Dehler 46 and 46 SQ, the Flagship Performance Cruiser Reviewed

The flagship that followed the 38

After HanseYachts bought Dehler in 2009 and moved production to Greifswald, the relaunch came in a clear order: the Dehler 38 in 2013, the Dehler 46 in 2014, then the 42 and the 34. SAIL's Peter Nielsen wrote that the 38 was closely followed by the 46, and for most buyers searching for a Dehler 46 it is still the boat that defines the brand's big-boat character: a performance cruiser with a proper owner's suite, two heads and a hull that would rather be sailing than motoring.

In 2022 the yard gave the same hull its SQ (speed and quality) treatment, first applied to the 38. The Dehler 46 SQ was unveiled at the Cannes Yachting Festival that September and is the version Dehler sells in 2026. This page covers both: the original 2014 to 2021 boat that fills the brokerage market, and the SQ that has replaced it on the order books. Do not confuse either with the older Dehler 47 of the Neptunus years, a different design that was European Yacht of the Year in 2003.

Four keels, including one for kelp

Dehler's keel menu for the 46 is unusually long. The shoal keel draws 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in). The standard T-keel draws 2.25 m (7 ft 5 in) and carries 3,500 kg (7,716 lb) of lead in an 11,500 kg (25,353 lb) boat. A deep T-keel draws 2.48 m (8 ft 2 in). The fourth option, which SAIL explained was designed for the US West Coast, is deep and L-shaped so that kelp slides off rather than wrapping around the junction of fin and bulb.

A large backing plate spreads keel loads beyond the bolts, and the hull is a vacuum-infused cored laminate in vinylester resin with a carbon-reinforced GRP grid that adds stiffness while saving weight. A watertight bulkhead sits just aft of the big forward sail locker, which has molded steps for climbing down to inspect the chain.

The 46 SQ added a competition keel drawing 2.58 m (8 ft 6 in), and sailboatdata lists the competition version at 11,200 kg. For a Pacific Northwest or California owner, the West Coast keel is the one to look for; on the Chesapeake or in Florida, the shoal keel keeps most anchorages accessible.

Aluminum or Pauger carbon

The standard rig is a tapered, keel-stepped Selden aluminum mast with double swept spreaders and a hydraulic backstay, setting about 114 m2 of working sail split between a full-batten main of about 65 m2 and a 106 percent genoa. A self-tacking jib was offered for cruising couples. The competition rig uses a Pauger carbon mast and boom on rod rigging; SAIL put the saving at about 700 lb and the extra working sail at roughly 150 sq ft, and sailboatdata gives the carbon mast 22.2 m above the waterline against 21.2 m for aluminum.

An optional composite sprit allowed asymmetric spinnakers on the original boat. On the SQ a bowsprit with a bobstay became the norm, giving proper luff tension for code sails and an integrated arm for the anchor, plus a removable inner forestay for a heavy-weather staysail.

On deck: German mainsheet and long hull ports

The cockpit is laid out for crewed racing or relaxed cruising. Lewmar primaries sit slightly elevated on the coamings, a double-ended German mainsheet runs to winches by the helms, and the mainsheet traveler crosses the sole forward of the twin wheels. Halyards and reefing lines lead aft in under-deck conduits to Spinlock clutches on the coachroof. A drop-leaf table with a pop-up light is bolted on the centerline, and the transom folds down manually into a swim platform.

SAIL noted two ergonomic gaps: a lack of full binnacles with handrails at the wheels and a table handrail that narrows enough to pinch fingers. The long, sloping hull ports open outward under an exterior Lexan eyebrow, so they can stay open in light rain. Dehler sold the boat with packages; the Cruising Pack bundled the cockpit table, bathing platform, spring cleats, anchor and a larger house bank, while the Navigation Pack added a B&G Zeus2 plotter, H5000 instruments and autopilot.

Owner's suite forward, two or three cabins

The master cabin is forward with a centerline island berth and an ensuite head with separate shower. A guest double sits to starboard aft of the L-shaped galley, and the port aft space can be a second double or a single with a large storage area, which many couples prefer. Each head has a hinged door that can shut either the full room or only the toilet, leaving the vanity free for a second user.

Tim Murphy, judging the 46 for Cruising World's 2016 Boat of the Year, said it did not feel like furniture cut from flat panels on a CNC machine, and singled out shapely details below. Standard joinery was mahogany with teak and Italian oak as options; the SQ added light oak, larger hull windows, more opening coachroof windows and a port saloon bench that slides forward electrically to bring guests to the table.

Sea-trial numbers under sail and power

SAIL's test in San Diego in 12 to 18 knots of true wind, with an unreefed main and Elvstrom performance sails, logged 8.6 knots at 45 degrees apparent in 17 knots of breeze. The boat held most of its speed up to about 38 degrees apparent, made 7.9 knots on a beam reach in 13 knots, and 6 knots at 120 degrees apparent as the wind faded. Cruising World's judges sailed it in light air and still saw 6.5 knots in not much more breeze, which Murphy described as an 'Ah, that's better' experience compared with heavier rivals.

Under power, the standard 53 hp Volvo Penta with a three-blade Flexofold propeller pushed SAIL's test boat to 8.4 knots at 2,500 rpm and 8.7 knots at 2,950 rpm wide open, with five people aboard and a following breeze. Fuel capacity is about 210 liters (55 gallons) and water 450 liters (119 gallons), enough for coastal cruising and short offshore passages.

What the 46 SQ changed in 2022

Yachting Monthly's 2023 test summed it up as lighter, stiffer and more powerful. The SQ hull is vacuum-infused epoxy over a Divinycell core with bulkheads of the same construction, tied into a laminated carbon keel matrix. Options include the competition keel, a deeper rudder, a taller carbon rig, a flat-deck headsail furler, carbon wheels, fold-up helm foot braces and a lighter bathing platform. For cruising there is an optional cockpit arch that lifts the mainsheet traveler out of the cockpit and supports a sprayhood, plus powered winches.

On a Solent test with two reefs and gusts of 25 knots, the SQ tracked at just over 8 knots on a close reach, topped 9 knots on a white-sail reach and nudged 10 knots on GPS bearing away. The tester liked the deep single rudder's grip and the absence of aggressive chines that make some wide-sterned rivals hard to balance. Engines on the SQ are Yanmar diesels of 57 hp or 80 hp.

Owning a Dehler 46 in America

Hanse's North American operation in Newburyport, Massachusetts handled US distribution when the boat was new, and SAIL's test boat was in San Diego, but most used examples are in Europe. Budget for import costs, a survey abroad and a conversion to 120 V shore power if you buy there.

Annual costs for a 46-foot performance cruiser are significant: roughly $20,000 to $45,000 for a slip, insurance, haul-out, saildrive and rigging service and routine maintenance, before any sail replacement. Laminate racing sails and a carbon rig raise both performance and the maintenance bill.