Dehler 29 Buyer's Guide
The Dehler 29 is a Judel & Vrolijk-designed 29-footer built from 1998 as a daysailer, club racer, and small cruiser, with a modern angular hull and a long-waterline snub-bow form. On the used market it presents as a lightweight performance cruiser with a balsa-cored deck laminated in the mold and a fractionally rigged plan, and buyers should weigh its layout and standard-equipment profile against the comforts of larger cruisers.
Layouts on the Used Market
Used Dehler 29s follow the standard interior plan with mahogany trim, a molded fiberglass sole, and a molded liner encapsulating the bulkheads. The forward cabin uses a V-berth that runs so far forward it ends in a point with only room for one foot, a known tight spot, while the saloon offers semicircular seating for up to six around a folding table. A port-side galley with a single sink and two-burner alcohol stove sits opposite a small nav station, and an aft cabin tucked under the cockpit provides a legitimate double berth with a small wardrobe. The head to starboard is spacious and includes a wet locker. Some boats will show the optional cherrywood finish rather than standard mahogany.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
On the brokerage market the Dehler 29 is commonly fitted with autopilot, chartplotter, hot water, and teak decks. Heating, gennaker, and spinnaker appear as less common owner upgrades rather than standard or frequent equipment. The standard deck carries self-tailing Lewmar winches, four husky mooring cleats, a split stern pulpit with ladder, and a self-draining external anchor locker, but the standard boat lacks bow anchoring hardware. The standard rig is a 7/8 fractional with a rigid vang and cockpit-led slab reefing; a Furlex roller-furling headsail and optional babystay were fitted or available on individual boats.
What to Inspect
The documented known issues are layout and configuration limits rather than structural defects. The absence of bow anchoring hardware despite the external anchor locker means any bow-anchor setup is a later owner addition to confirm. The forward V-berth is pointed with only room for one foot and is not comfortable for two, a fact to verify against your own berth needs. Reviewers found the nav table too small and noted a step in the saloon sole that takes getting used to. No flooding paths, drainage failures, or hull-structure defects are recorded in the surveyed material, but check the balsa-cored hull and deck laminated in the mold for any evidence of core degradation as with any balsa-cored yacht of this type.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
Typical markets for the Dehler 29 are the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and Spain. For a shopper, the boat rewards those who want tiller steering, all-lines-aft cockpit control, and a fast off-wind profile in a 29-foot package.
- Confirm bow anchoring is owner-added if present
- Check forward berth foot room against your needs
- Verify nav station size and saloon step ergonomics
- Inspect balsa core in hull and deck for saturation
- Expect commonly fitted autopilot, chartplotter, hot water, teak decks
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Dehler 29. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 10 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 25 | 1 | $ 109,853 | — |
| Aug 25 | 2 | $ 54,297 | -50.6% |
| Sep 25 | 4 | $ 62,593 | +15.3% |
| Oct 25 | 1 | $ 60,590 | -3.2% |
| Nov 25 | 1 | $ 103,866 | +71.4% |
| Jan 26 | 3 | $ 113,858 | +9.6% |
| Mar 26 | 1 | $ 82,389 | -27.6% |
| Apr 26 | 6 | $ 67,390 | -18.2% |
| May 26 | 2 | $ 73,807 | +9.5% |
| Jun 26 | 1 | $ 62,936 | -14.7% |
Where they're listed
Dehler 29 listings appear across 5 countries. Netherlands has the most listings with 8 (42.1%), followed by Germany and Switzerland.
Country view
19 listings · 5 countries| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Netherlands | $ 57,158 | 8 | 2 | 42.1% |
| Germany | $ 68,086 | 5 | 1 | 26.3% |
| Switzerland | $ 76,663 | 3 | 1 | 15.8% |
| United Kingdom | $ 60,590 | 2 | 0 | 10.5% |
| Spain | $ 51,493 | 1 | 0 | 5.3% |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
7 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dehler 34 | 33.13' | $ 43,483 | 91 | 23 |
| Dehler 31 | 30.84' | $ 26,891 | 41 | 10 |
| Beneteau First 29 | 29.67' | $ 21,500 | 33 | 6 |
| Dehler 29You are here | — | $ 68,086 | 21 | 6 |
| Dehler 28 | 27.89' | $ 26,921 | 20 | 10 |
| Delphia 29 | 28.2' | $ 38,953 | 9 | 2 |
| J Boats J/29 | 29.5' | $ 8,000 | 5 | 3 |