Design and Construction
The fiberglass hull uses sandwich-laminate construction. This construction improves the interior climate—a reasonable claim for a foam-cored shell that moderates temperature swings and reduces condensation below.
Dufour offers the 335 Grand Large with several keel alternatives. One is an L-shaped fin keel: an iron-cast bulb keel shaped like an L. A second L-shaped fin-keel variant draws less water. Depending on load, the deeper iron L-keel draws about 1.90 to 2.00 meters (6.23 to 6.53 feet), limiting the boat to major marinas. The shoaler version draws about 1.55 to 1.65 meters (5.09 to 5.39 feet), which allows her into most marinas.
The underbody has about 36 square meters (387 square feet) of wetted surface. The hull’s immersion rate is about 210 kg per centimeter, or 1178 pounds per inch, indicating how heavily she sits for her length.
Rig and Handling
The 335 Grand Large has a fractional rig, with fully documented standing and running dimensions. The main, jib, and spinnaker halyards are each 30.1 meters (98.6 feet) long and 10 mm in diameter.
The sheets are sized for their respective jobs:
- Jib and genoa sheets: 10.0 meters (32.7 feet) of 12 mm line
- Mainsheet: 25.0 meters (81.9 feet) of 12 mm line
- Spinnaker sheet: 22.0 meters (72.0 feet) of 12 mm line
The smaller control lines include a 4.5-meter cunningham in 10 mm line, plus a 9.0-meter kicking strap and a 9.0-meter clew outhaul, both also in 10 mm line.
Under power, a Volvo Penta diesel driving through a saildrive transmission gives a calculated maximum speed of about 5.1 knots. The theoretical hull speed for a displacement boat of this length is 7.3 knots.
Performance Profile
The numbers describe a moderate-displacement cruiser with docile manners. A length-to-beam ratio of 2.86 and a displacement-length ratio of 208 place her firmly in the cruising range rather than the racing category.
The sail-area-to-displacement ratio is 15.6 with the ISO 8666 reference sail, rising to 18.1 with a 135% genoa. That should be enough to keep her moving in a breeze without leaving her over-canvased. Her Motion Comfort Ratio is 23.5, while the capsize screening value is 2.00.
The 335 Grand Large carries CE Class A (Ocean) certification and is designed for extended voyages where conditions demand a capable hull.
Accommodations and Tankage
Below, the boat has six berths arranged across two cabins, although charter specifications note flexibility for four to six berths. She has one bathroom and one WC.
The sandwich hull’s climate-stabilizing properties are a practical benefit in the sleeping spaces, where condensation control matters aboard a cruising boat. Tankage comprises 220 liters of water and 160 liters of fuel, while the installed power is 40 hp.
Verdict
The Dufour 335 Grand Large is a Felci-designed cruiser intended for comfortable coastal sailing and ocean passage-making. It combines documented CE Class A certification with a practical two-cabin, six-berth layout.
Its sandwich-fiberglass hull and choice of keel depths allow an owner to balance marina access against ballast stability. The saildrive diesel provides modest but adequate propulsion.
Pros
- Umberto Felci design with CE Class A (Ocean) certification
- Choice of L-shaped iron keels for draft flexibility
- Six berths in two cabins
- 220 L of water and 160 L of fuel
- Sandwich-hull construction that stabilizes the interior climate
Cons
- The deeper keel’s 1.90–2.00 m draft limits her to major marinas
- The saildrive and 40 hp diesel yield only about 5.1 knots under power
