Dufour ACM Heritage 26

The Dufour ACM Heritage 26 is a quaint French cruiser that complies with the modern way of doing things. With petrol hitting $1 per litre, marina fees measured by the foot, and less time on your hands for leisure, the chic weekender is nothing if not timely.

I boarded the cruiser as a westerly was packing a fair winter sting. The brisk wind turned the harbour into a textured fabric upon which, I mused, a fast-planing boat might bang and shudder.

The wind also brought the surrounding boats at the crowded Spit Marina that little bit more into play. But the French semi-displacement 26-footer wasn't phased. Designed by ACM for musing about the Mediterranean, the boat is an all-weather weekender offering comfort for captain and crew.

Fitted with a single four-cylinder 105hp Volvo diesel motor with shaftdrive, the boat offers low maintenance and small fuel bills. One might also suppose the single shaftdrive will lead to poor manoeuvrability, or at least the need for some deft driving skill. But with a bow thruster fitted, nothing could be further from the truth.

A press of the button this way or that and I easily kept the 26-footer's bow clear of the surrounding boats. The bow thruster came in handy whenever I was manoeuvring at low speeds. In fact, I came away convinced of its usefulness, even on pocket-sized cruisers.

With an internal helmstation but plenty of glass, a windscreen wiper, and an overhead hatch with opening side windows, the 26 cabin cruiser can be set up with the right mix of protection and fresh air.

With just enough of the latter streaming inside, I set out from The Spit for a spot of upriver cruising. It was smooth sailing from the moment of our departure to the point of our return. Along the way, I got to thinking about the philosophy behind this 26ft cruiser.

While it does things a little differently, the ACM Heritage 26 has a good deal of practicality as well as some French attitude. It could just be the ideal boat for retiring couples who want to go boating more often.

ALL-WEATHER WEEKENDER
Dominated by a low-profile cabin, the boat has the facilities to assuage a couple as much as mum, dad and two kids. There is accommodation for four, a fully-enclosed head with shower, a small galley, plenty of storage, and sufficient outdoor living areas to meet the needs of Australian boaties.

Future models will be built to European survey standards recognised in Australia, so the Heritage 26 could easily form the basis of an up-market charter fleet. Engine options (which start at 50hp) allow the boat to be governed to under eight knots. This way, a licence would not be needed to drive it.

As it was, with a pile of options fitted, the Heritage 26 wasn't a cheap boat. The base price is around $166,000, while the testboat with 'Comfort pack' including bow thruster, Autohelm instruments, CD player, teak-stripped cockpit and deck, swim platform, electric windlass, and so on, had a replacement price of $176,000.

But what you get in the Dufour compared with a local cabin cruiser is a splash of pizazz. While there are plenty of weekenders on the market, few look quite as dapper. Even fewer are designed to go places in such harmony... such is the benefit of a semi-displacement hull.

Indeed, there is a compelling argument for moderate-speed cruising. If, for example, you are confined to one harbour, bay, estuary, river or port then a fast boat might just be overkill. Once you have visited all the weekend anchorages, your days on the water soon become little more than a blast. It can be more like rushing around in a car than boating.

Not so with the Heritage. You travel at a speed that is at once deceptively fast and pleasantly slow. The top end of 17kt is sufficient to get you from one end of town to the other. Cruising speed is a very pleasant 13kt.

At such speeds, the boat cleaves through windswept chop rather than bouncing over it. And it uses very little fuel. Furthermore, the Heritage 26 looks the part and feels as smart from behind the wheel. Much of the styling can be attributed to the fully-moulded interior and deck, some signature curves, and the French navy hull.

NO STUFFINESS BELOW
The joinery, high-gloss varnished teak and marine ply, looked a bit fabricated in parts. The internal timber bulkheads, and frames, are pres umably glassed in and treated to prevent rot. The headliner was moulded and, except for the fact there was a bit of corrosion on the bathroom fittings, the Heritage 26 was well-appointed.

Headroom, fresh air, and natural light are what strike you about the saloon. It's a very airy sitting room and helm from which to enjoy cruising. Though the skipper is confined to an internal helm, there's no sense of stuffiness.

Accommodation includes a V-berth in the bow that, with infill in place, measures about 1.85m long. This berth was finished in a smart blue-and-white striped fabric. There was a privacy curtain to separate the bow cabin from the saloon.

The head is tucked behind the helm. It's a fully-moulded cell (for easy cleaning) with headroom, a manual Jabsco loo, hot/cold hand-held shower, oval mirror, and a moulded sink. There will be women guests, it should be said, who will warm to the Heritage 26 on the basis of this bathroom alone.

The width of the saloon is compromised to some degree by the walkaround decks and the boat's modest 2.5m beam.

Inside, the cabinetry running along the portside includes a simple galley opposite the helmstation. Galleying gourmets will warm to the two-burner stove linked to a gas bottle in a dedicated locker in the cockpit. There is a stainless sink with a crockery cupboard, an Indel B fridge, and plenty of storage cupboards.

A family should be able to squeeze into the dinette behind the helmseat. The backrest for the helmseat reverses to form one of the two lounges. Perched on the engine box, the seating offers good water views through big clear windows.

At rest, the dinette can be turned into an informal double berth. You need to disassemble the table and lounge backrests and pop in a spare cushion.

There are curtains for privacy. Remove the table and you can access the engine. The hatch lifts on hydraulic struts and, once open, you gain access to all parts of the Volvo donk.

CRUISING ALONG
The single, internal helm is a pleasant place for driving. With the galley and fridge alongside, you can easily reach across for a cuppa or a cold drink. The view through the windscreen is clear, even during semi-displacement speeds.

Large trim tabs can be used to button down the bow, but for my money the boat rides well without them. You can slide open the side windows and drive with your arm outside. The view aft is good, whether looking through this window or back through the large saloon door.

The dash has a raised brow with ample room to flush-mount a GPS chartplotter, marine radio and depth sounder. The wheel is a stylish Momo number. Switch panels and controls for everything from the windlass and bow thruster to the wiper are nearby. A big overhead hatch draws fresh air inside.

Outside, the cockpit, side-decks and foredeck are finished in a good grade of non-skid or, as was the case on the demo boat, teak planking. The shorepower connection, gas bottle and isolating switch are kept out of the way. There was a hand-held cold-water deck shower and a boarding platform with retractable swim ladder.

The gunwales are backed by coaming rails, giving the necessary height to keep the kiddies safely contained. A lazarette under the floor is big enough to store a ducky or folding chairs and a table. You will find protection from the midday sun under the cabin overhang.

When I first stepped aboard I thought the boat felt a little tender. It appears to have a sharp forefoot and quite a bit of deadrise. The prop and rudder rest above a keel, which aids tracking and gives protection to the running gear in the event of going aground.

I thought the boat responded well to the wheel, didn't cavitate, and was nice to drive. Occasionally some spray licked up the sides of the hull, but the wind was blowing and a planing hull would have been a heck of a lot more uncomfortable, more expensive to run, and less enjoyable.

Also, the fuel-injected Volvo was quiet as well as sprightly. To my way of thinking, the jaunty Heritage 26 has joie de vivre. It'd be a nice boat for gadding about the Great Lakes and Port Phillip Bay or wandering about the wonderful Whitsundays.

Okay, it's not cheap. But the concept is worth something. The semi-displacement 26-footer with a bow thruster might just see you out on the water more than you thought possible. And the most expensive boat is always the one you never use...

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