Dufour 34
Dufour · Umberto Felci · 2003
Updated
The Dufour 34 is a 10.30 m displacement racing yacht designed by Umberto Felci and built by Dufour, first launched in 2003. It races in Class C. Across the measured fleet it goes better than its own numbers promise, ahead of 49% of the designs it races against.
Goes better than its own measurements promise, and does it better than 49% of the boats it races against.
81st of 159 in its class.
This design has been found in real race results — 230 starts across 70 events — not only in measurement files.
Length
10.30 m
33′ 10″
Beam
3.48 m
Draft
1.94 m
Displacement
5.4 t
Sail area
66 m²
On the podium
Where a Dufour 34 finishes when she goes racing.
On the podium
20%
of 230 starts by 34 boats
Wins
3%
Read from 230 starts by 34 boats between 2014 and 2026, counting races with six boats or more.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a Dufour 34 was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
Round Aeolian Race 2026 - Campionato Italiano Offshore ORC2026
Lliga Creuers2026
Aegean Regatta2026- XXX Lliga Social CMPO2026
- Trofeo Regularidad2026
Raced one we are missing?
Report a regattaRound the buoys, or offshore
A short windward-leeward and a night at sea ask different things of a boat. Here is how this one does in each.
Round the buoys
21%
of these races end on the podium
Offshore & coastal
13%
of these races end on the podium
Sharper round the buoys. Short courses reward acceleration and manoeuvring, and that is where this design makes its money.
Who she races against
The designs a Dufour 34 actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.
Some of the boats it races against
How the Dufour 34 has fared against each of them, boat against boat on corrected time. Ordered by how often the two meet, not by who wins.
Speed at every angle
The shape of this design's speed, drawn from the measured fleet. Pick a wind and watch it stretch.
Upwind VMG
5.07
39°
Beam reach
8.08
90°
Broad reach
8.77
135°
Downwind VMG
7.68
170°
Speed in knots at 20 knots of true wind. Green marks the angles that pay: the closest useful beat and the deepest run worth sailing.
Where it wins and where it pays
Every boat is judged against its own measurements — length, weight, sail area. The quicker those say it should be, the more it has to deliver just to break even. Going fast is not enough: it has to go faster than its own numbers promised.
It does most things without giving much away. It rewards preparation and crew work more than it rewards picking the right day.
Where it gains
Its best ground is upwind in a strong breeze, where it goes better than its measurements say it should. It holds that advantage on the beam as well, so the gain is not down to one leg of the course.
Where it pays
It falls short on a broad reach in a strong breeze, giving away time it never gets back. That is a displacement hull working to its designed speed.
Above the line it delivers more than promised and gains on the fleet. Below, it falls short. Move the wind: plenty of boats sit on one side in the light and the other when it blows.
Full width is 0.4 kn either way.
At 10 knots this design makes back more than its rating asks on the beam reach.
How fast is a Dufour 34
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 3.27 | 4.49 | 4.98 | 5.07 |
| 52° | 5.02 | 6.55 | 7.05 | 7.18 |
| 60° | 5.31 | 6.76 | 7.24 | 7.41 |
| 75° | 5.51 | 6.91 | 7.43 | 7.77 |
| 90° | 5.43 | 7.02 | 7.57 | 8.08 |
| 110° | 5.42 | 7.13 | 7.85 | 8.58 |
| 120° | 5.24 | 7.04 | 7.82 | 8.86 |
| 135° | 4.69 | 6.68 | 7.58 | 8.77 |
| 150° | 3.98 | 6.02 | 7.22 | 8.28 |
| Run VMG | 3.44 | 5.22 | 6.54 | 7.68 |
How they are set up
The range each sail spans across the fleet.
Nearly all carry a folding propeller. Crew weight is declared around 550 kg.
Rigging
Dufour 34 rig and sail dimensions
A Dufour 34 carries 11.99 m of mainsail hoist on a 4.62 m boom, a forestay 13.00 m above the deck and a 4.22 m bowsprit. Typical figures across the 78 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails
The spinnaker spreads widest of all — 59 to 97 m² depending on bowsprit and set-up. Before ordering a sail, read the figure on your own measurement record rather than the typical one for the design.
Other designs under the same name
The name has been carried by more than one design. They are different boats.