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Mindful cruising

A new chapter is opening in the history of DELPHIA. By developing a sustainable approach to navigation, DELPHIA addresses lake and river lovers, those who appreciate quiet and silent cruising. DELPHIA unveiled its first electrically powered boat in March 2022.

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• Sailboat Guide

Delphia Yachts

Delphia Yachts S.A. began life as Sportlake which began making small sailing boats in 1990. The company officially changed its name to Delphia Yachts in 2003. Head Office: DELPHIA YACHTS KOT sp. j. Ul. Poznañska 12/102 00-680 Warszawa Poland Phone/fax: +48 22 622 13 86 Shipyard: DELPHIA YACHTS KOT sp. j. Koœciuszki 63 19-400 Olecko Poland Phone: +48 87 520 30 37 Fax: +48 87 520 21 77

• Andrzej Skrzat
• Jacek Centkowski

11 sailboats built by Delphia Yachts

Europa ts240.

Sportina 680

Delphia 24 One Design

Delphia 40.3

Delphia 33.3

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Delphia 10 Sedan

THE ELECTRIC BOAT FOR ALL YOUR FAMILY CRUISES

Delphia 10 Lounge

GETAWAYS WITH COMFORT AND STYLE

Delphia 10 LoungeTop

DISCONNECT TO RECONNECT

Delphia 11 Sedan

WHEN SIMPLICITY MEETS SOPHISTICATION

Delphia 11 Flylounge

NAVIGATE WITH SEVERAL PEOPLE IN SERENITY

Delphia 12 Sedan

THE CROWN JEWEL OF THE DELPHIA RANGE

Delphia 12 Flylounge

CRUISE IN TOTAL INTIMACY

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Deceleration is key to meaningful and relaxing cruises on inland waterways and sheltered coastal areas.

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Sustainable motorboat building

As anyone who takes a mindful approach to life knows, the wellbeing of people and the wellbeing of the planet are inextricably linked.  Delphia has become increasingly conscious of its environmental impact in recent years, shifting its philosophy to encompass nature as one of its key concerns.  The features and materials of each Delphia inland cruising yacht have been designed to  reduce travelers’ carbon footprint to a minimum  while allowing them to get ever-closer to nature and enjoy special experiences with friends and family in style and comfort. Below, we explore a few of those features.

Eco-friendly

Delphia’s  electric propulsion system  Torqeedo does not create any type of emissions, be they noise, heat or fuel odors, so its carbon footprint is minimal. As well as the benefits this offers the environment,  the Delphia electric energy propulsion system  also gives travellers a new opportunity to experience nature as it was created, away from the hum of a traditional engine, for a truly immersive sense of wellbeing and comfort. The Japanese engine maker Yanmar has also built a thermal propulsion system designed with  the utmost respect for the environment , in strict compliance with all the latest regulations and standards. This innovation also offers exceptional reliability for travellers, making it an excellent option for peace of mind. Additionally, efficiency is important, 110hp engine only consumes 1,5l of diesel in 1 hour navigation at cruising speed in the canals.

Renewable source of Electricity

Delphia has made various choices that enable it to offer clean electricity and energy. For example, the Sedan model now features  solar panels , so travellers can generate  their own completely renewable energy  for their on-board equipment while they explore nature. The boats are also built to use  LED lighting , which is five times more efficient than standard lighting. What’s more,  Delphia’s sustainable boat building designs  offer a very large amount of windowed space. This not only lets in a lot of natural light, adding to the boats’ sense of comfort and peace, but it helps with temperature regulation because the windows are strictly vertical. For example, vertical windows mean less protrusion of sun therefore less energy consumption to cool the interior. Moreover, vertical windows deflect more rain, which means less energy is used for windshield wipers

Materials and recycled fabrics

Delphia’s boats use a  sustainable alternative  decking material to the standard tropical wood. This alternative is known as Flexiteek 2G and, in addition to minimising Delphia’s carbon footprint, it can be recycled. The wood used for the boats’ furniture comes from  certified sustainable sources , so Delphia can manage its supply chain every step of the way and any balsa wood is biodegradable and from carefully managed sustainable plantations. Equally, recycled yarns, fibres and fabrics are used whenever possible in Delphia yachts, again  reducing waste to a strict minimum .

