Tofinou 9.7Review & Buyer’s Guide: The Peugeot-Designed Daysailer Explained
What you’d actually do with her
This is a boat for short, beautiful outings under sail. Typical use: half a day along the coast, an evening sail after work, a weekend with one overnight stop in a neighbouring harbour. There are berths and a minimal galley aboard, but no real living accommodation. One person handles her without strain: the front sail tacks itself, and every line leads back to the helm. She races in club events and one-design regattas against identical boats with no modifications. Versions with a lifting keel enter shallow harbours and travel by road on a trailer. She demands upkeep: the varnished wood and teak deck need attention every year. A week of passages with life aboard is not her genre. This is a boat for one day and one night.
The boat the car designers drew
Some boats are designed from a brief: so many berths, so many knots, such and such a budget. The Tofinou 9.7 was designed from a gaze. Latitude 46 handed the deck and cockpit not to a yacht studio but to Peugeot Design Lab, a team that draws automobiles. Hence the silver band on the coachroof that the architect himself compares to headlights, hence the mooring cleats that retract into the deck and the jammers hidden under a false coachroof: from outside you see no rope that isn’t working at this exact moment.
The order for the boat, though, came from no marketing department. Two owners of the smaller Tofinou 8, freshly retired, asked the yard for a bigger strict one-design so they could match-race each other on equal terms for as long as their health allowed. That is how the 9.7 appeared in 2019: a daysailer with a regatta hull, a bare minimum of deck work, and a finish that turns heads across the marina.
“There are some too-rare boats that turn every head, and everything about them attracts your attention. The new Tofinou 9.7 is, without question, one of these.”
The price of that gaze is the discipline of ownership. Varnish on mahogany, teak on deck, low freeboard with no guardwires. This is not a boat you buy and forget. This is a boat you buy and tend, and her buyers, as a rule, want exactly that.
The yard from the Île de Ré and a name from Benin
Latitude 46 was founded in 1987 in Saint-Martin-de-Ré, on the 46th parallel, which explains the name. Today the yard works out of Rivedoux-Plage near La Rochelle: about 50 people and roughly 20 boats a year. An atelier, not a factory.
The Tofinou name is older than the yard and arrived from Africa: the Tofinu are the “people of the water” from Lake Nokoué in Benin. The first Tofinou was a wooden dayboat drawn in 1928 by Edmond Merle. In 1986 Bertrand Danglade found her hull on a mudflat of the Île de Ré, and with Philippe Joubert he took a polyester replica from it. That mould produced 230 Tofinou 7s, and an entire brand.
From the 1990s the line was drawn by Joubert-Nivelt, one of the most prolific design offices in France, with more than 25,000 boats launched to its name. Michel Joubert died in Bordeaux in March 2016, aged 73. His inheritance at the yard passed to Michele Molino, an architect with his own studio in La Rochelle; the 9.7 is his boat, the first in the family drawn four-handed with Peugeot’s car designers.
The class is run by the Tofinou International Club, presided over by Philippe Étienne; fleets live on the Atlantic around the Yacht Club de La Baule, in the Mediterranean and, unexpectedly, in Switzerland. The boats race at Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez in their own division, and the prize for best Tofinou is contested in earnest: in 2024 it was fought over by Team 42, Geyser and Pippa. This is a world where owners know each other by boat name.
What kind of boat is this, if you’re seeing her for the first time
The Tofinou 9.7 is a 9.8-metre sailing yacht for day outings, conceived around one or two people in the cockpit. Three things separate her from everything moored alongside.
She looks like a classic and is built like a modern sportboat. Varnished mahogany, a teak deck, a low profile; underneath, a moulded sandwich hull with a wide stern, a carbon bowsprit and the sail area of a racing boat. The optical illusion is part of the design.
She barely needs hands. The jib is self-tacking: through a tack it crosses on its own, nothing to touch. Every line runs through hidden channels back to the helm; the Karver jammers sit under a false coachroof and are operated remotely. One person sails her without leaving the tiller.
The keel comes in three versions, and they are different boats. A fixed fin with a bulb reaching two metres down, for those who race. A swing keel with electro-hydraulic drive (0.90 to 2.10 m) for shallow harbours and road transport. A telescopic lifting keel (1.22 to 2.00 m) between the two. Less than a metre of draught with the keel up opens harbours the competition cannot enter, but note carefully: she cannot dry out on the ground in any version. The rudder bearings and keel suspension are not designed for it.
