lpdsn
Well-Known Member
There's a Dehler 34 for sale in Dun Laoghaire.
Dufour 34's of 2005-odd vintage
- Thread starter Neil
- Start date
There's a Dehler 34 for sale in Dun Laoghaire.
flaming
Well-Known Member
I think that was pretty much the design brief of that boat! Dehler will be a little faster (they rate higher on IRC) and probably a little more "flighty". I'd honestly expect someone looking to cruise shorthanded in either boat to be pretty happy with their choice.
Angele
Well-Known Member
There is no difference. Back in the 'noughties' Dufour developed two ranges. First came the performance range (the 34, the 40 and the 44), followed by the Grand Large cruising range (several boats, all with three digit model numbers ending in 5). Later came the performance E range to replace their earlier models.
By definition, the 34 is a Dufour 34 performance. As others have said, various options were available at the time, including wheel steering instead of tiller, a taller rig and alternative keels. But they are all 34 performance.
I have a Dufour 40 (performance). I have raced 34s at Dufour rallies and, IMO, they are great boats.
Lucky Duck
Well-Known Member
Sails singlehanded quite as bit as I recall...
Neil
Well-Known Member
Yes, it's two pontoons along from me. It is a bit older than I wanted to buy, but it doesn't have a transom gate and I had that as a kind of check box, to allow stern-to mooring single handed.
doris
Well-Known Member
My Dehler 39 has a full width gate and a bathing platform.
No probs with stern to mooring. As Flaming says about the 34s, its a bit quicker than the DuFour 40 but very similar design brief. Wouldn't describe mine as 'flighty'. I single and double hand cruise and race frequently. They were my short list when I bought.
flaming
Well-Known Member
Your 39 is from the same generation of Dehlers as the 36.
The 34 (which then became the 35 after they went pop and were aquired by Hanse) was a little different. If I recall the 34 rated faster than the 36, and could sail to its rating.
By comparison with the Dufour (and depending on exactly which online specs you believe!) the Dehler 34 is 10cm longer, 20cm wider, weighs 100kg less and sets 20sqm more sail than the Dufour.
lpdsn
Well-Known Member
They're very well balanced boats that can cope with a lot. She does look a bit overpriced though.
Beware of the type of transom gate you get. I have one that lowers, brilliant for boarding less nimble guests over the stern, but I wouldn't want to come in astern with it lowered in case I misjudged it and clunked it.
Neil
Well-Known Member
Hm, yes I now see it's a drawbridge-type gate on the Dehler. While I'm confident of SH mooring my Sadler 25, the higher freeboard and longer length had me thinking my best option would be to go in stern-to and step off the back with a windward stern line and a long bow line.
lpdsn
Well-Known Member
At 43 feet i still tend to get a spring on first when going in astern single-handed. I either try to loop it over a cleat or step ashore with it depending upon teh cisrcumstances, I put the bow line between shrouds and top guard rail so I can reach it and I throw the stern line on the pontoon before hoping off.
And I'm extremely cautious when berthing with wind blowing the boat off so I either go on the opposite pontoon and haul across or really fender up that side if there's another boat there.
Going off the bathing platform is fine if that's were the wind is and a stern line is sufficient is but I reckon the delay in taking a long bowline with me and getting it past all the gubbins on the pushpit would just make it take too long to get the bow under control.
Plevier
Well-Known Member
Flaming is talking about the Simonis Voogd designed Dehler 34 introduced in 2007, it's commonly known as the 34SV to distingusih it from the previous van de Stat model 34. It became the 35 in 2008 (well before Hanse) when they rationalised the 34RS racing version and the 34CR cruising version into one model with options of deeper keel etc. In fact ours has the factory paperwork of a 34 but was delivered in 35 livery!
If this is the model you're talking about, and by drawbridge you mean the drop down bathing platform, that was an option only on the latest model 35SQ (post Hanse) before it was discontinued in favour of the current 34JV (Judel Vrolik)
Up until then it had an open stern. An option was two removable stern lockers which we have, which narrow the gap. You could have a lift out seat and stern panel between them, rather like the lift out panel on the Dufour 34 Performance before they went open stern on the 34e, but we don't have that. We do moor stern to at our base.
