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2024 Boat of the Year Best Trimaran: Dragonfly 40 Ultimate

• By Dave Reed
• December 20, 2023

“Classy.” That was the first word that came to mind for Boat of the Year judge Mike Ingham when he stepped aboard the formidable 40-foot trimaran from Dragonfly, an unexpected and welcome late entry to the competition in Annapolis. “It almost feels as if the boat is intentionally understated but overdelivered because once you start looking closer at the details and craftsmanship, it just keeps getting more impressive.”

Builder and company owner Jens Quorning, whose family has been building trimarans in southern Denmark since 1967, says the Dragonfly 40 is the biggest boat they now build and a worthy holder of the flagship title. “Building a boat of this scale is complicated,” he says of the folding trimaran. “It takes three years to develop a new design, and this is for owners looking for a bigger boat, with better performance, capable of more long-distance sailing.”

The result is a powerful trimaran aimed at experienced owners who appreciate the sheer pleasure of racing and cruising on three hulls. This is not your average production multihull. It is a powerful and luxurious sailing machine capable of knocking off fast miles in comfort. Slip down below and you’re immediately immersed in a master class of woodwork and joinery. There are berths for four, including a giant master under the cockpit, plenty of standing headroom, and a comfortable salon and galley arrangement that’s monohull-cozy. “We do not offer a big house on the water,” Quorning tells the judges. “But if you really want a fine and elegant yacht with double-digit sailing, this is what we do.”

For our tests, Dragonfly presented its Ultimate edition, the midrange version. An upscaled Performance model is an all-carbon version with a taller mast. And in the lightest wind of the week, sub-10 knots, the trimaran teased the judges with its potential. Still, in the light stuff, the boat delivered a winning experience.

“It was a dream to sail upwind and downwind, almost effortlessly,” Ingham says. “With the gennaker up, at about 100 degrees true, we were going faster than the wind, and with winch pods on each side of the steering wheel, everything was as ergonomic as you could possibly imagine. The electric winches made it a cinch to furl and unfurl the headsails through the tacks and jibes, and the sails trimmed in perfectly every time.”

The feather-light feel of the helm, Ingham adds, was as smooth as a balanced dinghy. “With tiny movements on the wheel, the boat would immediately respond, but I could also walk away from the helm for a few minutes and the boat would stay right on track. Crazy—I think it steered itself better than I did.”

That’s the trait of a good trimaran, Greg Stewart says. The Dragonfly 40 has a lot of buoyancy in the bows, and while the center hull is substantial, the tall trussed rig and square top mainsail provide plenty of power. “The biggest thing that struck me is how easily accessible everything is,” Stewart says. “Clearly, every detail is painstakingly thought out, and I can’t believe how beautifully built the interior is. It’s top-notch, from the glasswork to the paintwork inside and out. Down below, we were all blown away by the finish.”

There’s no denying the boat is expensive at upward of $1 million, but the test boat had quality race sails, a full electric-winch package, and a long list of high-spec extras. At nearly 15,000 pounds light, it’s a substantial boat—not trailerable, but foldable with Dragonfly’s trademark technique that Corning describes as mimicking parallel rules. The floats are 2 feet longer than the center hull, with buoyancy pushed well forward into the reversed bows, and the center hull is narrow at the waterline before sweeping upward to a high and hard chine. This pronounced hull shape allows for the generous amount of headroom, and high bench seats that flank a long centerline table, which can, of course, drop down to create a double-size berth.

Allen noted that the center hull’s wide side decks provide a secure pathway to the bow, rather than across the trampolines. He was also impressed with the ease of sailing the boat and the comfort belowdecks. “When we were doing 9 knots, I went below and there was silence. It’s comfortable and beautiful. It would be a blast to do some long point-to-point racing on it, doublehanded or with like a crew of four, max.”

Stewart agreed, adding that beyond its noteworthy gunkholing attributes, the engine is well aft on the center hull, allowing it to be motored safely into shallow anchorages. The daggerboard is mechanically raised into the trunk, and the rudder kicks up. “I also think it would be great for a distance race or rally type of event,” Stewart says. “Its performance and versatility are what appeal to me, but the build quality is what really sets it apart.”

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Dragonfly 25 – review and test

The dragonfly 25 trimaran weights a shade over 1,000kg and can sail at 17 knots, st’s verdict: an easily-handled daysailer..

