Dehler 42, the Configurable Performance Cruiser in Detail

The third boat of Dehler's Greifswald era

When HanseYachts moved Dehler production to Greifswald, the new range arrived in quick succession: the 38 in 2013, the 46 in 2014 and the Dehler 42 at boot Dusseldorf in January 2016. SAIL's Peter Nielsen wrote that there were no surprises in this Judel/Vrolijk design, whose hull lines, styling and deck layout closely follow its siblings, and that the polar diagrams showed a respectable turn of speed. Ten years later the 42 is still in Dehler's lineup, sitting between the 38 SQ and the 46 SQ.

There has only ever been one production Dehler 42 of this type. Older listings for a Dehler 42 DS from the 1990s refer to a different deck-saloon cruiser, so check the year and the photographs before you get excited by a low price.

Pick your boat: keels, rigs and packages

Dehler calls the 42 the most flexible yacht in its fleet, and the 2021 factory specification shows why. The standard cast iron T-keel draws 2.15 m (7 ft 1 in) with 3,000 kg of ballast in a 9,100 kg boat. An L-keel of 2.16 m weighs 9,200 kg in total, the competition keel draws 2.38 m (7 ft 10 in) in an 8,700 kg boat with 2,600 kg of ballast, and the shallow keel draws 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) with 3,250 kg of ballast and a 9,500 kg displacement. Early sailboatdata figures for the competition boat are slightly lighter, at 8,450 kg.

The aluminum mast stands 19.50 m above the waterline and carries 91.8 m2 (988 sq ft) of upwind sail, a 52.3 m2 main and a 39.5 m2 105 percent jib. The carbon competition rig reaches 20.25 m and lifts upwind sail to 95.3 m2. Downwind options include a 122 m2 gennaker, a Code Zero and, on competition boats, a 142 m2 spinnaker. Dehler packaged its race-oriented kit with Quantum sails and B&G electronics in later model years.

For US waters, the shallow keel is the realistic choice on the Chesapeake, the Gulf Coast and much of Florida, while the L-keel suits areas with weed or kelp. Anyone serious about PHRF racing should look for the competition keel and carbon rig, ideally with the factory speed guides.

A cockpit two people can run

Both ends of the German mainsheet run to their own winch beside each wheel, so the helmsman can trim the main without leaving the wheel, and halyards and control lines run under the deck to organizers and jammers on the coachroof. Yachting Monthly's first look noted Lewmar mainsheet winches on the coaming in front of each helm, primaries midway along the coaming and twin wheels on isolated pedestals, so the helmsman can sit outboard and brace a foot against the pedestal.

Instrument pods sit behind each wheel, the cockpit table has a pop-up light, a drop-down bathing platform with teak and a ladder opens the stern, and later boats gained recessed cockpit seats. The jib furler is mounted below deck to keep the foredeck clean, and the 2021 specification lists six opening coachroof windows and four opening hatches.

Sail locker or third cabin

The interior is where the 42 differs most from its rivals. The base layout puts the owner forward, the saloon has an L-shaped galley with a 130 liter fridge, a dining area to starboard and a sofa with a sliding chart table to port, and a single head with a separate shower stall sits to port aft. The starboard aft cabin has a double berth, while the port side aft is a large storage space reached through the head, ideal for sails, bikes or dive gear. Order the alternative and that space becomes a third double cabin; a second head can be added forward for the owner.

Yachting Monthly found the curved, veneered lockers along the hull sides elegant but noted they make the saloon feel a little narrow and use the space less efficiently than square cabinetry. The tester also regretted that the striking hull windows cannot be seen from inside the saloon. Dehler's two-position head door, which closes off either the whole compartment or just the toilet, appears here too, and the chart table slides fore and aft to open up seating in port.

Structure, engine and systems

The hull is vacuum-infused over a PVC foam core with vinylester in the first layer, reinforced by what Dehler calls the Carbon Cage, a carbon-reinforced grid that the builder says makes the hull about 20 percent stiffer than conventional construction. The deck uses a balsa core. The rudder is GRP on an aluminum stock with self-aligning bearings.

Power has changed over the years. Sailboatdata lists a Volvo Penta D2-40 for early boats, while the 2021 specification lists a diesel of about 29 hp on a saildrive with a two-blade folding propeller. Dehler places the insulated engine box beneath the companionway steps, with service access both from the steps and through the aft cabins. Tanks hold about 160 liters (42 gallons) of fuel and 295 liters (78 gallons) of water, and a 35 liter holding tank serves the head. Sailboatdata gives a larger 315 liter water figure for early boats.

The Dehler 42 on the water

No North American magazine has published a full sea trial of the 42, so firm speed and fuel numbers are not available. Yachting Life's 2016 test in the Bay of Palma ran under the headline Desirable Dehler, and German and Spanish magazines tested it the same year. On paper, a 37 ft 9 in waterline, a 33 percent ballast ratio and a sail area to displacement ratio near 22 point to a boat that is quicker than most cruisers its size while being heavier and steadier than the 38.

Buyers who want hard data should ask for the factory speed guides for the deep keel with carbon rig or the medium keel with aluminum rig, which Dehler published as technical documents.

Buying a Dehler 42 for sale in 2026

The used fleet is young and concentrated in Germany, France, Italy and Croatia; asking prices around 270,000 euros were typical for 2016 to 2019 boats in 2026. Before importing, confirm the keel and rig version from the builder's documents, budget for shipping and survey travel, and plan for converting the 230 V electrical system.

Expect running costs of roughly $16,000 to $36,000 a year once you add up dockage, insurance, the annual haul and bottom job, saildrive and rig service, and more with racing sails or a carbon mast.