FairKeel → Buyer's guides → Dufour 390 Grand Large
2018–present · designed by Umberto Felci (hull); Dufour in-house (interior) · built by Dufour Yachts
Mid-2010s mid-size cruiser in Dufour's Grand Large line — successor to the 385 GL. Continues the Felci performance-flavored cruising hull. Modernized interior with the Dufour "cockpit lounge" layout, increased beam-aft, larger swim platform. Single spade rudder standard with twin-spade rudder as an option on later hulls. Aimed at coastal cruising and charter use; the design language has shifted toward more form-stable hull and increased interior volume vs the 385 GL.
Check this first — charter-spec three-cabin against owner-spec two-cabin. More cabins means less of everything else: stowage and tankage are divided up rather than added, so the same hull supports more bunks and less self- sufficiency. And the layout is a clue to the boat's history — an ex- charter hull has usually done more hours, under more different hands, with maintenance done to a fleet schedule rather than an owner's. That is not disqualifying and charter boats are often mechanically well kept, but it should change what the survey looks hardest at and what you expect the interior to have taken.
This is a general read on the Dufour 390 Grand Large class — informed background, not a verdict on any individual boat. Condition, refit history, and how a particular hull was sailed and stored matter far more than class reputation. Use it to know what to look for; for a read on a specific listing, run a free FairKeel report on that boat.
Opened specs list a 30/40hp diesel range but do not verify D2-50. Boot rubber seal 7-10 year service item; 2018-2019 hulls now in first replacement window. Confirm service record.
Opened specs list 30/40hp diesel power. Heat exchanger, raw-water pump, impeller, mounts, and saildrive/drive service are standard wear items. Service-friendly installation. Check hours and service history.
Deck-stepped mast on 5-12 year-old hulls. Original rig within typical service interval (15-20 year) for most hulls but 2014- 2016 hulls approaching first major rig inspection.
Significant charter-fleet uptake. Verify hours per year — owner 80-150 vs charter 400-700. Wear in cushions, winches, head fittings, joinery.
Modern hull-deck joint and (mostly) cored decks. Moisture-meter survey at stanchions, genoa tracks, chainplates, mast step. Newer hulls than the 385 GL but still subject to standard sealant- degradation patterns by year 15+.
This guide is the class. A report is that hull. Paste the listing you're looking at and FairKeel grades every claim in it against what's known about the Dufour 390 Grand Large — where the evidence is thin, the red flags worth a second look, the costs likely to land in your first season, and whether the boat suits the plans you describe in a few short questions.
It won't read the photos or put a number on the boat — that's the $249 Deep-Dive, and for the real answer, a surveyor. It will tell you when a Deep-Dive isn't worth buying. Free, no account, usually a minute or two.
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