Dufour 445 Grand Large Sailboat Review, Specs, and Listings

Design and Construction

Felci's hull form pairs a fine entry with volume aft, and the build method supports that structure without fuss. The deck is foam-cored and injection molded as a one-piece monocoque with finished surfaces on both sides, then bonded to the hull's inward flange using 3M's 5200 and mechanically fastened every 8 inches. Below, a structural grid is bonded to the hand-laid glass hull to distribute keel and rig loads. Vacuum-assisted resin infusion fills the kerfs in the PVC foam core and uniformly bonds each skin to the core, and a look in the forepeak or aft reveals a hull laminate with a high fiber-to-resin ratio free of voids. The efficient anvil-shaped cast-iron keel is attached with stainless steel keel bolts and spreads sailing loads across enough garboard contact area to steady the hull. Two keel versions exist: a deep 7-foot-3-inch draft and a shoal 5-foot-10-inch configuration, with ballast of 6,283 and 6,724 pounds respectively.

Rig and Handling

On deck the 445 favors the short-handed watchkeeper. Long cockpit benches and twin wheels with Lewmar steering give ample feedback and fingertip control, while the semi-elliptical rudder provides firm tracking. A double-ended German mainsheet can be tended from the helm, and primary winches sit near each wheel. The Z-Spar rig carries double swept-back spreaders and a Facnor furler; on-the-fly adjustable genoa car leads let a crew dial in sheeting as the 140 percent genoa is eased or rolled. A conventional slab-reefed main with lazyjacks and a boom-fitted cover proved easy to manage in testing, and a single-line reefing system puts the first tuck in without leaving the cockpit. A built-in sprit pole lurks in the bow for offwind sails, with an optional retracting sprit available.

Accommodations

Below, the volume buys real living space. The three-cabin model places a centerline queen in an almost overly spacious forward owner's cabin with a head to starboard and voluminous shower to port; the four-cabin layout instead sports twin bow cabins. Two aft cabins feature queen berths and hanging lockers, with the port cabin giving direct access to the head and shower at the companionway base, where a self-draining locker swallows wet foul-weather gear. The saloon wraps a large dining table in a U-shaped seat and adds a centerline bench with storage, while eight deck hatches and eight ports plus fixed hull portlights keep the moabi mahogany interior bright. The inline galley runs to the main bulkhead with a stove, oven, double sink, and a well-gimbaled three-burner unit; a second refrigerator tucks under the settee and a top-loading Isotherm fridge forward of the nav station doubles as counter. A built-in wine rack, shoe lockers, and room for a generator between aft cabins round out the storage thinking, all under 6-foot-4-inch headroom.

Equipment and Power

The standard 55-horsepower Volvo diesel gives way on many boats to a 75-horsepower Volvo with saildrive, which test sailors found quiet and smooth. A low-drag four-bladed folding prop and meticulously welded chainplates are standard details, and an electric cabintop winch assists hoists. A trap-door bow thruster eases docking, and the wide fold-down swim platform across the transom opens the stern to the water. Teak accents on deck and cockpit seats, plus handrails built into either side of the cabin top, complete the considered package.

The Verdict

The Dufour 445 Grand Large is a thoughtfully engineered cruiser that balances volume with manageable handling. Its infusion-built deck and grid-stiffened hull read as durable and tidy, and the accommodations are among the most usable in the mid-40-foot range. The shoal keel trades some leeway for accessibility, while the deep keel serves bluewater plans.

Pros