Dufour Arpege
Description
The Dufour Arpège is a French sailboat designed by Michel Dufour as a pioneering coastal cruiser-racer, renowned for setting new standards in fiberglass construction and performance during the 1960s. It features a fiberglass monohull with a fin keel and skeg-hung rudder for balanced handling and protection, a generous beam for stability, and a masthead sloop rig for straightforward sail management and strong upwind ability in moderate winds. The design emphasizes seaworthiness with a heavy displacement/length ratio for a stable, comfortable ride and a high ballast ratio for stiffness in gusts, making it ideal for family cruising, club racing, and short offshore passages. Introduced in 1966 by Dufour Yachts in La Rochelle, France, the Arpège was Michel Dufour's innovative response to the emerging fiberglass revolution, blending offshore racing influences with practical cruising features. Production ran until 1976, with approximately 1,500 units built—making it one of the best-selling production sailboats of its era and a financial success for Dufour. For the U.S. market, it was offered in two versions: a full 30 ft model and a slightly shorter one (under 30 ft) to comply with MORC handicap rules. Contemporary reviews hailed it as "revolutionary" for its wide beam on a 30 ft hull, praising its racecourse prowess and value.
Construction Details
| Designer | Michel Dufour |
|---|---|
| Builder | Dufour Yachts |
| Length | 30.000 ft |
| LOA | 30.000 ft |
| LWL | 22.000 ft |
| Beam | 9.920 ft |
| Displacement | 7700 lb |
| Ballast | 3050 lb |
| Max Draft | 4.600 ft |
| Year Built | 1966 |
The standard boat dimensions
| i | 37.45 ft |
|---|---|
| j | 10.66 ft |
| p | 31.15 ft |
| e | 10.15 ft |
| p2 | - |
| e2 | - |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 37.45 ft | 10.66 ft | 31.15 ft | 10.15 ft | - | - | - | - |
Sails
Dufour Arpege - MAINSAIL
| Luff | * 31.15 ft - (9495 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 10.15 ft - (3094 mm) |
| Leech | * 32.22 ft - (9821 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 88 ° |
| Diagonal | * 32.42 ft - (9882 mm) |
| Head (inches) | * 4.5 in - (114 mm) |
| Area | * 163.12 ft² |
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Dufour Arpege - JIBSAIL
| Luff | * 31.15 ft - (9495 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 13.87 ft - (4228 mm) |
| Leech | * 27.54 ft - (8394 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 115.01 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 12.26 ft - (3737 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 12 ° |
| Area | * 190.93 ft² |
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Dufour Arpege - GENOA
| Luff | * 36.99 ft - (11275 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 17 ft - (5182 mm) |
| Leech | * 35.07 ft - (10689 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 150 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 15.99 ft - (4874 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 3.98 ° |
| Area | * 295.71 ft² |
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Dufour Arpege - ASYMMETRICAL
| Luff | * 36.99 ft - (11275 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 17.59 ft - (5361 mm) |
| Leech | * 34.03 ft - (10372 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 165 % |
| Area | * 488 ft² |
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Dufour Arpege - SPINNAKER
| Stays | * 36.99 ft - (11275 mm) |
|---|---|
| MidGirth | * 19.19 ft - (5849 mm) |
| Foot | * 19.19 ft - (5849 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 180 % |
| Area | * 603 ft² |
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Disclaimer. Boats are not all the same -- even when produced in the same factory of the same model. Sailrite does its best to publish accurate dimensions, but we often find it worthwhile to have our customers measure their boats carefully before we produce kits for them. You should take the same precautions, especially when the data is not from Sailrite. The information on this site is not guaranteed to be accurate. Sailrite offers this content as a service to our community, but takes no responsibility for the reliability of the data provided.