Dufour 44
Dufour · Umberto Felci · 2002
Updated
The Dufour 44 is a 13.33 m displacement racing yacht designed by Umberto Felci and built by Dufour, first launched in 2002. It races in Class B. Across the measured fleet it goes better than its own numbers promise, ahead of 30% of the designs it races against.
Goes better than its own measurements promise, and does it better than 30% of the boats it races against.
65th of 92 in its class.
This design has been found in real race results — 80 starts across 36 events — not only in measurement files.
Length
13.33 m
43′ 9″
Beam
4.23 m
Draft
2.31 m
Displacement
10.2 t
Sail area
105 m²
On the podium
Where a Dufour 44 finishes when she goes racing.
On the podium
29%
of 80 starts by 11 boats
Wins
2%
Read from 80 starts by 11 boats between 2010 and 2026, counting races with six boats or more.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a Dufour 44 was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
Eolian Cup - Trofeo Franco Costa2026- 151 Miglia - Trofeo Cetilar2026
- 49° Campionato Invernale Vela d'Altura2026
Rolex Middle Sea Race2025- Regata dei Cinque Fari2025
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
38%
of these races end on the podium
Offshore & coastal
16%
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 44 actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.
Some of the boats it races against
How the Dufour 44 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
5.86
38°
Beam reach
9.26
90°
Broad reach
10.16
135°
Downwind VMG
8.27
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.
This design is even-tempered. It rewards preparation and crew work more than it rewards picking the right day.
Where it gains
Its best ground is across the wind once it pipes up, where it does more than its size and sail area promise, and by a margin worth having. It holds that advantage upwind as well, so the gain is not down to one leg of the course.
Where it pays
It falls short cracked off 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 44
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 3.62 | 5.05 | 5.66 | 5.86 |
| 52° | 5.59 | 7.41 | 8.01 | 8.25 |
| 60° | 5.93 | 7.64 | 8.23 | 8.50 |
| 75° | 6.20 | 7.82 | 8.45 | 8.92 |
| 90° | 6.11 | 7.97 | 8.62 | 9.26 |
| 110° | 6.14 | 8.16 | 9.02 | 9.91 |
| 120° | 5.99 | 8.06 | 9.00 | 10.31 |
| 135° | 5.36 | 7.61 | 8.69 | 10.16 |
| 150° | 4.49 | 6.75 | 8.13 | 9.30 |
| Run VMG | 3.88 | 5.84 | 7.13 | 8.27 |
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 880 kg.
Rigging
Dufour 44 rig and sail dimensions
A Dufour 44 carries 16.70 m of mainsail hoist on a 5.55 m boom, a forestay 17.34 m above the deck and a 5.62 m bowsprit. Typical figures across the 25 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails
The spinnaker spreads widest of all — 110 to 193 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.