Performance: 5/5 Accommodation: 3.5/5 Looks: 4/5

£65,000 ex VAT (as tested)

multihullsolutions.co.uk

The need for speed

The 25 is a pure daysailer/weekender with purpose-built roll-on roll-off trailer for easy launching and recovery. She weighs 1,050kg and, with her minimal wetted area, it's a recipe for speed. The swing wings are delicate but easy to operate.

Create your own apparent wind

With the gennaker up you can almost sail faster than the true windspeed by using your momentum to build apparent wind. On our test sge sailed at 30-32 degrees off the wind and clocked 7knots in 8knots of breeze.

It's not sailing, it's flying

With its floats providing 160 per cent buoyancy, the Dragonfly is capable of flying both leeward and main hull. It's turbo-charged sailing that opens up your horizons. You can beat a foul tide with ease and a cross-channel trip takes half the time.

So this is what a trimaran interior looks like...

There are two removable pods with a small cooker and basin, a lengthy forward berth with a Porta-Potti beneath and a light saloon with removable table. It's adequate for an occasional overnighter and there's substantial extra storage in the sponsons.

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Dragonfly 920 Swing-Wing

• By Quentin Warren
• Updated: July 31, 2002

Single-handed multihuller, offshore pace-setter and Cruising World Boat Of The Year judge Peter Hogg said, “I like this boat. She’s a very good pocket cruiser, trailerable and nicely detailed.” Fellow panelist Bill Lee said, “This boat is fun to sail, with no real faults for her intended purpose.” And circumnavigator Mark Schrader said, “She’s a great pocket cruiser, one that sails really well and offers truly amazing accommodations for her size”. They were all talking about the new Borge Quorning-designed Dragonfly 920 Swing Wing trimaran.

Quality and refinement are not strangers to Denmark’s Quorning Boats where the 920 and three swing-wing siblings – the 1000, 800 and 600 – are built. Not too long ago the 33-foot Dragonfly 1000 took honors in the multihull categories of both Cruising World and Sailing WorldÕs 1994 Boat Of The Year competitions. At a little over 30 feet, the 920 offers virtually the same sailing package in a slightly smaller wrapper. The highlights: spry performance; safe, secure, on-the-level multihull cruising; wide beam easily reduced to ten feet for access to marinas and slips (and further reduced to 8’4″ for trailering); a kick-up centerboard; a kick-up rudder; and truly remarkable finished accommodations.

The newest Dragonfly mimics her predecessors with sandwich construction hand laid using polyester resin and PVC closed-cell foam core throughout the main hull, amas and deck. Each ama is divided by a pair of structural bulkheads designed to promote rigidity and create three separate watertight compartments, any one of which is said to have enough positive buoyancy to float the whole vessel (reassuring to say the least, though our scrutiny fell shy of putting that claim to the test). The main hull includes a crash bulkhead forward to contain collision spoil. The boat’s pivoting akas are fabricated of solid glass with unidirectional fabric oriented to optimize strength and rigidity; at the critical pivot points, stainless steel inserts spread the load and commit to a unified structural network once the whole operation is locked into place. The combination of finely tuned torsion cables, rigid aluminum locking struts and tensioned running backs ensures that the 920 when unfolded and secured in its sailing configuration has the overall integrity of a monocoque tri. Our sea trials aboard the boat supported this very notion; indeed, it felt solid and moved as one, a hardy trimaran unfettered by any apparent weaknesses in its various articulating limbs or points of attachment.

Deck, cockpit and rig are developed for convenient if not easy shorthanded sailing. The cockpit itself is smallish by wide-stern monohull standards, but virtually every control line you need to sail upwind, downwind or sideways runs back to it and remains at the helmspersonÕs fingertips. This includes adjustable jib lead pendants on the cabintop and some cleverly led runner tails that follow the after akas inboard and secure at rope clutches just outside the cockpit coaming. Standard are a pair of Andersen 28 self-tailing winches for halyards, reefing and other cabintop running rigging. A pair of Andersen 40 self-tailing winches serve primary duty on the cockpit coamings. The rig is a high-performance, two-spreader section of carbon fiber fully outfitted with Frederiksen gear, from the ballslide system at the luff of the full-batten mainsail to the two-speed block system and traveler running the mainsheet. The jib is on a furler and it pretty much owns the narrow foredeck; this relegates anchor deployment to an unobtrusive roller fitting on the starboard aka inboard.

