First impressions of the Quant 30

Latest Hugh Welbourn DSS-equipped sportsboat is launched

The Quant 30 is a new Hugh Welbourn-designed Dynamic Stability System sportsboat. The boat is an enlarged and upgraded version of Swiss owner Michael Aeppli's Quant 28 lake racer, but significantly has been productionised, the boats built at Boat Developments in Falmouth. Unlike most other DSS-equipped boats, the Quant 30 has twin boards that flip out laterally rather than a single foil that slides through the centre of the boat.

The first Quant 30 has now been delivered to Switzerland.

Here Aeppli provides his thoughts on the new boat...

The Q28 has grown up

The Q28 – predecessor of the new Q30 -is doubtlessy a very fast and capable boat – especially for her size. It gives you the thrill of dinghy sailing and you sometimes feel like flying on low altitude.

The new Q30 was planed to be as quick, but easier to sail and taking less time to prepare in terms of transportation, stepping up the mast etc.

The development-package to get from the Q28 to the Q30 includes:
- Slightly longer boat to help even out puffs and shifts
- Longer mast for extremely light conditions
- Two independent foils instead of one (both in, both out, or deploying prior to tacks and jibes)
- Folding rack with easy trampoline tensioning (racks hide under fullcover when boatis lying on morring or
harbour)
- Mainsail storing on boom, furler and coverfor jib and more comfort for the crew
- Slightly bigger bulb for more stability and sailing for fun with small crew or even singlehanded
- Advanced and upgraded layout

In normal conditions the new boat sails and handles like a conventional sportsboat for lakes. All the new features work perfectly as only the details have been altered.

In terms of sailing performance, the boat feels bigger - the stop-start dinghy characteristics of the Quant 28 have been evened out.  Although the Q30 is very fast, it is very quiet and, thanks to her almost skinny hull shape, makes very little wake, if the crew is positioned correctly. You have to have a look at your speedo to see how fast you are going.

With her minimal, thin fin, going upwind in light conditions is easy compared to the 28. The new boat is very fast - without any fuss – average speeds of 7 knots and peaks of 7.8 are possible if the crew concentrates.

Downwind the Quant 30 is very fast for her size, overcoming her hull speed barrier very easily, leaving displacement mode long before other comparable non-DSS sportsboats.

The foil works much more discreetly than on the 28. It is well immersed and if feels like its drag has been minimised even more. You can boost lift by increasing the angle of attack. This you do by moving the crew aft just slightly.

Maybe the new Quant 30 is not faster than the 28 in terms of speed peaks downwind under kite, but in  the racing situation, averaged over a longer distance I am expecting the 30 to be quicker. For normal amateur sailors like us, the new boat seems to be the right one and unlocking her potential in the conditions we sail in most of the time has proved much easier.