Below: four berths, a minimal galley and 1.34 m of headroom. A cabin for a night, not for living. There are no hull windows; light comes through the hatch.
Living with her: what the testers found
The Tofinou 9.7 is quick for her genre, but her defining quality is not the log reading. It is how she goes.
“The Tofinou 9.7 manages a speed of 6.2 knots at an angle of 40 degrees to the true wind direction... With a wind angle of around 120 degrees, the average speed remains between 8.0 and 9.0 knots”, and under gennaker she “can sometimes log double-digit values in the gusts.”
“The precision and softness of the helm are exceptional... 6.5 knots on the GPS and a course 28° off the apparent wind”; under the 80 m² asymmetric “the speed climbs quickly to 8 or 9 knots with a top of 10.5.”
The helm is direct and sharp. YACHT warns that she “reacts quickly and intensively to even the smallest tiller movements, which requires a high level of attention from the helmsman.” Read that as compliment and caution in one sentence: this tiller is never boring, and it never lets you slouch either.
The low freeboard is part of the character. Yachting World went out on a gusty, near-gale day:
“The boat’s noticeably low freeboard and lack of guardwires were a little concerning, and prompted me to bring my full wet weather kit and lifejacket.” The day’s verdict: only two or three waves larger than the rest found the cockpit, and “as soon as you ease the sheets a little, the boat accelerates to more than 9 knots with a pleasant feeling of gliding across the water.”
The cockpit is the boat’s most honest limitation. YACHT again: “the cockpit of the Tofinou 9.7 is relatively short and small. With a crew of three, the space available in the cockpit is already exhausted.” Racing four-up is tight. For two, she fits like a glove, which is the point.
Under power there is a 15hp saildrive diesel, more than enough for 2.3 tonnes of boat. The electric version with a 10 kW Torqeedo pod stops her in half a boatlength in reverse, but lives off two 5 kWh batteries: two to four hours at 4 to 5 knots. Bateaux.com puts it precisely: this Tofinou does not really need an engine at all, except for harbour manoeuvres.
The keel debate: which promise to believe
Every model in this canon has one contested organ. On the 9.7 it is the lifting keel, and both of the boat’s real controversies gather around it.
The first conflict was documented by the yard itself. On hull number one, the factory test boat of 2019, the telescopic mechanism failed during a magazine trial:
“Unfortunately, the drive was defective during the YACHT test fitting, meaning that the raising and lowering of the fin could not be tested. The shipyard has admitted that the telescopic mechanism needs improvement and will now have to work on it.”
No public service bulletin or recall followed. The indirect evidence says the mechanism was sorted: it stayed in the catalogue, the Italian supplier The Keel Servant reports a dozen Tofinous fitted, and a 2023 test describes the keel working without comment. But a document there is not.
The second conflict is a head-on collision between the yard and its own supplier:
The honest takeaway for a buyer: the yard’s position is law, the supplier’s brochure is a brochure. No drying out, in any version. And on early hulls (2019–2020) the telescopic keel is the survey item to pursue with prejudice: the drive’s repair history, operation under load, the seals of the keel case. If variable draught is not essential to your harbour, the fixed keel is simpler, lighter and cheaper to own.
Buying a used Tofinou 9.7: problems and what to check
From here on, this dossier switches to survey mode. Print this section and take it to the boat.
Keel and drive: item number one
For telescopic and swing versions, run a full raise-and-lower cycle under observation, ideally twice, ashore and afloat. Listen for noises, jerks, cycle time. Ask for the service history of the electric drive (telescopic) or hydraulics (swing). Check the keel case seals for salt tracks. On early hulls from 2019–2020, put the question of drive-mechanism revisions directly to the yard, by hull number. Signs of attempted drying out (scoring on the bulb, a distorted rudder blade) are a red flag: the structure does not permit it.
