Dufour 36 P Sailboat Review, Specs, and Listings

Design and Construction

The 36 P is a 36-foot monohull with a 33.5-foot waterline, an 11.83-foot beam, and a 7-foot draft over a T-shaped cast-iron bulb keel. The original design brief described its styling as “modern conservative.” Displacement is 14,110 pounds, including 4,190 pounds of iron ballast, for a ballast-displacement ratio near 29.7 percent.

Felci’s hull form has hard chines running aft from just shy of amidships. These broaden the stern sections and support a fold-down transom that also serves as a swim platform.

Below the waterline, the hull is a solid, hand-laid glass-and-polyester laminate. Above the waterline, a PVC foam-and-glass sandwich keeps weight down. PVC-cored longitudinal stringers and a glassed-in structural grid distribute mast, engine, and keel loads. Dufour builds all hulls under 50 feet in solid fiberglass.

The deck is an infused cored laminate with finished gelcoat inside and out. Interior furniture is CNC-cut moabi-laminate plywood; resin-sealed end grain was offered as an option. The 36 P meets European Union Category A standards for offshore capability.

Rig, Cockpit, and Handling

The boat carries a keel-stepped 7/8ths fractional rig from Sparcraft, with double sweptback spreaders. Its two-ended mainsheet leads to Lewmar winches at each of the twin helms, while a functional traveler spans the cockpit forward of the wheels. All other sail-control lines run beneath the sea hood to rope clutches and a pair of cabin-top winches.

Adjustable genoa fairleads accommodate larger optional headsails. A retractable sprit, available in aluminum or carbon, supports an asymmetric spinnaker. The standard Elvström sail package includes a mainsail and 114-percent jib. The test boat instead carried a North Sails inventory with a 107-percent jib and asymmetric kite.

In 5 to 7 knots of breeze, testers saw the knotmeter match wind speed on a near reach. Closehauled, the boat tacked through roughly 70 degrees.

The standard engine is a 30-horsepower diesel, with a 40-horsepower Volvo available as a documented option. With the optional Volvo, a saildrive, and a two-bladed folding propeller, the test boat made just over 7 knots at cruising speed and topped 8 knots at wide-open throttle. Moving ahead at speed, it turned in about one boat length.

A Facnor headsail-furling system and a removable anchor roller with a windlass in the anchor well round out the hardware.

Cockpit and Accommodations

The cockpit lockers double as seats. They can be lifted out to give trimmers and helmsman more room.

Below, double doors open into the forward cabin. Its V-berth has a split mattress and a centerline leeboard for racing crews. In the saloon, full-length 6-foot-7 settees flank a drop-leaf dining table, with a sit-down navigation desk to starboard.

The compact but workable galley includes double sinks, a large refrigerator, a two-burner propane stove with oven, a tip-out silverware drawer, and a foot pump for water misers.

Aft, there’s a double-berth cabin to port. To starboard, the head and shower also serve as a wet hanging locker. Behind them, a drop-down door opens into a storage space. Five opening hatches ventilate the cabin.

Tankage and Ownership

The boat carries 53 gallons of water and 24 gallons of fuel. That modest tankage reflects its coastal racer-cruiser emphasis rather than long-range autonomy.

The Verdict

The Dufour 36 P is a modern performance cruiser that fulfills Felci’s brief. It’s quick in modest breeze, tidy through tacks, and built around a stiff sandwich-and-grid structure. In return for genuine speed and clean cockpit ergonomics, its owner must accept modest tankage and a racing-influenced interior.

Pros