History: The year 2020 of Quant Boats

The QFX is a "one off" for now, and it is the newest member of the QuantBoats family.

It also originated on the drawing board of Hugh Welbourn and therefore also benefits from the groundwork and experience gained with the Q28, Q30 and Q23. Even if there was and is a lively exchange - QuantBoats is not the actual initiator in this case! The responsible Thomas Jundt (ex Mirabeau Foiler u.a. devices) is not an unknown, but a pioneer in foiling. He is financier, project manager, owner and skipper of the QFX at the same time - and an early QuantBoats fan and customer. That's why the new 35 foot boat is also sailing under the Q flag - and of course we are very happy about that. It's important to us not to give the wrong impression. The boat is not our own new toy, even though we have of course already been on board.

2020

As we have described several times in the various chapters of our development history, QuantBoats has always pursued the goal of developing boats that are primarily intended for experienced (recreational) sailors and less for professionals. And the QFX does not fit into this philosophy, at least at first glance - she is large, technically demanding and as a result can only be sailed and operated optimally with a well-rehearsed, sporty crew. Nevertheless, she is a true scion of the QuantBoats family, because - like all our boats - she can be used much more flexibly, and has several "performance peaks" for different conditions. The QFX is certainly not a pure foiling specialist either. Our ambition is to develop boats that sail fast in light wind and even faster in heavy wind. In between there are always moments - especially on inland lakes - when foils can be switched on as a "turbo": Foiling when it makes a difference. By this I mean an improvement of the VMG and not simply sailing faster.

The QuantBoats DNA is characterized by "lake racing"! On most of the lakes of Central Europe, light to very light and also variable winds prevail during the sailing season in the summer half-year, which, however, can also quickly and abruptly change into more demanding conditions due to thunderstorms, weather fronts and thermal wind developments. In the first case, the desired boat is light and equipped with a lot of sail area (stability is the last thing you need in light conditions) and in the other case - with more wind - you still want a vessel as light as possible - for early planing but also a lot of stability to "cope" with the increasing apparent wind. Catamarans manage this "balancing act" thanks to their width and new monohulls manage similar thanks to DSS - foils (link to year 2008). Our first proposal for foil-assisted sailing was the Quant28 (link to year 2010 - 2012).

- The Q28 was lightning fast in light winds. She was "motorized" like an Esse 850 and weighed 550kgs. Of this a meager 170kgs as ballast...

- ...and even faster in wind and incredibly stable and calm at the same time - as long as you sailed fast enough to compensate the growing heeling moment with the help of the lift on the foil - which was not always successful and also not easy.

As already described, the Quant28 inspired us to go one step further. This refers to the development of the Quant23, which we saw as a "foiling sports boat" rather than a pure foiler soon after the first strokes. It is not only the first flying keel boat, but also the only boat in the world that can handle all four known sailing modes: displacement sailing, planing, semi-foiling and full-foiling. This means that the boat practically always sails in an optimal mode, even in very different conditions (link to Quant23 brochure, pdf for download).

The knowledge gained with the Q23 - will be used with the new QFX and adjusted and adapted to the intended use. The analysis of the statistically expectable wind conditions at the summer races on Lake Geneva in the Swiss-French border area result in 80% light winds below 7kts. The boat is therefore first and foremost an extreme light wind racer that will compete in the prestigious "Bol'Or". The visual appearance is reminiscent of her smaller predecessors Q28 and Q30, which have already achieved very good results in this race.

1. Total weight: Limited but not minimized (solid construction)
2. Hull shape: The boat is a skiff and not a scow because the wave pattern on the larger lakes favors long, narrow boats.
3. 35 feet waterline length: More speed in displacement mode
4. Hull profile: Thanks to small rocker little wave formation and no rising bow in planing mode
5. Wings: Effective use of team weight, thanks to enormous width.
6. Big boat, big rig: wind currents above 10m above the water surface are still caught when there is practically no wind below.
7. Flexible sail plan: Ensures that the QFX can be sailed safely and quickly without foils, even at 25kts on all courses.
8. Foils at rest: Up to 15⁰angle of heel no part of the foil touches the water
9. Foil system: settings for DSS mode, semi-foiling and full-foiling
10. Foilsshape: More V for better behaviour when foiling in the wave.
11. Rudder foil: angle of attack adjustable. Important trim aid also in displacement sailing.

This is a very important prerequisite - on the one hand for psychological reasons, but on the other hand also because in areas with unsteady winds, pure foilers can only play out their great potential with difficulty. As far as I know, the Bol d'Or has never been won by a foiler - not even close.
Although the QFX can undoubtedly be called a foiler, it is effectively a hybrid. She has a rich 'toolbox' that allows her to always choose the sailing mode that will deliver the most benefit in the prevailing conditions. This freedom of choice will also enable the skipper of the QFX to choose the more direct route to the next course mark or destination more often than others, thereby also keeping the distance sailed lower.

We are very curious to see how far these theses will be confirmed. Stay tuned.

A few days later the boat is sailed by crew, guests and the local press. The QFX is an impressive and very elegant appearance

From mid-November 2020, the foils will be installed and adjusted. The dimensions of these parts are considerable and also their weight: over 50kgs (almost) pure carbon.

Shortly before Christmas 2020 the first test with the foils took place.

Hull and parts of the deck were built in the UK. After that the boat came to Switzerland to mb composites in Yverdon for the finishing and detail work.

The owner and crew also work together for months, always one day a week.

Shortly after mid-May 2020 the big day. The boat is brought into the water in a rather unusual way. The cranes on Lake Geneva were not allowed to be used because of Covid.

The Quant28 under Code0 equalizes here in 10 - 12kts wind with 12-14 kts speed and sails completely upright on the foil. At the helm is Hugh Welbourn, midshipman is Michael Good, tester of the biggest European sailing magazine "Yacht" and for the foreship here is Kevin "Kos" Costin, who finished the 28er with us in Lucerne and sailed with us the first regatta, which we won, although I received the order to steer myself, which meant quite a change to the Longtze and Onyx.

An early rendering of the QFX created by Hugh Welbourn while working on the boat.

Parallel to the boat, a trailer was also designed. The towing vehicle is a Cadillac SUV of about 5.2m length. This gives an idea of the dimensions of the QFX

We are looking forward to your questions

The topic "Foils" is still very new for many - we are happy to share our knowledge and experience with you.

The QFX is a "one off" for now, and it is the newest member of the QuantBoats family.

2020

We are looking forward to your questions

Sailing redefined

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