Hull Design and Proportions
Felci gave the 40 short ends and pronounced beam carried well aft, producing a length-to-beam ratio of 3.17 that places it firmly in the modern beamy camp. That beam-aft geometry does several things simultaneously: it extends effective sailing length, adds form stability, and opens up the aft cabin volume without resorting to a wide-body hull section that would punish upwind performance. The displacement-to-length ratio of 175 sits in the moderate range — nothing unusual about the hull shape, as Perry observed, though the canoe body's deepest section appears to run farther aft than older thinking would place it. Two keel options were offered: a shoal draft at 5 feet 3 inches and a performance deep-keel option at 6 feet 11 inches, with the shoal unit cast in iron. Naval architect Felci gave the hull and appendages conservative proportions so that changes in trim and wind strength read quickly at the helm without the boat becoming twitchy or demanding.
Rig and Handling
The fractional rig is deck-stepped and supported by swept spreaders, which allows the compression load to land forward enough that it avoids bisecting the saloon — a genuine layout benefit that masthead rigs rarely afford at this length. One advantage of the fractional rig is that it moves the mast farther forward, keeping the cabin below more open. In the Performance+ specification, the rig is upgraded with PBO backstay and rod shrouds terminating at a single chainplate per side, well inboard. Harken Quattro winches with double-deck drums handle halyards and spinnaker sheets, while jib sheet winches are positioned on the coaming forward, and a second pair manages the Admiral's Cup-style double-ended mainsheet farther aft. Toerails run all the way aft, and stanchions have been moved outboard of the toerail to give hikers a fraction more leverage — a detail that reveals the racing pedigree without punishing the cruising sailor. Under sail, the boat proved agile with responsiveness to the helm and sheet adjustments that matched its larger Dufour stablemates.
Accommodations and Interior Finish
Dufour structured the 40's interior around a fixed central section — galley, saloon, nav desk, and aft head — and offered four permutations for the sleeping cabins around it, ranging from a two-stateroom owner configuration with a large aft storage compartment to three-stateroom layouts suited to chartering or family cruising. The forward cabin is available as a Pullman double or a V-berth; the V-berth variant adds a second head. The galley carries respectable fiddles both around the work surfaces and inside the lockers, a practical touch that separates a genuine passage-maker from a marina boat. The two-burner range has room to gimbal through a useful arc, and a sturdy safety rail doubles as a harness clip point — evidence that someone who cooks at sea signed off on the design. Throughout, seating is designed for function before fashion, with proportions that keep a grab rail always within reach. All joinery is executed in moabi wood. The nav desk sits forward of the aft head on the starboard side, deliberately positioned away from the wet lines that come down the companionway when the boat is being raced hard.
On Deck
Wide side decks allow tight headsail sheeting angles and are easy to negotiate even when the rail is buried. Wichard padeyes set into breaks in the toerail replace midships cleats that would otherwise snag running rigging — a clean solution that cross-pollinates race-boat thinking with cruiser practicality. A bow roller and anchor windlass were offered but not always fitted as standard, leaving the foredeck clean by racing standards but occasionally sparse by cruising ones. Access to the steering quadrant is through a hatch in the cockpit sole, a simple and sensible arrangement. The Performance+ version omits the standard centerline helm seat, opening the cockpit well fully to the transom. A 40-hp Volvo saildrive provides auxiliary power, matched well to the displacement.
Construction
Construction follows the approach common among French production builders: single-skin laminate below the waterline, cored laminate above. The deck uses Resin Transfer Molding — comparable to the SCRIMP process — which produces a lighter, more uniform deck layup than hand-laid alternatives. The method reduces void content and improves the fiber-to-resin ratio without demanding the controlled-atmosphere facilities required for pre-preg work. The shoal-draft keel is cast iron rather than lead, which is a maintenance consideration over time as cast iron is more susceptible to long-term corrosion and rust weeping at the keel joint.
The Verdict
The Dufour 40 lands where Dufour said it would: a performance cruiser that won Best Midsize Cruiser in Cruising World's Boat of the Year contest while remaining a credible competitor against racer/cruiser entries. Felci's hull is honest — not radical, not slow — and Roseo's interior is genuinely thought through rather than showroom-dressed. The four layout options give buyers real flexibility, and the Performance+ specification lets a serious racing program run from the same hull that takes a family offshore. The shoal keel compromises windward performance relative to the deep option but opens up cruising grounds; buyers should choose deliberately.
Pros
- Flexible four-variant interior around a fixed central core suits owner, family, and charter use equally
- Fractional rig placement preserves saloon openness; Performance+ rod-and-PBO upgrade is race-ready out of the box
- Wide side decks, continuous toerail, and function-first seating reward offshore sailing
- Conservative hull proportions produce predictable, responsive helming without demanding constant attention
- RTM deck construction reduces weight and improves laminate consistency
Cons
- Cast-iron shoal-keel option requires diligent inspection for rust and keel-joint weeping
- Two-burner galley limits serious offshore meal preparation for larger crews
- Bow roller and windlass were not always standard, leaving foredeck fitout variable between examples
- Single centerline helm (standard) feels dated against twin-wheel contemporaries at this length
