Dehler 38, the 2013 Relaunch Boat and Its Used-Market Value
The first Dehler designed and built entirely in Greifswald: a Judel/Vrolijk 38 that undercut its rivals on price and sold more than 100 boats in about a year.
- Length
- 38.2 ft11.64 m
- Beam
- 12.3 ft3.75 m
- Draft
- 6.6 ft2 m
- Cabins
- 2 or 3
- Used price
- $160K to $250K
On this page
- Overview
- The boat that relaunched a brand
- Three boats wear the Dehler 38 badge
- The launch specification: three keels, two rigs
- A price that shook up the class
- How the Greifswald boats are built
- Below: a flexible aft corner
- What the press said
- Buying a Dehler 38 today
- Specifications
- Price and value
- Strengths and weaknesses
- Used buyer checklist
- Rivals
- Our verdict
- FAQ
The Dehler 38 is the Judel/Vrolijk performance cruiser that relaunched Dehler under HanseYachts in 2013. Built until the 2020 SQ update, it won European Yacht of the Year 2014 and is now a strong used buy at 11.3 m hull length.
- Couples who club race and cruise
- Families who need a third cabin (three-cabin version)
- Buyers wanting a recent performance cruiser below 38 SQ prices
- Coastal cruising with occasional regattas
The boat that relaunched a brand
HanseYachts bought Dehler out of insolvency in 2009, and in 2012 it closed the old Freienohl yard and moved all production to its main plant in Greifswald on the Baltic. The Dehler 38, presented at boot Dusseldorf in January 2013 in the brand's 50th anniversary year, was the first boat designed and built entirely under the new owner. Yachting World described Karl Dehler, son of founder Willi Dehler, as the man who almost single-handedly drove the concept.
It worked. The 38 was named European Yacht of the Year 2014 in the performance cruiser category and also took American Boat of the Year honors that season, and a Dutch magazine reported that more than 100 had been sold within roughly a year. Its success set the template for the 46, 42 and 34 that followed, and in 2020 Dehler refreshed it as the 38 SQ, which has its own page on this site.
Dehler 38 by the numbers
- Sail area to displacement
- 21.8Plenty of sail for the weight, the boat should feel lively in light air.
- Displacement to length
- 176Light displacement for its length, quick but sensitive to added cruising weight.
- Theoretical hull speed
- 7.8 knThe practical top speed of a displacement monohull under normal sailing, based on waterline length.
- Ballast ratio
- 32%A typical ballast ratio for a cruising monohull.
- Capsize screening
- 1.97Below 2.0, the traditional threshold for offshore suitability.
- Motion comfort ratio
- 24.2A quicker motion in waves, typical of light, beamy hulls.
- Length to beam ratio
- 3.10 : 1Moderate proportions.
Three boats wear the Dehler 38 badge
This page is about the 2013 to 2020 Judel/Vrolijk boat. The 38 SQ that replaced it in 2020 keeps the hull but adds an integrated bowsprit, bigger hull windows and new rig options, so treat it as a separate model when comparing prices.
The older Dehler 38 is an E.G. van de Stadt design that Dehler's archive dates to 1985 and Yachting Monthly and sailboatdata date to 1987. It was the yard's flagship of the 1980s, about 11.8 m long and 5,500 kg, with Kevlar halyards and Dyform rigging; Dehler's archive describes a central winch system that led the lines to one self-tailing winch in front of the wheel. Below it had up to four cabins and eight berths, with two aft cabins each served by its own head. Yachting Monthly rated its performance at least equal to a Sigma 38 but noted that its IOR-influenced hull is less forgiving than a pure cruiser in rough weather. That hull later became the basis of the 39 CWS.
The launch specification: three keels, two rigs
Sailboatdata records the 2013 boat with a 10.40 m (34 ft 1 in) waterline, a 3.75 m (12 ft 4 in) beam and three keels. The standard keel drew 2.00 m with 2,250 kg of ballast in a 7,100 kg boat; the competition keel drew 2.20 m with 1,900 kg in a 6,750 kg boat; the shoal keel drew 1.60 m with 2,550 kg in a 7,300 kg boat. Later Dehler brochures quote a standard boat of 7.5 tonnes with a 2.03 m keel, so weights vary by year and equipment.
Standard upwind sail area was 79.3 m2 (854 sq ft) on a mast 17.82 m above the waterline, rising to 86.5 m2 (931 sq ft) with the taller competition rig at 18.55 m. Dehler pitched the boat as whatever the owner makes of it: a cruiser with bathing platform, cockpit table and teak deck, or a performance yacht with deep keel, carbon rig and high-performance sails.
