Compared with the Dufour 31, which had a clipper bow and a spacious six-berth interior, the 3800 gave up some volume for a more elegant cabin with far less of a plastic feel. It sleeps eight, including a saloon double and a pilot berth.
Design and Construction
The 3800 has a solid fiberglass hull and a sandwich deck. The cored upper structure is intended to moderate temperature swings inside the boat. Both the hull and deck are fiberglass, but the deck is the only departure from an all-solid fiberglass hull-and-deck baseline.
Dufour offered three distinct iron-keel configurations. The fin keel draws 5.58 to 5.88 feet depending on load. The shallow keel draws 4.43 to 4.73 feet, while the stub/centreboard version reduces draft to 3.51 to 3.81 feet for shallow marinas.
With a 10-foot-6-inch beam and a 25-foot-7-inch waterline, the boat has an l/b ratio of 2.88. It carries 3,750 pounds of iron ballast on an 8,360-pound displacement, for a ballast ratio of 45%, which marks it as reasonably stiff. These figures mark it as a reasonably stiff moderate racer in the database classification.
Its capsize screening value of 2.10 placed it outside ocean-race acceptance. A motion comfort ratio of 20.3 and an immersion rate of 951 pounds per inch describe a predictable, settled hull in a seaway.
Rig, Performance, and Handling
The Dufour 3800 carries a masthead sloop rig. The record describes it as slightly underrigged, with more sail plan than only 31% of similar sailboats. Even so, its sail-area-to-displacement ratio rises to 18.2 with a 135% genoa, helping to deliver the sparkling performance noted by Yachting Monthly.
A Volvo Penta MD5 diesel drives the boat through a shaft. It produces 8 horsepower and pushes the 3800 to 6.5 knots under power, just below the theoretical displacement hull speed of 6.8 knots for a boat of this length.
A relative speed performance index of 58 and wetted surface of about 312 square feet complete the picture: this is a light-handed, quick boat that rewards careful sail trim rather than brute quantities of canvas.
Accommodations
Below, teak joinery gives the cabin a traditional character rather than a molded appearance. The eight-berth layout centers on a saloon double, with a pilot berth beside the quarterberth.
That elegant finish comes with compromises. Yachting Monthly found the galley cramped, while the small chart table sits over the quarterberth and can intrude on a sleeping sailor. The headroom and berth arrangement suit a couple with guests better than a full charter load. Even so, the cabin’s far less plastic character is what owners and reviewers remember when comparing the 3800 with more synthetic late-1970s contemporaries.
Known Issues and Ownership
The sandwich deck is the main area to inspect for soft spots or delamination because its cored construction is the boat’s only departure from an all-solid fiberglass hull-and-deck baseline.
A total of 300 boats were built, making the 3800 a finite and recognizable generation. Its Volvo Penta MD5 is a long-lived but low-output diesel, so engine spares and shaft-log service are routine ownership items.
Keel choice matters more than most refits. On a centreboard-equipped boat, the board trunk and pivot need inspection. Fin-keel boats are simpler, but their greater draft rules out some marinas.
Verdict
The Dufour 3800 is a Frers-designed cruiser that punches above its 31-foot length. It combines a quick masthead rig, three iron-keel draft options, and a teak interior that ages better than the plastic-heavy cabins of many contemporaries.
It isn’t an offshore racer by the capsize screen, and the galley and chart table are tight. As a light-air fast cruiser with a sane motion profile, however, it remains a considered choice.
Pros
- Sparkling performance, with a genoa-driven sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 18.2
- Elegant teak interior with far less plastic than its contemporaries
- Three iron-keel options, with drafts ranging from 3.51 to 5.88 feet
- Solid fiberglass hull, with only the deck cored
Cons
- Cramped galley and a small chart table over the quarterberth
- Slightly underrigged compared with its peers
- Modest 8 hp diesel
- Capsize screening value of 2.10 excludes ocean-race acceptance
