Dufour 54 from 1990, a good choice ?

[Bo Stolborg]

I'm just starting on the path down to world cuising, a dream, now after the budgeting exercise, I'm starting to look for a suitable boat and have a Dufour 54' in my thourghts, so any recommendations to a first time world curiser ? or is there some better alternatives.
I looking for plenty of space but it has be able to be single handled.
Yearly running cost to be keep low.
Power consumption is a consideretion, with below deck auto pilot

(I do have some maritime experence)

[boatman61]

Hi there Bo... Welcome to CF..
Dufour built good boats and its all downwind with the currents...
No reason she won't serve you well..

[perchance]

Single handing a 54 foot boat might be a tad ambitious unless it is set up like a solo round the world racer with all the gadgets and gizmos to make it doable and you have tons of offshore experience.

[roverhi]

You and whose army are going on this boat?? If you are thinking of single handing, look at something less tan 45'. You'll probably be able to use a wind powered self steering vane which would greatly reduce your power consumption at sea tremendously. Keeping maintenance costs down and a 54' boat is an oxymoron.

You could sail a larger boat as long as nothing goes wrong and/or you don't hit serious weather. Guess what? Murphy is/was a sailor

[Bo Stolborg]

Thanks for the responds.
What about a Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 51, with in mast main sail? a little small but could do.
My ambition is to train in the Baltic(close to home port) then move on to-> Medeteranian sea then -> Cross the Atlantic to the caribian -> and if I'm not down by depression to continue up the US east cost or ......
(I'm consider my self as technic cable to make any repairs and maintenece)

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by Bo Stolborg

I'm just starting on the path down to world cuising (...)

... Dufour 54'

... a first time world curiser?

... or is there some better alternatives.

... yearly running cost to be keep low.

... power consumption is a consideretion,

(...)

Bo,

You asked a broad question that is next to impossible to answer without seeing the whole picture.

IMHO, a Dufour 54 is 54' of a boat and as such can be difficult to single handle, unless she is laid out for that and the skipper has the skills/experience required to single handle a relatively big boat. A factory Dufour 54 is not a single-handle lay-out.

IMHO there are better boats if we consider single-handling as the sole, or the ruling, factor.

Annual running cost will be affected by very many factors. To name a few:
- berthing fees,
- haul-out fees,
- repairs,
- maintenance,
- ... etc.
How much you can limit these is all up to where you are, who you are and what the initial condition of the boat is.

If power consumption is a consideration, then you must limit your consumption. But I would not worry about the AP as it is not a number 1 power consumer onboard (well, at least in case of most typical configurations). There is not really a good way to limit AP power consumption (other than tuning yours to the boat and tuning the sails to keep everything in balance). A good AP is a powerful one and so the consumption will never be 'low'.

Cheers,
b.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by perchance

Single handing a 54 foot boat might be a tad ambitious unless it is set up like a solo round the world racer with all the gadgets and gizmos to make it doable and you have tons of offshore experience.

I single hand my 54 foot boat. It's not too bad. The hardest part is docking, but I've even managed that (with no outside help). As has been discussed in various threads on this subject, a bigger boat is easier to handle in my respects, and provides a more stable platform in a seaway.

I think it's a good size for long distance cruising.

A different issue, however, is the age of the boat in question. At 23 years old, virtually every system will need to have been replaced fairly recently, or it will need to be replaced soon. The value of a boat that age is enormously variable depending on which things have been done and which will need to be done soon. On a boat that size, this work can be amazingly expensive.

I found that out the hard way when I bought a merely nine year old boat of that size, which had been well taken care of and little used. I was really surprised how many things failed in the first two years. I spent an amazing amount of money, and continue to spend (it's fun, though, spending it). I'm in the middle of a $100k refit, despite the great volume of work done in the previous couple of years. You will need a good surveyor and spend some time making a really good budget.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by roverhi

You and whose army are going on this boat?? If you are thinking of single handing, look at something less tan 45'. You'll probably be able to use a wind powered self steering vane which would greatly reduce your power consumption at sea tremendously. Keeping maintenance costs down and a 54' boat is an oxymoron.

You could sail a larger boat as long as nothing goes wrong and/or you don't hit serious weather. Guess what? Murphy is/was a sailor

+1 on the wind vane. Nothing better for long distance sailing. No power consumption, simple, reliable, gives a redundant rudder.

+1 on running costs of boats of that size.

But totally disagree that things going wrong or bad weather are harder to deal with on a bigger boat -- on the contrary, you usually have a better margin of error on a bigger boat, more stability, and an easier time when things are tough. Imagine being on a 20' day sailer in the open ocean in a storm, then imagine being on your boat -- is your boat harder to handle? Same difference between a 35' boat and a 54' boat.

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

(...) But totally disagree that things going wrong or bad weather are harder to deal with on a bigger boat (...)

Should be viewed vis-a-vis OP's information.

Experience may play a role, as may personality.

Today watched the show by a single hander whose genoa unfurled partly and then twisted in a 25+ puff over the harbour. He did not look like someone who could manage the mess. It was a 50+ boat AT THE DOCK.

b.