Design and Construction
At 6.70 metres overall with a 6.23-metre waterline and a beam of 2.50 metres, the T7 carries a length-to-beam ratio of 2.81, which leaves her roomy for her length relative to comparable sailboat designs anchor. The hull is solid fiberglass, and Yachting Monthly describes her as lightly constructed — a trait consistent with the 2,360 lb displacement recorded for the design. Ballast sits at 40 percent of that figure, a proportion the comparison data places above 54 percent of similar boats, and the iron keel was offered in more than one form. Beyond the lifting keel that gave a minimum draught of about a foot, buyers could choose a swing keel or a fin keel, both iron; the swing variant let the boat sail in 0.30 to 0.40 metre of water depending on load, while the fin keel drew about 1.05 to 1.15 metre. A wetted area near 18 square metres and an immersion rate around 103 kg per centimetre round out a hull that is small but sensibly proportioned for its brief.
Rig and Handling
The T7 is a fractional sloop, and the standing rigging notes list jib and genoa sheets of 7.0 metres at 10 mm diameter, a 17.5-metre mainsheet, and 15.4-metre spinnaker sheets — all 10 mm — which tells you the control loads are modest and the deck layout is straightforward for short-handed sailing. Yachting Monthly calls her a good performer, and the theoretical hull speed works out to about 6.1 knots for a displacement hull of this length. With the lifting keel raised she can be sailed close to a beach, and the shallow-draught capability is a genuine asset in the rocky anchorages and drying harbours a 22-footer often frequents.
Accommodations
Where the T7 distinguishes herself from most boats her size is the centre-cockpit layout with an aftercabin reached via the cockpit. The saloon holds two berths and the aftercabin two more, giving four sleeping positions in a boat barely over 20 feet on the waterline. Headroom is almost full standing at 1.8 metres — just over six feet — which is remarkable in this class and explains much of her family-cruiser reputation. The separation of the aftercabin from the main saloon gives a measure of privacy that pocket cruisers of the era rarely attempted.
The Verdict
The Dufour T7 is a curious and rather clever small cruiser: a centre-cockpit 22-footer with standing headroom, four berths, and a keel system that turns her from a 4-foot-6-inch draft sailboat into a beachable shallow-draught tender. She is lightly built and small, but the proportions are generous and the layout is genuinely unusual for the length. For a couple or young family wanting a simple, trailerable coastal cruiser with a real cabin aft, she remains a distinctive answer.
Pros
- Centre-cockpit design with aftercabin accessed from the cockpit — rare in a 22-foot boat
- Near full standing headroom at 1.8 metres
- Lifting/swing keel gives minimum draught of about one foot for beaching and shallow harbours
- Roomy for her length (L/B 2.81)
- Four berths across saloon and aftercabin
Cons
- Lightly constructed hull
- Small overall — limited to coastal and sheltered-water cruising by size and 6.1-knot theoretical speed
- Shallow draft under keel lift brings grounding and pivot-load considerations absent in fixed-keel boats
