The Judel/Vrolijk design from 2015 was the second boat in the current series; it followed on from the Dehler 38, which continues to sell very well to this day, is now available in the SQ version, and was the first Dehler to be Hanseyachts was created. The acronym stands for Speed & Quality – qualities that Dehler has always claimed for itself and its products, even without the suffix. The relaunch of the 38 as the SQ certainly gave the performance cruiser a further boost, making it the best-selling boat in its category and size class. The Dehler 34 is now set to repeat this success.
Dehler in good company
The aim is to boost performance with a longer mast and more sail area; not that the previous Dehler 34 was slow (see test: .Dehler 34 and Optima 106: Performance cruiser and its successor | YACHT). With an APH (All Purpose Handicap) of 551 to 556 seconds per nautical mile, she competes with an Xp 33, an Elan E4, the Arcona 340 and the J/97 E. But the aim now is to beat that; however, no measurement certificate or test calculation is available yet.
Other new features include the removal of the tiller option. Project manager Andy Unger says: “Nobody was ordering that anymore; the tiller is simply too big.” Instead, there are two 90-series wheels, which are positioned quite far outwards, thus providing a good view of the wind vanes ahead.
Tried-and-tested deck layout
The deck layout, featuring six winches, remains unchanged. The halyards and spreaders run along the cabin roof; the German mainsheet system routes the mainsheet to both sides of the cockpit. During testing, the sheet routing could be adjusted so that the helmsman could operate both the mainsheet and the genoa sheet via the aft winches. This is a definite advantage for small crews. A fathead mainsail with flying backstays, as offered as an option for the Dehler 38 SQ, is not planned for the 34, again due to low demand. Dehler 34 and Optima 106: Performance cruiser and its successor | YACHT
A successful two-cabin version
Below deck, the shipyard has opted for modern and, in some cases, patterned upholstery fabrics and fresh finishes. The main bulkhead is covered in easy-care faux leather, which looks elegant. The navigation table is fixed in place. There are easily accessible drawers beneath the saloon berths. In the two-cabin version, the slightly set-back bathroom is spacious and takes up hardly any space in the interior. In the wet room, the shower is housed in the toilet cubicle, whilst the washbasin and cupboards are installed in a separate area that can be partitioned off from the toilet.
Book recommendations
Sail and rig trim Ivar Dedekam explains how to set the headsail, mainsail and gennaker. Illustrations help to clarify the relationship between sail profile and trim. (shop.delius-klasing.de)
Tune up to win by Ian Pinnell focuses on competitive boat tuning. The book covers basic settings, trim adjustments and adapting the sail profile to different wind strengths. The book is available as an e-book. (shop.delius-klasing.de
Fridtjof Gunkel
Deputy Chief Editor YACHT