Waste management

Delphia river and lake cruising boats include large tanks for water and waste, so you can safely dispose of the latter once you are docked.

At Delphia, we believe  sustainable travel  is not just best for the planet – it is best for anyone who wants to find a way to reconnect with nature at its most serene.

Get in touch with your local Delphia dealer and join our community of mindful cruisers.

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• By Jeremy McGeary
• Updated: April 4, 2006

Through a slew of events, from maxicat racing to the America’s Cup, Polish sailors have been in the headlines lately, and a quick tour of the Internet will uncover a large number of Polish builders of pleasure boats. Prominent among them is Delphia Yachts, which has its origins in a company that was formed in 1990. Even then, that nation’s boatbuilding industry didn’t spring up out of a vacuum: As far back as 1970, when the Soviets were in charge, Dick Carter was having state-of-the-art sailboats built in Poland for his phenomenally, albeit briefly, successful Carter Offshore.

So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the Delphia 40, introduced in North America last year, bears all the signs of having been developed in a venerable sailing culture. It’s also evident that some considerable experience with cruising sailboats has gone into its construction. Cruising World’s Boat of the Year 2006 panel concurred during its deliberations that the boat made an impressive debut.

That the Delphia line is, according to its builder, “designed with the tempestuous nature of the Baltic Sea in mind” is evident from the moment you step into the cockpit. Its coamings sweep up forward to create a deep shelter in each forward corner where you can take cozy refuge from wind and spray under the dodger. On clement days, those coamings offer a high, secure perch from which to take in the view. The helmsman, meanwhile, can move between a variety of positions within comfortable reach of the wheel and is never far from the jib-sheet winch.

The seats aren’t long enough to sleep on, but the cockpit can easily accommodate half a dozen people. Beneath the seats, four lockers hold deck gear. Exploring those located under the helm station reveals good access to the steering, a nifty stowage area for the companionway drop board, and insight into how the builder rates the importance of finish in obscure recesses. The answer is “highly”–all the glasswork is tidy, and all surfaces are gelcoated for protection and ease of maintenance.

The companionway ladder is easy to negotiate, and the treads turn up at their outboard ends so feet won’t slide off even at steep angles of heel. It’s a bit of a reach to the nearest support on the port side, but that comes in the form of a solid pillar at the nav desk.

In the saloon, furniture is pushed well outboard to put the emphasis on space, no doubt so that the three-couple complement catered to by the three-stateroom arrangement will have room to mingle without feeling crowded. In this respect, it follows the European fashion, and the quid for that quo is often a shortage of storage low down and behind and under settees. The athwartships seat along the main bulkhead takes up some of that slack, and a smaller crew planning longer cruises could create all the stowage it needs by requisitioning one of the twin aft cabins for a storage room.

A great influx of light pouring through deadlights, three forward and two each side, in the “bubble”–which is slightly elevated above the coachroof proper and which gives the boat its distinctive appearance–contributes to the feeling of spaciousness in the saloon. In latitudes lower than those of the Delphia’s native Poland, that light will be accompanied by heat, but a little canvaswork can greatly reduce its intensity. Opening hatches in the deck allow adequate airflow in fair weather. An absence of dorades or similar devices, however, suggests ventilation will be lacking on days when the air is full of rain or spray.

