Dufour 29 Buyer's Guide
The Dufour 29 is a Michel Dufour-designed cruiser built by Dufour Yachts from the mid seventies, a 29-foot solid-fiberglass masthead sloop that has circulated the European brokerage market for decades. Shoaling into a used-market search means weighing keel choice, rig condition, and the iron-keel corrosion question before any cosmetic trim.
Layouts on the Used Market
Every Dufour 29 follows a traditional two-cabin arrangement with a saloon between them: a forward V-berth sleeping two with lockers and shelves, and an aft double berth likewise with stowage and side shelves. Headroom is above average for the length, so a buyer stepping down from a contemporary 29-footer will notice the upright room immediately. The variable is underbody—examples appear with either a shallow iron keel drawing about 4.4 to 4.7 feet or a torpedo iron keel near 5.4 to 5.7 feet, and the choice drives where you can berth and how you haul.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
On the used market the Dufour 29 is commonly fitted with a hardtop, radar, chartplotter, and life raft, together covering helm protection, navigational electronics, and offshore safety. The inboard Volvo Penta MD6A diesel at 10 horsepower was the original power plant, giving a calculated max of about 4.4 knots, so any replaced engine should be checked against that baseline. A buyer should treat the hardtop and radar as weather-and-navigation assets and the life raft as a safety item needing service history.
What to Inspect
The defining inspection point is the keel: both the shallow and torpedo options are iron, not lead, so any used Dufour 29 demands close scrutiny for keel corrosion and sound coating at the hull joint. Beyond the keel, verify the standing rigging against the guides—mainsail and genoa halyards at 81.3 feet by 5/16 inch, mainsheet at 73.4 feet by 3/8 inch—since an overrigged boat carries high loads through those runs. The solid fiberglass hull itself is straightforward, but the iron keel is the known weak point and should anchor any survey.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
Dufour 29s typically appear in the Netherlands, Italy, and Spain. For a shopper, the short checklist is: confirm keel type and inspect iron for corrosion; verify rig dimensions and wear; check the MD6A or its replacement; and confirm the hardtop, radar, chartplotter, and life raft are present and serviced. Choose the shoal keel if your cruising is marina-dense, the torpedo if you want the deeper baseline.
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Dufour 29. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 5 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 25 | 1 | $18,355 | — |
| Jan 26 | 1 | $11,095 | -39.6% |
| Jun 26 | 1 | $7,440 | -32.9% |
| Jul 26 | 1 | $18,355 | +146.7% |
| Aug 26 | 1 | $4,058 | -77.9% |
Where they're listed
Dufour 29 listings appear across 5 countries. Spain has the most listings with 1 (20.0%), followed by United Kingdom and Ireland.
Country view
5 listings · 5 countries| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spain | $7,440 | 1 | 1 | 20.0% |
| United Kingdom | $4,058 | 1 | 1 | 20.0% |
| Ireland | $18,355 | 1 | 1 | 20.0% |
| Italy | $18,355 | 1 | 0 | 20.0% |
| Netherlands | $11,095 | 1 | 0 | 20.0% |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
5 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sadler 29 | 28.42' | $ 17,517 | 67 | 14 |
| Hallbery Rassy 29 | 29.2' | $ 43,284 | 56 | 11 |
| Moody 29 | 29.53' | $ 16,908 | 37 | 8 |
| Westerly GK 29 | 29' | $ 12,400 | 8 | 4 |
| Dufour 29You are here | — | $ 11,095 | 5 | 3 |