The Dragonfly people have been complimented before on the success of their cabinetwork and interior execution and they deserve it yet again. Despite the obvious space constraints of a sleek 30-foot tri, they have managed to work wonders in the main hull of this one. All the elements are there: private sleeping quarters in the V-berth forward, a fully enclosed head, a working galley efficiency with its own dedicated sink and space for an optional alcohol or kerosene stove, a cozy saloon with longitudinal settees port and starboard flanking a fold-up dinette, and even a sizable hanging locker. The look incorporates satin-finished mahogany, white ceilings and upholstered seats.

There is standing headroom in the main cabin and ambient light by way of fixed glass windows. Twelve-volt electrical distribution is handled through a fused panel; two batteries offer a total of 144 amp-hours of DC power, while an AC shorepower package is available optionally. Provisioning and storage are addressed in a variety of bins, cubbies, lockers and nooks.

Sailing the 920 is effortless and fun. It’s a very quick boat but it’s also very stable, two qualities that combine to take the trepidation out of performance and allow an active family to indulge itself without feeling overwhelmed by the machine. In our light-air testing we churned along to weather aided by good sails and a sizable centerboard; off the wind we accelerated in total control, set a rather large asymmetrical kite, jibed it neatly from one windward ama to the next, and reveled in the boat’s speed and spunk. In the true spirit of lightweight, powered-up trimarans, this one moves out and stays on her feet – really a trip to sail.

And you reap huge dividends in versatility when the sails come down and it’s time to take her home. With the turn of a cockpit winch, the amas nest against the main hull in a matter of minutes, turning 22 feet of sailing beam into a marina-friendly 10 feet. A 9.9-horsepower four-stroke Yamaha outboard deploys off a bracket on the stern and powers the light craft away at six-plus knots. Shipped draft at 1’6″ gets you close to shore. Should you want to hit the highways, with a little more effort you can disassemble the boat and put her on a trailer with a road-legal 8’4″ beam.

In the end what you’ve got is a nifty little cruiser with good jets, shallow draft and complete albeit diminutive accommodations. The options list is extensive and worth studying: Everything from lifelines to a holding tank is apt to require your signature. When you come right down to it, however, Dragonfly trimarans in this country are treated on what amounts to a custom basis in the first place, which means that you specify yours to suit your needs for a few extra dollars. You’re not looking at a big old Swan that’s going to take you around the southern capes, but in the world of small boats and spiffy performance cruisers capable of bona fide cruising, the Dragonfly 920 is a real find. A day on the bay and you’re hooked.

Dragonfly 920 Swing-Wing Specifications

• LOA: 30’3″ (9.2 m.)
• LWL: 28’6″ (8.5 m.)
• Beam (max): 21’11” (6.68 m.)
• Beam (folded): 10’0″ (3.0 m.)
• Beam (trailered): 8’4″ (2.5 m.)
• Draft (c’bd dn): 4’10” (1.5 m.)
• Draft (c’bd up): 1’5″ (0.43 m.)
• Disp: 3,968 lbs. (1,800 kgs.)
• Sail area: 581 sq.ft. (54 sq.m.)
• Mast above water: 47’6″ (14.5 m.)
• Disp/Length: 77
• SA/Disp: 37
• Fuel: 7 gal. (27 ltr.)
• Water: 18.5 gal. (70 ltr.)
• Holding: 16 gal. (60 ltr.)
• Auxiliary: 9.9-hp outboard 4-stroke gas
• Designer: Borge Quorning
• Base price: $107,000

Dragonfly Sailboats Inc. 69 Hamilton Avenue Oyster Bay, NY 11771 Phone (516) 624-8405 Fax (516) 624-8009

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Dragonfly 40 - An outstanding trimaran

Practical info.

