Production of the 920 Cruiser began in 1996. The platform later branched into Racing, Extreme, and Touring variants, all retaining the original center-hull concept. The boat’s appeal goes beyond its folding system: Quorning combined offshore-capable structure and livable accommodations in a package light enough to tow and narrow enough for a standard berth.
Design and Construction
Like its predecessors, the 920 uses hand-laid sandwich construction with polyester resin and a PVC closed-cell foam core throughout the main hull, amas, and deck. Two structural bulkheads divide each ama into three watertight compartments while adding rigidity. The builder claims that any one of these compartments provides enough positive buoyancy to float the entire vessel. A forward crash bulkhead in the main hull contains collision spoil.
The pivoting akas are solid fiberglass, reinforced with unidirectional fabric oriented for strength. At the critical pivot points, stainless steel inserts spread loads into a unified structural network once the beams are locked. When the boat is unfolded, finely tuned torsion cables, rigid aluminum locking struts, and tensioned running backstays give it monocoque integrity. Sea trials supported that description: the trimaran felt solid and moved as one, with no apparent weakness at its articulating joints.
Rig and Handling
A high-performance, two-spreader carbon-fiber rig carries a fully battened mainsail with a broad roach and a tall, narrow genoa. Frederiksen hardware includes a ballslide luff system and a two-speed mainsheet traveler.
The deck, cockpit, and rig were developed for convenient shorthanded sailing. Virtually every control line leads back to the smallish cockpit. Adjustable jib-lead pendants sit on the cabintop, while the runner tails lead along the after akas to rope clutches. Standard Andersen 28 self-tailers handle halyards and reefing lines on the cabintop; Andersen 40s serve as the primary winches on the coamings. The boat can be handled singlehanded.
A 9.9-horsepower four-stroke Yamaha outboard mounts on a bracket at the stern and links to the rudder to help with maneuvering. It can push the light, 3,968-pound hull at more than six knots. Turning a cockpit winch nests the amas in minutes, and with the floats folded, the boat maneuvers well in tight spaces despite relying on outboard power.
Performance
Cruising World’s testers considered the Dragonfly 920 a very good pocket cruiser: trailerable, nicely detailed, fun to sail, and without any real faults for its intended purpose. It’s a very quick yet stable boat. In light air, good sails and a sizable centerboard help it work to weather; off the wind, it accelerates under a large asymmetrical kite while remaining in total control.
Yachting Monthly recorded speeds of 12 to 20 knots under sail and noted a proven offshore passage-making record. That speed comes with a lively motion and a fair amount of spray flying aft from the bow and lee float.
With the centerboard raised, the 920 can creep into shallow creeks. Its shipped draft of 1 foot 6 inches also allows it to get close to shore.
Accommodations
The main hull has private V-berth quarters forward, a fully enclosed head, and a working galley with a dedicated sink and space for an optional alcohol or kerosene stove. In the cozy saloon, longitudinal settees flank a fold-up dinette, and there’s also a sizable hanging locker.
Satin-finished mahogany, white ceilings, and upholstered seating dress the interior. The main cabin has standing headroom, fixed-glass windows that provide ambient light, and very good visibility.
The boat sleeps four to five. Yachting Monthly noted comfortable bunks for four and seating for six around a permanent table, but described the accommodations as modest—and even cramped—compared with those of a 30-foot monohull. It also reported a lack of full standing headroom, while the centerboard casing intrudes into the narrow main cabin. A sprayhood, cockpit tent, and cockpit table extend the living area outside in all weather.
Variants
The Racing version, built alongside the Cruiser, used the same hull but added a longer boom and a larger mainsail.
Launched in 2003, the Extreme retained the Touring’s center hull but added wider curved beams, longer floats, a taller rig, and a deeper, full-carbon rudder and centerboard for better performance.
The Touring has been produced since 2005 and is based on the 1996 Cruising and Racing hull. It adopted curved beams similar to those of the Extreme and used the Racing model’s longer boom, while offering less heeling and shallow draft.
The Verdict
The Dragonfly 920 is a nifty little cruiser with good speed, shallow draft, and complete, if diminutive, accommodations. It’s equally at home on a trailer, in a marina berth, or offshore. Buyers must accept the usual trimaran compromises below deck in exchange for speed, stability, and a folding beam that no monohull can match.
Pros
- Folds from a 22-foot sailing beam to an 8-foot 4-inch trailering width in minutes
- Sandwich construction, watertight ama compartments, and a crash bulkhead
- Singlehanded-capable rig with controls led back to the cockpit
- Recorded speeds of 12–20 knots, with stable, level multihull motion
- Shallow 1-foot 5-inch draft with the board raised for exploring creeks
Cons
- Modest, cramped accommodations compared with a 30-foot monohull
- No full standing headroom below, and the centerboard casing intrudes into the cabin
- Lively motion and considerable spray at speed
- Outboard power limits auxiliary range with 7 gallons of gasoline
