Dehler 38 SQ Review, the Performance Cruiser That Kept Its Edge

From Dehler 38 to 38 SQ: an award winner given a second act

The original Dehler 38 arrived in 2013, Dehler's 50th anniversary year, as the boat that redefined the brand inside the HanseYachts group. Cruising World named it Best Cruising Sailboat Under 38 Feet for 2014, and judge Tim Murphy explained the strategy: Dehler was becoming the performance brand of the group while Hanse moved away from performance branding. Yachting Monthly's tester called it enormous fun, as engaging as the European Yacht of the Year winning Dufour 36 Performance, and easy enough for two competent sailors.

In 2020 the yard gave the design what it calls the SQ treatment. The Dehler 38 SQ premiered at Cannes in September 2020 with sharper styling, larger and more striking hull windows, an integrated bowsprit, several rig and sail choices including a square-top main, and upgraded deck and interior details. By May 2021 Dehler reported more than 70 orders. The update worked well enough that the yard repeated it on the Dehler 46 in 2022, and Yachting World described the 46SQ as following the success of the 38SQ.

If you are searching for a 38 SQ, you are almost certainly looking at this boat. Earlier Dehler 38s from 1987 by Van de Stadt are entirely different, lighter boats of about 12,100 pounds that share only the name.

Three keels, two masts and a square-top main

The 38 SQ is configured more like a racing boat than most cruisers. Dehler lists three keels: a standard T-keel drawing 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in) with 2,380 kg (5,247 lb) of ballast, a competition keel drawing 2.24 m (7 ft 4 in) with 2,050 kg in a lighter 7,000 kg boat, and a shoal keel drawing 1.60 m (5 ft 3 in) carrying 2,750 kg. The shoal version weighs 7,600 kg.

Standard sail area is 78.6 m2 (846 sq ft) with a 43 m2 main and a 35.6 m2 furling jib; the competition package raises that to 84.6 m2 (911 sq ft) with a 49 m2 main. Downwind the gennaker is 103.7 m2 standard and 121 m2 in competition trim. The mast stands 17.70 m (58 ft) above the waterline. Sailboatdata notes both aluminum and carbon competition rigs.

Yachting Monthly observed on the original 38 that the ballast ratio looked a little low on paper, but the T-keel puts the weight deep, so the boat is much stiffer than the number suggests. For US buyers the choice is mostly geographical: the standard keel is the best all-rounder, the competition keel belongs on a boat that will race under ORC or PHRF, and the shoal keel opens the Chesapeake and Florida.

A cockpit built for people who like to trim

Cruising World's judges liked the open, easy-to-move-around cockpit. The mainsheet runs from the aft end of the boom with the traveler down on the cockpit sole, within reach of the twin wheels. Mark Schrader thought the wheels looked small until he sailed the boat and found the helm extremely light and well balanced; setting and jibing the spinnaker was simple. Yachting Monthly's tester spent the test session using every control on board, from half a turn of mainsheet to adjusting the backstay and jib cars, and felt each change.

The SQ adds details that make the boat nicer to live with. Retractable footrests sit flush in the cockpit sole for the helmsman, the swim platform has a recessed handrail and integrated ladder, and an LED light strip set into the teak deck runs around the boat. Dehler's dealer packages in Germany paired the boat with B&G instruments, a Zeus chartplotter and autopilot, an electric windlass and Quantum TP6 membrane sails. The bowsprit gives a proper tack point for a gennaker or code zero without hanging extra hardware off the bow.

Below decks: two cabins, a stowage bay and a flexible third

In the standard layout the owner's cabin is in the bow, and the stern is split between a second double cabin and a large stowage area. That space can be turned into a third double cabin. Dehler also offered an island berth forward and lightweight furniture for owners who want to keep the boat as light as possible for racing.

The saloon styling, which Yachting Monthly found sophisticated and distinctive on the original 38, uses curved lockers, ivory interior panels with a choice of wood, and black handrails on the SQ. Twin table leaves fold independently so one can be used while the other leaves a clear passage. The head uses one door to close off two different spaces depending on which frame it is latched to. The chart table is small and slides away when not needed; serious navigators should budget for a better instrument setup at the helm.

How fast is it in practice

No independent speed and fuel table has been published for the SQ, so treat any brochure figures cautiously. What is documented is the character. Yachting Monthly reported effortless passage speeds over seven knots in most conditions on the original 38 and a wide, forgiving groove at the helm, with the high-aspect rudder placed far enough forward, almost between the wheels, to stay immersed and keep control when heeled. Hull speed on the 34 ft 1 in waterline is about 7.8 knots, and the SQ's extra sail area and gennaker push it well beyond that offwind.

Under power, the standard 29 hp Yanmar is adequate and the optional 39 hp gives more authority in a headwind. The engine sits under the companionway with sound insulation and can be serviced from the companionway or from the aft cabins. Fuel is 160 liters (42 gallons) and water 295 liters (78 gallons), enough for coastal cruising but not for long passages without careful planning.

Buying a Dehler 38 SQ in the US

Dehler is sold in the US through the HanseYachts dealer network, and most used SQs are in Germany, the Netherlands, Scandinavia and the Mediterranean. A US buyer will often be looking at an import, so add shipping, commissioning, survey travel and any electrical conversion to the price comparison. A boat already in North America with US-standard shore power is worth a premium.

Budget roughly $12,000 to $28,000 a year for a slip, insurance, haul-out, bottom paint and engine service, more if you race: membrane sails and a gennaker inventory are the expensive consumables on this boat. Value retention has been strong so far, helped by the model still being in production and the SQ's reputation as the best-resolved Dehler of its generation.

What the 38 SQ is not

Yachting Monthly was frank that anchoring is not the boat's raison d'etre and that serious anchor users should upgrade the stemhead and deck hardware; the SQ's bowsprit helps with the anchor arm but it is still a light performance cruiser rather than a bluewater cruiser. Tankage, a single head and a T-keel that dislikes groundings all point the same way. If your plan is long-range cruising with a full load of gear, a heavier, more voluminous cruiser will serve better. If you want a 38 to 40 footer that rewards good sailing and still sleeps four in comfort, the SQ is one of the best in the class.