 50 feet, it would certainly have been possible to route all the lines aft, as is the case with Oceanis & Co, but perhaps this configuration on the Dufour is also a nod to active sailing.

At the very rear, the stern is completely enclosed, housing the helmsman’s seats and the central wet bar unit. The wet bar folds out, and the BBQ chef operates the plancha grill from the bathing platform, which is then extended. Here, alongside the grill itself, there is also a sink (for gutting and cleaning freshly caught fish, for example) as well as refrigeration facilities. A lovely idea: the wet bar unit can be extended towards the cockpit with a large, central GRP section, which can then be transformed into a central sun deck using a large cushion. Stylish!

Dufour is adopting an aggressive pricing strategy in the market

Although the days of all-out price wars involving dumping prices are long gone following the takeover of the shipyard by the catamaran manufacturer Fountaine-Pajot, the Dufour 48 is making a significant mark in the 50-foot segment of mass-produced yachts with a current starting price of just 355,000 euros net. Nevertheless, the various options – particularly the many highly attractive comfort packages and features – can quickly push the price into the same budget range as that of other brands. Nevertheless, the shipyard is sticking to its strategy of making both competitors and target customers equally ‘nervous’ with extremely attractive starting prices. We can see that this strategy is paying off, at least in the charter sector – boats are currently being ordered frequently and enthusiastically in La Rochelle.

Summary and conclusion

Could the Dufour 48 be your next yacht?

If you’re looking to buy a versatile sailing yacht designed specifically for comfort, then you should take a look at the Dufour 48. A good weight-to-sail-area ratio promises (at least for the ‘Ocean’ and ‘Performance’ versions) excellent, agile sailing performance. The range of interior options is extremely wide, so there should be something to suit every sailing programme and cruising area. The build quality is on a par with that of leading series manufacturers, with the hull and deck in particular being of a high standard thanks to vacuum-assisted construction. A stylish, versatile holiday yacht that certainly has its ‘rough edges’.

… or perhaps the Dufour 470?

Only slightly smaller, adapted in the current version to the design of the range but still based on the ‘old’ Grand Large range, the Dufour 48’s sister model, the 470, could be an interesting alternative (including from a budgetary perspective). We don’t know how much longer the shipyard will keep this yacht in its range, as the two boats are, after all, very similar – but if sailing performance is just that little bit more important to you, then you should take a closer look at the Dufour 470.

Buy a Dufour 48 – What we particularly like about it:

• Plenty of space and a high degree of flexibility for customisation.
• A brilliant owner’s area; the open-plan kitchen is something quite special.
• An attractive entry-level price for the 50-foot class.

Buying a Dufour 48 – Here’s what you need to look out for:

• That attractive starting budget can quickly ‘spirale out of control’.
• The living room – and the dining table in particular – can take some getting used to.
• The electric version is more suited to coastal and day sailing.

Further reviews and test reports: