3 NEW DUFOURS
DUFOUR CAT
Dufour’s and Umberto Felci’s first foray into the multihull world has been very well received, with 22 boats already ordered off-plan. The Cat 48 is intended to embody existing hallmarks of the brand while embracing the additional options a multihull makes possible. The underwater sections of the hulls are narrow and deep and the sailplan has the mast well aft, allowing for a large furling, self-tacking jib, plus furling code and asymmetric sails.
As with other catamarans, much is made of the potential for single-level living, including a big aft cockpit which is almost the full width of the boat and is sheltered by the flybridge – which itself also incorporates a generous further outdoor seating area.
Talking to us about his first production cat during our Ice 60 test (see page 66), Umberto Felci, says: “I liked it more than I thought I would. We’ve been doing cruiserracer monohulls for a long time and it’s hard to do them better now. With cats there is a lot of room for improvement, especially in the semi-custom area.”
As we went to press the first boat was being finished at a new production facility in Forli, Italy. With the recent news of a merger between Dufour and Fountaine Pajot, it will be interesting to see how this new catamaran arm of Dufour plays out. Price ex VAT: €481.000 www.dufour-yachts.com
GRAND LARGE