The first Dufour since the company’s merger with Fountaine-Pajot was launched alongside re-branding to focus the range at a younger and more active audience. This also repositions the Dufour range in a more premium part of the market in which quality finishes and good performance are important.

First impressions are of a big and well-appointed boat with excellent accommodation at an attractive price. The interior is accessed via a wide and easy companionway with a minimal bridgedeck, so it doesn’t feel as cut off from the outside as on many monohulls with a space-efficient interior layout.

This model is offered with up to six cabins (plus optional skipper’s quarters forward) for the charter market. However, the show boat had a more typical and commendably spacious three-cabin/three-head owner’s layout. This includes a large full-width galley at the forward end of the saloon.

The Felci-designed hull has a long, soft chine aft and conventionally shaped bow sections, rather than the wide flare above the waterline forward seen in some recent French designs. On deck there are three distinct versions, including a very pared down Easy model and high spec Performance package with cockpit mainsheet traveller and optional carbon rig.

The boat on display at the Düsseldorf show was the Ocean version, intended to appeal to the bulk of private owners, with a coachroof traveller, sheets led aft to the helm stations and halyards handled at the companionway.

The intention is to build some 60-70 boats in the first 12 months, with the Dufour 530 followed by two further new models in the next 18 months. The first of these will be a 61-footer, scheduled for launch at this year’s Paris boat show.

Specification

LOA: 53ft 7in (16.35m)
LWL: 50ft 10in (15.5m)
Beam: 16ft 4in (4.99m)
Draught: 6ft 5in, 7ft 6in or 9ft 2in (1.95m, 2.30m or 2.80m)
Displacement: 17,774kg (39,200lb)
Base price: €300,700 (ex. VAT)