• Builder : DRAGONFLY /QUORNING BOATS
• Technical specifications
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• Articles about the Dragonfly 40
• Available in issue # 173

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Danish builder Quorning Boats was already producing the Dragonfly 12 M, a large confidential 40-foot model. After 16 units had been completed, production of this luxurious trimaran was interrupted for a complete redesign of the range. The DF40 is now becoming the flagship of the Skaerbek shipyard: its definition is very different to that of the 12 M, as is its ambition to sell in the same numbers (4 to 5 units per year). The silhouette and interior design are more modern, the performance has been increased and the sail handling ergonomics totally revised. We were able to try one out a few months after its only presentation so far, at the 2020 boot Düsseldorf.

Test location: Skaerbek, Denmark Conditions: 10 to 14 knots of wind, slight sea

The DF40 is a very versatile trimaran: thanks to its folding arms, it can slip into a monohull dockspace, being just 13’1” (4m) in beam. For coastal cruising, it benefits from its centerboard configuration. For racing, the Ultimate version comes into its own. But despite all this, the 40 differs from the other models in the range by having a much greater focus on being a “blue water cruiser”. The same goes for its almost luxurious character. This high-performance trimaran adopts modern floats with inverted and voluminous bows. The crossbeams are well clear of the water, giving the DF40 remarkable elegance and a nimble passage through rough water. Particular attention has been paid to the styling of the coachroof and the side windows. The sleek rig -Touring or Ultimate with its additional 6’7” (2 m) mast - highlights the sporty character of this trimaran and reflects its performance ambitions.

Architecture and construction

While testing the Ultimate prototype, we were lucky enough to discover the second example b...

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Dragonfly 32

This elegant trimaran from Denmark combines innovative systems with a comfortable cruising interior  (published November MQ 2014)

It is not every day I get to go sailing with Cam Lewis, who happens to be one of America’s if not the world’s most accomplished multihull sailors. He has sailed everywhere, raced everything and won all sorts of multihull events. So, it was indeed a pleasure to meet up with him aboard the new Dragonfy 32 at Bert Jabin’s Yacht Yard in Back Creek, Annapolis, right after the fall sailboat show.

The Dragonfly was brand new and just out of the show so we had to figure out how to get it rigged properly and set it up for the sail trials. And, right after the trials, Cam was heading off for a solo delivery on the boat northward to New Jersey. The 32 is a system rich environment with strings running every which way. But this was nothing for Cam, who had it sorted in minutes.

With the 20-horsepower diesel and sail drive ticking over slowly and the bow thruster—yes, bow thruster—working, Cam steered us out of a tight slip and headed down the creek. To deploy the amas, all we had to do was release one control line and pull on another and soon they were fully extended. The operation took two minutes per side. Once deployed, the amas are locked into place with diagonal wire stays that keep them from folding up suddenly when you are screaming along at 12 knots. That could be bad.

The Chesapeake Bay was being unusually cooperative by offering a pleasant 10 to 12 knots of wind. Often it blows only zephyrs. We hoisted the big mainsail and immediately the boat felt alive and ready to go. We switched off the engine and rolled out the jib. To our surprise, the jib was a small 100 percent sail instead of the 135 to 130 percent headsail that we had expected. So, we were somewhat under canvassed. (As it turned out, the sailmaker had used a template from a different owner who was having a heavy weather jib cut for his boat to complement the genoa.)

But, we went on undaunted. With Cam calling sail trim we hardened up and sailed out into the bay making a pleasant seven to eight knots in the 10 knots of breeze and held a 30 degree angle to the apparent wind. The boat had a little weather helm that we corrected with traveler trim. And, it tacked easily and carried its speed pretty well through the eye of the wind.

After an hour, we headed back into Annapolis Harbor at a fairly low angle to the wind and found that with some tweaking of the barber haulers, which are standard equipment, we could get a good shape to the headsail and maintain our eight knots through the water. The upshot was that the new Dragonfly 32 sails well on all angles even with a small jib. Had we flown the standard genoa, I am confident we would have seen two or even three more knots of speed.

In the fall of 2013, I made a visit to Denmark to visit with several major marine companies there. Dragonfly was one of them and my tour of their plant gave me a good idea of how the company operates and how they build so much quality into their boats.

Like many boat building companies, Dragonfly is the creation of one man who loved to sail and loved trimarans. In 1967, Borge Quorning launched his company with the intention of building only state of the art cruising and racing trimarans. In the nearly five decades since, Quorning Boats has built over 850 new boats for discerning customers around the world. The boats are built on a semi custom basis, so each one can be tailored to an owner’s specific needs.

