Dehler 35, the Simonis Voogd Design That Won Kiel Week

One hull, several names

The Dehler 35 is a Simonis Voogd design from the years when Dehler changed hands twice, and its naming reflects that. Dehler's own archive says that in 2010 the Dehler 35 was extensively modified to meet the standards expected of a fast premium yacht in the 11 m class, with a premium T-keel and a direct-action helm and rudder system. The yard's 2010 news pages introduced it as the new Dehler 35 and credited designer Alex Simonis.

The hull appears to be older than the badge. In 2007 Cruising World published a quick look at a Simonis Voogd Dehler 34 with exactly the same 34 ft 6 in length, 30 ft 9 in waterline and 11 ft 5 in beam, and Dehler later filed a Norwegian comparison test of the 35 under the title Dehler 34 versus X-34. From about 2014 the boat was sold as the Dehler 35 SQ, with specification sheets dated as late as 2015 and 2016. Buyers should therefore expect listings under 34, 35 and 35 SQ and confirm the year and keel from the builder's plate.

This is a different boat from the Dehler 35 CWS of 1993, a van de Stadt design with a central winch system, of which sailboatdata counts 280.

What the factory sheet says

Dehler's March 2013 specification gives an overall length of 10.51 m (34 ft 6 in), a 9.38 m (30 ft 9 in) waterline and a 3.49 m (11 ft 5 in) beam. Three keels were offered: a cast iron T-keel drawing 1.95 m with 1,880 kg of ballast in a 5,520 kg boat, an iron and lead racing T-keel drawing 2.15 m with 1,815 kg in a 5,430 kg boat, and an iron and lead L-keel drawing 1.62 m with 2,190 kg in a 5,830 kg boat.

Upwind sail area is 72 m2 (about 775 sq ft), split between a 39 m2 main and a 33 m2 105 percent jib on a 9/10 aluminum mast standing 17.64 m above the waterline. Downwind the sheet lists a 106 m2 spinnaker and a 91 m2 gennaker. Those figures make it one of the lighter, more powerful 35-footers of its era.

A championship in its first season

Dehler raced the new boat hard in 2010. The 35 RS Hochwuerden, skippered by Philipp Rotermund, won the German ORC championship at Kiel Week with four race wins in seven starts; in the opening race it led a 25-boat class from start to finish, ahead of three X-37s. Earlier that season a Dehler 35 placed fourth at the German offshore championship. Dehler's Swedish dealer then renamed the boat Midnight Rambler and sailed it in the 2010 Gotland Runt with four-time Volvo Ocean Race sailor Gurra Krantz at the helm, finishing third on corrected time after leading its class on the water.

That record tells an American buyer something useful: the hull rates well and goes fast in a breeze, so a well-sailed 35 is a credible PHRF or ORC boat. The RS package and racing keel are worth seeking out if racing is the priority.

How it feels at the helm

Yachting Monthly tested the 35 SQ in more wind than the crew wanted and without a third reef, yet came away enthusiastic. The tester described a powerful, stiff boat suited to club racing and lively cruising, with the mainsheet winches within reach of the twin wheels and an immediate response to every tweak of sheet, helm and backstay. The downside of all that feel is that the crew has to hang on: it was a long way down to the leeward side when heeled.

The deck is laid out for small crews. Halyards and sheets lead to the cockpit, Harken self-tailers handle the genoa and halyards, the jib furler sits below deck to clean up the bow, and a split backstay with a 48:1 purchase gives real rig tension control.

A simple interior that keeps weight in the middle

Below, the 35 is functional rather than lavish. The factory layout has a forward cabin with storage below the berths, a roomy aft double with a hanging locker, a U-shaped settee to port, a straight settee to starboard, an L-shaped galley to port with a two-burner stove and oven and a 75 liter top-loading cool box, a chart table to starboard, and a single head with a wet locker. Joinery was mahogany, with teak as an option.

Yachting Monthly was frank that the interior is nothing fancy: you can cook, eat, sleep and wash, but not in great style. Dehler deliberately moved weight out of the ends and into the middle, so heavy cruising gear needs careful stowage. The ideal owner, in the magazine's words, is a sporty couple with a dinghy-racing past who will be on deck most of the time.

Engine and tank sizes

Power is a Volvo Penta D1-20 of 18 hp on a saildrive with a two-blade fixed propeller, a 110 A alternator and AGM batteries in the standard specification. Tanks are small: 88 liters (23 gallons) of fuel and 130 liters (34 gallons) of water, plus a 20 liter water heater fed by the engine and shore power. That is fine for weekends and short coastal passages but limited for extended cruising without top-ups.

No independent fuel or motoring figures were published. A folding or feathering propeller is a worthwhile upgrade if the boat still has the fixed two-blade, both for sailing speed and for performance under power in a chop.

Finding and buying a Dehler 35

Most Dehler 35s were sold in Germany, Scandinavia and the Netherlands, and the boat is rarely seen in the US. Import is the likely route, so build shipping, survey travel and 120 V conversion into the budget. Expect to pay roughly $70,000 to $125,000 for a sound example, depending on keel, sails and engine hours.

Annual costs are modest for a boat of this size: slip or mooring, insurance, a haul-out with bottom paint, saildrive service and rigging checks typically come to about $7,500 to $17,000, more if you campaign it with racing sails.