Dufour 48 Sailboat Review, Specs, and Listings

Design and Construction

Felci’s hull carries a fuller bow than the 470, yet chines keep the waterline narrow; a deeper, more rounded forefoot aims to make her more forgiving at sea. The additional beam in the forward sections boosts an already high level of form stability, and those full bow sections provide some balance for the broad transom so that when heeled the boat tracks in more of a straight line than older wide-stern narrow-bow designs. With 13,900 kg displacement on a 2.35 m draft bulb keel and 3,850 kg of iron ballast, the Dufour 48 is a heavy boat — about 25% heavier than Beneteau’s new Oceanis 47, as test sailors noted — yet testers credited the relatively light displacement feel at the wheel to agile handling rather than skittish motion. Extended glazing and numerous openings bring brightness and natural ventilation to saloon and cabins, while the widened aft platform retains two direct sea accesses and integrated rope lockers sit within secure side decks.

Rig and Handling

The Dufour 48 carries a 19/20ths fractional rig with a low, waist-height gooseneck and mast steps to ease mainsail handling, and a bowsprit with integral bowroller that can take a furling offwind sail. A track for a self-tacking jib comes as standard, though the test boat flew an overlapping genoa; the self-tacking jib depowers toward the head as soon as the sheet is cracked, a useful trait in building breeze. On the water, test sailors found her seakindly in a short Solent chop, with chines throwing spray to windward and no inclination to slam thanks to the deeper forefoot and absence of flat spots below. The deep single rudder maintained grip even bearing away sheeted in hard, and in 15–26 knot gusts she made 9.4 knots close reaching, hovered 8.5–9 knots at 110° true wind angle, and still cruised at 7.5 knots upwind in 16–19 knots with standard Dacron and twisted main. She is intended to sail in the high single figures without really trying, happiest at 18º of heel, and needs true wind above 10 knots to come alive.

Accommodations

Dufour offers the 48 in three, four, or five cabin layouts with two to four heads, and two fundamentally different saloon and galley arrangements: a forward full-width galley just aft of the main bulkhead, or a long linear galley to port with an offset dining table. The forward owner’s cabin in the three-cabin version holds a 215 cm by 177 cm island bed with wraparound headboard, separate shower and toilet compartments, and excellent ventilation from opening hatches above the bed; aft cabins are generous with fully rectangular 204 cm by 163 cm berths, though airflow there is weak because the sole opening ports look into the cockpit well and the aft coachroof bulkhead. The XXL saloon centers on a hexagonal table with C-shaped starboard seating long enough for a seaberth, and the starboard heads compartment can convert to a work and nav station while the main port heads can become utility space or a twin bunk room. An outdoor galley extends the skylounge cockpit, and the cockpit tables split into two sections — electrically lowered in harbour to form sunpads — that also brace crew in a seaway.

Known Issues

Testers noted the pedestal tops sat marginally too close to the wheels and clipped knuckles when steering, though Dufour was rectifying this at review time. In that three-cabin forward stateroom, the headboard boxing left no quite enough room to sit up in bed; the builder said it was looking into a remedy. The sprayhood top would benefit from a window so the mainsail can be seen when hoisting, reefing, and trimming. Aft-cabin ventilation remains a weak point for liveaboard comfort in warm climates.

Refits and Ownership

Key systems are laid out for easy service, and the electric panels deserve mention for logical arrangement and access to wiring behind, set up to facilitate neat retrofitting of additional equipment. Propulsion choices run from a 60 hp or 80 hp Yanmar diesel to an electric 25 kW pod drive fed by 27–32 kWh batteries, with the ODSea+ hybrid rudder system offering diesel-generator charging and up to 1 kW regeneration under sail. A hardtop with 1,300 W of solar panels and an optional zero-emission propulsion system extend off-grid range, and B&G Electronics supplies the instrument suite.

The Verdict

The Dufour 48 is a volume-rich bluewater-rated cruiser that sails with surprising verve for its size, trading hardcore expedition credentials for forgiving motion, easy handling, and a genuinely flexible interior. Private owners will likely favor the three-cabin layout with its vast forward suite, while charter fleets can split the bow into two en suites. Minor ergonomic snags — pedestal clearance, headboard boxing, sprayhood visibility, aft-cabin airflow — are being addressed rather than designed in.

Pros