We had the opportunity to climb aboard a Dufour 530 Smart Electric for a sea trial.

Dufour's flagship is as seductive as ever, and is now available with a hybrid electric drive.

Edison - a nice name for a hybrid, don't you think?

The Dufour 530 Smart Electric is part of the Smart Electric series created by the Fountaine-Pajot group for its catamarans and monohulls. Dream Yacht Worldwide has exclusive marketing rights for the first year of sales.

The Dufour 530 Smart Electric is the first monohull to be fitted with this engine, already featured on the Aura 51 Smart Electric, which we tested at length.

This boat has the same engine as its catamaran cousin. A 400 V pod designed in-house by Fountaine-Pajot.

On this Dufour 530 Smart Electric, it is fitted alone and has the same power as on the Aura 51, 26 kW.

It is now powered by a larger battery, located under the saloon floor.

The 18 kW generator occupies the usual position for these devices on monohulls, between the aft cabins.

The pod itself is fitted in place of the saildrive and, under the companionway, a space that also houses the generator and the One Box, which houses the boat's controllers and converters.

The interface is the same as on the Aura 51, and is easy to understand.

Underway, the Dufour 530 revs up on a handful of kilowatts, and it's true that the weather was glorious, with no waves and no wind. The characteristic whistle of this engine is recognisable, although perhaps less intense than that of the Aura 51.

In terms of engine performance, expect three or four hours at low speed (5-6 knots) and a maximum speed of 8 knots.

The powerful propulsion system and high-capacity batteries mean that there is plenty of current on board, useful for powering the yacht's propulsion, but also for powering its energy-hungry services. Another advantage of these boats.

The total absence of wind meant that this time we weren't able to take an interest in the boat's performance under sail or its hydrogen generation. But we'll have to wait and see...