The news of the merger came this spring and not entirely unexpectedly. Fountaine Pajot from France, one of the largest catamaran manufacturers in the world, is taking over its near-neighbour Dufour Yachts with a majority stake. Following the previous alliances of Bavaria Yachtbau with Nautitech and Hanseyachts with Privilège, the remaining large production series are now also being tied to a partner in the monohull and twin-hull sector. The Jeanneau and Beneteau brands have been allied with Lagoon, the world's largest catamaran builder, within the Beneteau Group for many years.
As a clear commitment to continue producing as an independent brand, Dufour Yachts launched the completely redesigned Dufour 390 Grand Large presented. As a major attraction, the tourer comes with extension versions with up to three cabins and three wet cells, which is a real novelty for the class with a hull length of around eleven metres. The Dufour 430 Grand Large is the next new launch from La Rochelle. Both boats, which are now being built under the new company design, will be unveiled as world premieres at the trade fair in Cannes in September and can be seen at boot in Düsseldorf in January 2019.
The 430 Grand Large will not replace a previous Dufour Yachts model, but will be added to the existing range between the 412 and 460 models. Visually, the latest boat from Périgny near La Rochelle remains a typical Dufour with the unmistakable signature of Felci Yacht Design. This is reflected in the modern, angular design language with the vertically sloping ship ends, the wide stern and the pronounced chine edges. The large, angular hull windows are also characteristic of the current Dufour programme.
The layout on deck is clearly geared towards the needs of cruising sailors. Halyards and trim lines are led under the coachroof to the winches to the side of the companionway. The mainsheet runs over a traveller on the coachroof and back over the running deck on both sides to the winches at the helm stations. If the customer chooses the overlapping genoa instead of the standard self-tacking jib, the headsail sheets are also fed back into the helmsman's reach, allowing him to handle the boat well even when sailing alone.
The interior fittings can be ordered in two very different versions. The standard interior layout has three cabins and two generously proportioned heads with a shower option. The galley attached directly to the main bulkhead at the front is unconventional. As an amendment to this, an additional fourth double cabin with bunk berths one above the other is possible towards the centre of the ship. In this case, the galley is attached to the side as a long row and the foredeck is somewhat smaller. There is a choice of Moabi mahogany, oak or teak for the interior design.
The Dufour dealers at Schiffswerft Laboe GmbH can already name a price for the new Dufour 430 Grand Large: The ship (including sails) will be launched on the market for a base price of 209,380 euros (gross).