The boat’s all have infused and cored vinylester hulls and decks that are light, stiff and strong. The rig has a rotating mast that is fitted with diamond stays and adjustable running back stays. The jib is on a fixed roller reefing system while the reacher and asymmetrical spinnaker fly free on the carbon bowsprit.

The 32 was designed to fill the gap between the popular 28 and the 35 and borrows a lot of the details and design aspects from the 35. The interior is remarkably large for a high performance tri. The forward cabin has a comfortable V-berth that is large enough for two adults. Just aft is the head compartment that can be closed off with doors. Aft and under the cockpit, there is a full double berth that is both spacious and somewhat private.

To our surprise, we found that there are comfortable bunks for six adults aboard the 32 and an enclosed head, facts that made us wonder how they managed to fit it all in without creating clutter or confined spaces.

Borge and Jens Quorning have built a successful business by creating high performance cruising trimarans that are a pleasure to sail and race. The boats handle well, sail fast and are good at sea. They may not be the lightest on the racecourse and that’s because they are also comfortable cruising boats. The craftsmanship, engineering and finished joinery that goes into each boat is of the very highest standard.

LOA        32’2” LWL        31’2” LOA-folded    39’4” Beam/open    26’3” Beam/folded    12’2” Draft        1’8” Draft/CB    6’3” Sail area    753 sq. ft. Displ.        7,230 lbs Water        32 gals. Fuel        16 gals.

Dragonfly Sailboats Garwood, NJ E-mail: [email protected] www.trimarans.com

Author: George Day

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Dragonfly 800

The dragonfly is a speedy danish import that goes head-to-head with the popular f-27..

At the 1992 U.S. Sailboat Show in Annapolis, Maryland, there were more than a dozen multihulls on exhibit. How times have changed; just a few years before, bitter from lack of interest by the boating public, multihull builders and designers seemed to be saying, “If you ain’t gonna buy me, then I ain’t available…it ain’t me you’re looking for, babe!” Scorned, they pretty much kept to themselves.

But many multihullers persisted. And the record times of the big cats and tris in long-distance singleand double-handed events were too spectacular to go unnoticed. We’ll never forget motoring out in a Mako photo boat to meet Chay Blyth and Rob James finishing the Two-Star off Newport, Rhode Island. His Brittany Ferries GB had made landfall off Cape Cod, then turned southwest toward Newport. We came upon him just as the sun set, making 20 knots in a rainbow of spume. It was hard to keep up, even with a Chrysler 318 V-8 under the saddle.

Over the years we’ve had a number of unforgettable experiences aboard multihulls—skimming across Saginaw Bay with Meade Gougeon aboard his 35-foot Adagio, sailing close-hauled downwind; cruising the Chesapeake aboard a Gemini catamaran, the only boat our son with cerebral palsy ever felt really comfortable on; and ripping up Buzzard’s Bay on Chris White’s Atlantic 50 cat, everything wire taut, slicing the chop as neatly as a Veg-A-Matic.

You’ll never be converted from a monohull to a multihull without first taking a ride. What gets you is this: 1. In light air, when you would be motoring your monohull, you can make six knots, and in higher wind speeds you double or triple your speed. A good multihull does to ocean passages what the Concorde does to air time between Paris and New York. 2. No heel. You begin to realize that much of the fatigue you’ve experienced in the past comes from sailing on your ear, every muscle tensed. 3. The multihull is a vast platform offering new freedom, new vistas, and, for the slightly misanthropic, new opportunities to get away from the rest of the crew. Multihulls have arrived, folks. And so has the Dragonfly 800 Swing Wing.

The Design and Construction

The Dragonfly 800 comes in two configurations, one for racing and one for what the company calls cruising, which is a misnomer only in that it implies a plodding demeanor, which is hardly the case. The essential difference is a taller mast and Kevlar sails for the racing model. Our test sail was aboard the “cruiser.”

The designer of the Dragonfly is Borge Quorning, a Dane who also builds them. The first boat was launched in 1981; the 800 Swing Wing is a third generation model, introduced in 1989.

Construction is unidirectional fiberglass with Airex coring in the hull and deck. The glass work looks first-class with no ripples, clean edges, and many nice details such as a comfortable angle for the cockpit coaming/backrest. Most of the hardware is of good quality, including Frederiksen blocks and Andersen winches. An alleged bad batch of resin caused delamination of several rudders a couple of years ago, but, according to the importer, the problem has been rectified.

