Dufour 520 Grand Large Sailboats for Sale

Layouts on the Used Market

Charter four-cabin layouts are the more common on the used market, but both are available; ex-charter examples are common. The original four choices ran from three cabins and three heads through three cabins with a Pullman, four cabins and four heads, to four cabins with three heads and a Pullman. The aft port double was built to split into two singles, and a private-use arrangement placed a sumptuous master forward with split head and two cabins aft. The galley sits athwartship at the main bulkhead with stove and sink to port and refrigerator drawers to starboard, and an electric hi/lo table plus a level-adjusting nav desk show the interior was meant to serve a full crew.

Equipment and Common Upgrades

Teak decks, air conditioning, chartplotter, swim platform, autopilot, cockpit shower, and bimini are commonly fitted, so most buyers will find a turnkey boat in those respects. Often-seen additions include an inverter, bow thruster, heating, and electric winches — the last worth having given the 520's size. Less common but present as owner upgrades are freezer, furling main, radar, AIS, and life raft. For a shopper, the meaningful clusters are power and energy (inverter, sometimes generator via owner fit), canvas and sail handling (bimini, furling main, electric winches), and navigation (chartplotter, radar, AIS), with comfort covered by air conditioning and heating.

What to Inspect

The engine panel and throttle were placed near the cockpit sole and aft under the rear seat, so check that the location is serviceable and not obscured by cushions or upgrades anchor. Sheets and halyards on the tested boat were all the same color; on a used Dufour 520 Grand Large verify the running rigging has been re-marked or color-coded to avoid confusion at the winches anchor. Otherwise the hull is hand-laid solid glass below the waterline and PVC-cored above with polyester resin throughout, and the structural grid is glued and tabbed in.

Availability and Buyer's Takeaway

Typical markets are Croatia, Italy, Greece, Seychelles, Guadeloupe, and France. For a buyer, the checklist is short: confirm which of the four layouts you are viewing and whether it is ex-charter; verify the throttle and panel reach under the rear seat; check that lines are color-differentiated; and note whether electric winches, bow thruster, and inverter are present as these are frequent rather than universal. The 520 is a well-equipped entertaining cruiser whose main used-market caveats are small ergonomic ones.