Dehler DB1
Dehler · E.G. van de Stadt · 1980
Updated
The Dehler DB1 is a 10.10 m heavy displacement racing yacht designed by E.G. van de Stadt and built by Dehler, first launched in 1980. It races in Class C.
Length
10.10 m
33′ 2″
Beam
3.41 m
Draft
1.87 m
Displacement
3.9 t
Sail area
55 m²
On the podium
Where a Dehler DB1 finishes when she goes racing.
On the podium
31%
of 16 starts by 2 boats
Wins
0%
Read from 16 starts by 2 boats between 2019 and 2026, counting races with six boats or more.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a Dehler DB1 was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
Campus Cup2026- 36th Marmaris International Race Week2025
North Aegean Cup2019
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
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Not enough data yet: 9 races of 10 NM or less carry a published distance.
Offshore & coastal
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Not enough data yet: 5 races over 10 NM carry a published distance.
Who she races against
The designs a Dehler DB1 actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.
Also met, too few times for a figure:
First 36.7 (6 meetings), Dufour 40 (6 meetings), Azuree 33 (6 meetings), First 31.7 (6 meetings), Mat 101 (6 meetings), Bavaria Vision 42 (6 meetings), Dufour 36 (6 meetings), Sun Fast 3200 (6 meetings), J/92 (5 meetings), Bavaria 38 (5 meetings), Elan 340 (5 meetings), Sun Legende 41 (5 meetings), Mount Gay 30 (5 meetings), First 42 (Farr) (5 meetings), Skippi 650 (5 meetings), JOD 35 (5 meetings), Bavaria 36 (5 meetings), Elan 37 (5 meetings), Sun Odyssey 37.1 (5 meetings), Bavaria Holiday 32 (5 meetings), Gib Sea 312 (5 meetings)
Some of the boats it races against
How the Dehler DB1 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
4.89
38°
Beam reach
7.65
90°
Broad reach
8.42
135°
Downwind VMG
7.41
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.
This design is even-tempered. It rewards preparation and crew work more than it rewards picking the right day.
Where it gains
Its best ground is upwind once it pipes up, where it outruns what it looks like on paper, and by a margin worth having. It holds that advantage on a reach as well, so the gain is not down to one leg of the course.
Where it pays
It falls short across the wind in a strong breeze, giving away time it never gets back. That is weight that has to be driven rather than released.
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 upwind.
How fast is a Dehler DB1
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 3.26 | 4.39 | 4.79 | 4.89 |
| 52° | 4.93 | 6.28 | 6.70 | 6.84 |
| 60° | 5.18 | 6.45 | 6.86 | 7.04 |
| 75° | 5.36 | 6.59 | 7.04 | 7.34 |
| 90° | 5.40 | 6.78 | 7.28 | 7.65 |
| 110° | 5.40 | 6.83 | 7.44 | 8.21 |
| 120° | 5.21 | 6.75 | 7.43 | 8.43 |
| 135° | 4.65 | 6.44 | 7.22 | 8.42 |
| 150° | 3.91 | 5.89 | 6.91 | 7.97 |
| Run VMG | 3.39 | 5.13 | 6.37 | 7.41 |
How they are set up
The range each sail spans across the fleet.
Nearly all carry a folding propeller. Crew weight is declared around 450 kg.
Rigging
Dehler DB1 rig and sail dimensions
A Dehler DB1 carries 12.46 m of mainsail hoist on a 4.50 m boom, a forestay 11.26 m above the deck. Typical figures across the 5 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails
The spinnaker spreads widest of all — 53 to 61 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.