| Germany. Dehler updates 47 foot yacht for Dusseldorf Boat Show |
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| Sunday, 11 December 2005 | |
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Boat builder news: Since the first fiberglass Dehler rolled out the door, the forward thinking builder has never been known to rest on its laurels, moving rapidly from one innovation to the next, always a step or two ahead of the curve. That tradition is running rampant, as the entire line up has either been newly introduced or heavily revised between 2004 and 2006. The smoke has barely cleared following Yacht of the Year (Europe) and Boat of the Year (U.S.) wins, yet Dehler has turned an eye toward fine-tuning the 47. The SQ treatment, first applied to the second-generation 39 and 36, finds its way to the 47 in a series of neat tweaks to a remarkably accomplished and downright stunning foundation. A good eye will note sleeker detailing in many elements, showing typical tasteful restraint. Flush hatches further clean up what is already one of the cleanest, most organized decks around. Folding cleats and LED navigation lights are slick, functional touches. (By the way, that's not the 47SQ pictured, but another view of our old friend Fahrenheit- Ed.) The 47's trick folding transom is now hydraulically powered, and accessing the vast inside space when the transom is closed has been more elegantly resolved. Below decks, the 47SQ receives traditional teak joinery, and the custom interior layout previewed last month is added to the growing list of alternative interior plans. Rugged and long-lived LED lighting is applied throughout the interior. Speed being half of the SQ designation, there are improved tools for getting the most out of this lively boat: a feather-light carbon wheel is standard, as are a carbon gennaker pole, Harken racing winches, blocks and split-drum furler. The 47SQ's keel is race-faired and, showing further intent, North 3DLs are standard on this version. So, how quick is the 47? A PHRF handicap in the mid-teens is suggested by the 47's performance in Europe. Newport-Bermuda, anyone? Please. Please. The 47SQ will be launched at the Boot Dusseldorf show, January 21 - 29, Dusseldorf, Germany. In it's 37th year, Boot Dusseldorf is an event of a huge scale, set in a great city. Located only an hour or two from Dehler's home in Freienohl, it's not uncommon for every model to be shown... a great opportunity if your winter travel includes Europe. The first Dehler 39SQ in North America has finally arrived. For those who were absent that day, the 39SQ is the evolved, second-generation version of the Dehler 39. In brief, the original 39 has reached near-legendary status, as witnessed by the number of direct knockoffs that have been introduced in the past few years. The tooling reached the point of needing replacement, an opportunity to make detail improvements without forsaking the arguably ideal original design. The 39SQ is identical in underwater shape to her forebear, and gains some sailing length via a slightly extended-- and to our eye, prettier-- transom. The sailplan is taller and myriad details have been changed on deck. We know the foundation intimately, of course, and the 39's perfect proportions haven't been messed with. Which is good. 39SQ.176 is, today, in a shrinkwrap cocoon and our first inspection was limited to duck-walking through the cockpit. In the crouched or crawling positions, we were able to get "personal" with the latest Harken deck hardware and improved lazarettes, made possible by the new transom design. Hence, exterior photos will have to wait until February's show in Chicago. The new interior joinery is photogenic, though, so that's what's shown in our first glimpse of the latest 39, right. Stepping below, the layout of the 39SQ is familiar, as there wasn't much that could improve on the original. The natural-cherry finish, however, gives the boat an entirely different feel that's simple, modern, bright and rich. |
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