Review of Dufour T6
Basic specs.
If you have a photo you would like to share: Upload Image
Looking for a new boat? Find a Dufour T6 or similar boat for sale
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 boat is equipped with 4 berths.
CentreBoard
The Dufour T6 is equipped with a centreboard keel. A centreboard keel is a pivoting lifting keel, allowing to sail both coastal and inland waters.
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 sail close to the beach as the draft is just 0.35 - 0.45 meter (1.15 - 1.45 ft) dependent of the load. See immersion rate below.
An outboard motor is often used on this boat. In that case Dufour T6 will typically require a power of 2 - 3 hp, alternatively 35 - 42 lbs thrust if you prefer an electrical motor. Electric outboards are becoming popular for sailboat owners who want clean instant power with less noise and no exhaust fumes.
Sailing characteristics
This section covers widely used rules of thumb to describe the sailing characteristics. Please note that even though the calculations are correct, the interpretation of the results might not be valid for extreme boats.
What is Capsize Screening Formula (CSF)?
The capsize screening value for Dufour T6 is 2.61, indicating that this boat would not be accepted to participate in ocean races.
The immersion rate is defined as the weight required to sink the boat a certain level.
The immersion rate for Dufour T6 is about 98 kg/cm, alternatively 553 lbs/inch.
Meaning: if you load 98 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm.
Alternatively, if you load 553 lbs cargo on the boat it will sink 1 inch.
Sailing statistics
This section is statistical comparison with similar boats of the same category. The basis of the following statistical computations is our unique database with more than 26,000 different boat types and 350,000 data points.
What is L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?
The l/b ratio for Dufour T6 is 2.56.
The ballast ratio for Dufour T6 is 38%.
SA/D (Sail Area Displacement ratio)
Indicates how fast the boat is in light wind:
- Cruising Boats have ratios 10-15
- Cruiser-Racers have ratios 16-20
- Racers have ratios above 20
- High-Performance Racers have ratios above 24
Sail-area/displacement ratio (SA/D ratio): 21.24
Maintenance
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.
| Usage | Length | Diameter | ||
| Jib sheet | 6.2 m | (20.2 feet) | 10 mm | (3/8 inch) |
| Genoa sheet | 6.2 m | (20.2 feet) | 10 mm | (3/8 inch) |
| Mainsheet | 15.4 m | (50.4 feet) | 10 mm | (3/8 inch) |
| Spinnaker sheet | 13.5 m | (44.4 feet) | 10 mm | (3/8 inch) |
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 T6 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.