Review of Dehler 86
Basic specs.
If you have a photo you would like to share: Upload Image
Looking for a new boat? Find a Dehler 86 or similar boat for sale
The hull is made of hand laid fibreglass while the deck is made of fibreglass. Generally, a hull made of hand laid fibreglass requires only a minimum of maintenance during the sailing season. And outside the sailing season, just bottom cleaning and perhaps anti-fouling painting once a year - a few hours of work, that's all.
The interior is like many other boats made of mahogany. Mahogany belongs to the hardwood species, known for being water-repellent and resistant to decay. It has an attractive wood grain and holds wood polish and varnish well.
The boat is equipped with 5-6 berths, a galley, 120.0 liter fresh water capacity and toilet facility.
The Dehler 86 is equipped with a fractional rig. A fractional rig has smaller headsails which make tacking easier, which is an advantage for cruisers and racers, of course. The downside is that having the wind from behind often requires a gennaker or a spinnaker for optimal speed.
Fin keel
The Dehler 86 is equipped with a fin keel. A boat with a fin keel is more manoeuvrable but has less directional stability than a similar boat with a full keel.
The keel is made of iron. Many people prefer lead keel in favour of iron. The main argument is that lead is much heavier than iron and a lead keel can therefore be made smaller which again result in less wet surface, i.e. less drag. In fact iron is quite heavy, just 30% less heavy than lead, so the advantage of a lead keel is often overstated. As the surface of a fin type keel is just a fraction of the total wet surface, the difference between an iron keel and a lead keel can in reality be ignored for cruising yachts.
The boat can enter most marinas as the draft is just about 1.50 - 1.60 meter (4.92 - 5.22 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.
Dehler 86 may be equipped with an inboard Yanmar diesel engine at 7 hp (5 kW). The speed is 6.5 knots.
The transmission is a shaft drive. A shaft drive will in the long run require less maintenance than other types of drive e.g. a sail drive.
The fuel tank, which is made of nylon, has a capacity of 60.0 liters (15 US gallons, 13 imperial gallons).
Sailing characteristics
This section covers widely used rules of thumb to describe the sailing characteristics. Please note that even though the calculations are correct, the interpretation of the results might not be valid for extreme boats.
What is Capsize Screening Formula (CSF)?
The capsize screening value for Dehler 86 is 2.03, indicating that this boat would not be accepted to participate in ocean races.
What is Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed?
The theoretical maximal speed of a displacement boat of this length is 6.5 knots. The term "Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed" is widely used even though a boat can sail faster. The term shall be interpreted as above the theoretical speed a great additional power is necessary for a small gain in speed.
The immersion rate is defined as the weight required to sink the boat a certain level.
The immersion rate for Dehler 86 is about 142 kg/cm, alternatively 796 lbs/inch.
Meaning: if you load 142 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm.
Alternatively, if you load 796 lbs cargo on the boat it will sink 1 inch.
Sailing statistics
This section is statistical comparison with similar boats of the same category. The basis of the following statistical computations is our unique database with more than 26,000 different boat types and 350,000 data points.
What is Motion Comfort Ratio (MCR)?
The Motion Comfort Ratio for Dehler 86 is 18.8 - 20.7.
What is L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?
The l/b ratio for Dehler 86 is 2.92.
The ballast ratio for Dehler 86 is 44%.
What is Displacement Length Ratio?
The DL-ratio for Dehler 86 is 224 which categorizes this boat among 'light crusers & offshore racers'.
What is SA/D (Sail Area Displacement ratio)?
The SA/D for Dehler 86 with ISO 8666 reference sail is 14.2, with a 135% genua the SA/D is 16.7.
What is Relative Speed Performance?
The Relative Speed Performance for Dehler 86 is 46
Maintenance
When buying anti-fouling bottom paint, it's nice to know how much to buy.
The surface of the wet bottom is about 24m2 (258 ft2).
Based on this, your favourite maritime shop can tell you the quantity you need.
Note: If you use a paint roller you will need more paint than if you use a paintbrush.
Dimensions of sail for fractional rig.
Are your sails worn out? You might find your next sail here: Sails for Sale
If you need to renew parts of your running rig and is not quite sure of the dimensions, you may find the estimates computed below useful.
| Usage | Length | Diameter | ||
| Mainsail halyard | 24.4 m | (80.1 feet) | 8 mm | (5/16 inch) |
| Jib/genoa halyard | 24.4 m | (80.1 feet) | 8 mm | (5/16 inch) |
| Spinnaker halyard | 24.4 m | (80.1 feet) | 8 mm | (5/16 inch) |
| Jib sheet | 8.6 m | (28.2 feet) | 10 mm | (3/8 inch) |
| Genoa sheet | 8.6 m | (28.2 feet) | 10 mm | (3/8 inch) |
| Mainsheet | 21.5 m | (70.5 feet) | 10 mm | (3/8 inch) |
| Spinnaker sheet | 18.9 m | (62.1 feet) | 10 mm | (3/8 inch) |
| Cunningham | 3.2 m | (10.7 feet) | 8 mm | (5/16 inch) |
| Kickingstrap | 6.5 m | (21.3 feet) | 8 mm | (5/16 inch) |
| Clew-outhaul | 6.5 m | (21.3 feet) | 8 mm | (5/16 inch) |
This section is reserved boat owner's modifications, improvements, etc. Here you might find (or contribute with) inspiration for your boat.
Do you have changes/improvements you would like to share? Upload a photo and describe what you have done.
We are always looking for new photos. If you can contribute with photos for Dehler 86 it would be a great help.
If you have any comments to the review, improvement suggestions, or the like, feel free to contact us. Criticism helps us to improve.