DRAGONFLY

BOATYARD

Where aredragonflies
born?

Some boat’s stand out from the rest, and some boatyards doeverything they can to add extra soul to them.
This is the case of Quorning Boats and Dragonfly trimarans
and, to understand, you need to travel to Denmark
to meet Jens Quorning.
Text: F.-X. de Crécy. Photos: François Van Malleghem.

Jens Quorning

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DRAGONFLY BOATYARD

A HANDSHAKE in a boatyard and anhonest gaze: the date is set. There was no pointin confirming, following-up, beating about thebush: six months later, Jens Quorning met us at
the boatyard, a short distance from the harbourof Skaerbaek, on the western coast of theDanish peninsula. We quickly understood that
nothing would be left to chance and that his
team had organised the time we would spend
with him or on the Dragonfly 28 Performance
perfectly. This calm reliability and concern forthings well done are the foundation of Jens’s
work and the reputation of the boatyard.
Besides, how can you distinguish the two? Jens
literally grew up in these workshops and saw
his father Børge work on the old band saw thatthe joiners still use today. He saw the buildings
get bigger, he imagined new boats with Børge,fighting alongside him to establish Danishtrimarans on the European and theninternational markets.

AROUND FIFTYBOATS A YEAR
And he succeeded. For Jens, this success could
not just be measured in figures. The boatyard
built about fifty boats per year and this was agood result, but what is more remarkable is thequality. The quality of the Dragonfly niche, offolding trimarans, of which the Danish are truemasters, and of the boats themselves. They areoften tarred with being expensive boats. But
there is a reason for this. Right from themoment we set foot in the yard – people get upvery early in Denmark, they have a 30-hourworking week by law – we caught sight of an
overturned central hull of a dragonfly 28. You
could instantly see the complexity of its hullshape, to which can be added the considerable
structural constraints of the arms.

These constraints are all the more important,because as the trimaran is designed to be folded,
so a strong crossbeam cannot be relied upon. At
the fore beam and the mast, the most criticalparts, the forces are transferred to a structural
bulkhead. There are two of them, and although
the whole boat is built using a GRP foam
sandwich, these are the only parts made byinfusion. Why is this? Here again, the reason liesin the complex shape which Jens believes would
make the laying up and infusion too timeconsuming. After looking at the problem from allsides, he decided to continue to hand lay thesandwich laminate, using a vinyl ester resin mix
and a high-quality GRP for the structural parts.
Aware that his boat was already expensive, hedidn’t want to add to the price by making theprocess more complicated. He was not about tocompromise on the stiffness of the platform
either. The result is dazzling speeds and the joy
and thrills of being on the water. Especially if you
have an inshore wind, with a breeze that comesin sudden gusts, bringing you from 8 to 15 knots
every time, with a delightful whistle and scarcely
a worry in the world.
Another reason for the high cost is the moulds.
50 are required to build just one dragonfly 28!
Knowing that a set of moulds can be used tobuild roughly 300 boats and that 180 trimarans
in the dragonfly 28 series have been built ineight years, it is easier to understand how longthe models in the Dragonfly range last. And themoulds must rotate. At Quorning, moulds are
only used for as long as is necessary. The hulls
are placed in sorts of casing, to prevent any
distortion before the structure is assembled.
What is the point of designing beautiful hulls ifthey leave the yard misshapen, if only by two
millimetres? Remember that the Dragonfly’s
architect is Jens Quorning himself, assisted byhis partner Steel Olsenon.

In the breeze, the trimaran
structure takes considerable
strain. It requires unique expertise
to make it fold.

THE DRAGONFLY 29PERF. IN FIGURES
Hull length: 8.75 m (28’). Beam: 4.99 m. (16’) Draught:
2.54-6.50 m. (8’4” - 21’4”) Displ.: 2,000 kg (with sails andengine). Area upwind: 64 m2 (689 sq ft). Genoa: 21 m2(226 sq ft). Mainsail: 43 m2 (463 sq ft). Mat.: GRP
sandwich. Arch. : Jens Quorning/Steen Olsen. Const. :Quorning Boats. Starts at:€195,480. Price of boat tested: €239,360.

He qualified in naval architecture at school, but
he validated it by working in the United Statesalongside Dick Newick. Naturally, when you live
among trimarans from such an early age...

The hulls are placed in casing to prevent any
distortion while the structural parts andaccommodation are installed.

Jens Quorning is a racer, architect, and a boat builder. He also turns out to be an excellent cook! Afterlong 15-knot tacks on the Dragonfly 28 Performance, the pleasures of anchoring are also on theprogramme.

