Dufour 405 Grand Large Sailboats for Sale

Layouts on the Used Market

Owner three-cabin layouts are the more common on the used market, but both are available; ex-charter examples are common. The original spec offered one or two aft cabins (plus a third owner plan noted in period reviews): the single-aft-cabin version has an L-shaped galley aft and a chart table between saloon seats with a vast cockpit locker that can serve as a small workshop, while the two-aft-cabin version uses a linear galley and a separate forward-facing nav station. All share a large owner’s forecabin with ensuite head, a second head aft of the U-shaped settee, 6ft 5in saloon headroom, and 6ft 7in by 4ft 6in aft berths. A straight-line galley to port or starboard was also optional.

Equipment and Common Upgrades

On the used market these boats commonly carry a chartplotter, autopilot, solar, life raft, bimini, swim platform, inverter, bow thruster, heating, dodger, cockpit shower, AIS, and hot water as standard brokerage fit. Often seen additions include radar, air conditioning, spinnaker, furling main, and EPIRB. Electric winches, lithium batteries, gennaker, freezer, dinghy davits, and short-handed setups are less commonly seen, usually owner upgrades. The original helm suite placed Raymarine ST-70 repeaters, engine readouts, and autopilot at the wheel, with a Raymarine plotter built into the cockpit table; Harken winches and Lewmar sheet leads were standard.

What to Inspect

The documented record shows no structural faults, but buyers should confirm the balsa-cored deck remains dry around deck sandwich and hatches, since a rigid injected-polyester balsa deck is only as good as its sealant. The saloon ventilation limited to one small port and two hatches is a built-in weakness worth verifying hasn’t been improvised around with non-standard vents, and the central cockpit table obstruction should be checked for wear from sailhandling traffic. Tank access under the berths and the battery panel above one berth deserve a look for damp or corrosion.

Availability and Buyer's Takeaway

These boats typically turn up in Greece, Saint Martin (French part), United Kingdom, France, Portugal, and Italy. For a buyer, the checklist is simple: confirm layout (owner three-cabin most common, ex-charter frequent), verify deck-core dryness, assess saloon ventilation, and check tank and battery access. A 405 with the optional 55hp and folding prop is a bonus, but the standard 40hp Volvo saildrive is well proven.