Dufour 61 Buyer's Guide
Shopping the brokerage market for a Dufour 61 means considering a modern flagship performance-cruiser built by Dufour Yachts in La Rochelle and designed by Umberto Felci with in-house input following Fountaine Pajot's ownership. The 61 spans 63 feet overall with a 9 foot 2 inch standard draft and a volume-forward interior program that rewards careful layout comparison rather than assumption.
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 61 was offered with an array of configurations featuring three different galley treatments — a forward step-down galley, a full-beam forward galley deleting the passage cabin, or a more conventional aft galley to port. Two layouts feature twin aft cabins with en suite heads, while the third truncates the port aft cabin to a single berth. All share a spacious saloon with robust handholds, an L-shaped settee, and a palatial forward owner's stateroom with offset island berth, plus a tiny crew cabin in the peak. A large fold-down transom reveals an under-cockpit dinghy garage.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
On the used market these boats are commonly fitted with air conditioning, electric winches, a swim platform, AIS, autopilot, chartplotter, inverter, self-tacking jib, asymmetric spinnaker, bow thruster, teak decks, cockpit shower, and bimini. Often seen additions include a watermaker, furling main, freezer, washing machine, radar, and life raft. The standard 175hp Volvo diesel with shaft drive and four electric winches at the twin wheels are typical, and the carbon-fiber arch keeps the deck clear of lines under sail.
What to Inspect
Documented review notes one concern: when loaded, the dinghy appears to cover the socket for the emergency tiller, so verify tiller access with the garage loaded. The flush foredeck forward of the mast is free of handholds by design — confirm crew familiarity and any added safety lines. The test boat's in-mast furling mainsail on a half-halyard rig needed more halyard tension; inspect mast-rigging tune and furler function. The hull is solid below the waterline with balsa-cored topsides and deck, an internal aluminum grid at the keel, and a T-bulb keel with lead ballast — survey the balsa cores for moisture and the grid bonding at the keel.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
Typical markets for the Dufour 61 are France, Montenegro, and Italy. When evaluating a specific example, confirm the galley layout matches your cruising style, verify emergency-tiller access with dinghy stowed, survey balsa-core integrity, and test the furling main and self-tacking jib tune. Prioritize a layout with en suite aft cabins if charter potential matters, and inspect the fold-down transom hardware and dinghy garage for wear.
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Dufour 61. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 6 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 25 | 1 | $ 1,361,713 | — |
| Feb 25 | 1 | $ 1,361,713 | 0.0% |
| Aug 25 | 1 | $ 1,024,146 | -24.8% |
| Sep 25 | 1 | $ 895,000 | -12.6% |
| Jan 26 | 2 | $ 1,025,154 | +14.5% |
| Apr 26 | 2 | $ 1,361,713 | +32.8% |
Where they're listed
Dufour 61 listings appear across 2 countries. Montenegro has the most listings with 3 (60.0%), followed by France.
Country view
5 listings · 2 countries| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montenegro | $ 1,024,146 | 3 | 0 | 60.0% |
| France | $ 1,361,713 | 2 | 0 | 40.0% |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
10 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dufour 56 | 56' | $ 434,833 | 63 | 8 |
| Jeanneau Yachts 64 | 65.94' | $ 1,029,867 | 57 | 23 |
| Beneteau Oceanis 60 | 59.84' | $ 566,427 | 49 | 9 |
| Beneteau Oceanis Yacht 62 | 62.56' | $ 1,029,867 | 37 | 10 |
| Dufour 56 -2 | 56.27' | $ 301,625 | 36 | 13 |
| Beneteau Oceanis Yacht 60 | 62.17' | $ 1,074,495 | 25 | 4 |
| Dufour 54 | 55.25' | $ 1,113,000 | 21 | 2 |
| Beneteau Oceanis 55.1 | 55.05' | $ 505,895 | 20 | 8 |
| Swan 61 | 60.5' | $ 451,362 | 10 | 2 |
| Dufour 61You are here | — | $ 1,025,154 | 6 | 0 |