BoatsDufour Yachts T7

Dufour Yachts T7

Fractional Sloop · Swing Keel · 1980–1983

A center-cockpit fractional sloop featuring a manually adjustable jibing centerboard designed for versatile shoal-water sailing

Designed by Jean-Louis Noir.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Ballast
Hull type
Swing Keel

Is it for you?

Character

Where this design lands on the numbers a shopper trusts — read straight from her own ratios.

TrailerableBeam 2.49 m — inside the 2.55 m no-permit tow width across most of Europe, and the 2.59 m US and Canadian limit. About 1,071 kg of hull, so roughly 1,650 kg on a trailer: check that against your own towing rating.Ramp-launchableAbout 1,071 kg of hull, with a keel that raises or a draft shallow enough to float off a trailer — she can go back on the trailer at the ramp, not only into the water.Shoal draftDraws 0.30 m, board up where she has one — creeks, sandbars and thin anchorages most keels have to stay out of.
LivelySea-kindly

Her light displacement on a beamy beam gives 11 — a quick, lively motion that feels every wave.

Comfort ratio 11
CoastalBluewater

At 2.46 she sits above the 2.0 line — beamy for her weight, and happiest coastal.

Capsize screening 2.46
LightHeavy

127 — light for her waterline, so she is easily driven and quick to accelerate.

Displacement / length 127
EasygoingPowered-up

21.4 — plenty of sail for her weight; lively and quick to respond.

Sail area / displacement 21.4
TenderStiff

47% of her weight is ballast — stiff, standing up well to her sails.

Ballast 47%

Light and lively — happiest day-sailing and coastal-hopping in settled weather.

The record

Full specifications

The complete reference set — tap any figure to switch between metric and imperial.

Dimensions
Weights
Ballast / displacement
46.6%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Fractional Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
21.4
Displacement / length
126.9
Comfort ratio
10.7
Capsize screening
2.46
Hull speed
6.0 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
591
Hull
Hull type
Swing Keel
Construction
Fiberglass
Production
Years built
1980–1983
Units built
250
Designer
Jean-Louis Noir
Builder
Dufour

Boats like this, on the water

Nobody has filmed this one — but these are close.

Comparable boats the fleet has on camera: same type, within a quarter of her length. Open the boat, or watch the video — a timestamp means she only appears in passing.

Catalina Yachts 227.26 mSame hull family0.6 m longerA swing-keel masthead sloop with 15,000 units sold, offering a highly versatile and trailerable coastal cruiser
The ZERO KEEL and ALPHA RUDDER - Are Kraken Yachts Really THAT GOOD?9:27from Practical Sailor
O'day 226.61 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA prolific production success with over 3,000 hulls built, offering a nimble fractional rig for coastal daysailing
Why TODAY Is the Best Time to Buy a 22-Foot Sailboat2:24from Lady K Sailing
Marshall Marine Corporation Sanderling5.54 mSame hull family1.1 m shorterA gaff-rigged catboat based on a 1941 design, featuring a shallow-draft keel-centerboard hull for versatile day sailing
The History of Beneteau Boats11:37from Practical Sailor
RS 216.40 mSame hull family0.2 m shorter
Training Sea Cadet Instructors | RS21 Keelboat Sailing – Welsh Harp1:37from City Sailing
Macgregor 26X7.87 mSame hull family1.2 m longerA water-ballasted sail-power hybrid designed for versatile coastal cruising and easy trailering
Buying My Dream Boat (2001 MacGregor 26X)0:53from Adventureman Dan
Cal Boats 247.43 mSame hull family0.8 m longerThe inaugural Jensen Marine Cal model, this fractional keel-centerboard sloop was built for shoal-water versatility
Aladino Sails The Pacific Alone.2:08from Sailing Magic Carpet

The family

Related models

The designs closest to hers — usually the rest of the builder's range, sometimes the same hull sold under another name.

Dufour Yachts T6A lightweight 800kg fractional sloop with a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio for spirited performance in light airDufour Yachts 27A 1972 masthead sloop with a skeg-mounted rudder, designed for stability and coastal cruising throughout the seventiesTofinou 7A classic fractional sloop modeled after a 1939 prototype, designed for elegant daysailing with a retractable keel

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