Initially designed as a charter boat, the takeover of Dufour by catamaran specialist Fountaine Pajot in May 2018 changed the fate of this 48-footer. Instead of becoming the unwanted orphan of the mighty Fountaine cat empire, its molds and yard space in northern Italy, run by JJL Catamarans in Forli in northern Italy, was bought by Croatian charter company Under the Heavens. We got the chance to test hull #29, the first unit to arrive in Australian waters.
Test location: Sydney, Australia
Conditions: 18 to 25 knots, slight chop
Practical information
- The builder : JJL Catamaran
- The spec sheet
-
Watch our exclusive video
- Finance your Dufour 48
- Insure your Dufour 48
- Articles about the Dufour 48
Sailing around the world can have a profound effect on sailors, as it did for monohull dealer Matt Hayes. The former Olympic sailor and successful Sydney boat dealer came to a few conclusions during that 30-month circumnavigation, done on a 56- foot Dufour monohull. “Everywhere we went there were cruising catamarans!”
This fact reflected the strong market for them, both in power and sail varieties. “So when the opportunity came to get this Dufour catamaran dealership, we jumped at the chance,” explained Matt as we talked aboard the first example to arrive…