A price that shook up the class
Dehler had traditionally charged a premium. Under Hanse ownership the 38 arrived at a base price of 129,000 euros excluding VAT, and Yachting World pointed out that this undercut premium performance cruisers such as the Xp 38, Grand Soleil 39, Arcona 370 and Solaris 37 by a significant margin, putting the Dehler in the same price bracket as Salona, Beneteau First and Dufour models.
The same review noted an own goal: the new 38 felt more spacious than Dehler's existing 41 while costing about 100,000 euros less. For today's used buyer, the takeaway is that the 38 delivers a premium-brand design at mainstream money, which is why demand on the brokerage market has stayed firm.
How the Greifswald boats are built
The structure is built around what Dehler calls the Carbon Cage, a carbon-reinforced grid that ties together the keel, rig and hull loads; the builder claims it makes the hull about 20 percent stiffer and lets the boat point higher. Production in Greifswald brought Hanse's industrial methods and supply chain to a brand that had previously built in much smaller numbers in the Sauerland.
Several European reviewers asked whether a Hanse-built Dehler would still feel like a Dehler. The Swiss magazine marina.ch concluded after its first test that Dehler remains Dehler, both in design and sailing qualities, and Austria's Yachtrevue asked the same question about the brand's independence.
Below: a flexible aft corner
The standard layout pairs a forward owner's cabin with one aft double, while the port aft space can be finished either as a sail locker or as a third double cabin. That choice matters on the used market: two-cabin boats with the big locker suit racers and couples, while three-cabin boats appeal to families and charter-style use. Check which version a listing describes, because photographs of the saloon look the same either way.
Interior finishes combine rounded lockers, light headliners and wood trim, and owners could order the boat with a teak deck and cockpit table for cruising or strip it back for racing. Hull windows on the pre-SQ boats are smaller than on the 38 SQ.
What the press said
Reviews from the launch period were consistently warm. Sailing Today's Duncan Kent called it a crowd pleaser, Australia's Club Marine described a distinctive downwind flyer, Boating New Zealand headlined it a spirited speedster, and SAIL presented it as a venerable German brand reborn. France's Voile Magazine said it earned its place in that year's boat of the year selection through consistency, and an American reviewer in Sailing magazine compared its sleek style to a smaller Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 41 DS.
Sailing World listed it among its 2014 Boat of the Year nominees, and the European Yacht of the Year jury chose it as the best performance cruiser of 2014.
Buying a Dehler 38 today
Most 38s are in Germany, the Netherlands, Scandinavia and the Mediterranean, so many American purchases are imports; a 2020 boat was listed in the Netherlands in 2026 at 210,000 euros. Expect roughly $160,000 to $250,000 for a good example once shipping and commissioning are counted, and check the shore power, battery charger and electronics for North American compatibility.
Expect annual costs of about $11,000 to $25,000 for a slip, insurance, the yearly haul and routine engine and rig work. A boat with a carbon rig or membrane sails will cost more to keep at its best.
Dehler 38 specifications
| Length overall | 38.2 ft11.64 m |
|---|---|
| Waterline length | 34.1 ft10.4 m |
| Beam | 12.3 ft3.75 m |
| Draft | 6.6 ft2 m |
| Air draft | 58.5 ft17.83 m |
| Displacement | 15,653 lbs7,1 kg |
| Ballast | 4,96 lbs2,25 kg |
| Sail area | 854 sq ft79.3 m² |
| Fuel capacity | 42 gal159 L |
| Fresh water | 79 gal299 L |
| Cabins | 2 or 3 |
| Berths | 4 to 6 |
| Heads | 1 |
| Standard engines | Volvo Penta D1-30 diesel, 28 hp, saildrive |
| Maximum power | 28 hp |
| Hull type | Performance cruiser monohull with steep stem, long waterline and high-aspect spade rudder |
| Keel | Standard 2.00 m (6 ft 7 in), competition 2.20 m (7 ft 3 in), shoal 1.60 m (5 ft 3 in); later brochures list 2.03 m standard |
| Rig | Fractional sloop; aluminum mast standard, taller competition rig 18.55 m above the waterline; twin wheels |
| Hull construction | GRP sandwich with the carbon-reinforced Dehler Carbon Cage grid, cast iron keel |
| Builder | Dehler Yachts (HanseYachts AG), Greifswald, Germany |
| Naval architect | judel/vrolijk & co |
| Other design credits | Karl Dehler (project lead) |
| Production | 2013 to 2020 |
| Status | Discontinued |
Figures come from builder documentation and independent tests where available. Displacement is usually quoted light, so a loaded cruising boat will weigh more. Compare these specs with another model.
