Dehler 42
Dehler · Judel/Vrolijk · 2016
Updated
The Dehler 42 is a 12.40 m semi-displacement racing yacht designed by Judel/Vrolijk and built by Dehler, first launched in 2016. It races in Class B. Across the measured fleet it goes better than its own numbers promise, ahead of 59% of the designs it races against.
Goes better than its own measurements promise, and does it better than 59% of the boats it races against.
38th of 92 in its class.
This design has been found in real race results — 51 starts across 11 events — not only in measurement files.
Length
12.40 m
40′ 8″
Beam
3.92 m
Draft
2.30 m
Displacement
8.8 t
Sail area
98 m²
On the podium
Where a Dehler 42 finishes when she goes racing.
On the podium
22%
of 51 starts by 4 boats
Wins
2%
Read from 51 starts by 4 boats between 2016 and 2026, counting races with six boats or more.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a Dehler 42 was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
Campionato Invernale 2025/2026 XXXVI Edizione2026
Island Offshore - Race to the Arctic2026- Bergens-Seilforening Serieseilas T&H2026
- Norgesmesterskap Doublehanded/Seilmakeren Doublehanded2026
- Campionato Invernale 2025/2026 XXXVI Edizione2025
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
—
Not enough data yet: 2 races of 10 NM or less carry a published distance.
Offshore & coastal
6%
of these races end on the podium
Who she races against
The designs a Dehler 42 actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.
Also met, too few times for a figure:
Swan 45 (6 meetings), Xp 44 (7 meetings), Dehler 41 (Judel/Vrolijk) (6 meetings), Salona 37 (6 meetings), Dehler 44 (5 meetings), Grand Soleil 46 (Carkeek) (5 meetings), JPK 10.50 (4 meetings), Arcona 410 (4 meetings), Arcona 430 (4 meetings), Fast 42 (4 meetings), Grand Soleil 40 (Polli) (4 meetings), Comet 45 (4 meetings), Dufour 455 (4 meetings), Bolt 37 (4 meetings)
Some of the boats it races against
How the Dehler 42 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
5.75
38°
Beam reach
9.39
90°
Broad reach
10.54
135°
Downwind VMG
8.53
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 on a broad reach once it pipes up, where it goes better than its measurements say it should, and by a margin worth having. It holds that advantage across the wind as well, so the gain is not down to one leg of the course.
Where it pays
There is no condition where it falls away badly, which is worth something over a season of mixed weather.
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 42
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 3.66 | 5.09 | 5.58 | 5.75 |
| 52° | 5.67 | 7.48 | 7.96 | 8.16 |
| 60° | 6.03 | 7.73 | 8.21 | 8.43 |
| 75° | 6.26 | 7.89 | 8.53 | 8.91 |
| 90° | 6.17 | 7.99 | 8.63 | 9.39 |
| 110° | 6.19 | 8.17 | 9.09 | 9.96 |
| 120° | 6.03 | 8.09 | 9.12 | 10.43 |
| 135° | 5.39 | 7.66 | 8.77 | 10.54 |
| 150° | 4.53 | 6.83 | 8.22 | 9.63 |
| Run VMG | 3.92 | 5.92 | 7.25 | 8.53 |
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 800 kg.
Rigging
Dehler 42 rig and sail dimensions
A Dehler 42 carries 16.43 m of mainsail hoist on a 5.75 m boom, a forestay 16.77 m above the deck and a 5.61 m bowsprit. Typical figures across the 10 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails
The spinnaker spreads widest of all — 138 to 160 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.