Dufour 36
Dufour · Umberto Felci · 2012
Updated
The Dufour 36 is a 10.97 m displacement racing yacht designed by Umberto Felci and built by Dufour, first launched in 2012. It races in Class C. Across the measured fleet it goes better than its own numbers promise, ahead of 70% of the designs it races against.
Goes better than its own measurements promise, and does it better than 70% of the boats it races against.
48th of 159 in its class.
This design has been found in real race results — 24 starts across 14 events — not only in measurement files.
Length
10.97 m
36′ 0″
Beam
3.62 m
Draft
2.18 m
Displacement
6.0 t
Sail area
72 m²
On the podium
Where a Dufour 36 finishes when she goes racing.
On the podium
17%
of 24 starts by 5 boats
Wins
0%
Read from 24 starts by 5 boats between 2013 and 2025, counting races with six boats or more.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a Dufour 36 was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
36th Marmaris International Race Week2025
"Makis Pantazis"2022- "Αγκιστρι 2021"2021
- Κορφος2021
- Nikolaou Sarikavazi2021
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
—
Not enough data yet: 5 races of 10 NM or less carry a published distance.
Offshore & coastal
16%
of these races end on the podium
Who she races against
The designs a Dufour 36 actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.
Also met, too few times for a figure:
Sun Fast 3200 (7 meetings), Sun Fast 32 (7 meetings), Grand Soleil 37 (Design) (7 meetings), Sun Shine 38 (7 meetings), Mirage 28 (7 meetings), Catalina 320 (7 meetings), Dufour 40 (6 meetings), X-302 (6 meetings), Dehler DB1 (6 meetings), Azuree 33 (6 meetings), Gib Sea 33 (6 meetings), Mat 101 (6 meetings), Bavaria Vision 42 (6 meetings), Sun Odyssey 35 (6 meetings), Dufour 34 (Dufour) (7 meetings), Hanse 315 (6 meetings), Bavaria 42 (6 meetings), Feeling 920 (6 meetings), Elan 40 (6 meetings), Elan 34 (6 meetings), Triton 48 (5 meetings), Sun Shine 36 (5 meetings), Oceanis 37 (5 meetings)
Some of the boats it races against
How the Dufour 36 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
5.38
39°
Beam reach
8.61
90°
Broad reach
9.76
135°
Downwind VMG
7.97
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 on a broad reach once it pipes up, where it outruns what it looks like on paper, and by a margin worth having. It holds that advantage on a reach as well, so the gain is not down to one leg of the course.
Where it pays
There is no condition where it falls away badly, which is worth something over a season of mixed weather.
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 36
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 3.38 | 4.74 | 5.25 | 5.38 |
| 52° | 5.20 | 6.88 | 7.44 | 7.61 |
| 60° | 5.51 | 7.09 | 7.63 | 7.86 |
| 75° | 5.75 | 7.26 | 7.85 | 8.28 |
| 90° | 5.82 | 7.49 | 8.00 | 8.61 |
| 110° | 5.91 | 7.67 | 8.46 | 9.23 |
| 120° | 5.75 | 7.57 | 8.46 | 9.71 |
| 135° | 5.12 | 7.19 | 8.18 | 9.76 |
| 150° | 4.33 | 6.52 | 7.69 | 8.93 |
| Run VMG | 3.75 | 5.65 | 6.88 | 7.97 |
How they are set up
The range each sail spans across the fleet.
Nearly all carry a folding propeller. A bowsprit is standard across the fleet. Crew weight is declared around 680 kg.
Rigging
Dufour 36 rig and sail dimensions
A Dufour 36 carries 13.99 m of mainsail hoist on a 4.90 m boom, a forestay 14.19 m above the deck and a 4.76 m bowsprit. Typical figures across the 15 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails
The spinnaker spreads widest of all — 77 to 130 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.