Dehler 35 Cws Sailboat Review, Specs, and Listings

Design and Construction

The hull is fiberglass reinforced plastic with balsa-core sandwich construction, protected by an anti-osmosis treatment and an epoxy coating, and the deck is FRP with the same balsa-core sandwich, finished with an anti-slip surface and teak on the cockpit seats and floor. Yachting Monthly noted that the hull for this 1993 design is similar to the earlier 36cws, though somewhat narrower and longer on the waterline, giving the 35 a distinct footprint from its predecessor even as the interior, rig, and cockpit layout were considerably modified around the central winch concept. At 10.5 meters she carries distinctive, autonomous lines and a sleek profile that gives her a sporty and elegant look, with a wide and uncluttered foredeck lit by four opening hatches and eight portholes.

Rig and Handling

The "CWS" marks a worldwide patented Central Winch System: a single electrically powered winch in the cockpit that controls sheets, halyards, and reefing lines, letting the helmsman work all of them without leaving the wheel and making the boat manageable single-handed or with a small crew. The 35 CWS departs from the 36 by carrying two winches rather than one and an overlapping headsail in place of the self-tacking jib, with the original genoa fitted with a soft vertical batten to improve set when rolled. Under sail she is clearly a light-displacement boat by her Displacement/Length Ratio of 190, and her Sail Area/Displacement Ratio of 19.6 lets her approach her 7.24-knot hull speed readily in the right conditions. A Ballast/Displacement Ratio of 40.0 means she stands up reasonably to canvas in a moderate breeze but benefits from a reef in the main to avoid uncomfortable heel; loading her with heavy cruising gear will degrade that performance to a degree.

Accommodations

Below, the 35 CWS sleeps up to six in two separate cabins and the saloon. The forward cabin offers a double berth, hanging locker, shelves, under-berth storage, an opening hatch, and two portholes, and Yachting Monthly observed it can be reconfigured as an office or children's day cabin with a fold-up table and bench seats. The aft cabin repeats the double-berth, locker, shelving, and hatch-and-porthole ventilation formula. The saloon has two settees that double as single berths and face a folding table seating six, lit by four hatches and four portholes. The port-side galley sits by the companionway with a two-burner stove and oven, hot and cold sink, refrigerator, and drawers, though Yachting Monthly felt it lacks stowage. Opposite, the starboard navigation station carries a large chart table, an instrument panel with VHF, GPS, depth, speed, wind, and autopilot, plus an opening hatch and two portholes; the outward-facing chart table was judged only moderately successful. The head sits starboard between saloon and aft cabin with marine toilet, hot and cold sink, shower with drain pump, and storage.

Performance Envelope and Seakeeping

Her Ted Brewer Comfort Ratio of 22.3 places her seaway motion in the realm of a moderate-stability coastal cruiser rather than a soft-riding passage maker, a point worth weighing for anyone prone to seasickness. Offsetting that, a Capsize Screening Formula of 1.9 puts her on the safer side of the 2.0 threshold for an ocean passage, and her 39.6 percent ballast ratio over 4,189 pounds of lead gives a reassuring foundation for offshore intent within a 10-foot-10-inch beam.

The Verdict

The Dehler 35 CWS is a thoughtfully engineered Van de Stadt cruiser-racer whose patented central winch system genuinely shrinks crew requirements, wrapped in a light-displacement hull that sails to her numbers without drama. The cabin plan is flexible and well lit, if compact in the saloon and slightly short on galley stowage, and the balsa-cored deck demands the usual vigilance. She rewards an owner who sails her light and keeps the heavy gear ashore.

Pros

Central Winch System enables single-handed or small-crew sailing from the cockpit
Light-displacement hull with strong sail-area ratio reaches hull speed readily
Capsize screening under 2.0 supports offshore consideration
Flexible forward cabin convertible to office or day cabin

Cons