Built by Sea Nymph Yachts/Marten Marine from 1985, the Noelex 30 displaces 4125 pounds and has a 9.38-foot beam. Its dry weight falls within the towing capacity of a large four-wheel-drive vehicle or V8-powered pickup. With a retractable bulb-footed centreboard keel and 587 kg of lead ballast in a dagger-style appendage, it’s a maxi trailer sailer with ambitions well beyond the launching ramp.
Design and Construction
Bruce Farr’s influence is clear, though the Noelex 30 has softer, more rounded hull sections than usual for his designs. Farr drew the boat without a rating rule in mind, aiming instead at club fleet and performance-handicap racing rather than IOR.
The retractable dagger-style keel carries the lead ballast, giving a ballast ratio of around 31 percent. An electrically operated hydraulic ram raises and lowers the keel. Draft ranges from 1.71 feet with the keel raised to 6.3 feet with it fully lowered, providing the flexibility needed for both ramp launching and racing.
The hull is solid fibreglass, and the deck is paired with it. Moulded footsteps in the transom make boarding easier.
Rig, Handling, and Performance
The Noelex 30 is well suited to close-quarters harbour racing. Its small self-tacking headsail uses the same sail set as the smaller Noelex 25. The clew board is sheeted 2:1 to a raised single-beam track across the trunk cabin-top.
A long-footed mainsail comes standard, along with a traveller and control lines that run across the width of the cockpit seats. The tapered Baverstock mast has swept-back spreaders, allowing mainsheet pressure to bend its upper section easily. An adjustable backstay is also fitted.
Reviewers for the Noelex Yacht Association of Australia rate the boat as one of the fastest 30-foot yachts around. In strong winds, it can plane downwind at 15 knots. Much of that pace comes from a hull drawn without rule-driven compromises.
Accommodation
The extra-wide beam gives the Noelex 30 more room than any other maxi trailer sailer and most production keelboats of this size. There’s standing headroom throughout the main cabin, toilet compartment, and Vee-berth cabin.
Forward, the separate cabin has twin Vee berths that convert into a double, with light provided by a smoked Perspex hatch. Alongside the centre case is a walk-in toilet compartment, finished in timber and fitted with a leak grate board, washbasin, and vanity unit.
In the main cabin, an L-shaped dinette to port converts into a double berth once the mahogany table is removed. A settee berth sits opposite, while a port quarter berth brings the total sleeping capacity to as many as six adults.
A food locker slides out from the companionway stair structure. It contains two deep, fibreglass-lined containers intended to hold provisions for weeks of cruising. A hinged navigator’s table swings up beneath the deckhead and includes chart storage.
The interior combines fibreglass furniture mouldings for the galley and bunks with a moulded headliner. Frontrunner fabric covers the hull sides and centre case.
Cockpit and Deck Equipment
The cockpit has moulded seats with high backrests, providing security and spray protection. When the boat is moored, the tiller lifts clear to free up space.
The side decks were found to be somewhat narrow, making access to the foredeck less easy. At the bow, however, there’s a useful anchor locker with double doors, two large bronze cleats, and a worthwhile bow roller.
The keel-lift control buttons are mounted low in the cabin beside the casing. Testers noted this placement while operating the hydraulic ram; the controls aren’t available at the helm.
The Verdict
The Noelex 30 is a genuinely fast, beamy trailerable boat. It trades some ease of movement along the side decks for substantial interior volume and sharp racing performance. Farr’s rule-free hull can plane downwind, while the self-tacking headsail suits close harbour courses. Below, the accommodation rivals that of larger keelboats.
Pros
- One of the fastest 30-footers afloat, with documented downwind planing at 15 knots
- Roomy maxi-trailer-sailer interior with standing headroom and berths for six adults
- Self-tacking jib and easily bent mast make short-handed racing practical
- Dry weight allows towing behind a large four-wheel-drive vehicle or V8-powered pickup
Cons
- Side decks are somewhat narrow for easy foredeck access
- Keel-lift controls are mounted low in the cabin rather than at the helm