Teak and brightwork: a budget line, not cosmetics
The deck is vacuum-glued with no through-fasteners, which is good news (no thousand holes in the sandwich), but board thickness and caulking condition must still be checked. A full teak replacement on a boat of this class runs to tens of thousands of euros and months of work; on the French market the customary price deduction for a dead deck is on the order of 25,000. The varnish: the 9.7’s coamings are veneer over composite and removable, so they are refinished in a workshop rather than on the boat. Greying wood and lifting varnish at the edges are the single best indicator of a neglected boat overall. An annual varnish cycle is a fact of the genre, not an option.
Engine: first establish which one
Early hulls carry a Volvo Penta 15hp; the yard later switched to Yanmar 15hp. Verify on the boat, not in the listing, since parts and service access follow the brand. On the Torqeedo electric version: battery age and cycle count, real rather than brochure autonomy, and whether shore charging exists in the home port. Battery replacement is a serious line item; Torqeedo’s warranty promises 80% capacity after nine years, but the individual boat is what counts.
Deck and hidden running rigging
Every line lives in channels under the false coachroof. Elegant, and treacherous: wear is invisible from outside. Load and run every piece of rigging, listening for friction. Confirm the Karver jammers respond to their remote controls.
Spars
Aluminium is standard; the Axxon carbon mast is an option that a noticeable share of second-hand boats carry. On carbon: impact marks, coating condition, age of the dyform standing rigging. Bow winches are optional; without them line handling gets markedly harder, so their presence is worth money.
Hull
Hand-laid GRP sandwich on PVC foam and vinylester; the deck is vacuum-infused at the Wauquiez yard (the two brands share a group). Painted topsides (often AWLGRIP to order): look for chips, repairs, colour mismatch. No osmosis record exists yet on so young a model, though that also means no statistics.
Specification decides the price
Code zero, asymmetric, carbon mast, bow winches, the comfort pack with galley and chemical toilet: the gap between a bare boat and a full one reaches tens of thousands. Reconcile the inventory against the yard’s options list.
Tofinou 9.7 price and market: a young used fleet under a doubled new price
The 9.7’s used market is narrow and young: four to six boats visible worldwide at any moment. Price anchors, August 2026:
- 2021, Italy: €160,000
- 2022, Brittany, first owner, carbon mast, electric lifting keel: listed at €199,900, now €179,900 after a visible reduction
- 2023, dealer demonstrator: €260,000 promotional against €275,000
- 2024, “35 ans” limited edition: €222,000
The key to this market is the new-boat trajectory. From launch in 2019 (about €110,000 ex-VAT; €130,900 for the standard version with VAT and no sails) the base price climbed to €201,100 by 2023 and roughly €222,000 to start by 2024–2025. New prices nearly doubled in five years, and that lift carries the used fleet: a three-year-old boat asks close to her year-of-build money. The age discount is still symbolic. Negotiation lives in the inventory and the condition of the wood, not in the build year.
There is a separate fork for the buyer: the predecessor 9.5, with the same DNA, trades at €94,000 to €110,000. Half the money for the genre, more years of upkeep. Anyone shopping for “a Tofinou” rather than specifically the 9.7 starts the comparison there.
Market snapshot: August 2026. This section is updated with each revision.
Tofinou 9.7 vs Saffier, B-Yachts and Wauquiez: what buyers actually compare
Saffier Se 33 Life is the principal rival and the only one dealers name out loud. The Dutch school: vacuum infusion, a 42% ballast ratio against the Tofinou’s 28%, guardrails as standard (and CE category B with them). More pragmatic, more seagoing, and comparable money at a €213,000 base including VAT. Saffier’s Hennevanger allows himself the observation that he delivers the same quality for 20 to 30% less than a Tofinou. The community’s formula: Saffier is the instrument, Tofinou is the object.
B-Yachts B30 (Brenta) is the Italian answer: carbon and epoxy with nearly half the displacement in the bulb. Lighter, angrier, closer to pure sport, with less wood and less yacht about her. For those who find the Tofinou beautiful but slow.
Wauquiez Optio is family, in a sense: Wauquiez builds the Tofinou’s decks. Carbon rig as standard, teak in the cockpit, lifting keel, and noticeably cheaper second-hand. The compromise for those who want the genre without the full ticket.
Tofinou 9.5 is the in-house rival: same yard, the classic silhouette, an established Mediterranean fleet, CE category B. Used boats from €94,000. Less push-button convenience, more classic.
