SAIL magazine named the Dufour 61 the winner of its 2022 Best Boat Award in the Flagship Monohull category. The numbers behind the 60-foot hull help explain why she attracted attention: a 57-foot-9-inch waterline, 18-foot beam, 53,249-pound displacement, and 14,330 pounds of lead ballast in a T-bulb keel. Her ballast ratio is 27, and her displacement-to-length ratio is 123. A fractional sloop rig carries 1,830 square feet of sail area, producing a sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 21.
Design and Construction
Dufour builds the 61 in La Rochelle. The hull has a solid laminate below the waterline, while the topsides are cored with end-grain balsa. The infused deck is also balsa-cored. An internal aluminum grid supports the keel.
The hull carries plenty of beam aft, with a hard chine to increase initial stability. Above it, a low-profile cabinhouse and open, flush foredeck create a clean modern profile. The foredeck is free of handholds forward of the mast, however. Wide side decks and the expansive foredeck give the 61 a genuine big-boat feel, and SAIL magazine found the finish quality better than average for a mass-production vessel. The lead-ballasted T-bulb itself has an efficient shape.
A carbon-fiber arch over the companionway carries the double-ended mainsheet on two blocks. This arrangement keeps the deck and coachroof clear of lines under sail.
Rig, Handling, and Performance
All control lines run aft beneath the deck to two pairs of Lewmar 65 winches, positioned just ahead of the twin wheels. Those wheels turn a single deep rudder. The double-ended German mainsheet runs through a narrow bridle atop the tall carbon-fiber arch.
The self-tacking blade jib needs more halyard tension on the modern half-halyard rig. The test boat carried an in-mast furling mainsail, although buyers can order a slab-reefed main and overlapping jib. Four electric winches at the wheels provide fingertip control of all required lines, and both helms have engine controls with full instruments.
Test sailors found the helm well balanced, with just the right amount of friction and excellent feedback. The powerful rudder held cleanly without losing grip. In 12–15 knots of true wind, the boat sailed at 8.5 knots at a 40-degree apparent wind angle. She continued to make 5 knots inside 30 degrees without stalling and topped 8 knots on a beam reach using only the blade jib.
Under power, the turbocharged 175hp Volvo diesel drives a four-bladed propeller through a shaft. It pushed the boat to 9.4 knots at cruising rpm and 10 knots at full throttle. When backing down, the Dufour 61 turned within her own length.
Cockpit and Interior
The cockpit seats eight around a drop-leaf table fitted with a deck fridge. An optional outdoor galley, with a grill and sink, tucks beneath a bench. The large fold-down transom opens onto a modest dinghy garage beneath the cockpit.
Below, Dufour offers several layouts built around three distinct galley arrangements. One places the galley down a step, just forward of the saloon to port, with a small passage cabin containing over-and-under single berths to starboard. Another deletes that cabin, allowing the forward galley to span the full beam with twin centerline sinks and a huge front-loading fridge. The third puts the galley aft to port beside the companionway. This is a more cramped location, but it frees the middle of the boat for a larger passage cabin opposite a big head.
Two layouts have twin aft cabins: a full double to starboard and singles to port, both with en suite heads. The third shortens the port aft cabin to a single berth.
Every layout shares the same spacious saloon, with robust handholds, an L-shaped port settee around a height-adjustable table, a modular insert to starboard, and a modest navigation desk. Forward, the palatial owner’s stateroom has an offset island berth and an en suite head. A tiny crew cabin occupies the peak.
Systems and Owner Options
Owners can specify slab reefing and downwind sails. The motor for the below-deck electric headsail furler is accessed through the forward sail locker, which also serves the anchor chain.
Standard capacities are 206 gallons of fuel and 233 gallons of water, supporting extended cruising under the 175hp plant. The company brochure describes the development goal as “simple, instinctive sailing.”
Known Issue
Judges reviewing the boat raised one concern: when the dinghy garage is loaded, the dinghy appears to cover the emergency-tiller socket. Buyers should confirm that the emergency tiller remains accessible with any tender loaded in the garage.
The Verdict
The Dufour 61 is a thoroughly modern flagship that combines real performance with the volume of a large cruiser. Felci’s hull form, the clean deck layout, led-aft controls, and electric winches make this 63-foot boat feel like a giant dinghy to handle. Meanwhile, the interchangeable galley and cabin arrangements allow owners to tailor the interior for private or charter use without compromising the saloon or owner’s suite.
Pros
- Award-winning flagship performance cruiser with a stiff, beam-aft hull form
- Led-aft control lines, twin wheels, and electric winches make short-handed sailing easier
- Three galley arrangements and flexible multi-cabin layouts
- En suite aft heads and a forward owner’s cabin with an island berth
- Strong motoring range from the 175hp shaft-drive Volvo
Cons
- A loaded dinghy can obscure the emergency-tiller socket at the transom
- The flush foredeck lacks handholds forward of the mast, so moving forward demands care
- The test boat’s in-mast furling setup limits traditional mainsail options unless the boat is specified differently
