This compact recreational keelboat sits at the small end of Dehler’s keel-yacht output from the period and reflects van de Stadt’s long design partnership with the builder.
Design and Construction
The Dehler 22 measures 21.65 feet overall, with a beam of 7.87 feet and a displacement of 1,980 pounds. It is built predominantly of fiberglass with wood trim and has a raked stem. A gated, open, walk-through reverse transom provides access.
Below the waterline, a fixed fin or stub keel is paired with a swing keel to form a lifting-keel arrangement. The internally mounted, spade-type rudder is controlled by a tiller and, as Steve Henkel noted, is easily removable.
The boat carries 880 pounds of ballast: 440 pounds of lead and 440 pounds of flooding water ballast. Draining the water ballast lightens the hull for road transport, a defining feature of the trailerable concept. With 880 lb of ballast against a displacement of 1,980 lb and a capsize ratio of 2.51, this small monohull reads as a stable coastal daysailer rather than a bluewater candidate.
Rig, Launching, and Handling
The Dehler 22 has a fractional Bermuda sloop rig. Its total sail area is 210 square feet, comprising a 126-square-foot mainsail and an 83-square-foot jib.
The keel is raised and lowered by a worm gear operated from the deck with a standard winch handle. Henkel praised the system for keeping control at the helm. Extra stays prevent the mast from swaying at the ramp and allow a single sailor to rig and unrig the boat.
For launch and retrieval, a floating slipway trolley rides piggyback on a roll-on, roll-off road trailer. Auxiliary power comes from a small 4 to 6 hp outboard mounted on a vertical sliding bracket. Henkel observed that the motor slides up the transom to reduce drag under sail.
On the racecourse, the design has an average PHRF handicap of 225. Its hull speed is 5.8 knots.
Accommodation
The Dehler 22 sleeps four. A double V-berth fills the bow cabin, with the head tucked underneath, while two straight settee quarter berths occupy the main cabin. Cabin headroom is 51 inches, in keeping with its role as a trailerable weekender.
The galley is a slide-out unit beneath the companionway ladder, fitted with a two-burner stove and sink. Henkel highlighted this compact slide-out arrangement. Aft, the opening transom gate doubles as a swimming platform and extends the usable cockpit space.
Verdict
The Dehler 22 is a thoughtfully engineered small trailer sailor from van de Stadt’s drawing board. Draining water ballast, a deck-operated lifting keel, and a removable rudder make road transport and ramp launching genuinely practical.
Its fractional rig and modest sail area suit daysailing and casual club racing. Below, four berths, a head, and a slide-out galley give the boat real overnight capability for its size. The kit-built Dehlya variant and short production run leave surviving boats as a niche but coherent expression of Dehler’s early-1980s small-boat thinking.
Pros
- Draining water ballast and a lifting keel simplify trailering and provide shallow-water access
- Deck-operated worm-gear keel control and a removable rudder aid singlehanded launching
- Sleeps four, with a head and slide-out galley in a 21-foot hull
- Fractional sloop rig includes extra stays for solo rigging at the ramp
Cons
- Headroom of 51 inches limits below-deck comfort for taller sailors
- Outboard-only propulsion with a sliding mount offers no inboard option
- A brief production span limits fleet size and spares commonality