To retract its amas for berthing or trailering, the Dragonfly 800 incorporates a different method than the F-27, to which it is often compared. Whereas the F-27’s crossbeams pull up and in, the Dragonfly’s pivot aft. The advantage is that it’s extremely easy to pull in an ama: Remove the aluminum strut between the hull and crossbeam, ease tension on the rig, loosen the netting and winch it in. The down side is that with both amas drawn in, the boat’s beam is just over nine feet, which is wider than the legal road limit. For trailering, four bolts on each ama must be unscrewed and the ama removed. They stow upside down on the trailer. This isn’t a big deal, but it does take a little longer than commissioning or decommissioning the F-27.

Clearly the rigging of the Dragonfly has been refined over the years as everything is very well thought out. All sail handling operations can be accomplished from the cockpit. For example, the drum of the roller furling gear is located below the deck (at the forward end of the anchor locker), and its control line is led aft to emerge underneath the traveler in the cockpit. Lines to haul the amas in and out emerge from seemingly nowhere on top of the cockpit coaming, right next to a winch. Very convenient.

And a barberhauling system, led from the bow of each ama to blocks on the jib sheet, then to the aft end of each ama and into the cockpit, permit infinite and precise sheeting. The rotating mast also can be controlled from the cockpit. Most controls run through rope clutches on the coachroof.

Performance

We test sailed the Dragonfly 800 on Long Island Sound, on a chilly but sunny day in October. Winds were light—5 to 8 knots. Reaching we were able to sail at the speed of the wind, and nearly so upwind. We were reminded that in a monohull we’d probably be motoring.

Top speed, according to company literature, is about 25 knots, which would have to be one hell of an experience. Above 12 knots, we were told, you get a beautiful roostertail.

The boat tacks easily, pivoting about its centerboard. There is little if any helm, at least at slower speeds, and with the main and jib sheeted in for most points of sail, you feel like you’re driving a go-cart in an empty mall parking lot—just aim and go.

Dragonfly 800 Diagram

Broad reaching we set the spinnaker, which on a multihull is easy because no pole is necessary. And with each clew sheeted to an ama, there is no fear of it wrapping the forestay.

An interesting characteristic of the Dragonfly is that when overpowered, the hull begins to lift and the rudder cavitates, causing the boat to round up. We’re not sure we’d rely on this as our only clue to possible danger, but it’s nice to know that the boat’s natural inclination is to round up rather than flip.

The recommended outboard size is 6 hp., which will move the Dragonfly in flat water at 7.2 knots. It can be controlled from the cockpit, allowing you to turn both the motor and the tiller at the same time, in which case it will do donuts in its own length.

We’ve grown accustomed to the fact that small trimarans don’t have the interior volume of a similar monohull. That said, we found the Dragonfly’s accommodations cheerful and tastefully done.

The V-berths are quite long (about 7 feet), with a tinted skylight overhead. You can’t sit up in bed, but there’s ample leg room. A pull-down privacy blind separates the V-berths from the settees. An optional toilet may be installed under one cushion.

The settees in the main cabin have fold-out panels underneath the cushions that secure against the centerboard trunk; the backrest cushions then fit over the panels and presto, you’ve got two 30-inchwide bunks. Fitted over the centerboard trunk is a teak drop-leaf table. Aft is a small split galley with sink (17-gallon water tank) and single-burner Origo alcohol stove. We did note that the seacocks did nothave flanges, which are recommended by ABYC.

With ash plywood overhead, designer lights, teak trim, and a nice view out the windows from a seated position, time spent belowdecks is pleasant and comfortable. Especially appreciated is the forward facing hatch, which allows a good deal of light and air into the cabin.

The cockpit can become an extension of the living space with the dodger and Bimini erected and zipped together. Both fold unobtrusively out of the way and are further illustrations of how everything on this boat fits together just so.

For us, buying a Dragonfly would be like buying a Porsche, a strong move that puts you back in touch with the road. Though company literature states that boats may be custom equipped at the factory for transoceanic passages, we would not attempt it. In fact, we like this boat better without confusing its purpose. To our mind it’s a terrific daysailer and an adequate coastal cruiser.

