Design and Construction
Killing gave the Express 30 a fine bow that flares into full aft sections, with a flattish bilge. The hull carries a relatively deep fin keel drawing five feet six inches and a good-sized spade rudder.
The 3,500-pound lead ballast is secured by six large keel bolts to floor members reinforced with unidirectional fiberglass roving. Chainplates are unobtrusively but solidly through-bolted behind the settee cushions to a plywood-and-fiberglass bulkhead, transferring their loads into a proper structure rather than the deck alone.
Both hull and deck are fiberglass over a full balsa core, keeping weight down. The hull-deck joint consists of a through-bolted toe rail over a special vinyl extrusion, producing a strong, watertight connection. Above-average windows and minimal exposed exterior teak help avoid awkward nooks and crannies.
Rig, Cockpit, and Handling
The 41-foot masthead rig has double spreaders to improve upwind performance. Its French-manufactured aluminum extrusion was completed in Canada, and stainless steel rod rigging came as standard. Test sailors found the mast suitably flexible, allowing sail shape to be adjusted by altering backstay and jackstay tension.
The tidy mainsheet system sits ahead of the helmsman, with a six-to-one fine-tune ratio under load and a three-to-one macro adjustment. All halyards are internal and lead aft to Easylock stoppers on the cabintop. For cruising, the boat should be manageable by two. Racing calls for at least four or five crew, though some owners carry six or seven to put more weight on the rail in heavier air.
On the water, the Express 30 proved well-balanced and relatively stable on all points of sail. It pointed well and handled chop easily. The relatively high freeboard made for a comfortably dry ride, while downwind the boat steered easily and accelerated quickly in puffs or while surfing. Under its Yanmar 2-cylinder 15 hp diesel, it responded well in forward gear.
Accommodations and Storage
Below, the Express 30 is open and uncluttered. A light-colored interior, teak cabin sole and trim, and accents of oiled teak create a clean, airy impression of functional design.
The spacious saloon has a fixed table with drop leaves on both sides and seating for four. The port settee converts to a double berth, while a short, narrow pilot berth sits above the starboard settee. Forward, the six-foot-six V-berth isn’t closed off from the head compartment to starboard; a good-sized hanging locker is opposite. All cushions use four inches of high-density foam, and the V-berth sidewalls are finished in a light tweed fabric.
The galley is aft of the saloon, with the sink and stove to port and the icebox to starboard. The icebox lid doubles as a chart table. A modified layout added an optional quarter berth and moved the icebox to port.
Storage is less successful. Forward and head stowage is limited, and the boat generally lacks compartmentalized storage such as cabinets with doors or bottle slots.
Systems, Options, and Refit Access
Engine access is good through the cockpit lockers and by removing the companionway steps. The compartment has a light fixture, and the batteries sit beside the engine. The electrical panel is aft on the starboard side; it uses breakers rather than fuses and includes spare positions.
The optional performance package added the rigging and tackle needed to adjust the backstay, jackstay, and boom vang. It cost a meaningful sum but was judged essential for all but the most casual racer. Reviewed options also included a Head Foil II double-groove forestay and 36-inch wheel steering.
An optional propane stove and oven replaced the alcohol unit. Propane storage was provided in two hinged-lid compartments in the stern cockpit. A modified layout offered an optional quarter berth.
Known Issues
In stronger gusts, a less experienced helmsman could find the Express 30 starting to heel over and round up. The test crew avoided this behavior by shortening sail earlier.
During one tack, the jackstay-adjustment tackle cleat released, briefly inverting the mast, so the tensioning hardware deserves respect. The optional Martec folding propeller also worked better in forward than in reverse, as is usual for the type.
Several details in the cockpit locker reflected the boat’s racer-first priorities. The rear of the electrical panel was exposed, leaving wiring and connections protruding unprotected into the locker. Long bolts hung down beneath deck fittings. The cleats had back-up plates, but the winches did not.
The Verdict
The Express 30 suits sailors who want to race in reasonable comfort while keeping open the possibility of an occasional cruise. It avoids the stripped-out ethos of the later 30M variant, which was built to take on the J/29 and Kirby 30.
It is quick, dry, and well-balanced, with a thoughtfully led-aft rig and a clean interior. Limited storage and a few cockpit-locker details, however, reveal its racer-first roots.
Pros
- Light-displacement performance, a responsive helm, and competitive club-racing pace
- Internal halyards led aft and a flexible mast, making short-handed cruising practical
- Strong keel-bolt and chainplate structures, plus a watertight hull-deck joint
- Airy, uncluttered interior with a useful berth count and a proper chart table
Cons
- Tendency to round up in gusts unless sail is shortened early
- Limited forward and compartmentalized storage
- Exposed electrical-panel wiring and winch mounts without back-up plates in the cockpit locker
- Folding propeller less effective in reverse than in forward
