Dehler 36 Review, a Slim Judel/Vrolijk Racer-Cruiser from 2001

The 39's little sister

Search for a Dehler 36 and you will meet at least three different boats. The one most buyers mean, and the subject of this page, is the Judel/Vrolijk design that Sailing World and Cruising World first listed in October 2001. Yachting Monthly, which tested it in February 2002, described it as a 2001 design that followed closely in the wake of its big sister, the 39: elegant, low and sleek, with a long, narrow waterline and fine ends.

Later in the decade Dehler marketed the same boat as the 36 SQ, for speed and quality, and the brochure under that name shows the same 10.95 m length and 9.95 m waterline. The older Dehler 36 CWS of 1986 and the racing 36 DB of 1990 are van de Stadt designs with shorter waterlines and very different deck layouts; sailboatdata also lists a Judel/Vrolijk Dehler 36 under 1990, which conflicts with every test we found and is best treated as a database error.

The numbers behind the speed

Cruising World's Ralph Naranjo summed up the formula as a straight sheer, a long waterline and a powerful 9/10 rig. With 737 sq ft of working sail (main plus 104 percent jib) on about 13,227 lb, the sail area to displacement ratio is just over 21, enough to keep the boat moving in the 10 to 12 knot breezes typical of summer on Long Island Sound or the Chesapeake. Sailboatdata's figures give a displacement to length ratio of about 170, light for a cruiser of its day.

Ballast is 4,850 lb (about 2,200 kg) in a fin and bulb keel drawing 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in), with a shoal option around 1.6 m. The 36 SQ brochure lists a 6,200 kg standard boat and a heavier 6,600 kg shoal version, a 39.1 m2 main, a 27.9 m2 jib or 40.9 m2 genoa, an 81.4 m2 gennaker and a 100 m2 spinnaker, so later boats carry slightly more weight than the early test boats.

How it sails: quick, responsive and a little wet

Naranjo close-reached at 6 to 7 knots in 8 to 10 knots of true wind and found the 414 sq ft mainsail and 140 percent genoa gave plenty of light-air power, even as the wind went aft of the beam. He praised the efficient reefing system for the big main and noted it will get a lot of use. Yachting Monthly called the 36 very responsive on the helm and rewarding to trim, with real ability to power to windward.

The caveats come in heavier weather. Yachting Monthly warned that some people will find the boat a handful in a blow and that it tends to slam in steep, short seas, a consequence of the fine, low entry. The cockpit is not ideal for singlehanding, although two people can sail it easily thanks to the wide traveler and lines led aft. Treat it as a fast boat for competent sailors rather than a forgiving first cruiser.

How Dehler built it

Both hull and deck are balsa-cored sandwich laid up by hand, and Cruising World was impressed by the glasswork. The hull-deck joint is laminated while both parts are still in the mold, creating a monocoque. Deck hardware is fastened to aluminum flat stock bonded inside the deck, with thread sealant to slow the galvanic corrosion between stainless steel and aluminum. The boat met European Category A offshore requirements.

That backing-plate detail is the main thing to check on an older boat: if the sealant has failed and water has reached the aluminum, fasteners can corrode and loosen. Naranjo also flagged slick gelcoat on much of the coachroof instead of nonskid, which is worth fixing for anyone who goes forward to work the mast.

Four layouts in 36 feet

The early boats tested in 2002 had a double V-berth in the forepeak and a double cabin aft of the companionway, with a utility space beside it under the cockpit; a second aft double was optional. The 36 SQ brochure lists four versions: a standard three-cabin layout with the head next to the saloon, a three-cabin layout with the head aft, a two-cabin boat with the starboard aft space fitted as a storage room with a mattress, and a plain two-cabin layout.

Yachting Monthly liked the good-sized galley that works at sea and a bright, attractive saloon with a dinette seating five, but found stowage tight and the chart table small. Opening ports work well at anchor, though Cruising World thought the boat was better ventilated for temperate climates than for the tropics.

Engine and motoring

A Volvo Penta saildrive diesel of about 27 hp sits beneath the companionway steps. Cruising World recorded 6.4 knots at a fuel-saving 2,200 rpm and reminded owners that saildrives need careful attention to the isolation between the aluminum leg and the stainless and bronze around it. Sailboatdata lists a Volvo D1-30 for the 36 SQ, with tanks of about 91 liters (24 gallons) of fuel and 254 liters (67 gallons) of water, adequate for weekend and coastal cruising.

Regatta results and a club-racing future

Dehler's 36 SQ brochure highlights a win at the Copa del Rey in IMS 670, and later 36 SQs kept winning: Dehler reported an NRW Cup victory in 2007 and an overall win at the Sandhamn Open under ORC International in 2010. For an American owner the takeaway is that the hull is genuinely competitive, so a 36 with a good sail inventory can hold its own in PHRF fleets against newer and more expensive boats.

What to expect when buying one

Most boats on the market are in Germany, France, Scandinavia and the Netherlands; a 2005 36 SQ listed in Lorient at 95,000 euros is typical of a well-kept example. In the US, expect roughly $65,000 to $120,000, with condition, sails and engine hours mattering more than the year. Budget about $8,000 to $19,000 a year to keep one on a slip with insurance, haul-out and routine maintenance.

Because the boat is light and was often raced, look for signs of hard use: keel-joint cracks, rudder bearing play, worn sails, rig fatigue and deck hardware that has been loaded beyond cruising norms.