Choosing between the Dragonfly 800 and F-27 is tough. With a 1993 base price of $49,500, the Dragonfly is about the same as an F-27, but includes many standard items that are optional on the F-27, such as sails and roller furling. It’s also a foot shorter and does not have the F-27’s aft cabin with extra berths. Frankly, we like the looks of the Dragonfly’s open transom better, as well as the convenience it affords swimmers. On the other hand, the F-27’s aft cabin gives some folks an added sense of security in the cockpit. Which you favor may depend on whether you need those extra berths. As far as main cabins go, we favor the Dragonfly’s.

Our final impression of the Dragonfly 800 is that it’s just plain fun to sail. We like it.

RELATED ARTICLES MORE FROM AUTHOR

Hi! Darrell, I’ve recently acquired a damaged Dragonfly trimaran 8M, and while I love the tri with lots of multi experience, I’ve fallen into a rut and need some help. I’ve searched the web for info on the ‘folding system’ and can only find a different model to mine, (Canadian model) with ‘balsa core’. The system I did find has ‘folding ropes’ coming from ‘inside’ the beams and mine doesn’t. any help from you or your readers would be greatly appreciated. Also to help motivation, (as I get older), I’d like to acquire a MODEL of an 8 or 9.2M MODEL of the tri., I’m quite happy to beg, borrow (with deposit) or buy it if available. I appreciate the great work you do, and Thank You very much, ‘B J’.

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Dragonfly 25

Design & Performance

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Specifications

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Maintenance

The Dragonfly 25 is available in two versions, a Touring version for family cruising and the more powerful and dynamic Sport version for racing in the fast lane. The boat is a multifunctional multihull and can easily be sailed and handled single-handed. You can keep the boat moored folded in a normal narrow marina slip or even drysail the boat. Set-up time for rigging up the boat on the trailer till you go sailing is approx. 2 hours for two persons.

Dragonfly 25 Videos

The Dragonfly 25 is available in two versions, a Touring version for cruising with family and friend and the more powerful and dynamic Sport version for racing in the fast lane. The difference from the ‘Touring version to the Sport version lies in the mast, rig, and sails.

The powerful, high-volume floats extend forward of the center hull for maximum diagonal stability when reaching, and features a wave piercing float design, while the structure ensures a rigid platform for dynamic and responsive handling.

The Dragonfly 25 comes with the famous Swing-Wing system, which Quorning Boats introduced more than 30 years ago. The beam of the boat can easily be reduced from 5.80 m to 2.30 m in a matter of minutes, which allows the boat to fit into a normal marina berth and even into a 40 ft container.

The Dragonfly 25 is a multifunctional multihull and can easily be sailed and handled by one person. You can keep the boat moored, folded in a normal marina slip or even let it fall dry. The draft of the boat is only 35 cm, which also allows you to sail the boat into shallow waters or up on a sandy beach.

Setting the mast by using the mast setting gear, and launching the boat from the trailer, you will be out sailing in less than 30 minutes - even one person can do it. The Dragonfly 25 is easy to transport by road on a trailer. A Dragonfly 25 on trailer can be towed by any medium sized car due to its light weight of 1,600 kgs in total.

The boat offers two smaller cabins, where three adults can sleep, or two adults and two smaller children. 

The Dragonfly 25 offers you independency, possibilities, and lots of fun on the water.

Designed by Jens Quorning and Steen Olsen

Reviews, articles & awards.

Australian Multihull World - Nov/Dec 2018 Text and photos: Kevin Green

Practical Boat Owner - November 2015

Text and photos: David Harding

Dragonfly 25 versus Astus 24: The match!

French Magazine

Text and photos: Emmanuel van Deth

Yacht Revue - June 2015

Text and photos: Roland Duller

(Test in German)

Voiles Magazine - July 2015

(Test in French) 

Fræk lillesøster i Swing Wing familien

Bådmagasinet - June 2015

Text and photos: Henrik Hansen

(Test in Danish)

Seilmagasinet - 1/2016

Text: Axel Nissen-Lie / Photos: Bertel Kolthof

(Article in Norwegian)

Awarded by SAIL Magazine

Winner. The European Yacht of the Year is a prize awarded and judged by 11 different European magazines, from 11 different nations.