The galley is alongside the starboard side of the saloon and illustrates the conundrum the designer faces when choosing between satisfying the priorities of shorthanded, long-distance voyaging or those of large-party, short-range cruising. Eye-level locker doors outboard hinge along their lower edges. When open, they’re supported in the horizontal position with struts to provide handy backup to the counter area for a cook at work when the boat’s at rest. Deep fiddles inside the lockers hold crockery secure against even radical movements of the boat under way, but the cook isn’t so adequately supported when trying to perform on starboard tack in a seaway. A safety strap with a single attachment point might suffice in this in-line arrangement, which places everything close to hand. The single stainless-steel sink is right next to the range and has an integral draining board, which could also serve as a trivet for hot dishes coming out of the oven. A foot pump satisfies the paranoid conserver of fresh water.

Delphia offers three versions of the interior, which differ largely in the layout forward of the main bulkhead. In the boat we tested, that section is devoted to a master suite with a large, traditional V-berth, a couple of hanging lockers, and a loveseat. The private head is on the port side. It doesn’t have a separate stall for the shower, but a neat fold-down seat over the toilet effectively makes the whole compartment a low-maintenance shower room.

In two of the layouts, a pair of double-berth cabins flanks the cockpit. Each has a large berth, a hanging locker, and, for light and air, an overhead hatch and a port that opens to the cockpit. The nav desk occupies the port side opposite the head, its small size apparently dictated by the dining arrangement in the alternate layout, which has to seat a couple of extra bodies.

One of the first things I noticed, and duly noted, as we motored toward Chesapeake Bay was that the noise level under power was pleasantly low, both on deck and below. BOTY judge Ed Sherman’s decibel readings placed the Delphia 40 in the middle of the range for the 2006 fleet (see “Crunching the Numbers,” January 2006), but his mechanical ear doesn’t distinguish between the higher frequencies that irritate–what I call vacuum-cleaner noise–and the less offensive, even if equally loud numerically, rumbling of a diesel engine working in the low-2,000s rpm range. Nobody wants to motor all day long on a sailboat, but if you had to aboard the Delphia 40, thanks to its combination of Volvo’s new slower-turning engine (the test boat had the optional 55-horsepower model), saildrive propulsion, and well-chosen soundproofing materials, any discomfort felt will be aesthetic, not aural.

I boarded the Dephia 40 in almost the same weather conditions that, the day before, had seen a couple of boats prove unsteerable until their sail plans had been deeply reefed. Because the Delphia is of essentially similar configuration–sloop rig, spade rudder, and shoal-draft, bulb-tipped, fin keel–I half expected it to behave equally badly. It didn’t. With too much sail up, it did want to round up into the wind, but the helm didn’t load up, the rudder didn’t stall, and I was always able to steer the boat out of the luff. If anything, the helm was so light as to be disconcerting, but once I became used to not having to fight it, I found it positive and responsive.

From the drawings, it appears that this boat-even the shoal-draft version we were sailing–has a little more lateral area to its keel in proportion to that of the canoe body than others in its class. This would certainly help in balancing the keel forces against the sail forces and reduce the load on the rudder. As for the spade rudder itself, perhaps a slight adjustment of its balance ratio would give the helmsman a little more positive, and more reassuring, feel.

Once reefed and trimmed to the wind of the day, the Delphia 40 was a pleasure to sail and revealed its origins in a day-racing community in boisterous waters. The shrouds supporting the keel-stepped mast are attached well inboard. This, in concert with long deck tracks close to the coachroof, permits tight sheeting angles and a generous range of adjustment for the lead, which is important if you want to get the most out of the roller-reefing jib. By running the sheet to a snatch block attached to the perforated toerail, you can give the sail more breathing room on a reach. Another detail that will appeal to the cruiser who’s also a Wednesday-night racer is the anchor windlass fitted inside the foredeck locker, where it won’t foul sheets and guys or put the bowman’s ankles and shins in jeopardy.

The cruiser who’s more into spending nights at anchor might view the stainless-steel fabrication that supports the anchor roller as light-duty, but when offshore, he or she will appreciate the pushpit that bucks the current trend on boats with transom platforms for boarding: It wraps round the stern from well forward and is broken only by a short, wire-gated span on the centerline, providing real security at the back of the cockpit.

