Dufour Yachts 3800

BoatsDufour Yachts 3800

See her sail

The Dufour Yachts 3800, on the water

The fleet's own footage — the truest look at how she really moves.

Footage from Chez Team

Is it for you?

Character

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

LivelySea-kindly

Her moderate displacement on a moderate beam gives 21 — a moderate, middle-of-the-road motion.

Comfort ratio 21

CoastalBluewater

2.10 — right around the 2.0 line, the edge between coastal and offshore.

Capsize screening 2.10

LightHeavy

232 — moderately heavy for her waterline, a balanced cruising weight.

Displacement / length 232

EasygoingPowered-up

17.1 — moderate power for her weight; steady, all-round performance.

Sail area / displacement 17.1

TenderStiff

45% of her weight is ballast — stiff, standing up well to her sails.

Ballast 45%

A balanced, easily-driven cruiser — comfortable and forgiving for coastal work.

What the fleet has seen

The Dufour Yachts 3800, as the fleet has seen it

Derived from the videos the fleet has analysed of this model. ▶ marks open the moment aboard.

The Dufour Yachts 3800 is a masthead sloop designed by German Frers and built by Dufour Yachts S.A. from 1980 to 1984. It has a fin keel with a spade rudder, measures 9.3 meters LOA, 3.2 meters beam, and 1.7 meters draft, displacing 3792 kg. The model was sold in the US as the DUFOUR 31 FRERS and offered with multiple rig configurations, including a fractional rig and a shorter masthead rig. Its comfort ratio is 20.6.

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Seen once across one channel of the fleet.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

Who's been looking

Market signal

Crews the fleet has filmed weighing this model up — no sale seen, and no asking price.

1channel weighed buying one

From the fleet's own footage — our observed signal, not broker listings.

The record

Full specifications

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

Dimensions

Weights

Ballast / displacement

44.9%

Rig & sail area

Rig

Masthead Sloop

Ratios

SA / displacement

17.1

Displacement / length

231.6

Comfort ratio

20.6

Capsize screening

2.10

Hull speed

6.7 kn

Pounds / inch immersion

962

Hull

Hull type

Fin w/spade rudder

Construction

Fiberglass

Production

Years built

1980–1984

Designer

German Frers

Builder

Dufour Yachts S.A

Boats like this, on the water

More boats like her, on the water

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.

C&C Yachts 30-1 (1-506)9.14 mSame hull family0.2 m shorterWith a 12-year production run, this masthead sloop stands as the longest-built model in the C&C lineup.

Sailor of the Month - Randy Stafford3:50 from American Sailing

Spirit 329.48 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Jacques De Ridder-designed IOR 23-footer built for nearly two decades as a stiff, masthead-rigged fin-keel sloop

Pimp My Ride! Installing New Solar and Batteries in French Polynesia WHS 680:53 from Wind Hippie Sailing

Granada Yachts 309.18 mSame hull family0.2 m shorterA 30-foot fractional sloop with a 1.65-meter draft, designed for balanced, performance-oriented cruising

Capsized in 20-meter waves: Are Wiig on the drama in the Southern Ocean | Bearing on Sailing2:53 from SEILmagasinet

Hunter Marine 319.55 mSame hull family0.2 m longerA Cortland Steck design featuring a B&R rig and a fin keel, built for coastal cruising between 1983 and 1987

Inside Our New Sailboat… A Full Walkthrough of Our Home0:10 from Sailing Nomadika

Beneteau First 3059.30 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Jean Berret-designed masthead sloop offering versatile keel and rig configurations for coastal cruising

Don't Buy a Boat Without Watching This! Seasickness, Ideal Size, and Key Tips9:45 from Piratas Aderiva

Bavaria Yachts Cruiser 309.47 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 9.47-metre fractional sloop from 2005, designed for manageable coastal cruising with a shallow 1.4-metre draft

SEILmagasinet TV episode 5 20269:59 from SEILmagasinet

The family

Boats like this

Nearby designs by size, type, and era — worth a look alongside her.

Dufour Yachts 31A 1973 masthead sloop featuring a skeg-mounted rudder and a comfortable, stable design for coastal cruising Dufour Yachts 39 (Frers)A German Frers-designed masthead sloop built for both high-volume Mediterranean charter work and refined private cruising Dufour Yachts 2800The second most popular Dufour ever built, this masthead sloop features a fin keel and spade rudder for coastal cruising Dufour Yachts 4800A Johan Valentijn-designed masthead sloop offered in both standard and offshore racing configurations Dufour Yachts F39A German Frers-designed masthead sloop featuring a tall rig and a performance-oriented fin keel configuration

Keep asking

The fleet has more to say

Search what's been said about the Dufour Yachts 3800, or ask a specific question — the answer comes back written out, with links to the moments it draws on.

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