In some respects, Dufour yachts used to be a bit like theearly Citroën cars: different, slightly quirky and created bypeople with firm beliefs and a clear passion for what they

In recent years they have arguably become more mainstream,though when you blend French pedigree with Italian design andstyling you’re unlikely to end up with anything plain or boring.

Dufour’s new 56 Exclusive looks anything but plain or boring.It simply oozes French-Italian chic and, despite conforming to thetemplate of the modern, high-volume production cruiser, itdoes so in its own way.

I discovered this on a day of testing when we experienced everything from bright sunshine, 15 knots of breeze and flat water to torrential rain squalls, a hailstorm, winds nudging 30 knots and the sort of wind-over-tide chop that’s a speciality of Cowes Roads.

It wouldn’t be spoiling the story to say that the new Dufour took it all in its stride, as you would hope. After all, if a boat of this size made heavy weather of a brisk day in the Solent, something would be seriously amiss. 

What it did was to demonstrate that Dufour has successfully tweaked and refined the Grand Large 560, first launched in 2014. The changes are mostly detailing and styling, following suggestions by owners and bringing the boat right up to date. In its new guise, the 56 and its 63ft sister now form the ‘Exclusive’ range at the top of Dufour’s line-up, which starts with the 310 and also includes the Drakkar 24 daysailer. A Grand Large 390 has just been announced too.

Old and new

Dufour has been one of the best-known names in production boatbuilding for half a century, since Michel Dufour’s Arpège