If it’s the expectation that the stern platform will be used when boarding the boat from a dinghy, it needs to be better provided with handholds for that purpose. Even that, in my view, wouldn’t justify the absence of lifeline gates, which would facilitate boarding from a low pontoon.

As presented, the Delphia 40 meets many of the criteria sought after by today’s cruising sailor. With the shoal-draft keel, which measures 5 feet 6 inches, it showed its potential for Chesapeake Bay and other draft-restricted cruising areas. Where draft isn’t an issue, the deep keel, at 7 feet 2 inches, should offer even sharper performance.

To get a feeling for the work of designer Andrzej Skrzat, I took a look at his firm’s website. He has a considerable portfolio of built designs, both power and sail, and his sailboats are largely racing boats and smaller cruisers. The Delphia 40 is the largest of these, and I suspect he was guarded in his use of space–the small nav desk and the slightly quirky dining arrangement–simply because he’s not been used to having that much to work with. Judging from the boat’s looks and performance, he has a good eye and a firm grasp of the naval-architectural aspects of his work. His partner is an industrial designer, which helps assure a sound transition from concept to realization. I expect that as his experience with bigger boats grows, the relationship between builder and designer matures, and both become better acquainted with the nuances of the American cruising ideal, the Delphia “D” and the boats’ distinctive profiles will become a familiar sight in American waters–and beyond.

Jeremy McGeary is a CW contributing editor.

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LOA 39′ 2″ (11.95 m.) LWL 36′ 3″ (11.05 m.) Beam 12′ 11″ (3.94 m.) Draft (deep/shoal) 7′ 2″/5′ 6″ (2.18/1.68 m.) Sail Area (100%) 707.4 sq. ft. (65.7 sq. m.) Ballast 6,072 lb. (2,760 kg.) Displacement 18,150 lb. (8,250 kg.) Ballast/D .33 D/L 170 SA/D (100%) 16.4 Water 92 gal. (350 l.) Fuel 55 gal. (210 l.) Mast Height 55′ 9″ (17.00 m.) Engine Volvo 40-hp. diesel with saildrive (55-hp. optional) Designer Andrzej Skrzat Base Price $179,900

Delphia Responds

by F. Scott Farquharson, Delphia Yachts USA

Jeremy McGeary’s comment about the storage on the three-stateroom Delphia 40 is valid, but he may not have considered the intended use of this configuration. This layout is aimed primarily for use by families or by chartering sailors. These boats will be used for long weekends or weeks at a time, seldom for long-range cruising. Therefore, the current storage is adequate for that purpose. The two-stateroom version is geared more toward long-range cruising. The Delphia 40 boasts a cavernous port-side locker aft of the galley that’s accessible from both the cockpit and galley. This locker can be configured in many ways to ensure a flexible and utilitarian storage area.

The same can be said for the galley. The three-cabin version will probably not be used for more than island or marina hopping. Most galley duty will be performed in the upright and locked position, whereas the two-cabin 40 will more likely be utilized for passagemaking. The two-cabin boat has an L-shaped galley to port with plenty of handholds and a secure place to anchor the cook when preparing meals in challenging conditions. The described “greenhouse effect” can be lessened by checking the blinds-and-screens box on the order form. The Delphia 40 can also be ordered with small, outwardly opening hatches in the doghouse “windscreen,” augmenting airflow and ventilation.

Delphia Yachts appreciates all comments as we continue rigorous development of the current line. We’ll be announcing two new models this fall expressly for the U.S. market.

• More: 2001 - 2010 , 31 - 40 ft , Coastal Cruising , delphia , keelboat , monohull , Sailboat Reviews , Sailboats
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Delphia 11 review: The future of inland boating? Diesel & electric head to head test

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With Delphia committed to building only electric boats by 2024 its Delphia 11 Sedan is its first step towards a greener future. Jack Haines heads to the Netherlands for a back-to-back test with its diesel counterpart...

