DUFOUR 425GL
Solidly built, spacious and fast, Duncan Kent examines one of the most popular boats in Dufour’s Grand Large range
All of Dufour’s Grand Large (GL) range of cruising yachts were designed to maximise internal volume and therefore carry their ample beam all the way from midships to transom. That said, they also offered a good turn of speed and a stable, well-balanced sailing performance in most conditions.
DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION
The 425GL was never classed as a blue water cruising yacht, but is steadfast enough to cross oceans with the right gear and was built solidly enough to easily withstand heavy seas and high winds. Her fine bows, plumb stem and long waterline made her quick and slam-free to windward, while her shallow bilge sections and broad stern made her slippery off the wind.
The hand-built hull and deck was robustly constructed using waterproof resins for integrity and durability. With substantial Twaron-reinforced longitudinal hull stringers and a hefty, moulded floor framework, she is stiff and strong. Her deck is a vacuuminfused polyester resin moulding with a balsa core for insulation and extra stiffness.
She sports a deep fin keel with a cast iron ballast bulb at the foot, which means she’s stiff in a blow. An equally deep, semibalanced spade rudder ensures she tracks well and doesn’t lose her grip on the water when heavily heeled.
ON DECK
A spacious and practical deck layout ensures ease of handling for short-handed crews, with the running rigging kept simple and convenient. Her side decks are wide and uncluttered, thanks to inboard genoa tracks and narrow shroud base. This allows easy and safe access forward to where an equally clear foredeck allows the crew to work at the ground tackle and headsails.
A below-deck windlass and deep, deckaccessible anchor chain locker make anchoring simple, as do the chunky twin bow rollers, which enable a second anchor to be deployed in bad weather.
She has twin wheels, which open the cockpit up and, along with the wide, dropdown helm seat, allow excellent access through the transom gate and onto the boarding platform and folding ladder. In the centre is a stout, twin-leaf table with grab bar, compass and instrument console. In the three-cabin model both seat lockers are shallow, whereas with only two cabins one is full-depth and positively cavernous. The liferaft even has its own dedicated locker.
All sheets, reefing lines and the kicker are led aft. The genoa winches are immediately beside the helms, but the mainsheet terminates on the coachroof and can be annoying to use if you are single-handing in gusty conditions.
RIG & SAILS
Her rig is 15/16ths fractional, with twin swept spreaders, 135% furling genoa and
a two-reef, semi-battened mainsail. The cap shrouds and lowers terminate on a single chainplate each side, but this is massively reinforced below with sturdy backing fillets moulded into the hull sides. The backstay is bifurcated with chainplates low on the transom and no quick adjustment possible.
BELOW DECK
The 425GL is spacious down below and headroom is a lofty 2m/6ft 6in. The dinette, with linear galley, is the nautical equivalent of the popular domestic kitchen-diner. Some love it, others loathe it, but in general it works well for a family cruising boat at anchor. Cooking at sea can be precarious, but not impossible and the cook is aided by using the seatback as a bum rest.
The galley is well equipped with plenty of stowage, though the fridge is small. For longterm cruising, I would convert the bench seat into a fridge-freezer. Worktop lighting is excellent. There is an abundance of sturdy handholds all round, including a full length one above the galley.
The saloon seating comprises a large, U-shaped settee with thick, contoured cushions and an equally well-padded bench seat opposite. If the convertible saloon option was chosen, the table drops down to create an additional double berth. There is good stowage under the cushions, except aft where the hot water tank sits, and more in cave lockers behind the seat backs. There are also two good lockers above and a decent bookshelf with fiddle rail. Ventilation is good, with plenty of opening ports and hatches keeping it bright and cheerful.
The large, forward-facing navigation station is great for those into full-size paper charts and wide-ranging below deck instrumentation. There’s ample console space, some of which is angled to allow a radar-chart plotter to be seen through the companionway, as well as a decent circuit breaker panel with voltmeter and tank gauge. There is stowage in the seat and in the table support and another useful stowage bin alongside.
A choice between two or three cabins, and two or three heads was offered. The 3/3 version was primarily for chartering and can feel cramped. The 2/2 and 3/2 were more
popular with cruisers, and with only two aft cabins there was more room for blue water kit and stowage for extra deck gear.
The forecabin is the largest cabin and has a large, comfy island berth, ample stowage, a small seat and a compact heads with a shower. The aft cabin berths were equally generous, although head clearance above the berth was more limited. Each had good clothes stowage, ample dressing area and two opening ports for cross ventilation.
The standard, naturally aspirated 40hp Volvo is easily accessed for maintenance, both via the companionway steps, which raise on a top hinge, and/or by removing the quarter panels in each of the aft cabins.
UNDER WAY
The 425’s limited wetted surfaces and lengthy waterline give her an impressive turn of speed both in light and heavy airs. Thanks to her fine bows and plumb stem, she also slices through the chop, rather than slamming and dumping spray on the decks. She also has a deep, balanced rudder for maximum bite, but effortless helm, and for increased stability the bulk of her cast iron ballast is in a large bulb on the bottom of the hydrodynamically designed foil keel.
She is close-winded on a beat, keeping up momentum until just below 35° off the apparent wind. Freeing off to a close reach nudges the log closer to 8 knots in 16-20 knots apparent, and she remains stiff, wellbalanced and predictable even in strong gusts. Off the wind, she flies with the right sails and is well capable of 8-9 knots with a full gennaker in 16-18 knots of true wind.
Swept spreaders do limit the boom angle, though, so gybing downwind is the safer option. A comfortable point for the first reef is around 20 knots apparent, although she’ll hang on in there confidently up to 24 knots if you don’t mind risking your tea!
Under power, the engine is powerful enough to push this easily driven hull through a chop at a steady 6 knots cruising speed. She handles well and bites quickly astern, although some will have had the optional bow thruster fitted for easy closequarter manoeuvring in tight marinas.