The Dufour 24 is a French trailerable

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 terminology ...

that was designed by Michel Dufour and first built in 1975.Henkel, Steve: ''The Sailor's Book of Small Cruising Sailboats'', page 287.

International Marine McGraw Hill is an American education science company that provides educational content, software, and services for students and educators across various levels—from K-12 to higher education and professional settings. They produce textbooks, ...

McGraw-Hill McGraw Hill is an American education science company that provides educational content, software, and services for students and educators across various levels—from K-12 to higher education and professional settings. They produce textbooks, ...

, 2010.

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. Current models From the list of model ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

from 1975 to 1979, with 720 boats completed, but is now out of production.

Design

The Dufour 24 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 (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English) is a common type of fibre-reinforced plastic, fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened i ...

, with wood trim. It has a fractional sloop rig, 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 nearly plumb transom, a transom-hung

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

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, rudder post or stock to provide leverage in the form of torque for the helmsman to turn ...

and a fixed fin

keel The keel is the bottom-most longitudinal structural element of a watercraft, important for stability. On some sailboats, it may have a fluid dynamics, hydrodynamic and counterbalancing purpose as well. The keel laying, laying of the keel is often ...

or optional shoal draft keel. It displaces and carries of ballast. The boat has a draft of with the standard keel and with the optional shoal draft keel. The boat is fitted with a Swedish

Volvo The Volvo Group (; legally Aktiebolaget Volvo, shortened to AB Volvo, stylized as VOLVO) is a Swedish multinational manufacturing corporation headquartered in Gothenburg. While its core activity is the production, distribution and sale of truck ...

MD6A

diesel engine The diesel engine, named after the German engineer Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which Combustion, ignition of diesel fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to Mechanics, mechanical Compr ...

or, optionally, a small

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 ...

for docking and maneuvering. The design has sleeping accommodation for four people, with a double

"V"-berth A sleeping berth is a bed or sleeping accommodation on vehicles. Space accommodations have contributed to certain common design elements of berths. Beds in boats or ships While beds on large ships are little different from those on shore, ...

in the bow cabin and two straight settee

quarter berth A sleeping berth is a bed or sleeping accommodation on vehicles. Space accommodations have contributed to certain common design elements of berths. Beds in boats or ships While beds on large ships are little different from those on shore, ...

s in the main cabin. The

galley A galley is a type of ship optimised for propulsion by oars. Galleys were historically used for naval warfare, warfare, Maritime transport, trade, and piracy mostly in the seas surrounding Europe. It developed in the Mediterranean world during ...

is located on both sides of the

companionway In the architecture of a ship, a companion or companionway is a raised and windowed hatchway in the ship's deck, with a ladder leading below and the hooded entrance-hatch to the main cabins. A companionway may be secured by doors or, commonly i ...

ladder and is equipped with a stove and a sink. There are no provisions for a

head A head is the part of an organism which usually includes the ears, brain, forehead, cheeks, chin, eyes, nose, and mouth, each of which aid in various sensory functions such as sight, hearing, smell, and taste. Some very simple ani ...

. The boat has no companionway hatch and instead has a raised domed entrance. Cabin headroom is . 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 240 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- ...

of .

Operational history

In a 2010 review Steve Henkel wrote, "this is a design with some unusual characteristics. You might expect a sleek, rounded hull from the French, a la Beneteau, but here you get high topsides, not an inch of springy sheer, and only a small spread of sail, oddly shifted forward, (It may be that the mast has been ooched forward to be positioned directly over the main bulkhead for support.) The hull design is apparently aimed at maximizing cabin space: a squared-off, slab-sided hull with the beam stretched wide all the way back to the transom; high topsides, and a bubble in the small coachroof to squeeze in extra inches of headroom and to aid in access to the cabin, since there is no companionway hatch. There are two keel options: shoal, with a draft of 2' 5" (too shallow for good upwind performance), and 'deep fin' with a draft of 3' 10" Best features: Very deep cockpit coamings provide excellent back support. Worst features: The high, slab-sided topsides and small sail area make for unusually large 'top hamper,' which will tend to catch the wind and slide the boat sideways, especially in light air when the going is slow and the keel isn't moving fast enough to take a bite. The absence of a companionway hatch will make access to the cabin difficult for some. And where, you might ask, is the head? We don't see one, or a place for one. You could use a bucket in the 1970s, but not anymore."

References

External links

Video of a Dufour 24 sailing
{{Trailer sailers and Trailer yachts worldwide Keelboats 1970s sailboat type designs Sailing yachts Trailer sailers Sailboat type designs by Michel Dufour Sailboat types built by Dufour Yachts

Production

Design

Operational history

See also

References

External links