The Dela will be the first national sailboat class in Croatia
Sani Delić, renowned Split sailor and owner of the Ramina Pomorstvo Company, specialized in the construction of masts and rigging, will present at the Zagreb Nautical Fair from 21 to 25 February a premiere show of a true pearl of Croatian small shipbuilding – the Dela sailboat. It is a smaller version of a classic dinghy made by the project of Sani’s father Ljubo Delić from the 1950s. Ljubo Delić built these models from the 1950s to the 1970s more out of love than profit, producing only one per year. Sani has reinvigorated and modernized his father’s project, redesigned the deck, created drains, made a prototype from wood and made molds for plastic casts. The sailboat is 3.5 meters long with an especially sporty character and simple to sail, weighs only 190 kilograms, with an aluminum mast five meters long and weighing only eight kilograms.
“The Dela sailboat is unsinkable. It has a removable keel stretching from bow to stern, so you can even paddle on it. It sails great, and can even hold a smaller outboard engine. It can carry two to three persons, depending on their weight, and has excellent maritime characteristics. Last year we sailed the wooden model at the celebration of the sea and traditional ships in Starigrad on Hvar, with the Dela at five Beauforts of wind showed she is way faster than the falkuša and other classic ships,” explained Sani Delić.
So far only one copy of the plastic sailboat has been made, to be presented at the fair in Zagreb. The first one is already sold, but new copies are under way. The price of this small sports sailboat is 9.000 euro + VAT, which includes the boat with rigging, rudder and a Dacron sail. Additionally you can order a bowsprit, trailer, drifter and carbon sails. It is interesting the Dela – as the first serial regatta boat built in the country – will be the first national sailboat class in Croatia.
“It is an ideal sailboat for those who love to sail, but don’t want a large boat due to demanding maintenance. It is suitable for weekend homes, recreation, and sailing lessons. It is easy to place on a trailer, very easy to maintain, in winter all it requires is to be removed from the sea and turned upside down. Only one copy is complete for now, but when we have more we will be able to sail it in a one design class,” said Delić.
