New cruising yachts have been getting ever bigger in recent years, so it’s exciting to see Dufour bring out a new baby in their range – the Dufour 32.

The Dufour 32, designed by Umberto Felci, is designed to be fun, both to sail and at anchor, despite its relatively small size.

With a mast raked and set aft, she has a large foretriangle to set a large overlapping genoa paired with a square-topped mainsail for those wanting sporty performance, though you can have a standard main and a self-tacking jib, and with tiller steering she’ll be engaging to sail.

The headsail is sheeted to the coachroof, and the mainsheet can be taken to the cockpit sole or the coachroof. 

The bathing platform of the new Dufour 32 is inflatable and removable. Credit: Dufour Yachts

She’s packed with novel ideas to make life on board more comfortable.

Solid panels replace a stackpack along the boom, creating space for folding solar panels.

In the cockpit, the removable table lowers to convert the seating into a large full width sun-pad, a sun-awning spreads below the boom, and to save weight the open transom is closed off by an inflatable bathing platform that is lowered into the water at anchor – it will be interesting to see how well this works.

Continues below…

Dufour 31

Dufour 31

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Paddleboard racks outboard of the guardrails are an option too.

Down below, there’s lots of light with hull windows and a wide coachroof window abaft the mast and ahead of the opening hatches.

Double doors open into the forward cabin, which has standing space at the head of the double berth.

There’s a double cabin port side aft, though the double berth looks a little constricted by the engine bay, and a good-sized heads and shower compartment is to starboard.

Two settee berths in the saloon flank a large table with built-in stowage and folding leaves.

The mast of the Dufour 32 is raked aft. Credit: Dufour Yachts

This lowers down to create an infill, turning the saloon into a large transverse double berth.

At the aft end of the starboard settee, a chart table folds down, opposite the small but functional L-shaped galley. 

For cruising, she has 90 litres of fuel tankage for the 19hp Volvo inboard, and 160L of water, giving reasonable range if cruising two up, or enough for a few nights at anchor.

With an estimated sailaway price (depending on options ticked) of £147,000 inc VAT, this looks like a good entry level coastal cruising boat packed with original ideas that help her stand out from the crowd.

Specifications of the Dufour 32

LOA: 10.31m (33ft 10in)
Beam: 3.31m (10ft 10in)
Draught: 1.90m (6ft 3in) / Shoal 1.6m (5ft 3in)
Sail Area: (performance) 56m2 (602 sq ft)
Disp: 4,900kg (10,802 lbs)
Price: ex VAT: €110,000 (ca. £94,332)
Contact: www.universalyachting.com

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