Looks really can be deceiving. It may not appear so from the outside but the Delphia 11 could be the most important boat launched in 2022, not because of what it is but because of what it stands for.

Candela, Vita and X Shore are all building cutting-edge electric boats for the top end of the market but the Delphia 11 is a commitment from the biggest boat builder in the world to mass produce electric boats.

The Polish brand, which was bought by Beneteau Group in 2018 will be electric only by 2024. Not only that but alongside their partner, Torqeedo, Delphia and Beneteau Group have committed to investing in the electric boats charging infrastructure in certain markets to boost confidence in its electric-only product.

The 11 is Delphia’s first foray into all-electric boating and to put it through its paces in a realistic environment, we were invited to the Netherlands to test the electric Delphia 11 Sedan alongside its diesel sibling and a diesel-powered flybridge version of the Delphia 11, dubbed the Flylounge.

Delphias of old were renowned for their bang-for-buck approach, with oodles of living space for a reasonable asking price and, although they were equipped to go offshore, most found homes on the rivers and lakes of mainland Europe.

Article continues below…

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Delphia bluescape 1200 fly review: inland favourite gets coastal cruising upgrade.

£353165

The modern Delphia product is entirely focussed on inland boating and was designed by Tony Castro from the keel up with electric propulsion in mind. The hull is a full displacement hard chine design with an upright stem and full bow sections in a bid to balance generous interior volume with stable, efficient, slow- speed cruising.

Even with the 150hp diesel version of the Delphia 11 you’re topping out at 8.5 knots so life in the slow lane really is the name of the game. From Delphia’s base in Makkum we would do a loop of the local waterways with a stint on the IJsselmeer, swapping between the three boats for an ideal back-to-back taste of the differences between cruising aboard identical diesel and electric boats.

Read Jack’s full review of the Delphia 11 in the July 2022 issue of MBY, out June 2.

Delphia 11 specifications

LOA: 35ft 4in (10.8m) Beam: 12ft 8in (3.85m) Draught: 2ft 7in (0.8m) Displacement: 6.8 tonnes Battery capacity: 80kWh Water capacity: 380 litres Engines: Single Torqeedo DBi 1400 50kW / Single 150hp Yanmar 4LV Top speed: 7.6 knots (electric) / 8.4 knots (diesel) Cruising speed: 4.3 knots Range: 43.8 miles (electric) / 550nm (diesel) Noise: 62 d(B)A RCD category: B for 10 people Design: Tony Castro / Delphia Starting price: €264,900 (ex. VAT) Price as tested: €418,795 (ex. VAT)

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DELPHIA 11, its first electric model designed for inland waters

Distinctive style meets advanced simplicity, the DELPHIA 11 inaugurates a new range dedicated to peaceful navigation on lakes and rivers. 

It was under a beautiful spring sun that DELPHIA was welcomed in Makkum in the Netherlands for the presentation of its new model DELPHIA 11 in electric version to dealers and media. Four models were presented and made available for testing: DELPHIA 11 Sedan Electric, DELPHIA 11 Sedan Diesel, DELPHIA 11 Flylounge Diesel and DELPHIA 1200. Everyone had the opportunity to experience "Delphia Mindful Cruising" on the nearby lake and its canals.

« It’s been an honour and a great pleasure to welcome dealers and journalists in Makkum. We all had a fantastic time thanks to the hard work of the team and the great weather, it could not have been better.  Our local dealer Tornado Sailing organized a perfect set-up for the boats, which means we only had to enjoy our time on the water and in the nature. » explains Martin Schemkes , DELPHIA Brand Director.

The new DELPHIA 11 has been entirely designed to make you feel comfortable on board:

• Few stairs and steps in the boat
• Large convivial spaces called lounge as an acronym for Life. Openness. Unwind. Nature. Green. Effortless.
• Relaxing moments on board for the whole family thanks to the different lounges on the bow and in the cockpit

Management & experts linked

Martin Schemkes

DELPHIA Brand Director

Martin Schemkes is DELPHIA Brand Director since March 2021. 

