Its beamy, moderately displaced hull has a standard displacement of 20,062 pounds and a beam of 12 feet 10 inches. A length-to-beam ratio of 3.17 and a displacement-to-length ratio of 166 place it firmly among modern performance cruisers. Short ends define the profile: there are only three feet of total overhang, all of it aft. A slight spring to the sheer and moderate freeboard keep the topsides from looking slab-sided.
Design and Construction
The hull is built from vacuum-infused foam sandwich, with vinylester resin against the first layer of glass and again in highly stressed areas reinforced with woven rovings or unidirectional fibres. The deck is a balsa sandwich. A carbon-reinforced inner hull structure, engineered to absorb the loads generated in a grounding, is said to be 25 percent stiffer than standard arrangements.
Above the waterline, the wedge-shaped deck has a shallow indent just aft of the mast. This allows halyards and control lines to exit the mast at deck level and disappear into the structure alongside the hatches, leaving a cleaner foredeck.
Rig, Keels, and Handling
The tall fractional rig uses a 9/10ths keel-stepped aluminium mast with two pairs of spreaders. In standard form, the Elvström FCL tri-radial sails provide 1,000 square feet of sail area.
Judel/Vrolijk gave the hull a high righting moment through form stability and offered a choice of low-center-of-gravity keels. Together, these features help the boat stay upright and driveable as the wind builds. Three draft options were available, each paired with one of two rudder options:
- 7 feet 1 inch standard
- 7 feet 11 inches race
- 6 feet 6 inches shoal
The competition model sheds almost two-thirds of a tonne of displacement and uses a deeper 2.4-meter T-bulb. Its rig is roughly six percent larger than the standard boat’s, increasing sail area to 1,071 square feet.
In the design review, the designers called the new 42 a great club racer and a very nice cruising boat. Boats.com described her as intended to combine vice-free, fast sailing with comfortable accommodation. An optional composite bowsprit incorporates an anchor roller and supports asymmetrical chutes flown from either the hounds or the masthead.
Accommodation
Dehler’s in-house interior team developed a versatile range of layouts around a spacious saloon shared by every variant. Overhead hatches, coachroof windows, and hull ports bring in light. Distinctive roll-top lockers run along both sides, while grab handles are molded into the coachroof sides.
Buyers could choose two or three staterooms, with each layout available with either one or two head compartments. The two-cabin version gains a huge walk-in storage area aft of the main heads. The forecabin can have a semi-peninsula berth with generous hanging lockers, or a conventional double V-berth with an en-suite heads.
A patented uni-door separates the saloon from the main bathroom and also serves as a lockable shower and toilet door. The port-side cabin can convert between a sail locker and a third double. The galley includes twin sinks, a two-burner stove with oven, and a large fridge that loads from both the top and front.
Verdict
The Dehler 42 is a thoroughly modern performance cruiser that doesn’t trade away accommodation for speed. Its vacuum-infused foam hull, carbon-reinforced inner structure, and low-center-of-gravity keel options produce a stiff platform intended to offer vice-free sailing. Meanwhile, the configurable two- or three-stateroom interiors—with the clever uni-door and, in the two-cabin version, walk-in storage—make it as plausible for family cruising as for the regatta circuit. It’s a boat designed to be sailed hard and lived aboard comfortably.
Pros
- High righting moment from form stability and low-CG keels
- Carbon-reinforced inner hull said to be 25 percent stiffer than standard arrangements
- Configurable two- or three-cabin layouts built around the same spacious saloon
- Competition variant sheds almost two-thirds of a tonne for club racing
Cons
- Shoal and race draft variants limit consistency for one-design racing
- Multiple keel and rig variants require careful specification matching
