Design and Construction
The hull is a hand-laid composite of glass mat with uni- and multidirectional rovings, using hydrolysis-proof polyester resin and an end-grain balsa core. Structural bulkheads are bonded to both hull and deck, and integrated load-bearing stringers disperse loads through the structure. The deck is itself a hand-laid balsa-glass sandwich with laminated-in aluminum reinforcement plates for every fitting. Most distinctively, the hull and deck are laminated together while still in the mold to form an integrated monocoque — a method Dehler used across its classic production era. The high-aspect bulb keel joins cast iron and lead, secured to the hull with stainless bolts embedded in the floor laminate, while the balanced spade rudder turns on a solid aluminum shaft with self-aligning JP3 bearings. A standard version displaces 17,195 pounds; the lighter sailing configuration comes in at 15,572 pounds against a D/L of 154, and the keel draws a deep 6-foot 5-inch.
Rig and Handling
Above the deck, a triple-spreader fractional rig steps a Sparcraft tapered mast with stainless Dyform wire stays, the whole tower reaching 61 feet. Sail area on the wind is 1,032 square feet against an SA/D of 22.12, and the rig pairs a large mainsail with a blade jib carrying vertical battens. Inboard chainplates pull the sheeting angles tight, and a Harken adjustable genoa track system supports the headsail. Writing in Yachting Monthly, testers found performance under sail exhilarating and recorded a tacking angle of a close-winded 80 degrees. The helm is a big destroyer wheel on super-smooth Whitlock linkage, with molded-in helming positions either side of a cockpit sole cut to clear the wheel; a leather cover is standard. The boat came from the factory with a retractable, deck-mounted carbon-fiber sprit for an asymmetrical chute alongside a standard spinnaker kit.
Accommodations
Inside, the test boat showed a large V-berth forward, a saloon with a forward-facing nav station to starboard, a large head to starboard beside the companionway, and a large quarterberth to port. The galley to port just aft of the settee held deep sinks, a gimbaled oven and stove, ample cabinetry, and solid-cherry fiddles. Yachting Monthly described the interior as a far cry from earlier brash styling — bland toward mainstream, but with a high standard of fit-out; the saloon is light and airy if a little stark and short on stowage, the chart table small, while the L-shaped galley and heads are excellent and the forecabin wonderfully roomy. The port-side aft cabin is large. Owners could specify mirror-image quarterberths or two head and shower compartments, and the port quarterberth could trade its starboard neighbor for a small berth or lazarette. Both quarterberth and V-berth have hanging lockers, a second settee folds to a berth, and all layouts keep a pair of large transom storage areas. Engine access runs through the companionway steps or a quarterberth panel.
Equipment and Power
The standard 39 carries a 27-horsepower Yanmar 3GM30 with two-blade prop and saildrive, with a 38-horsepower Yanmar 3JH3 as option, also saildrive. Electronics draw from a 55-amp-hour start battery and 110-amp-hour house cell, or optionally a pair of 200-amp-hour cells with a 40-amp charger. Hardware listed on the test boat ran to twin Lewmar 44AST mainsheet winches, a Harken traveler, Lewmar 48AST primaries, cabintop Lewmars including a 44EST electric, and an optional teak deck over the standard gray-tinted nonskid. The transom hinges to a swim step and boarding ladder, and the companionway has a bridgedeck.
The Verdict
The Dehler 39 is a purpose-built sport cruiser that translated Judel/Vrolijk's race-derived thinking into a production hull without losing the fit and finish a cruising owner expects. Its monocoque construction and tight sheeting make it quick and close-winded, though the narrow, powerful hull earns its wet ride to windward.
Pros
- Integrated hull-and-deck monocoque with bonded bulkheads and load-bearing stringers
- Tall triple-spreader fractional rig with 1,032 sq ft of sail and 80-degree tacking
- Inboard chainplates and carbon sprit for asymmetric spinnaker work
- Roomy forecabin, large aft cabin, excellent L-shaped galley and heads
- Flexible interior layouts with transom storage in every configuration
Cons
- Quite a wet boat going to windward
- Saloon short on stowage; small chart table
- Deep 6-foot 5-inch keel limits shallower cruising grounds
