The dark band around the
coachroof helps to disguise
its headroom-giving heightDufours of this era are easily recognisable by the
large black band around the coachroof which
hides the window line and does a good job of
hiding her tall coachroof. Over time, the band
will often fade to grey – hardly surprising as the
youngest 2800 will be 34 years old this year.
With over 1, 300 2800s made during their seven
years of production, there are usually lots to
choose from when buying used. Also, unlike
the Sadler, the best boats will be within Sarah
and Andy’s budget and, as my surveyor says,
‘The expensive boats are often the cheapest.’
The deeper fin-keeled 2800CS is the pick
of the models to look for, CS standing for Club
Sailor. Although the design dates back to the late
’ 7 0s a well-looked-after version still looks good,
although her hull shape is a far cry from the
fat-bottomed boats in marinas nowadays. Michel
Dufour’s design is similar to the larger and
slightly older Dufour 29, but as well as being
2ft shorter the 2800, it has a spade rudder
rather than the skeg of the 29. This makes
handling under power much easier as the
29’s prop was offset to allow for the removal
of the prop shaft. The 2800 was also available
with a lifting centreboard which retracts into
a stub keel, reducing draft to just 0.9m (3ft).
On the tiller she’s light and nippy to sail once
the sails are balanced – the large genoa dwarfs
the mainsail by modern
standards, but good
use of the traveller
that crosses the
companionway can
work wonders. The
cockpit has masses ofeasily accessible stowage, although as most of
the port seat is the locker lid, it does mean one
has to uproot anyone sitting in the sheltered
seating to access the hull-depth locker.
She can technically sleep five, but one crew
member would have to be tucked, wedged or
squeezed into the quarter berth with the slide-
out chart table stowed above them, and another
of the crew forward on the same long berth – not
the best way to introduce newcomers to sailing,
so four is more realistic as there’s a fair-sized
forward berth and two
berths in the saloon. The
saloon berths are both
parallel to the centreline
and the starboard berth
is within sight of the
helm – through the
companionway – and
reassuring to know
a helping hand is only
a call away. The port
berth is a short seat, but
makes up berth length
with a trotter box hidden behind the sink in the
heads between the forward cabin and saloon.
The saloon is lighter than many of her
contemporaries thanks to large coachroof
windows. The table folds up against the forward
bulkhead keeping the saloon clear and open
plan with the galley taking up the aft port corner,
and the chart table sliding out opposite when
required. The galley isn’t very big and lacks
workspace, and while her exterior hasn’t dated
badly, the colourful GRP around the galley and
head sink remind you she’s a child of the ’ 7 0s.Dufour 2800
SPECIFICATIONS
LOA 8.25m (27ft 1in)
LWL 6.75m (22ft 2in)
BEAM 2.93m (9ft 7in)
DRAUGHT 1.2m (4ft)
DISPLACEMENT
2,751kg (6,052lb)
DESIGNER Michel Dufour
BUILDER Dufour Yachts
OWNERS’ ASSOCIATION
http://www.dufour.org.uk
PRICE £8,000-£13,000 YEAR 1977-1984
With the saloon table folded
against the forward bulkhead
the saloon has bags of spaceThe slide out chart table
makes good use of spaceFIND ME A...