Yacht des Jahres 2016 - Die Yacht 4/2016

Photos: Bertel Kolthof

(Article in German)

Yacht Revue - 2/2016

Text: Roland Duller / Photos: Bertel Kolthof

Dragonfly 25 Sport was awarded Winner at the Warsaw Boat Show March 2018

Dragonfly 25 Sport participating in the annual Sarasota Multihull Regatta.

Southern Yacht Club, April 2022.

Text: Timothy Molony

To inform and illustrate recommended service, maintenance, and refitting on an older Dragonfly, we have drawn this general information sheet. Rough elements, like strong winds and wave conditions, strong saltwater and UV do have some impact on the boat after a long sailing life.

We strongly recommend servicing and changing vital parts on your boat according to our recommendations. This information overrules any other former information you may have, as the following is based on updated knowledge.

Visual check of all cables is still required when changing the rigging. When trailering the boat, we strongly recommend focusing on side stay cables, as these easily bend when stepping the mast. Bended side stay cables near the terminal may cause the side stay cable to break.

On all Dragonflys, please regularly check the forestay cable in the top by the terminal. When furling, the spinnaker halyard may block the forestay, which can cause failure of the forestay.

Trampolines

On all Dragonflys, we recommend re-stitching (sewing) along the seems of the trampolines every 6-7 years (in climates with strong UV, every 5 years). Normally, our clients change their trampolines after 10-12 years use.

Float deck teflon pad rings

On Dragonflys built after 1989, the white 5 mm Teflon pad rings on the float deck need to be changed every 13-15 years – this is neither critical nor structural. For easy change of these pads/rings, you just bolt off the floats from the wings.

Quick-links

Over the years, Quorning Boats has used the riggings links, so-called Quick-Links, in the Dragonfly production. When replacing these, it is of utmost importance to purchase links of same high quality or similar products carrying same strength (working load). Many products look the same, but do not carry the same strength.

Ordering parts

Original parts can be ordered at Quorning Boats at  [email protected]

Common spare parts can be shipped within two weeks, whereas special parts and/or custom-made parts usually are served within 6-8 weeks.

Caution for all painted surfaces on the boat and mast

Painted surfaces may not be covered with Plastic or other non-breathable materials, as water and condensation can not be lead away from the painted surfaces, and these are not able to dry. When water is stuck between the Paint and a non-breathable or non-ventilated material, blisters can occur between the paint and the gelcoat or the carbon sections of the mast. Due to these circumstances, the permanent use of Ex. Matt-Fenders cannot be recommended, as water and Condensation can also get stuck between these and the hull, and lead to blisters in the Paint.

Quorning Boats can not be held responsible for Blisters in the paint occurred due covering the painted surfaces with non-breathable materials.

Parts ordered at Quorning Boats Denmark, will be produced in originally designed materials. Should you choose to order from other suppliers, please check that the same kind of materials are used – especially on the waterstays and other rigging parts, where stronger Dyeform cables are needed.

DRAGONFLY 25 (built since 2015) Waterstays – every 10 years (max), or by 15,000 NM Side stays and forestay – every 10 years (max), or by 10,000 NM Diamond spreader stays on the mast – every 15 years

Owner's Manual

Please click here to see the Owner’s Manuals of the Dragonfly 25 

Read the Dragonfly 25 brochure

Check out the other dragonflys.

Dragonfly 28

The Dragonfly 28 sets new standards for the possibilities of a sailing boat. The perfect boat does not exist - but the Dragonfly 28 is very close to this ideal. The Dragonfly 28 comes in two versions, the Dragonfly 28 Touring version and the Dragonfly 28 Performance version.

Dragonfly 32

This Dragonfly 32 comes in a modern and dynamic design - setting new standards in both function and design. The perfect combination between family cruising and racing - also offshore. Explore your dreams!

Dragonfly 40

The all-new Dragonfly 40 Performance Cruiser is cutting edge design with focus on easy handling and shorthanded sailing. Spacious cockpit and a stylish, modern interior. Setting new standards for comfortable and safe family offshore sailing.

Dragonfly newsletter

Find a dealer

Find your local dealer

Quorning Boats ApS

Skærbækvej 101 7000 Fredericia Denmark

+45 7556 2626

[email protected]

VAT No DK 18 88 83 78

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