DELPHIA 29
PRICE £25,000-£40,000 YEAR 2004-2008
model). The backs of the straight settees usefully hinge up to create 0.8m (2ft 8in) wide berths, although only the starboard settee is over 6ft long.
The galley is compact with a limited work surface, but there’s a cooker, sink, gash bin, pumped water and reasonable stowage. The aft-facing chart table is small but includes chart stowage and a switch panel, while the moulded heads has a wet locker, shower and toilet, but limited headroom. The berths forward and aft are a good size, although the latter has limited head clearance. Stowage is reasonable, but the fuel and water tanks are under both berths.
The cockpit takes up to four crew and the single-point mainsheet, terminating on a raised plinth (the table base in port), is easily reached — along with the jib sheet winches on the coachroof. A deep locker houses hot water and holding tanks, washboard rack and deck gear, while opposite is a two-bottle gas locker.
She has a deep chain locker and a stout anchor roller on a short sprit plank. Cleats are chunky and the fairleads set into the solid alloy toerail.
The swing keel model has a four-fifths fractional rig with conservative sail plan, whereas the deep fin version has greater sail area thanks to its taller, masthead rig. Both had fully battened mainsails, single-line reefing, lazyjacks and a furling jib.
Under sail she is quick, responsive, fun to sail and surprisingly stiff, although the swing keeler needs reefing a little earlier.