Design and Construction
The Dufour 36 Classic displaces 13,000 pounds and carries 3,528 pounds of iron ballast, giving it a 27 percent ballast ratio. The standard keel draws 5 feet 10 inches, and a shoal-draft option was available.
The hull is hand-laid from one layer of fiberglass mat in vinylester resin and six layers of mat with tri- and bi-directional non-woven glass. It is cored above the waterline with high-density PVC foam and vacuum-bagged throughout.
A solid fiberglass grid, bonded to the hull with secondary laminations, provides multidirectional support and a base for the furniture. The hull-deck joint uses an inward-oriented flange secured with Sikaflex adhesive and screws on six-inch centers. The chainplates sit aft of the mast and attach to stainless tie-rods bedded into the hull.
The builder’s 10-year warranty covered structural defects and gel-coat blistering on underwater hull surfaces, excluding the keel and rudder.
Steering, Rig, and Sail Handling
The steering system uses a Whitlock stainless rack-and-pinion mechanism, with metal rods transmitting movement to a large, semi-balanced spade rudder. The elliptical rudder hangs on a self-aligning ball-and-socket bearing, with roughly a quarter of its area ahead of the post to catch prop wash. It pivots the boat smartly, and the test crew found that reversing lacked the drama cable systems can sometimes show.
The deck-stepped, double-spreader Z-Spar mast has an air draft of 51 feet 10 inches. Its slightly swept spreaders allow the boom to run well out downwind. An inner forestay limits mast bend but isn’t intended to serve as a staysail stay.
The standard sail plan comprises a mainsail with three reef points, two of them rigged, and a Facnor roller-furling 130 percent genoa. Together, they provide 689 square feet of sail. Z-Spar in-mast furling was offered as an option.
Lines lead aft through Spinlock clutches to Lewmar ST40 sheet winches and a single ST30 halyard winch, an arrangement that supports single- or doublehanded sailing. The mainsheet attaches about two-thirds of the way aft and has a 4:1 purchase.
Performance Under Sail and Power
In 11.2 knots of true wind, the test crew recorded speeds of 6.5 to 7.2 knots, gaining nearly two more on a broad reach. Upwind, the boat tacked through 80 to 90 degrees at better than six knots. Steering remained neutral and light enough for one-finger control.
Auxiliary power comes from a 30-horsepower Volvo 2030 Saildrive with a fixed two-blade propeller. It proved remarkably quiet at 1,000 rpm and nearly silent at 900 rpm, when the boat made 3.1 knots. At a sustained 2,900 rpm, it produced 6.6 knots against a calculated hull speed of 7.7 knots. The boat reverses to port in less than a boat length.
Cockpit and Deck
The U-shaped cockpit seats four comfortably, though it can accommodate six, and includes a folding pedestal table. Deck hardware is Lewmar except for the Spinlock rope clutches.
Large lazarette hatches measure 27 by 21 inches, and an emergency tiller is stored in the port lazarette. The throttle and transmission controls share a single binnacle lever. The engine panel is recessed beneath an 18-inch bridgedeck.
The chain locker is a triangular well with overboard drainage and a watertight bulkhead, a manual Lofrans windlass, and a stainless anchor mount with a protective plate.
Accommodations
The tested boat had the two-cabin layout. Both the two- and three-cabin versions share the same admirably sensible single-head arrangement. Headroom is 6 feet 2 inches at the foot of the companionway, decreasing to 6 feet 1 inch forward.
A full-length European-style galley runs along the starboard side. Opposite, the forward-facing navigation station has proper fiddles and a chart table large enough for half an Admiralty sheet.
The forward cabin has a genuine offset double berth and a large, padded L-shaped seat. Ventilation comes from a Lewmar hatch, the saloon hatch, two small square openings, and four opening ports. The aft cabin also has a double berth, although its ventilation was noted as a concern.
The shower is incorporated into the head. It has a teak-grated center drain and a wet locker beside the sink.
Known Issue
The 12-volt refrigerator originally drained into the bilge. The factory addressed this design oversight on 2001 models by routing the refrigerator drain to share the sink drain. Buyers should confirm which arrangement is fitted to a particular hull.
The Verdict
The Dufour 36 Classic is a well-built performance cruiser with offshore-certified construction. Its light, neutral helm and smart reversing make close-quarters handling under power straightforward. The accommodations are sensible rather than expansive, while the refrigerator drainage change is an important distinction between early and later hulls.
Pros
- Quiet Saildrive, neutral one-finger steering, and smart reversing
- CE Category A construction with a vacuum-bagged, cored hull and bonded grid
- Lines led aft for short-handed sail handling
Cons
- Refrigerator drains into the bilge on early models
- Aft-cabin ventilation was noted as weak
- Engine panel is poorly positioned beneath the bridgedeck
