The Dehler story David Harding David Dehler db1: from around £15,000 The Dehler story second-hand In the year of its 50th anniversary, Peter K Poland traces Dehler’s origins and development, and looks at some of the boats that made the company’s name he first time I visited Dehler’s However, the mighty original all-singing, all- Dehler empire came from dancing factory at Meschede- very humble beginnings. ‘My Freienohl in Sauerland in the father was born in 1929 in mid-1980s, I soon realised Dortmund,’ says Willi Dehler’s Willi Dehler’s joke: an Optima 92 that the company’s founding son Karl, who works for the crashing through the factory wall! Tfather, Willi Dehler, was much more than company to this day. ‘After the Dehler just a highly accomplished engineer: he war he became qualified as an electrician; Stern dinghy in 1959 – unfortunately, the also had a zany sense of humour. then in 1955 he married, and in 1956 I boat capsized!’ The first thing I saw when van de Stadt’s was born as their only child. In 1958 my It’s interesting to compare how the big chief designer Cees van Tongeren drove parents had their own shop selling TVs, players of modern European boatbuilding me into the ultra-modern factory complex radios and all electric parts, then they first got involved in the game. While the was the front of a full-size Dehler Optima started sailing as a hobby in a van de Bénéteau business was well established as 92 crashing through a huge hole in the Stadt-designed Stern dinghy. From that a commercial builder of fishing vessels factory wall. Just Willi’s little joke, of time on, my father had contact with Mr before it turned its hand to GRP sailing course: it had been firmly wedged and van de Stadt and a lifetime friendship boats in the 1960s, Willi Dehler owned cemented there since 1976, but as a began. I had my first sail in this family the aforementioned electrical shop and way-out artistic installation it would have Henri Jeanneau started off in a family done credit to any exponent of fringe hardware store, taking over part of his modern art. father’s workshop to build speedboats. Having got these hairy little rocket ships ABOUT THE AUTHOR out of his system, Jeanneau turned his attention to GRP sailing yachts in 1964. Peter K Poland crossed the He first approached van de Stadt to design Atlantic in a 7.6m (25ft) Wind these cruising models – just as Willi Elf in 1968 and later spent Dehler did at almost exactly the same 30 years as co-owner time when he swapped electrical retailing of Hunter Boats. He for boatbuilding. is now a freelance The first boat Dehler built was journalist. Van de Stadt designer Cees van Tongeren (left) and boatbuilder Willi Dehler actually inspired by the Stern he had § Practical Boat Owner 567 November 2013 • www.pbo.co.uk 23 Boats so enjoyed sailing in his time off from the LWL of 6.7m and beam of 2.48m meant shop. In 1963 he put pen to paper and that the first Dehler to carry the Optima designed the Winnetou, a 3m dinghy, and name could offer a forepeak, amidships went on to sell almost 400. It was a happy heads compartment, linear galley with start to a long and successful career as one dinette opposite and a quarter berth aft of Europe’s premier boatbuilders. of a compact navigation area. Once again, However, as Cees van Tongeren of van the Dehler plus Van de Stadt team had de Stadt Design told me, Dehler then come up with a desirable and attractive turned to his friend and produced his first fast cruiser. van de Stadt cruiser – and he never looked Dehler continued its emphasis on back. Cees explains: ‘Dehler wanted to performance with its next offering: build a GRP caravan and went to Ricus the Delanta 76, introduced in 1972. van de Stadt for information. Before then Nevertheless, cruising comfort was not he had bought one of the first GRP Stern neglected as the 76 later evolved into the dinghies from van de Stadt, but Ricus Delanta 78 and 80 versions. Willi Dehler persuaded him to build boats instead of was always ready to modify length, caravans…. In 1965 Dehler asked van de cockpit and accommodation plans in Stadt to design a keel centreboarder in order to get maximum life (and sales) out two variants; one with a cabin top as a of each model. This Delanta, for example, cabin cruiser and one without a cabin Dehler offered a choice of layouts – separate aft top as a day-sailer.’ The Varianta was Dehler’s first proper cruising cabin with centre cockpit or conventional yacht: price second-hand from £1,900 accommodation plan with aft cockpit – An all-time top-seller stub keel plus centreplate arrangement and different keel options. But whichever The resulting yacht – named the provides a 43% ballast ratio and a version a client bought, he got a sleek Varianta – went on to become not just displacement-length ratio (DLR) of 115. It little yacht with elegant overhangs, a the most successful Dehler cruiser ever, draws 1.3m with the plate down and 0.7m fairly deep ‘short chord’ fin keel and a but also one of the all-time top-selling with it raised, for easy trailing or creek- spade rudder. European yachts. What a way to launch crawling. The irony is that this versatile Cees van Tongeren recalls: ‘My first a new cruiser range. It’s true to say the little package would appeal as much to design for Dehler was the Delanta. As we market was not exactly awash with today’s sailors as it did to their predecessors were a good team, Willi Dehler and CvT, versatile GRP family yachts in the in the ‘60s and ‘70s. Sadly, however, there’s I continued designing all Dehler yachts mid-1960s, so there was plenty of pent-up nothing much like it on the market: today’s for 25 years, until 1995.’ demand for such a boat, but Dehler hit typical ‘starter boat’ is around 30ft (9.1m). By now, Dehler had another trick up his the jackpot with his very first throw of Perhaps this helps explain why the sleeve – Ton Cup racing. The van de Stadt the dice and went on to sell around 4,500 Varianta Owners’ Association is still so design office once wrote: ‘Around 1971, Variantas in its various incarnations active: just look at the films on YouTube Dehler came to the conclusion that speed between 1966 and 1982. This truly of large fleets of Variantas racing at places would become a major selling argument amazing achievement gave Dehler the like Travemünde and the Möhnesee. It’s for cruising yachts. That is why the foundation on which to set up a state-of- a real eye-opener. Smart new sails and Delanta had a hull that also fitted the the-art manufacturing process – a process sponsors’ names painted on several hulls Quarter Ton Class very well. The German that was to stand the company in good prove that 21st century Varianta sailing is stead for the ensuing decades. still a big deal and a load of fun. Better Unfortunately, you’re unlikely to see still, it doesn’t break the bank. many Variantas in the UK, primarily because Dehler preferred to sell direct to Ahead of its time the client in those days. That way there Next up came the Optima 830, was no commission for a dealer so the launched in 1969. Again, it’s archetypal client got a fantastic deal. ‘60s van de Stadt. Looking a bit like a mini This jaunty and attractive little 6.5m Pioneer 9, it was well ahead of its time cruiser has four berths (two in the saloon with its jaunty sheer, elegant fin keel and and two in a separate forepeak) and separate spade rudder under a pretty adequate galley facilities amidships. The retrousseé counter. An LOA of 8.27m, www.boatshop24.com Optima 830: from £10,000 second-hand Optima 92: second-hand from £13,500 van de Stadt de van PeterOort/ www.Oort2.nl Delanta 76: from £5,500 second-hand 24 Practical Boat Owner 567 November 2013 • www.pbo.co.uk The Dehler story van de Stadt de van van de Stadt de van Optima 98: second-hand from £18,500 David Harding David Stadt de van Delanta 78: from £10,000 second-hand Dehler db2: around £24,000 second-hand Sprinta Sport: around £6,500 second-hand sailor Georg Nissen completed a Delanta such a competitive price. No wonder beneath a short counter while the 2.4m hull as a racing yacht, the Timschal. He Dehler was now riding the crest of a wave, beam provides practical four-berth finished third in the Quarter Ton Cup bearing in mind that Bénéteau did not accommodation, with a WC under the in 1973 and 1974, while van de Stadt build its first fast cruiser – the First 30 – forepeak double berth. The Sprinta Sport designers Paul Pasman and Hans Korner until 1976. At this stage of play, Dehler version is a very different beast, with won a top Dutch regatta in 1975 in a was well ahead of the game. reduced freeboard and a low-level Delanta racing version.’ At the same time, Dehler was stretching wedge-shaped roof. Its rig, complete with Pursuing the racing market, Dehler also its lead on its competitors by fine-tuning running backstays, is bigger, while the became a licensed builder of the Olympic its production methods and unique overall weight is lower.