Have you ever wondered what it's like onboard a liveaboard yacht? Are you thinking about buying a small boat to go sailing on while also spending extended periods of time aboard?
Come aboard our first boat - a 1974 Dufour 34 to see what it's like below decks and how it's possible to live in a small space comfortably. She's a floating tiny house!
Being able to take your home with you when you're travelling is the BEST feeling ever and the ultimate flex! You get to travel to new places and experience new cultures while having all your home comforts with you and a cosy bed to climb into at night.
1974 Dufour 34 Boat Specifications
When searching for boats, we decided that safety was high up on our list of priorities. Having read so many stories about boats losing their rudders and the owners having to abandon their homes, we were very keen to find a boat with a skeg rudder… and we did!
Want to see some specs to see the space that's onboard? Look no further!
Age: Built in 1974
Designer: Michel Dufour
Built: Dufour (La Rochelle, France)
Hull Type: Fin Keel with a Skeg Rudder
Rig: Masthead Sloop
Overall Length: 33.58′ / 10.24m
Waterline Length: 25.42′ / 7.75m
Beam: 10.75′ / 3.28m
Draft: 5.82′ / 1.77m
Displacement: 11400 lbs / 5171 kg
Sail Area: 516 ft2 / 47.94 m2
Ballast (Keel Weight): 4000 lbs / 1814 kg
Interior Headroom: 2.0m (saloon), 1.92m (galley)
Engine: Beta 28 (2005)
Layout of a 1974 Dufour 34
Image: SailBoatData.com
Our Thoughts on our Liveaboard Sailboat
'Baremka' was our very first sailboat. We bought her when we were brand new to sailing and still very much learning the ropes (pun intended!)
We spent a LONG time trawling through listings online to try and find our 'perfect' sailboat.
There is no such thing as the 'perfect' sailboat (sorry to disappoint you!), just the right boat for you.
We knew we wanted an older boat - partly because that was all our budget would stretch to at the time, but also because we felt older boats were built more robustly and we wanted to feel as safe as possible when we were out alone at sea.
Our 1974 Dufour 34 didn't disappoint. She looked after us well (even in some nasty weather that we got caught out in on a few occasions).
Due to the lack of a shower onboard, we were reliant on marina facilities wherever we sailed to (this inspired the creation of my Sailing Travel Journal!)
Considering we were living on a 34-foot sailboat, we had a generously sized galley, and we managed to eat very well while living onboard. Check it out in the video above. Every boat I've looked at since has been compared to this in my head!
Our v-berth was lovely and cosy, and we had a fantastic view of the night sky above us each night.
We had lots of storage aboard too for clothes, books, food, toys, tools etc - this was another thing that was very important to us when we were choosing which boat to buy.
Why Did We Sell Her?
The only reason we sold her was because we got pregnant and wanted a second bedroom and a little bit more storage for all the paraphernalia that babies seem to arrive with!
We COULD have lived onboard with a baby, but as we also had our dog Scrappy onboard and we planned to go further afield in future, we decided to upgrade.
As a side note - we decided to sell her privately and were successful. I plan to write a post all about this process so keep checking back fi you're interested in how we did it!
Would I recommend a 1974 Dufour 34?
Absolutely, yes!
They are well-built boats that are seaworthy and have lots of storage for their size.
They make a great boat for couples who plan to live aboard long-term or for families who plan to go out for day sails or stay onboard for shorter periods of time. (There are up to six berths onboard, believe it or not!)
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