Van YBW.COM forum:
De vraag:
As in my other post, I am looking into buying a Dufour 2800 with shallow fin keel. I wonder if anyone has experience of these yachts and what they are like in different sea / weather conditions. e.g. light air, rough seas, up and down wind sailing etc.
Een antwoord:
I've had one for fifteen years. Sold it only to upgrade to a 31 footer. The '2800' refers to the tonnage, she is in fact 27 feet. I've done maybe 30 channel crossings with her, and sailed 5000 miles between Normandy,IOW and Holland. She's a safe boat, most masts (there are about three different makes) are very sturdy. In bad weather, a sprayhood is no luxury, and she is a bit lively; but I've never have been in trouble in a force 7/8. I remember sailing from Portsmouth to Eastbourne together with two other sailboats of similar size in marginal weather. We arrived first, and the other two boats both had to throw away a bag of broken crockery. Not so much as a cup was chipped on ours, although we only have porcelain in the galley.
The 2800 is a bit undercanvassed, which contributes to the handling (the rare CS model has a taller mast). As always, reef early. If there is pressure on the tiller, you have to tweak the sails; sailed her with one (OK, small) reef in the mainsail most of the time. BTW, the hull shape is different from the 27, making comparison slightly difficult.
Very few negative points. The original engine is one of the tough Volvo MD series, and spares are getting rare and expensive ( check the exhaust elbow); the waterpump is a bit undersized. Check the deck for weak spots, a well known problem.
But generally, they are very well made; hundreds were sold in France and Holland. At the time of manufacture, the firm was partly owned by the French Governement, and they tended to subsidize the plant heavily as a means of stimulating employment.
Overigens heeft de boot standaard een diepgang van 1,52m en dat vind ik niet verkeerd.
Mijn ervaring gaat over een 34 voeter met tandemkiel van 1,32m. Is wel een ander type kiel dan een ingekort ouder type.