Review of Dufour 31

The hull is made of fibreglass. Generally, a hull made of fibreglass requires only a minimum of maintenance during the sailing season. And outside the sailing season, just bottom cleaning and perhaps anti-fouling painting once a year - a few hours of work, that's all.

The interior is like many other boats made of mahogany. Mahogany belongs to the hardwood species, known for being water-repellent and resistant to decay. It has an attractive wood grain and holds wood polish and varnish well.
The boat is equipped with 6 berths, a galley and toilet facility.

The Dufour 31 is equipped with a masthead rig. The advantage of a masthead rig is its simplicity and the fact that a given sail area - compared with a fractional rig - can be carried lower and thus with less heeling moment.

Unknown keel type

The keel is made of iron. Many people prefer lead keel in favour of iron. The main argument is that lead is much heavier than iron and a lead keel can therefore be made smaller which again result in less wet surface, i.e. less drag. In fact iron is quite heavy, just 30% less heavy than lead, so the advantage of a lead keel is often overstated.

The boat can enter most marinas as the draft is just about 1.74 - 1.84 meter (5.71 - 6.01 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.

The Dufour 31 has been equipped with different engine alternatives.

Alternative 1:

Dufour 31 may be equipped with an inboard Volvo Penta MD7A diesel engine

Alternative 2:

The boat may be equipped with an inboard Volvo Penta diesel engine at 10 hp (7 kW). Calculated max speed is about 3.7 knots

What is Capsize Screening Formula (CSF)?

The capsize screening value for Dufour 31 is 1.98, indicating that this boat could - if evaluated by this formula alone - be accepted to participate in ocean races.

What is Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed?

The theoretical maximal speed of a displacement boat of this length is 6.4 knots. The term "Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed" is widely used even though a boat can sail faster. The term shall be interpreted as above the theoretical speed a great additional power is necessary for a small gain in speed.

The immersion rate is defined as the weight required to sink the boat a certain level. The immersion rate for Dufour 31 is about 148 kg/cm, alternatively 832 lbs/inch.
Meaning: if you load 148 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm. Alternatively, if you load 832 lbs cargo on the boat it will sink 1 inch.

What is Motion Comfort Ratio (MCR)?

The Motion Comfort Ratio for Dufour 31 is 24.8.

What is L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?

The l/b ratio for Dufour 31 is 2.95.

What is a Ballast Ratio?

The ballast ratio for Dufour 31 is 39%.

What is Displacement Length Ratio?

The DL-ratio for Dufour 31 is 341 which categorizes this boat among 'heavy cruisers'.

What is Relative Speed Performance?

The Relative Speed Performance for Dufour 31 is 31

When buying anti-fouling bottom paint, it's nice to know how much to buy. The surface of the wet bottom is about 26m² (279 ft²).
Based on this, your favourite maritime shop can tell you the quantity you need.

Note: If you use a paint roller you will need more paint than if you use a paintbrush.

If you need to renew parts of your running rig and is not quite sure of the dimensions, you may find the estimates computed below useful.

This section is reserved boat owner's modifications, improvements, etc. Here you might find (or contribute with) inspiration for your boat.

Do you have changes/improvements you would like to share? Upload a photo and describe what you have done.

We are always looking for new photos. If you can contribute with photos for Dufour 31 it would be a great help.

If you have any comments to the review, improvement suggestions, or the like, feel free to contact us. Criticism helps us to improve.