MASS APPEAL

DUFOUR'S LATEST BIG CRUISER OFFERS MORE THAN JUST VOLUME AND COMFORT, AS SAILING IN A GOOD BREEZE DISCOVERS

- RUPERT HOLMES

Today's cruising monohulls tend to have full forward sections and rather bluff bows that markedly increase interior volumes forward. But how do these new hull shapes handle stronger winds?

We had the opportunity to test the Dufour 48 in a gusty west-north-westerly of 15 to 26 knots during a blustery interlude between midsummer heatwaves. It was a perfect chance to find out the answer to that question in testing conditions for any single-rudder monohull that offers a huge amount of accommodation for its length.

Close reaching with full sail at a 70° true wind angle we made an impressive 9.4 knots maximum speed in the gusts. The single rudder felt well loaded at this stage, but with no signs of losing grip. After bearing away to a true wind angle of 110°, our speed hovered consistently between 8.5 and 9 knots with the boat feeling very comfortable, whether steering by hand or using the autopilot, and we were racking up the miles surprisingly quickly.

The additional beam in the Dufour 48's forward sections boosts an already high level of form stability, which clearly helps resist excess heel, even in powerful gusts. On the other hand, the sail plan of our test boat - a big mainsail paired with a small and very high aspect ratio self-tacking jib that depowers towards the head as soon as the sheet is cracked - would have quickly revealed the flaws of many older single rudder designs.

When I first sailed a twin rudder yacht back in the 1990s the level of control it offered, and the feel in the helm, was simply astounding. I've since sailed more than 20,000 miles on dozens of different twin-rudder designs, from 20ft to more than 100ft, including transatlantic and beyond 60° north latitude, and have never been disappointed.