Dehler 38 SQ Buyer's Guide
The Dehler 38 SQ on the brokerage market is the performance-oriented variant of the Judel/Vrolijk-designed 2013 Dehler 38, built by Hanseyachts AG in Greifswald after the takeover of the original Sauerland yard. It carries the SQ label — Speed and Quality — and around half of original customers chose the squaretop mainsail that defines the model visually and on the racecourse. Shopping one means reading the rig choice and the layout option as the two defining variables, then checking the few documented weak points before committing.
Layouts on the Used Market
Owner three-cabin layouts are the more common on the used market, but both are available, and ex-charter examples are common. The interior can be had with one aft cabin on the starboard side or with mirrored port and starboard aft cabins, and the mirrored version means the port stateroom is reached only by going through the head anchor. Forward is a double berth, and the standard accommodation drops the nav table for two cabins and a large port locker, though a fixed or sliding table can substitute a small dinette. Larger hull windows and added superstructure glazing make the saloon bright, and the bathroom door can close off the whole wet cell.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
Commonly fitted gear on brokered boats includes autopilot, chartplotter, heating, AIS, bow thruster, hot water, asymmetric spinnaker, electric winches, and teak decks. For buyer consequence, the power-and-energy cluster matters most: heating, AIS, and bow thrusters are usual, while solar and lithium batteries appear only as occasional owner upgrades. On sail handling, the asymmetric spinnaker and electric winches are common, but a furling main and dinghy davits are less often seen. Comfort items such as a cockpit shower, life raft, bimini, and swim platform turn up often, while the drop-down transom bathing platform and folding helmsman footrests are part of the SQ's own deck equipment.
What to Inspect
The one documented rig conflict concerns the fathead version: YACHT found the clamp lever strikes the deflection block carrying the loaded gennaker sheet, with the yard working on a remedy anchor. Also confirm the port-side aft winches wind counterclockwise against the starboard convention, so the cockpit controls match the boat as built. Beyond those points, the vacuum-injected balsa-core hull and bonded deck-hull are the structural baseline, with the swim ladder and cockpit ventilation revised on the SQ.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
These boats turn up across Germany, France, the United States, Italy, New Zealand, and Spain. A short checklist for the walk-through: confirm whether the rig is the squaretop or pinhead and how the backstay forerunners clear the gennaker gear; verify the quarter-cabin access route if the three-cabin layout is fitted; check the footrests and drop-down transom operate; and review the battery and heating setup against your cruising plan. The SQ rewards a buyer who wants the 2013 Dehler 38 platform with more rig and a brighter, better-detailed deck.
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Dehler 38 SQ. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 11 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 25 | 1 | $348,455 | — |
| Jun 25 | 1 | $367,102 | +5.4% |
| Jul 25 | 1 | $332,140 | -9.5% |
| Aug 25 | 2 | $282,610 | -14.9% |
| Sep 25 | 2 | $246,483 | -12.8% |
| Dec 25 | 2 | $314,659 | +27.7% |
| Jan 26 | 2 | $268,390 | -14.7% |
| Feb 26 | 5 | $312,328 | +16.4% |
| Mar 26 | 3 | $367,102 | +17.5% |
| Apr 26 | 6 | $330,391 | -10.0% |
| Jul 26 | 1 | $338,247 | +2.4% |
Where they're listed
Dehler 38 SQ listings appear across 4 countries. Germany has the most listings with 13 (61.9%), followed by France and Italy.
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
8 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dehler 34 | 33.13' | $ 44,000 | 92 | 19 |
| Dehler 38 | 38.71' | $ 244,666 | 50 | 16 |
| Dehler 35 Cws | 34.45' | $ 69,384 | 33 | 7 |
| Dehler 38 SQYou are here | — | $ 312,374 | 21 | 1 |
| Dehler 39 | 39' | $ 134,041 | 19 | 2 |
| Dehler 36 | 35.92' | $ 90,947 | 17 | 3 |
| Dehler 39 SQ | 39.34' | $ 172,053 | 16 | 7 |
| Dehler 37 CR | 36.74' | $ 74,754 | 9 | 1 |