DELPHIA 11, test dealers and journalists in the Netherlands

April 14, 2022

DELPHIA 11, indoor kitchen

DELPHIA 11, office area

Useful link, to learn more about the delphia 11, go here..

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Founded 140 years ago in Vendee by Benjamin Beneteau, Groupe Beneteau is nowadays bolstered by an international presence of 23 production sites and a global sales network.

Groupe Beneteau posted €1.785 billion turnover in 2023 and has a workforce of nearly eight thousand employees, mainly in France, United States, Poland, Italy, Portugal and Tunisia. 

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Delphia 24 Review

Andi Robertson took  the Delphia 24 for a spin.

The Sportsboat market has had its peaks and troughs. The SB3 is very much the boat of the moment and fleets continue to grow both nationally and internationally. The 1720 and Hunter 707 markets have bottomed out, but new fleets are growing organically as well-priced boats are snapped up in different areas around the country.

The Delphia 24 Sport was launched in Poland to meet a perceived demand for an inclusive package one-design Sportsboat and since then it has sold comparatively well with fleets growing in Germany and Poland. Since it was launched last year the 24 has sold 33 boats outside of Poland and more recently there have been three boats delivered to Sydney, Australia and a further three to Sweden.

Things have not been so brisk in the UK, where the market is doubtless tighter and more complex. On the Forth at Port Edgar, Delphia’s dealer in the north — Jock Blair of The Bosun’s Locker — has been campaigning his Delphia Racer most of the season, while the one boat on the south coast competed in the Round the Island race finishing 15th in a class of 70.

Both boats competed in the Sportsboat class at the Scottish Series in May and took fourth and fifth. They were both beaten by three 1720s, but in turn came out on top of the remaining Melges 24, Beneteau 25 and J/80 collection. But the lack of sales success so far is in part down to lack of exposure. The boat needs to be actively raced in the main series along the south and east coast of England to achieve any kind of sales.

Design and build

Delphia Yachts are no pocket outfit in Poland. They have more than 20 years experience building yachts and powerboats in Olecko. Indeed, with an output of close to 3,500 units each year they are increasingly becoming a significant player. In the late 1990s they were contracted to build for Jeanneau and Feeling, and more recently they have also built runs of J/92s and J/80s, giving them experience of building series production performance boats.

It was some two years ago that they saw a market opening for a fast, open monohull which would be good for slightly more advanced sail training and handicap and one-design racing. The 24’s first racing season in Poland was a success as a strict one-design fleet, boosted significantly by the creation of the Delphia 24 Cup, which was sponsored by Toyota and drew an initial entry of 20 boats. There is a very active class association in Poland.

The Delphia 24 was drawn by renowned Polish designer Andrzej Skrzat. He is the architect chosen for the full seven-boat Delphia range from the 24 up to a 40-footer. He has also done the Majestic 24-footer, which is a similar concept but with a little open plan interior.

Conceptually the Delphia 24 does create its own niche. Unlike the 1720 it is a ‘sit out and hike’ boat, which — having sailed the 1720 more than enough — I rather like. Unlike the Melges or Beneteau/Platu 25 it is a face-in rather than out boat. It has more freeboard than the Hunter 707 and is easily trailerable on its lifting keel.

The hull shape and form attracts inquisitive glances. It has very distinctive chines and concave, hollowed topsides aft, giving the appearance of a stretched slightly retro National 12. Forward the entry is both powerful, and relatively shallow and slender, but there is certainly ample buoyancy forward. The lines are very dinghy-like with flat topsides forward, working aft to this hallmark concave sheer.

Designer Skrzat explains his thinking, ‘The ideas of the hard chine aft and the concave sides are several, but mainly when the boat is heeling the longitudinal hull side shape helps reduce leeway and complements the work of the centerboard (ballast) blade on which the side force is reduced, allowing it to use more of its ballast as righting moment. The concave hull sides also increase the hull sides’ strength and stiffness, prevent splashing with water and when the yacht is fully planing it doesn’t make stern waves but only diagonal bow waves what reduces drag.’

