Buying a used Dragonfly: one yard, one folding system, five decades of choices
Buying a used Dragonfly means buying into a single, continuously family-run Danish yard rather than sorting between different manufacturers or changes of ownership — Quorning Boats has built every trimaran carrying the name since 1980. That continuity shifts the real risk in a used Dragonfly away from brand inconsistency and onto which construction era a given hull comes from, especially around the folding Swing Wing system at the center of the boat.
Which era to target
The clearest line to draw is the Swing Wing hinge. Every Dragonfly through the 40 folds on metal — a stainless hinge bolted where the crossbeams meet the hull — and that bolted joint is the one part of the folding system built differently once the 36 arrived in 2025 with a composite hinge in its place. A second, older line falls around the mid-1990s: boats built before the Dragonfly 920 Cruising arrived in 1996 predate the yard's shift to carbon spars as standard equipment, so pre-1996 boats are more likely to carry a standard aluminum rig rather than carbon.
What to inspect across the range
On the Dragonfly 800, the model that introduced the folding format in 1989, Practical Sailor flagged two issues worth checking on any surviving boat: a bad batch of resin that caused delamination in several rudders, since addressed by the importer, and seacocks fitted without the flanges recommended by ABYC. On any pre-36 boat, that bolted Swing Wing hinge carries real structural load every time the wings fold, so it's worth a close look for corrosion or play at the pivot points before buying.
Navigating the lineup
The range runs from trailerable, beachable boats under 30 feet to full 40-foot cruising trimarans, all built around the same folding hull-and-float formula. Choosing between a small, easily trailered boat and a larger cruising model comes down to how it will be used — quick day-sailing and launch-and-retrieve versus extended offshore passages — well before era or condition narrow the field further. The full model directory on this page breaks the range down by size.
Where they're listed
Dragonfly listings appear across 18 countries. France has the most listings with 24 (18.9%), followed by United Kingdom and United States.
Country view
127 listings · 18 countries| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| France | $252,372 | 24 | 4 | 18.9% |
| United Kingdom | $80,171 | 16 | 5 | 12.6% |
| United States | $174,500 | 16 | 3 | 12.6% |
| Italy | $195,767 | 15 | 2 | 11.8% |
| Germany | $136,920 | 12 | 2 | 9.4% |
| Netherlands | $150,321 | 11 | 7 | 8.7% |
| Denmark | $157,460 | 6 | 1 | 4.7% |
| Spain | $192,601 | 4 | 1 | 3.1% |
| Panama | $240,000 | 4 | 1 | 3.1% |
| Greece | $348,418 | 3 | 2 | 2.4% |
| Puerto Rico | $295,000 | 3 | 0 | 2.4% |
| Sweden | $154,745 | 3 | 1 | 2.4% |
| 6 other countries | — | 10 | 2 | 7.9% |
All Dragonfly models
10 models grouped by length overall. Open any model to see recent asking prices and active listings.