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In the mast workshop, most of thestainless-steel fittings are made on site.

The moulded wood features are painted
in a booth, and this is definitely worth
writing home about.

The backing mould inside is very thin. Everythingthat can be in-built is; even the washbasinin the head, to reduce weight.

After mounting the arms, the installationof the centreboard is part of the finishing
touches.
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This unconventional background has given
Jens unique expertise in folding trimarans. His
proficiency in empirical drawing andconstruction places him beyond the reach ofthe competition. Last year, a Dragonfly 28
Performance was riddled with sensors for an
academic project. “It was fascinating to see a
lot of things confirmed, but honestly, we didn’tlearn anything.” And you can believe this!
Under sail, he tells us that the force measured
at the primary block of the mainsheet tackle
was actually 1.2 metric tons. This is logical.
When the boat can no heel no further to pickup a puff of wind, the structure takes thestrain.

THE STRUCTURE
TAKES THE STRAIN

THEQUORNINGBOATSSAGA

And it takes a hammering. This is what you say
to yourself when you sail full and by in a steady
20-knot wind a choppy sea. The speedometerswings up and down between 12 and 17 knots,
nothing creaks, nothing loosens: the boat isperfectly safe. Under the reefed mainsail, ourDragonfly 28 Performance has the sail plan of
the Touring version, with an aluminium mast andthe old floats with straight bows. There is a huge
difference in terms of performance andprogramme. In fact, the huge majority of theDragonflies are sold in the Performance version,
with wave-piercing floats for the 25 and 28,including a carbon mast manufactured for themost part at the yard. The profiles (filamentwinding) arrive bare. They are fitted on site andonly with stainless steel fittings. The mast footand its sheaves are a remarkable fitting, as is
the hound collar, naturally strengthened by across line. It is very fine work. The joinery canbe found in the neighbouring workshop and you
feel that it this is cherished by and the pride ofthe boss. Admittedly, everything needs to belight, but there is no question of overlooking thewarmth of varnished wood. After all, we are in
Scandinavia! And Jens rightly believes in theimportance of this philosophy, which remains that1967

of a cruiser, even if it often sails at above 10knots. This high standard is translated bymagnificent laminated parts, moulded at the yard.
Everything is varnished ad hoc in the painting
booth on site, sanded, and re-varnished, etc. The
impact on the atmosphere on board is irrefutable,
without making the design unwieldy, which
remains relatively elementary. Another striking
feature is the quality of the finish, the command of
a thousand and one tricks on board that havebeen tried and tested and improved over thegenerations of Dragonflies. On the other hand,the extra berth assembled in the passageway
between the soles of the saloon is a new featureand it demonstrates that the team continues torack their brains to make the boats as modular
and habitable as possible. The focus is on quality
cruising. On board, you quickly realise that Jens
enjoys leaving drift in his wake as much as hedoes cooking his expertly marinated steaks atanchor, with a glass of red wine in hand. Frenchwine what is more, even though we anchoredleeward of a Danish vineyard. Yes, they do haveone. It is on the island of Als, at the back of thisalmost lake-like stretch of water, which wereached by following a small sandy passage.
Denmark is incredible! And the incredible
Dragonfly capable of offering such high-quality
comfort, following a day at an average of 13
knots, and which on top of that can be easilytransported. This extra feature is linked to the factthat the Dragonfly folds. It is disconcertingly easy.
It takes barely 5 minutes once the boomsprit ispulled alongside the edge. Folding backwards,
the floats lift the central hull a few centimetresand the boat becomes a sort very narrow pseudocatamaran. Its initial stability seems very good,
but you would definitely not sail in thisconfiguration.

Composite workshop. A huge air
extractor constantly renews the air.
1972

Trident28

1980Børge builds a 16-foot trimaran, lashed together,for his young sons Eric and Jens. The boys call it
the Dragonfly, without realising that the namewould stick. At the time Jes is 10 years old andtacks for the first time on this trimaran.

1985
Dragonfly 25

The Quorning brothers excel in the “Round Britain& Ireland Race”. Eric comes first on an optimized
Dragonfly 25, Jens comes second on his prototype,
Quick Step III, with a rotating wing mast. Thanks
to these wins, people started to talk about
Dragonflies in Europe

1989
Dragonfly800MKIII“THE” Dragonfly

Family photo in front of the latest boat, the Trident
28, which is also the first boat built by Quorning
Boats. However, Børge Quorning, Jens’s father,
had already designed and built others inVancouver, in the early sixties.

