Dehler 38 (Judel/Vrolijk)
Dehler · Judel/Vrolijk · 2013
Updated
The Dehler 38 (Judel/Vrolijk) is a 11.29 m displacement racing yacht designed by Judel/Vrolijk and built by Dehler, first launched in 2013. It races in Class B. Across the measured fleet it goes better than its own numbers promise, ahead of 36% of the designs it races against. It is at its best in light air and struggles to hold that once it blows.
Goes better than its own measurements promise, and does it better than 36% of the boats it races against.
59th of 92 in its class.
This design has been found in real race results — 70 starts across 22 events — not only in measurement files.
Length
11.29 m
37′ 0″
Beam
3.76 m
Draft
2.03 m
Displacement
7.3 t
Sail area
80 m²
On the podium
Where a Dehler 38 (Judel/Vrolijk) finishes when she goes racing.
On the podium
14%
of 70 starts by 16 boats
Wins
3%
Read from 70 starts by 16 boats between 2014 and 2026, counting races with six boats or more.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a Dehler 38 (Judel/Vrolijk) was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
Trofeo Regularidad2026
Riva Montecristo2026
Island Offshore - Race to the Arctic2026- Bergens-Seilforening Serieseilas T&H2026
- Isbjørnen2026
Raced one we are missing?
Report a regattaRound the buoys, or offshore
A short windward-leeward and a night at sea ask different things of a boat. Here is how this one does in each.
Round the buoys
15%
of these races end on the podium
Offshore & coastal
17%
of these races end on the podium
Level across both. Plenty of designs fall away once the course gets long — a light hull that thrives round the cans can struggle through a night at sea. This one does not.
Who she races against
The designs a Dehler 38 (Judel/Vrolijk) actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.
Some of the boats it races against
How the Dehler 38 (Judel/Vrolijk) has fared against each of them, boat against boat on corrected time. Ordered by how often the two meet, not by who wins.
Speed at every angle
The shape of this design's speed, drawn from the measured fleet. Pick a wind and watch it stretch.
Upwind VMG
5.37
39°
Beam reach
8.69
90°
Broad reach
9.62
135°
Downwind VMG
7.96
170°
Speed in knots at 20 knots of true wind. Green marks the angles that pay: the closest useful beat and the deepest run worth sailing.
Where it wins and where it pays
Every boat is judged against its own measurements — length, weight, sail area. The quicker those say it should be, the more it has to deliver just to break even. Going fast is not enough: it has to go faster than its own numbers promised.
There is no obvious weak spot here. It rewards preparation and crew work more than it rewards picking the right day.
Where it gains
Its best ground is across the wind once the breeze fills, where it outruns what it looks like on paper, and by a margin worth having.
Where it pays
It falls short on the run once it pipes up, giving away time it never gets back. That is a displacement hull working to its designed speed.
Above the line it delivers more than promised and gains on the fleet. Below, it falls short. Move the wind: plenty of boats sit on one side in the light and the other when it blows.
Full width is 0.4 kn either way.
At 10 knots this design makes back more than its rating asks on the beam reach.
How fast is a Dehler 38 (Judel/Vrolijk)
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 3.41 | 4.69 | 5.23 | 5.37 |
| 52° | 5.26 | 6.96 | 7.49 | 7.66 |
| 60° | 5.59 | 7.18 | 7.70 | 7.91 |
| 75° | 5.84 | 7.38 | 7.95 | 8.33 |
| 90° | 5.83 | 7.57 | 8.10 | 8.69 |
| 110° | 5.87 | 7.71 | 8.51 | 9.27 |
| 120° | 5.71 | 7.60 | 8.50 | 9.69 |
| 135° | 5.13 | 7.20 | 8.19 | 9.62 |
| 150° | 4.31 | 6.45 | 7.70 | 8.93 |
| Run VMG | 3.73 | 5.59 | 6.86 | 7.96 |
How they are set up
The range each sail spans across the fleet.
Nearly all carry a folding propeller. A bowsprit is standard across the fleet. Crew weight is declared around 630 kg.
Rigging
Dehler 38 (Judel/Vrolijk) rig and sail dimensions
A Dehler 38 (Judel/Vrolijk) carries 14.50 m of mainsail hoist on a 5.20 m boom, a forestay 15.10 m above the deck and a 5.00 m bowsprit. Typical figures across the 45 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails
The spinnaker spreads widest of all — 86 to 136 m² depending on bowsprit and set-up. Before ordering a sail, read the figure on your own measurement record rather than the typical one for the design.
Other designs under the same name
The name has been carried by more than one design. They are different boats.