The formula the market has settled on: pure beauty and a one-design fleet, the 9.7; seagoing pragmatism at the same money, Saffier; sport, the B30; the genre on a budget, Optio or a 9.5.
Saffier Se 33 Life
B-Yachts B30
Wauquiez Optio
Open questions
This dossier doesn’t pretend to omniscience. The yard does not disclose the 9.7’s production total: hull number 10 (2021) and a dozen boats with the TKS keel are confirmed, and “a few dozen by 2026” remains an estimate. The fate of the telescopic drive’s revision after the hull-one defect is not documented, only inferred. Laden displacement and the ballast figures for the swing and telescopic versions appear in no public yard document. Above all, no first-hand account exists of this low-freeboard boat in 20 knots and more of open-water breeze: both magazine tests ran in 10 to 12 knots or sheltered water. Owner answers will appear in the next revision.
Tofinou 9.7 specifications (base version, fixed keel)
| Length overall | 9.82 m |
| Hull length | 9.15 m |
| Beam | 2.99 m |
| Draught, fixed keel | 2.00 m |
| Draught, swing keel | 0.90–2.10 m |
| Draught, telescopic keel | 1.22–2.00 m |
| Displacement (light) | 2,300 kg |
| Ballast (fixed keel) | 650 kg / 28% (cast-iron fin, lead bulb) |
| Main / self-tacking jib | 28 / 20 m² |
| Rig | fractional 7/8, aluminium (Axxon carbon optional) |
| Engine | 15hp saildrive diesel (Volvo Penta early / Yanmar later); 10 kW Torqeedo electric optional |
| Fuel / water | 25 / 50 L |
| Headroom | 1.34 m |
| Berths | 4 |
| Construction | hand-laid GRP sandwich, PVC foam, vinylester; deck vacuum-infused (Wauquiez) |
| CE category | C |
| Yard / built | Latitude 46, La Rochelle; since 2019 |
FAQ
How much does a used Tofinou 9.7 cost?
From about €160,000 for early hulls (2021) to €260,000 for a recent demonstrator in full specification. The market is narrow, with four to six boats typically listed worldwide. Prices are propped up by a new-boat base that has nearly doubled to around €222,000.
What are the known problems of the Tofinou 9.7?
The main risk item is the telescopic or swing keel: on hull number one (2019) the yard admitted the telescopic drive needed improvement. Beyond that, the recurring costs are those of the genre: annual varnish on the mahogany, teak deck upkeep, and hidden running rigging whose wear cannot be seen from outside.
Can the Tofinou 9.7 dry out on the ground?
No, in no version, including the lifting-keel variants with twin rudders. The yard’s position is that neither the rudder bearings nor the keel suspension are designed for it, whatever the keel supplier’s brochure says.
What engine does the Tofinou 9.7 have?
A 15hp saildrive diesel: Volvo Penta on early hulls, Yanmar later (verify on the individual boat). The option is a 10 kW Torqeedo electric pod with two to four hours of autonomy at 4 to 5 knots, a roughly €12,000 premium on a new boat.
Tofinou 9.7 or Saffier Se 33?
The Tofinou offers beauty, wood, a one-design class with a regatta calendar, and a light hull that relies on form stability rather than ballast. The Saffier answers with a 42% ballast ratio, guardrails and CE category B as standard, less upkeep, and comparable money. It is a choice of genre: an object of passion against an instrument for the weekend.
Method: this dossier was assembled from the sea trials of YACHT (issue 21/2019, revised 2023), Yachting World (2020), Bateaux.com (2019) and Boatsales (2023), the documentation of Latitude 46 / Tofinou and of keel supplier The Keel Servant, brokerage listings and archives 2019–2026 (Antipode, La Baule Nautic, Boat24, YachtWorld, Annonces du Bateau, Force 5), the chronicles of Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez and the Tofinou International Club, and general Hisse-et-Oh threads on teak and varnish care. French and German quotes are translated with meaning preserved; English quotes are restored to their originals. Where sources disagreed, we either resolved the conflict with data (ballast, CE category, engine brand, yard output) or left it honestly open (production total, the keel revision). Owner interviews are underway; their testimony will join the next revision.