Delphia 24 One Design, Poland's Planing Sportboat Class

A class first, then a boat

Most production sportboats start with a builder and look for a class later. The Delphia 24 One Design went the other way. According to the Stowarzyszenie Regatowe Delphia 24, the class association, a group of Polish race organizers, sailors and judges concluded that a strict one-design was the best way to grow keelboat racing at limited cost. Designer Andrzej Skrzat drew the boat, the project was presented to Delphia Yachts, Poland's largest sailboat builder, and the yard agreed to put it into production. The design was unveiled in 2005 and the class association was founded in July of that year.

Delphia's own description calls it a bridge between a ballasted centerboard boat and a keeled sportboat, intended for training and racing while still meeting the needs of recreational sailing. For anyone searching for a Delphia 24, this is the boat: sailboatdata lists no other Delphia of that length, and the yard's larger sailboats such as the Delphia 40 were conventional cruisers.

Planing hull, lifting cast iron keel

Delphia's 2012 specification lists an overall length of 7.70 m (25 ft 3 in), a hull length of 7.32 m (24 ft), a beam of 2.50 m (8 ft 2 in), a maximum draft of 1.62 m (5 ft 4 in), a total weight of 900 kg (1,984 lb) and 250 kg (551 lb) of ballast. The class association quotes 850 kg and 270 kg in the keel, a small difference that probably reflects measurement weight versus equipped weight.

The ballast sits in a heavy cast iron keel that slides vertically in a trunk rather than pivoting, so the boat can be retracted for trailering and launching. Delphia said the hull shape guarantees planing in strong winds and that the heavy keel keeps the boat safe in very strong breeze. The underwater shape is a planing form, topped by a small cabin and a large cockpit. To keep the boats identical, the yard built the hulls by infusion, which the class credits with high stiffness, durability and repeatability.

The boat carries CE category C for five people, which means sheltered coastal waters and lakes rather than offshore passages, although the class describes it as suitable for open water and waves as well as inland lakes.

Rig, gennaker and what the rules allow

Upwind sail area is about 31 m2 (336 sq ft): a 21.0 m2 main and a 10.22 m2 jib on a 7/8 fractional rig. The class gives the mast length as 9.5 m, and sailboatdata lists the masthead about 10.72 m (35 ft 2 in) above the waterline. Downwind the boat sets a 45 m2 masthead gennaker from a retractable pole. Mast, boom and pole are aluminum.

As a true one-design, hull, keel, rudder, weight and center of gravity are fixed, and sails are limited to precise maximum dimensions and cloth types. Crews are free to choose deck hardware layout, cleat and block positions and control systems, so the boats can be set up to suit each team. The class rules were prepared following World Sailing recommendations with the Polish Sailing Association's chief measurer.

Nationals, a Polish Cup and match racing

The class runs a Polish Cup series and a national championship. Olympic 470 sailor Tomasz Jakubiak won bronze at the 2009 Polish championship in the class, ocean racer Wojciech Dlugozima won the Polish Cup in 2013, and the 2015 season was the class's tenth. Events have rotated through Polish lake and coastal venues including Mragowo, which hosted the 2020 national championship, Ostrowo near Powidz and Poznan, where the class opened its 2022 season.

The boat has also been used for match racing, was shown at boot Dusseldorf in 2015, and a Turkish crew won the 2016 Kalamis Sportboat Cup in Istanbul against 16 entries under ORC Sportboat rules. Outside Poland and Turkey, however, fleets are rare.

What it is like to sail

With three to five crew, the Delphia 24 is a powered-up planing boat: light, with a big gennaker and a deep, heavy keel. Delphia described it as easy to handle and responsive in every maneuver. Expect a boat that rewards hiking and active trimming upwind and that comes alive on a reach under gennaker once the breeze builds, much like other 24 ft sportboats.

No independent speed figures have been published in English, so treat claims of top speeds with caution. What the numbers do say is that the sail area to weight ratio is in the same league as modern one-design sportboats, and that the design is happiest in flat to moderate water.

Owning one in the US

At 8 ft 2 in wide, the boat fits within the standard 8 ft 6 in US trailer width without an oversize permit, and the lifting keel lowers the towing height. That makes it a practical lake and bay boat for a racing family that wants something quicker than a J/22 but cannot justify a new J/70.

The catch is support. There is no US class, Delphia Yachts became part of Groupe Beneteau in 2018 and the brand now builds only motorboats, and spare parts or class sails will come from Poland. Budget about $2,500 to $7,000 a year for trailer storage, insurance, sails and maintenance, and plan on racing under PHRF rather than as a one-design.

Buying a used Delphia 24

Most boats are in Poland and change hands within the class community, so the class association is the best place to start a search. Check whether the boat holds a current measurement certificate, since one-design legality affects value, and inspect the lifting keel system closely: a heavy cast iron keel sliding in a trunk is the most stressed and most expensive part of the boat to repair.

Because the class allows freedom in deck hardware, every boat is set up differently. Ask for a list of fittings, the age of the sails and the trailer's condition, and compare like for like rather than by year alone.