93
SVN Solovelanet Global
D
esigned by the Felci firm, the new gene-
ration of Dufour boats had to respond
to the two innovations imposed by the
competition in recent years:
.
the ramps leading from the cockpit
to the deck of the new Jeanneau models, which have
marked the success of the Sun Odyssey 410;
.
the forward chine of new Bénéteau models, that
is the distinctive feature of boats built by the French
shipyard since 2017 and adds a remarkable amount
of volume to the forward cabins.
To achieve this goal, two interventions were perfor
-
med in Dufour models: one on the hull, and the other
one on the side decks. Let's see them both.
.
The hull rises from the water in the traditional way,
but after a few dozens of centimetres above the wa-
terline, the inclination angle of the bulwarks narrows
upwards, almost vertically. The change of inclination
is marked, but it does not create a sharp angle as it
is the case in Bénéteau models. What we find here
is rather an elbow, extending from stern to bow and
exerting its strongest effect in the latter area.By wi
-
dening the lower part of the hull, it has in fact been
possible to make much better use of the inner cabin
space, which is no longer affected by the flaring of
the hull. In this way, a considerable volume increase
has been obtained in this area.
The same result is also achieved in the dinette, which
is in fact larger than in previous models.
.
Jeanneau's ramps make it much easier to walk
from aft to forward, but at the expense of interior
space. Felci, who has never been a fan of extreme
solutions, has chosen to take a middle course and
make the descent from the side decks to the cockpit
much more comfortable, but without sacrificing any vo
-
lume below deck.
by Maurizio Anzillotti
