Dehler 22

[Nigel_Ward]

Does anyone have any good or bad experiences about these lightweight trailer sailers?

They are one of the boats I am considering but there are not many about.

How do they compare with other small trailer sailers?

 

[StugeronSteve]

Never sailed a 22, but my 25 was an excellent boat.

 

[Alfie168]

I've got a 22. The first thing to bear in mind is they are mostly twenty years old now. I think they were nearly all home finished from assorted option packs, so standard of finish is largely down to the skills & wallet size of the first owner.

They are well made, but you really should have a survey regardless. Its bound to find things you do not spot. They sail brilliantly being superbly balanced and quite exciting upwind. With the water ballast and lightly ballasted drop keel you do have to sail them a bit flatter than a deep keel, but you soon get the hang. The cockpit is quite small, and this can be a problem as the main traveller has savaged my wife's knees a couple of times.

As most of them are/were lake sailed in Germany they usually have a nice big genny and the rig is quite tall, so there is plenty of power to play with, and perhaps a tad too much when it get blowy..but then you roll up the genny and put in a reef.

You do need to check if the keel has had an overhaul. This is a job for the professionals, but on the other hand I overhauled the water ballast valve myself in an afternoon.

Most parts can be obtained from Marina Grossenbrode in Germany. They do speak a little English, but most documentation is in German, so it helps to have at least a greeting available in their mother tongue when you speak.

There are four reasonably good sized berths, but its very cosy, so its probably not a prospect for four for longer than a weekend unless you are very good friends or have small kids. For two its a perfect pocket rocket.

I was really hunting for a Parker 21 (Parkers are local to me), but prices seemed a bit higher than I wanted to pay, and with the money burning a hole in my pocket I probably jumped quicker than I should and bought the Dehler. No regrets, its a very nice little thorougbred, and I come from a racing dinghy background, so I did not want a sailing slug anyway /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

PM me if you want more info

Tim

 

[weaver_fish]

Had one for five years - whether or not it is a great boat will depend on what you want to do with it and where you are....

Have you seen the PBO review from 1986?