Dehler Optima 106 Sailboat Review, Specs, and Listings

Design and Construction

The Optima 106 measures 10.60 metres overall, with an 8.60-metre waterline and a 3.40-metre beam. At 3.8 tonnes, she carries 1.8 tonnes of lead ballast, giving her a high ballast ratio of 47 percent.

Compared with her Dehler 34 sibling, the Optima 106 has a low, quiet profile. She has significantly less freeboard, a markedly lower superstructure, and a flat-bottomed hull with a narrow stern, making her lower and drier with reduced windage. A small integrated bow ladder sits forward. The hull is solid fiberglass, and the deck is also solid.

Reviewers described the Optima 106’s hull as less resistant than the 34’s, with a smoother underwater body. They also counted the flat hull and narrow stern against her, although these features come with a lower, drier cabin trunk and less windage. The low freeboard and flat sections place the crew closer to the water, making the boat feel smaller than her length suggests. Her substantial lead ballast, meanwhile, gives her high ballast content that underpins her composure.

Rig, Performance, and Handling

The Optima 106 is a fractional sloop with plenty of sail area for her weight. She carries a 27.8 m² mainsail and a 32.8 m² genoa. A German review scored her sail-area-to-displacement posture at 24.9 and her sail-carrying capacity at 4.9 in comparative terms.

Simple trimming devices help keep short-handed control manageable. The spinnaker arrangement is more involved: it requires a boom rigged with topgallant and downhaul, plus sheets led through barber haulers. As a result, sailing off the wind is more hands-on than it would be with a modern asymmetric setup.

In around 12 knots on a crosswind, the Optima 106 sails well and quite high, although she lacks a larger genoa to extend that range. She holds her course stubbornly and is a little less sensitive than the Dehler 34, but she is also the wetter of the two. Her surfing characteristics are poorer than the 34’s, directly reflecting the narrower stern and reduced aft buoyancy.

Cockpit and Accommodations

The Optima 106 trades interior volume for her low profile. She has much less space below deck aft than the Dehler 34, as well as a smaller cockpit and less room overall in both the cockpit and cabin.

The toilet and galley are aft, an arrangement that carried over into the renamed 34. Period reviewers praised the successful room layout, clean interior fittings, and seaworthy saloon berths. Headroom, however, is tight and may be a real constraint for taller owners. The lower superstructure and freeboard are the price of the tidy, functional interior and reduced topside exposure.

Known Issues and Trade-Offs

The original engine is only single-circuit cooled, a limitation worth noting when evaluating a boat that retains it.

Reviewers also flagged the flat hull, narrow stern, and tight headroom as drawbacks. The wetter ride was observed in comparison with the Dehler 34 rather than identified as a defect.

Equipment, Refits, and Ownership

Wheel steering was optional, while the functional deck layout lends itself to straightforward upgrades.

More than 1,300 boats were built in different versions across the Optima 101/106 and renamed Dehler 34 lineage, giving this Van de Stadt design a long production footprint. The Optima 106 name itself applies to the 1986–87 derivation before the naming convention changed.

The Verdict

The Optima 106 is a Van de Stadt performance cruiser that favors a low, sea-kindly profile and high ballast stability over interior volume. She gives up aft space, headroom, and surfing ability in exchange for a stiff feel, stubborn course-keeping, and simple rig control. For sailors who value balance and a clean, functional layout more than cabin grandeur, she remains a thoughtful used-classic candidate.

Pros