Rig and layout

The coachroof blister is pronounced and almost disproportionately high, but it does a job allowing ample headroom in the little working area ‘downstairs’. There is loads of working space in the cockpit and the big, open transom keeps the boat dry.

The deck layout is pretty conventional. The gennaker is launched from a shallow lateral kite bag set at the forward end of the cockpit floor. The alloy sprit is centre mounted through an aperture in the stem. There are stainless foot rails/grab bars on the bow which we never used in anger, instead sailing all the time with the genoa up.

The mainsheet is set on an alloy hoop with a central swivel jammer. The backstay is led forward to give control to the helm, while all the remaining controls are mounted on the aft edge of the coachroof, or — like the tackline and the pole outhaul which run through the ‘cabin’ — are conveniently mounted to hand on the starboard side, while to port is the jib cunningham and forestay tensioning tackle. The kicker is a conventional cascade system, which has a long tail allowing it to be tensioned or released from anywhere in the boat, and I rather liked the neat detailing on the clever washboard which drops in tidily and securely.

The alloy rig offers plenty of tuning options. Spreader angles are secured by what look like slightly heavyweight bottlescrews, but along with the jib cunningham, forestay tension and shroud tensioning there is plenty to get right — and wrong — to make the boat go quick. The main has a distinctive rounded roach area, while the genoa has a slight overlap and is sheeted to short tracks on a conventional 2:1 system. Sheet loads on both sails are on the light side, making it ideal for lightweight crews. The keel is a cast iron straight vertical daggerplate weighing 275kgs, which gives a draught of 1.62m keel down, or 23cms with the daggerplate and lifting rudder raised.

On the water

We enjoyed a mixed fleet handicap race at Port Edgar. Under Sportsboat rating the Delphia 24 races off 0.908, which makes it slightly quicker than the J/80 and slower than the Melges 24. Some quick maths says the Melges will give the D24 three minutes in the hour, and it will in turn give a J/80 about 1.5 minutes. Sailing four up — three crew 85-90kg oldies aged 40-plus and one 54kg female former 420 and 470 sailor — we had a great evening race.

In many respects this, at the design’s formative stages in the UK, is its preferred domain, delivering heaps of simple fun on a handicap racecourse. It was quick enough to stay with the 35ft cruiserracers upwind in 14-19 knots of breeze with us enjoying the burn of a little hiking and leaving the J/80 behind. I daresay that a well-sailed J/80 up against an average crew in a D24 would be more of a match but we were going well upwind.

The boat handles like a dinghy upwind, but with the added security of a lump of ballast to stiffen it slightly. Certainly in terms of weight on the helm and responsiveness it was like a dinghy, but pleasingly positive and direct. If anything I felt a little more rudder depth/area might help in the stronger stuff when the boat was well heeled, but we rarely had a problem. Upwind in the gusts the boat remained pleasingly balanced while feathering with plenty of lift staying attached to foils.

It is not an especially stiff boat, and will certainly relish crew weight on the rail. Four-up is fine, but five lighter weight individuals will not cramp the cockpit nor leave anyone excessively redundant.All the while upwind there was no particular feeling of being overpowered in terms of the sheet loads. Again, with dinghy-style rachets on the jib leads and the mainsheet purchase there was no problem in de-powering the main or the jib slightly and re-sheeting them, even for the lighter crews.

My biggest disappointment with the boat is the standard sails package. They are acceptable as a ‘get going and get racing’ inventory but Delphia UK are offering a package with Sobstad which will add a further £2.5k to the all up price. That would be money well spent. The gennaker shape is simply odd, with a very high clew and rounded luff profile, and lacks drive and area on the leech. One direct consequence was that for the wind strength and sail area we were setting, the boat sometimes lacked power in marginal conditions.

