Since 2008 Indian Navy was looking for indigenous sailboat manufacturer and cannot find anyone for that description so they floated tender and precisely two boat builders across the country.

So, Ratnakar Dandekar was one of the best boat builders from the Goa Divar Island.

The Aquarius Shipyard Dandekar’s company never built the ocean-faring sailboat in fact Indian company also has never built the Ocean-faring sailboat so on the basis of cost and track record when Dandekar selected it is a very steep learning curve.

Dandekar in his interview said “challenges come when the hull arrives and 64% humidity content, but the recommended figure was 12%”.

Dehumidifiers and go down is fitted with large go down and then the wood is dried it takes around one month to become material suitability and the project was  about six months/ The outer skeleton of the boat is named as INSV Mhadei.

Next he built is keel which is the backbone of sailboat and its again a hurdle for him, which involved pouring nine tons of lead into keel so Dandekar travelled Vasai manufacturing company to get the knowledge of how to pour the lead in batteries so that he can get help to create the keel.

Indian Navy called Dutch boat builder Johan Vels to supervise and instruct the INSV Mhadei. Vels said to build a sailboat first you have to be a good sailboat, then only you can build and with this Dandekar’s perspective change and they built the boat in 14 months.

Naval Officer Dilip Donde went for a voyage in 2009 then he comments “that this boat will not last for three months in the ocean”.

Dandekar started making sailboats with other instructions and work with other companies also. And now Dandekar Company is ready to take any boat building challenge.