History of the Dufour shipyard: A Nautical Revolution

How was the Dufour shipyard born?

The Dufour shipyard was founded in 1964 by Michel Dufour, an engineer and sailing enthusiast. After discovering polyester, he was inspired to build the first polyester sailing yacht within his company, Stratifié Industriel. This trailerable sailing yacht was called the “Sylphe”.

As early as 1965, Michel Dufour produced around twenty units; the following year, production tripled. A key model marked the shipyard’s development: the Arpège, a cruising yacht that revolutionized the market at the time.

The development of the Dufour shipyard in Europe and internationally

As early as 1971, renamed Dufour SA, the shipyard moved into a modern factory in Périgny, near La Rochelle, and produced more than 300 sailing yachts per year. Subsidiaries were created in Italy and the United States. Michel Dufour received the Export Oscar in 1973, and the shipyard was recognized as a European leader.

Among the most famous models of this period:

Dufour 27, 29, 31, 33, 34, 35
Dufour 1300, 1800, 2800, 3800, 4800
Dufour D28, T7

Dufour 34

Dufour 35

Dufour 1300

Dufour 3800

Dufour 4800

Dufour T7

In 1988, the shipyard was renamed Dufour Yachts and launched a limited series in collaboration with the Lacoste brand: 12 units of the Dufour 42 sailing yacht. This period also saw the birth of the Dufour Prestige range and the creation of the Nautitech catamaran brand.

The development of the Dufour shipyard in the 2000s

In 2001, Dufour was acquired by Fountaine Pajot. The shipyard joined forces with naval architect Umberto Felci, giving rise to two new ranges: the Performance range (racing yachts) in 2002 and the Grand Large range (cruising yachts) in 2003.