1976 DuFour 27... (I even searched)

[rowingdude]

Alrighty, I am driving out to Maryland tomorrow (all 800 miles) to meet with a guy who is selling a Dufour 27 with the cabin; the boat is sanded and prepped for paint, but the gentleman is moving to Florida and cannot finish the boat. It also has a soft spot on the deck and no motor; the shaft hole is epoxied. There is an outboard on the boat though.

So, I have read this boat is one of the better 27' boats. I think I remember reading it's keel-stepped and has a very deep fin keel. My immediate plans for the boat, assuming I can get it for a tidy price would be to finish the boat, install a radar arch / bimini with solar panels, new batteries, clean everything and buy a rowing-dink - then sell the outboard.

Are these good boats? They don't seem to be terribly popular here stateside, that or their owners hang on to them. My plan, aside from learning "real sailing" technique is to aim for the Caribbean, obviously, I would not be taking the ICW as that's a longgg ways to row!

[WeekendSailor]

Well maintained Dufour 27's are excellent day-sailors that can stand up to blow or sail with minimal wind. They have comfortable cockpits and offer the convenience of a small functional cabin with a minimal galley, an enclosed stand-up head (5’11”) and a great Pilot Berth. On deck, they have nice wide flat decks that provide secure footing when going forward. However, it sounds like your seller is offering what is left of a good boat that he has not maintained for 35 years. If you have to repower and rebuild the cored decks, plan on lots of work and big bucks. To see what a well maintained Dufour 27 looks like, Google, 1974 Dufour 27. Also, Good Old Boat Magazine will have a review of the Dufour 27 in their July 2011 issue.

Good luck

[Doodles]

I agree with WeekendSailor, this doesn't sound like a boat in great shape. What makes it worth driving 800 miles to see, is it free or almost? I'm not sure about the deck, but you may be hard pressed to store a hard dink on the deck of a 27 footer. There is no good place on my 35 footer for one.

[rowingdude]

Yeah, I drove out there to look at a list of boats, but this was the one that would have been on the short list. My list was boats ranging from this 27' up to a 35'..

I honestly cannot see myself in a boat under 30' now that I've spent a bit of time in them. 27' just feels like a closet.. the 28.5' Triton Yawl felt like a hotel room compared to the 27' DuFour... Oh well!

[Celestialsailor]

JMHO...Do yourself a favor and save your money to buy a boat that at the most, needs only rigging and new electronics.

[rowingdude]

Originally Posted by Celestialsailor

JMHO...Do yourself a favor and save your money to buy a boat that at the most, needs only rigging and new electronics.

Oh I know, which is why I am saving more. I'm 100% certain I can find a good quality boat in the 10k range.

[Alberto]

I currently own a 1975 Dufour 34, previously owned a 1973 Dufour Safari (27', different model), and I sail on a 1974 Dufour 27. They are great boats, solidly built to very high standards, with great interiors and the most comfortable cockpits. I would recommend them without hesitation. The soft spot should be easy to fix (just drill a couple of small holes and inject epoxy).

[rowingdude]

Originally Posted by Alberto

I currently own a 1975 Dufour 34, previously owned a 1973 Dufour Safari (27', different model), and I sail on a 1974 Dufour 27. They are great boats, solidly built to very high standards, with great interiors and the most comfortable cockpits. I would recommend them without hesitation. The soft spot should be easy to fix (just drill a couple of small holes and inject epoxy).

The problem is actually I feel like I cannot move on the thing.