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Thanks to Quant28, QuantBoats quickly became known beyond the region.
The Q28 was not a boat for everyone. Many considered her a small "Libera",
as fast but also bitchy.
To convince a larger group of innovative sailors of DSS, we needed a boat with more "user-friendliness"!
As fast as the DSS Quant28 was, it was also challenging to sail in certain conditions. Our target group obviously saw this machine as a thoroughbred racing boat, equipped with a little proven technology (DSS) and priced at a rather high level.
And there was no denying that. The Q28 was a concept full carbon boat designed and built to demonstrate how foils could be used to dramatically increase the performance of - in itself conventional - sailboats.
The lateral surfaces of the Q28 were minimal and the profiles on keel and rudder were thin. Picking up speed in light winds after a tack was exhausting and if the crew and helmsman were not fully concentrated, the boat tended to smear sideways. You had to carry it very carefully "around the corner" and let it pick up speed again before you could luff.
With violent rudder deflections one stood immediately. No wonder with the low weight. With more wind, the stability left much to be desired. Jibing in wind under gennaker and foils required a coordinated approach of the crew - and that had to be practiced. As long as one did not know how to handle the boat, certain test sailors or beginners on the boat already came to the stop in nice conditions and some even laid the box on its ear.
The goal was to "distill" the Q28 into a boat that would be faster than the original model over the course of an entire race, while at the same time being more user-friendly and comfortable.
The three main differences would be:
1. More length over all
2. A bi-foil system that eliminated the need for any operation in light winds (the Q28's lateral foil had to be pushed back and forth on every tack or gybe, regardless of whether the foil was working or not).
3. A system where the racks did not have to be pushed in but could be folded up.
The new boat - the Quant 30 - was therefore much more than just a "touring variant".
of the Q28, also in the design far more attention was paid to the appearance than on the previous boat. The appearance of the Q30 always gives a touch of luxury wherever she is launched.
Tow tank trials and their evaluation led to the lines that would also make this boat a superior Lakeracer in its size class.
Hugh Welbourn, who (of course) also drew this boat, put it in typically British terms like this:
"We've gone a bit leaner in general. It's a production boat for people who aren't necessarily top sailors. It's tuned a little differently (compared to the Q28) so it's easier to sail, but it's still going to be very fast."
And of course we immediately started testing. Participation in regattas is usually the most efficient way to do this, and it soon became clear that the Q30 would also become a series winner in the hands of good sailors.
Four boats of the Q30 were built (the price was about CHF 250'000), which are still in use today and, as expected, achieved many regatta successes.
An Austrian team of Olympic experienced 49er sailors managed the feat of topping our best Bol d'Or result with a Q30 - they finished 6th monohull in a strong wind edition of this regatta, better than our 7th place with the Q28, the small difference being that they were dramatically closer in time to the top group than we were at the time, and in a lot of wind, which the Q30s were not really designed for.
At the Cento Miglia in 2016, the same crew teased the big Liberas.
They removed the keel bomb on the Q30 (minus 280kgs) and sailed the boat as a pure dinghy. Result: 3rd monohull over all just behind two Libera A (approx 14m hull length). If you can, you can 🙂
The topic "Foils" is still very new for many - we are happy to share our knowledge and experience with you.
