Dehler Yachts
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Dehler is a German brand of sailing
yacht A yacht () is a sail- or marine propulsion, motor-propelled watercraft made for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a ...
s. It is originated in the former Dehler shipyard that was founded in the 1960s by Willi and Heinz Dehler. As of 2009, the brand belongs to German yacht manufacturer
HanseYachts HanseYachts AG is a German yacht manufacturer headquartered in the city of Greifswald (Baltic Sea). The company is one of the world's largest manufacturers of sailing yachts with lengths of 29 ft (ca. 9 meters) to 67 ft (20.42 meters). The company ...
,
Greifswald Greifswald (), officially the University and Hanseatic City of Greifswald (, Low German: ''Griepswoold'') is the fourth-largest city in the German state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania after Rostock, Schwerin and Neubrandenburg. In 2021 it surpa ...
. Dehler cooperates with the yacht design studio Judel/Vrolijk & Co. The current range comprises six models from 29 to 46 ft in length.


History


Founding and rise

Willi Dehler (1929-1999) was one of the first in
Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
, who recognized the capability of GRP for boat building. In 1963, he started to produce small
dinghies A dinghy is a type of small boat, often carried or Towing, towed by a Watercraft, larger vessel for use as a Ship's tender, tender. Utility dinghies are usually rowboats or have an outboard motor. Some are rigged for sailing but they diffe ...
in the former foyers of a cinema and had success. He took his brother Heinz in, and in 1966 they launched the ''Varianta'', their first sailboat. This 21 ft long cabin boat with keel centerboard and removable coach roof (design: E.G. van de Stadt) became the most successful family cruiser ever, with a total production of about 4,000 units until 1982. Further cruising models like the ''Optima'' and the ''Delanta'' followed and Dehler Yachtbau rose to become a leading manufacturer of sailboats in Germany.


Sportive successes in the 1970s and 80s

In the 1970s, Willi Dehler also began to develop innovative boats for racing. He launched the ''Sprinta'' (design: E.G. van de Stadt/Cees van Tongeren), a Quarter-Tonner, whose sharpened version - the ''Sprinta Sport'' - became a popular one-design class and could excel in IOR
regatta Boat racing is a sport in which boats, or other types of watercraft, race on water. Boat racing powered by oars is recorded as having occurred in ancient Egypt, and it is likely that people have engaged in races involving boats and other wa ...
s. As a licensed manufacturer of ''470 class'' dingies since 1974, Dehler could record a gold medal in the Olympic Games 1976 won by Frank Hübner and Harro Bode. In the
Three-Quarter Ton class Three-Quarter Ton class was an offshore sailing class of the International Offshore Rule racing the Three-Quarter Ton Cup between 1974 and 1994.1994 October ''Yachting World'': "One Ton Cup, The Most Competitive Trophy", p.88-89 Boats * C&C 3/4 To ...
the DB-1 (1980) and DB-2 (1981) made a splash (both designs: E.G. van de Stadt/Cees van Tongeren). The cruising version of this models - the ''Dehler 34'' - sold very well and is popular till now.


Changes of ownership and further development

In 1979, Heinz Dehler left the company. Willi Dehler followed in 1995. In the wake of a slump in yacht building during the mid-1990s, Dehler Yachtbau got into an economic crisis which culminated in a first
bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the deb ...
in 1998. The shipyard was taken over by Dutch ''Neptunus Group''. In cooperation with the yacht design studio ''Judel/Vrolijk & Co'', a new range of fast cruisers up to 47 ft was launched. In 2004, Dehler was sold to the Dutch businessman Wilan van den Berg who joined as
managing director A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...
, appointed a cooperation with the yacht designers ''Simonis Voogd'' and forced growth. In 2007, German private equity firm ''Buchanan Capital Partners'' acquired a minority stake in Dehler. Few weeks later, Dehler acquired the Belgium yacht manufacturer ETAP Yachting. In 2008, a ''Dehler 60'' was introduced, the largest Dehler ever which was too costly for the company at that time. Hull number one remained a single piece. During the
2008 financial crisis The 2008 financial crisis, also known as the global financial crisis (GFC), was a major worldwide financial crisis centered in the United States. The causes of the 2008 crisis included excessive speculation on housing values by both homeowners ...
, Dehler Yachtbau had to file for bankruptcy again. ''Etap'' was cut off, and the Dehler yard was taken over by German ''HanseYachts AG'' in 2009. As a consequence, the cooperation with ''Judel/Vrolijk & Co'' was renewed. In 2012, ''HanseYachts'' announced the close-down of the Dehler factory in Freienohl and relocated the entire production to ''HanseYachts'' headquarters in
Greifswald Greifswald (), officially the University and Hanseatic City of Greifswald (, Low German: ''Griepswoold'') is the fourth-largest city in the German state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania after Rostock, Schwerin and Neubrandenburg. In 2021 it surpa ...
(
Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by the countries of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden, and the North European Plain, North and Central European Plain regions. It is the ...
). In 2014, the ''Dehler 38'' was displayed as "European Yacht of the Year" in the category "Performance Cruiser".


Dehler 30 od (one-design class)

In 2019, Dehler presented a one-design class focusing on short-handed offshore racing. The Dehler 30 one design has a water ballast system and a retractable shaft line with fixed propeller and 10 hp diesel engine ("Dehler Stealth Drive"). The initial plan of a retractable electric drive was discarded in the course of development. The Dehler 30 od has been awarded as "European Yacht of the Year 2020" in the category "Race Yachts".


Current models (specs)

1 standard version, 2 competition version, 3 shallow keel, 4 L-keel (medium, west coast), 5 one design class,
6 competition version with carbon mast 1 standard version, 2 competition version, 3 shallow keel, 4 L-keel (medium, west coast), 5 one design class,
6 competition version with carbon mast 1 standard version, 2 competition version,  3 competition version with carbon mast, 4 shallow keel, 5 L-keel (medium, west coast)
6 one design class Naval architecture: Judel/Vrolijk & Co


Previous models produced

* Dehler 22 * Dehlya 22 * Dehler 25 * Dehlya 25


References


External links

* {{Official website, https://www.hanseyachtsag.com/dehler/us/
Dehler 38
review. Sail Magazine, January 2014 Dehler Yachts