In our club there is also a Duf 34 Performance. It goes very well but we can (usually) beat it although it has got much better sails than we have.
The Dehler does have a lot of sail area and we have to be prepared to reef. We've used our 3rd reef quite a bit, recently almost all the way from Cork to the Scillies, quite a ride. It's a very good fast cruiser that gives you great confidence in severe conditions and has a nice interior.
It has a small jib (107%), the Dufour has a big overlapper.
Pic of stern with the lockers.
roblpm
Well-Known Member
Well I have to say one disadvantage of Dehler and Dufour is the non clear model evolution.
At least with x yachts they have x34, xp33 sort of thing so you know exactly what is what. Not that I could ever afford one!
J boats J105, J109, J112 etc. Then you can look each one up!
At least with x yachts they have x34, xp33 sort of thing so you know exactly what is what. Not that I could ever afford one!
J boats J105, J109, J112 etc. Then you can look each one up!
doris
Well-Known Member
I would have thought Dufour 34, 40 Dehler 36, 39, 44 and 47 is quite an explicit model designation. The Dehlers are J&V, the Dufours are both by the same design team. With Dehlers Simonis then became in house designers with the 34. Same team doing the current 34 and 38 which are obvious sisters.
Tranona
Well-Known Member
While there are advantages of an open stern for mooring, it is not so good singlehanded. Always think it dodgy to jump off the boat on your own with a line - OK if there are two of you - but the one time I did it a gust caught the boat at just the wrong moment before I could get the line on a cleat. Ended up flat on my face.
New boat has drop down transom so not suitable for leaving down when docking. So now back up until the stern touches the walkway and pick up the stern line which is permanently attached to the cleat. Then can put it in gear steering toward the finger and the boat goes nowhere. All lines can then be picked up from the boat, or it is safe to step ashore knowing the boat is fixed.
You definitely don't want to leave the boat with no one on it without it being attached. While you might be able to hold 2 tons of 25', 6 tons of 34' is in a different league!
New boat has drop down transom so not suitable for leaving down when docking. So now back up until the stern touches the walkway and pick up the stern line which is permanently attached to the cleat. Then can put it in gear steering toward the finger and the boat goes nowhere. All lines can then be picked up from the boat, or it is safe to step ashore knowing the boat is fixed.
You definitely don't want to leave the boat with no one on it without it being attached. While you might be able to hold 2 tons of 25', 6 tons of 34' is in a different league!
roblpm
Well-Known Member
Maybe I am just thick....
But then again search on yachtworld for Dehler 34s and see what you get. There are now at least 3 models.
Some other brands give different iterations of their similar sized boats different numbers. In my opinion that makes it easier to look at used boats as when i search for say a dehler 34 i am getting different generations of boats.
If i search on yachtworld for an x34 i am getting the complete list of what is available.
I would have thought it was in the interests of their customers and potential customers to make it as clear as possible. Especially for thick people like me!
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Tranona
Well-Known Member
That is just life, when brands change owners or marketing men and model designations change for no apparent reason. Try sorting out the different Bavaria models over the last 20 years!
flaming
Well-Known Member
Then try understanding the current Elan performance range...
Though, to be entirely fair, it has always mystified me that French, German, Sweedish etc companies have persisted in naming their boats based on their length in feet.
Especially when the very American J-Boats names them based on their length in Metres.
Tranona
Well-Known Member
Terms that have very specific scientific meanings just become words when they get appropriated by marketing men. Then used to convey emotional meanings rather than facts! My 33 (which is 9.98m overall) was originally a 32, now a 34. so when I bought it I felt superior to those who had the earlier 32, but now yesterday's man as the latest version is 34 - but apart from the shape of the cushions in the saloon and the battery master switches is identical. However I could move up the ladder and have twin wheels!
Get more like the office car park pecking order.
Get more like the office car park pecking order.
Angele
Well-Known Member
I'm not particularly "au fait" with the Dufour range before 2002, but from then onwards I would have thought the range was pretty clear. Two digits means it is a performance model. 3 digits and it is one of the Grand Large models. Two digits plus E and it is one of the new performance ones that replaced the 40 / 44. They have now added an "exclusive" range, but those are real big'uns.
Neil
Well-Known Member
How can you tell if a Dufour 34 has the taller rig?