How much does a Dehler 38 cost?
At launch Yachting World reported a base price of 129,000 euros excluding VAT, far below rivals such as the Xp 38 and Grand Soleil 39. Used boats now trade below the 38 SQ that replaced them; a 2020 Dehler 38 was listed in the Netherlands in 2026 at 210,000 euros. Competition keel and carbon rig boats, HPM or membrane sails and a US-standard electrical system bring the best prices, while early hulls with original sails and a teak deck due for work sit at the bottom of the range.
Estimate your yearly cost
A planning estimate using common rules of thumb: insurance near 1.5 percent of value, maintenance near 3 percent, haul out and bottom paint by length. Your marina, region and use will move these numbers. Open the full cost calculator.
Versions and options
- Standard keel
- 2.00 m draft, 7,100 kg at launch (7.5 t and 2.03 m in later brochures).
- Competition keel and rig
- 2.20 m draft, 6,750 kg, 86.5 m2 upwind sail on a taller mast.
- Shoal keel
- 1.60 m draft, 7,300 kg.
- Three-cabin layout
- Port aft sail locker finished as a second aft double cabin.
- Dehler 38 (1985/1987)
- Unrelated van de Stadt flagship of 11.8 m and 5,500 kg with a central winch system and up to four cabins.
Dehler 38 timeline
- 2012Dehler production moves from Freienohl to Greifswald
- 2013Dehler 38 presented at boot Dusseldorf in the brand's 50th year
- 2014European Yacht of the Year, performance cruiser category
- 2015More than 100 boats reported sold within about a year
- 2020Replaced by the Dehler 38 SQ
Strengths and weaknesses
What owners like
- Premium-brand design at a mainstream price
- Choice of three keels and two rigs
- Flexible aft layout with sail locker or third cabin
- Award-winning hull that still sails well against newer boats
- Large production run makes parts and sister boats easy to find
- Stiff Carbon Cage structure
What to weigh up
- Single head
- No integrated bowsprit on pre-SQ boats
- Most used boats are in Europe
- Specifications vary between launch and later years
Used Dehler 38 buyer checklist
Take this list to a viewing. Your ticks are saved in this browser so you can come back to it.
Always commission an independent marine survey and an engine survey before you buy. How a marine survey works.
Rivals to consider
X-Yachts Xp 38
Danish premium performance cruiser that cost considerably more when new.
Grand Soleil 39
Italian rival with a sportier image and higher launch price.
Arcona 370
Swedish performance cruiser with a premium finish.
J/111
Lighter, more race-focused American design with a large one-design fleet.
Compare side by sideOur verdict on the Dehler 38
The 2013 Dehler 38 is the boat that proved Hanse could build a real Dehler, and it remains one of the smartest used performance cruisers of its decade. It sails like a thoroughbred, offers a genuine choice between racing and cruising configurations, and came to market at a price that undercut its premium rivals, which keeps today's values sensible. The SQ update fixed details rather than fundamentals, so a well-kept original 38 with the right keel and a good sail wardrobe gives most of the SQ experience for noticeably less money.
Dehler 38 questions answered
What is the difference between the Dehler 38 and the 38 SQ?
The 38 SQ of 2020 keeps the 2013 hull but adds an integrated bowsprit, larger hull windows, new rig and sail options and upgraded details.
When was the Dehler 38 built?
From its boot Dusseldorf debut in January 2013 until the 38 SQ replaced it in 2020.
How much did the Dehler 38 cost new?
Yachting World reported a base price of 129,000 euros excluding VAT at launch.
What awards did the Dehler 38 win?
European Yacht of the Year 2014 in the performance cruiser category, plus American Boat of the Year honors the same season.
Is the 1980s Dehler 38 related to the 2013 boat?
No. The earlier Dehler 38 is a van de Stadt design from the mid-1980s, about 5,500 kg, with up to four cabins and, according to Dehler's archive, a central winch system.
How much is a used Dehler 38 worth in 2026?
Roughly $160,000 to $250,000 depending on year, keel, rig and location; a 2020 boat was listed in the Netherlands at 210,000 euros.
More performance sailboats to explore
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Dehler 38 SQ
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