Design and Construction
The Dragonfly 32 Evolution is a fiberglass trimaran with a centerboard and spade rudder. Its 27-foot beam folds to just 12 feet 8 inches in harbor through horizontal kinematics, a system shared across the range.
The Evolution’s floats are 20 percent larger than those of the Supreme it replaced. The builder also describes the floats more generally as designed even bigger than those on previous Dragonfly designs, making the boat more powerful and faster. Quorning pairs their wave-piercing shape with sleek, narrow hulls that, according to the builder, slice smoothly through waves without pounding upwind. The trimaran form also provides upright sailing with almost no heeling.
All Dragonflys are built from a foam, glass, and polyester sandwich. Multihulls World judged the 32 Evolution’s materials and processes as medium-tech for a multihull of this type. The structure uses checkered foam, which isn’t the lightest option, but its Airex-pattern grooves absorb excess resin and give the material some flexibility for shaping.
Large sections such as the hulls and decks are glued together along wide covering lips after the bulkheads and some interior fittings are set in place. The folding arms must withstand high torsion and compression loads, so they’re laid up in vinylester resin, which has superior mechanical characteristics. Every part is built by hand in female molds using contact lamination, without infusion. Despite this conservative technical process, the Skaerbek plant’s independent workshops follow a careful, rigorous construction sequence.
Rig, Performance, and Handling
The Evolution has a fractional sloop rig that is more powerful than the Supreme’s and taller than the Touring version’s. Its sail area is near 936 square feet, driving a 7,606-pound hull.
A tiller is standard, while wheel steering is optional. The narrow, wave-piercing hulls give the boat a calm upwind motion without pounding. With a capsize screening ratio of 5.51, the design reads as a light, beamy performance cruiser rather than a heavy-displacement passage maker.
Auxiliary power comes from a 21-horsepower Yanmar diesel with sail drive. Fuel capacity is 18 gallons.
Accommodations
Below, the Dragonfly 32 is a genuine six-berth cruiser. The main cabin has 1.93 meters of standing headroom, while the toilet section has 1.87 meters.
The standard interior is finished in light ash wood, with a more luxurious elm interior available as an option. A 32-foot overall length and 31-foot waterline give the central hull generous room for a trimaran of this size. Water capacity is 32 gallons, supporting short coastal cruises without frequent replenishment.
The Verdict
The Dragonfly 32 Evolution is a focused performance-cruising trimaran. It trades ultralight construction for a rigorously built, medium-tech foam-sandwich structure, while its folding beam keeps it manageable in ordinary marinas. Its enlarged, wave-piercing floats and taller rig deliver the speed and upright motion the builder promises, and the cabin remains a practical six-person coastal-cruising interior. The model established its reputation when the Evolution arrived as the Supreme’s successor.
Pros
- Folds to a 12-foot 8-inch beam for easier harbor berthing, using horizontal kinematics
- Wave-piercing floats are 20 percent larger than the Supreme’s, providing more power and speed
- Upright sailing with almost no heeling and no pounding upwind
- Six berths, with full standing headroom in the main cabin and toilet section
- Vinylester-resin arms designed for high torsion and compression loads
Cons
- Medium-tech checkered-foam core isn’t the lightest structural option
- Conservative contact-lamination process without infusion
- Fuel capacity of 18 gallons and water capacity of 32 gallons limit extended cruising
