Review of Dufour 41

Both the hull and the deck is made of fibreglass. A hull made of fibreglass requires only a minimum of maintenance during the sailing season.

Both the hull and the deck is a sandwich construction which improves the indoor climate. Especially when the water is colder than the air in the cabin, then the double hull insulates against cold water and reduce the condense water in the cabin.

The boat is equipped with 3-4 cabins, 8-10 berths, a galley, 250 liters (66 US gallons, 54 imperial gallons) fresh water capacity and toilet facility.

The Dufour 41 is built with a fractional rig. A fractional rig has smaller headsails which make tacking easier, which is an advantage for cruisers and racers, of course. The downside is that having the wind from behind often requires a gennaker or a spinnaker for optimal speed.

L-shape fin keel

The Dufour 41 is built with a L keel. An L-shape keel is a bulb keel with the shape as an L. This keel is less exposed to seaweed, fishing nets and lines.

The keel is made of iron. Many people prefer lead keel in favour of iron. The main argument is that lead is much heavier than iron and a lead keel can therefore be made smaller which again result in less wet surface, i.e. less drag. In fact iron is quite heavy, just 30% less heavy than lead, so the advantage of a lead keel is often overstated.

The boat can only enter major marinas as the draft is about 1.86 - 1.96 meter (6.10 - 6.40 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.

The fuel tank has a capacity of 250 liters (66 US gallons, 54 imperial gallons).

The Dufour 41 has been equipped with different engine alternatives.

Alternative 1:

Dufour 41 may be equipped with an inboard Electric engine at 33 hp (24 kW).

The transmission is a saildrive.

Note: Standard: 21 Kw/h or optional: 27 Kw/h lithium batteries.

Alternative 2:

The boat may be equipped with an inboard diesel engine at 45 hp (33 kW).

The transmission is a saildrive.

What is Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed?

The theoretical maximal speed of a displacement boat of this length is 8.0 knots. The term "Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed" is widely used even though a boat can sail faster. The term shall be interpreted as above the theoretical speed a great additional power is necessary for a small gain in speed.

The immersion rate is defined as the weight required to sink the boat a certain level. The immersion rate for Dufour 41 is about 314 kg/cm, alternatively 1762 lbs/inch.
Meaning: if you load 314 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm. Alternatively, if you load 1762 lbs cargo on the boat it will sink 1 inch.

What is L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?

The l/b ratio for Dufour 41 is 2.79.

Compared with other similar sailboats it is more spacy than 90% of all other designs. It seems that the designer has chosen a significantly more spacy hull design.

What is a Ballast Ratio?

The ballast ratio for Dufour 41 is 27%.

This ballast ratio is higher than 4% of all similar sailboat designs. Since the ballast ratio and the righting moment (i.e. better ability to resist heeling) is strongly correlated, a ballast ratio significantly below average indicates a very low ability to resist heeling.

When buying anti-fouling bottom paint, it's nice to know how much to buy. The surface of the wet bottom is about 51m² (548 ft²).
Based on this, your favourite maritime shop can tell you the quantity you need.

Note: If you use a paint roller you will need more paint than if you use a paintbrush.

If you need to renew parts of your running rig and is not quite sure of the dimensions, you may find the estimates computed below useful.

This section is reserved boat owner's modifications, improvements, etc. Here you might find (or contribute with) inspiration for your boat.

Do you have changes/improvements you would like to share? Upload a photo and describe what you have done.

We are always looking for new photos. If you can contribute with photos for Dufour 41 (Felci) it would be a great help.

If you have any comments to the review, improvement suggestions, or the like, feel free to contact us. Criticism helps us to improve.

[Ref 1]: ISO 8666 Small craft — Principal data.
[Ref 3]: ISO 12215-5 Small craft — Hull construction and scantlings.