When it hit the plane, it reached flat and true and handled well. On a tight spinnaker reach was where we felt the kite was not making the most of the boat’s potential and there appeared too much sideways and upwards drive rather than useable twist and a nice tight luff.

Downwind the D24 proved quick and easily handled. We especially liked the cockpit space, which makes manoeuvres easy to accomplish, affording time and space to see what is happening. We pulled a couple of basic broaches coming out of the gybe too hot and too quick, but this is a boat which should find favour with tuition establishments looking for a simple, well performing boat to teach asymmetric techniques as well as the basics of performance keelboat sailing.

Delphia 24 Review: Verdict

Overall we came to rather like the Delphia 24 Sport. It is a thoroughly entertaining mix which does offer some very different performance characteristics than the current crop of the UK and Ireland’s popular Sportsboats. It is less physically demanding and easier to sail well than the Melges but more fun, with a lighter, more dinghy-like feel than the plodding 1720. It is drier and feels more of a big boat than the Hunter 707, yet retains the tune-ability and demands of a performance dinghy.

But in the end you have to come back to weighing up the USPs versus the cost. It is a well built, nicely finished boat which, if it had Laser or J-Boats or RS branding, rather than the slightly dated and insipid East European styling on it, would likely be selling in slightly greater numbers. The bottom line is: does it offer enough of a different sailing experience to warrant a new allup price of £20k? Or are you better to compromise and buy a good used Hunter 707 or a 1720 and know you simply can’t lose on the deal?

The answer is that the boat is good enough to warrant the price and as a new boat it is good value. The D24 will appeal to those who want something a little different, but it may be some time before we see fleets building in the UK.

Images courtesy of www.delphiayachts.com.au

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• Stocznia Jachtowa Delphia Sp. z o.o. ul. Kościuszki 63 19-400 Olecko

Company History

The Polish shipyard Delphia Yachts was founded in 1990 by brothers Peter (Piotra) and Wojciech kot (Wojciecha Kot) in the small town of Olecko in the North of the country. Initially the company was called Sportlake and specialized in the production of sailing yachts. His first boat, the shipyard Sportina released, when there were only a few people. The profit from the sale and borrowed funds the company spent on the construction of its own production space and the purchase of equipment to reduce rental costs.

In the Summer of 2003 the shipyard has re-branded and came to light Delphia Yachts. To change the title decided because of the orientation of the company to foreign buyers and the launch of the new range of Delphia. In the middle of the 2000s company has moved to a conveyor Assembly.

Despite the relatively small by the standards of the shipyards age, Delphia Yachts has become the largest manufacturer of boats in Poland and is popular all over the world. More recently, the model joined the company's motor yachts.

Manufacturing

Delphia Yachts Factory is located in the rich sailing tradition of the city of Olecko. The company owns facilities covering 12 900 sq. m., where are manufactured boats under its own brand as well as model Uttern and Quicksilver in partnership with Brunswick Marine.

The Production capacity of the shipyard is worthy of respect — every year is built around 1400 motor boats and sailboats 240. But the company does not focus only on quantity, particular attention is paid to quality.

The Models are designed using modern technology and in the manufacture of quality and durable materials. Delphia Yachts has set itself the ambitious goal to match the quality and prestige of the Scandinavian shipbuilders.

The range of the shipyard comprises two series — motor and sailing yachts. First include boats with lengths from 8 to 14 meters. It >sea of SUVs in Scandinavian style >closed cruise cabin with hardtop, >displacement models (Nano boat) to explore the channels and lakes.

Sailing From the shipyard produces a cruising boat >Mediterranean cockpit for a comfortable travel and >sporty dinghies that are popular with beginner sailors and athletes.

Delphia Yachts is in step with the times, using advanced developments in shipbuilding and the manufacturer does not forget about ecology. The company invests in the development of projects on environmental protection and optimizes production processes to reduce negative impact on nature.

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Discontinued production models

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