86 AUGUST 2018 • VOILE MAGAZINEThe Dragonfly 25 is not yet a folding model, but it is
the first trimaran to be commercially named this way.
Børge and Jens build it to occupy themselves while
temporarily laid off, for the simple reason that there
are no orders! Difficult times for the boatyard...

The Dragonfly 800 MKIII, from the Dragonfly 800
launched in 1987, is the first folding trimaran ofthe range. Its success helped get the boatyard
off the ground. Paul Elvström (photo below)
even ordered one!

2017...
Jens has been managing Quorning Boats since1995 and is celebrating its 50th anniversary. The
success of the range has increased since the2000s. The launch of the Dragonfly 25 in 2015, andthen the 28 Performance in 2016, modernises theline with wave-piercing floats.

Dragonfly 25 Performance

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DRAGONFLY BOATYARDDRAGONFLY 28 PERFORMANCE GUIDED TOUR

Centreboard and rudder lifted, you can place the bow on the sand without abother.

The boatyard abandoned the wing mast toguarantee stability: the profiles offered are allround. Overnight, the crew divided itself
among the aft cabin berth, which can beaccessed by sliding the companionway
sideways (it remains usable), the open cabin,just forward of the head and the two berths inthe saloon already mentioned. They are allvery comfortable.

REAL CRUISERSA JOY TO LIVE ABOARD
Good quality berths, a real galley with anastonishingly large fridge, marine toilet withwashbasin, we are definitely on a real cruiser.
We used the spinnaker to get back to theboatyard. It was an opportunity to appraise theclever barber-hauler system which can be used
to locate the genoa position off-centre, but also
to secure the spinnaker almost anywhere youwant, within the limit of the boat’s beam! Thehelmsman, comfortably supported on raisedbenches, steers the boat with two fingers on
the tiller extension, even a high speed, thanks
to the cleverly compensated rudder.

Such fun! Naturally, we were sorry to lash up
the spinnaker in its sock before stowing it away
in a float at the end of this short trip, 30 miles
there, 30 miles back, that represented five hours
of sailing in all. Naturally, at nearly 13 knots on
average, the playing field is not the same. Whatwould it take for it to be worthy of the title of theideal boat? Some people have sought this all
their lives. After 48 hours with Jens Quorning,you feel like you have seen the light. If you
really had to temper your enthusiasm, you
would naturally talk about the price, even if it
seems technically justified. You could also talkabout the design, particularly of the Dragonfly
32 and 35, which are a little dated with theirround stern. But the dependability of theboatyard, its experience – 50 years of knowhow 1,100 trimarans built – and the resulting
intelligent design are beyond reproach. You canalso see from the way Jens Quorning sails that
he is a man who looks ahead constantly andwho knows what he is doing. You can count on
him to maintain his lead. His dragonflies willcontinue to swirl around sailing grounds inEurope.

In front of the head, you have access to theopen cabin where you can isolate yourself.

The sideways sliding companionway makes itmuch easier to access the aft “cabin”.

To port side, you have the raised saloon with a sea view, to starboard the passageway, which is closed off if you use the whole table. The panel runningthe length
the central
lengthof the ofcentral
unit isunit
folded down to so that you can rest your feet.

HelloMulti – a passion for trimarans!
The change was announced at the Nauticboat show in Paris, where Charlotte
Matthijsse and Julien Binard exhibited theDragonfly 28 Performance. This couple
from Vendée, formerly employed at
Bénéteau, created the company HelloMulti,
which now imports Dragonfly trimarans,
continuing the work of Jean-Marc Le
Goueff (Multisailing), who acted on theirbehalf for twenty years or so. Charlotte andJulien are both very enthusiastic andbacked by sound experience. They fell inlove with the Dragonfly and want toestablish a service centre in the long term,i.e.
Providing servicing and a winter refit exclusively for Danish trimarans. What is more, they have also
recently become the sole distributors for Neel trimarans. Learn more: www.dragonfly-france.com for
Dragonfly trimaran imports, and www.hellomulti.com about the company.

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The drawer fridge to the right ofthe companionways is perfect.

When the boat is folded, you canmove about without railings.

Downwind, the tackle to leeward hooked onto the clew tautens the leech andacts as a preventer providing safety.

At night, berths unfold on eitherside of the table.

The rigging is brought back into thecoaming, under the lifting seats.

The engine control (hydraulic andgas) is below the locker hatch.

Clever and well-finished storage
in front of the hob.

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