1996 Dufour Yachts 30 Classic

The Dufour Classic 30 is particularly well-liked by those starting out in sailing, often with young families. They were quite pretty, almost traditional in a GRP way, and conservatively designed, both hull and rig-wise. Saying that, the Slovenian design team, J&J, were no slouches when it came to performing hulls and modern rigs and sail plans. She has a fairly plumb stem, pronounced transom scoop, a sweeping sheer line and a low, sleek coach roof all of which lend her an appearance that still looks good today.

The Dufour Classic 30 has a wide and shallow underwater body with a hard turn of the bilge, giving her ample form stability. Her cast iron bulbed fin keel and deep balanced spade rudder offer good directional stability and an excellent grip on the water, even when heeled over. A shallow draft keel is optional, as was a lifting keel and twin rudders.

She is solidly built using vacuum bagging techniques for lightness and consistency in the moulding. The hull is solid GRP, but the decks are balsa-cored and both bolted and bonded to the hull. The rig is a straightforward masthead sloop, sporting a generous sail plan with main and furling genoa.

The Dufour Classic 30 has a deck-stepped Z-Spar mast with single lower shrouds set onto the toerail, creating a wide shroud base.