With her relatively heavy displacement and substantial ballast, the Quickstep 21 is a settled, weighty little cruiser rather than a featherweight racer. The waterline-measured length is just under 21 feet. She also offers more comfort, stowage, and interior detail than her modest length might suggest.
Design and Construction
The Quickstep 21 measures 20.83 feet overall and 18.5 feet at the waterline. She displaces 2,500 pounds and carries 950 pounds of iron ballast, giving her a ballast-to-displacement ratio of 38 percent.
She is a monohull recreational keelboat built predominantly of fiberglass with wood trim. Both the solid hull and deck are built without core materials. The boat was essentially a semi-custom production sailboat; at least one owner’s hull and superstructure were fabricated by a local builder next to Lannigan’s Bristol office.
Period reviews praised the execution. In a 1988 Cruising World review, the editors noted that teak was used nicely for the interior trim, toe rails, coamings, handrails, and weather boards. Steve Henkel later called the Quickstep 21 a pretty boat, nicely conceived and well made near Newport.
The underwater profile combines a fixed stub keel with a retractable centerboard. A tiller controls the transom-hung rudder, while the hull has a plumb transom and raked stem. The deep forefoot, with the bow not cut away, partly explains why owners describe the boat as easy on the helm and inclined to track in a straight line.
Rig, Performance, and Handling
The Quickstep 21 carries a Bermuda fractional sloop rig with 201 square feet of sail and a sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 17.46. Henkel judged her lively in light air compared with competing boats. Her relatively heavy weight for her length should also make her comfortable in a seaway.
That determined tracking has a less convenient side in close quarters. Henkel’s worst-features note cites the boat’s tendency to continue in a straight line as a docking challenge. One owner likewise reported that sharp turns require steering with the outboard as well as the tiller. Docking therefore calls for anticipation rather than quick corrections.
The boats originally carried Thurston or Hood sails. Factory options included roller furling, a cruising spinnaker, and teak cockpit gratings.
Accommodations
The cabin sleeps four, with a double V-berth forward and two straight settee berths in the main cabin. Just aft of the bow cabin, the galley is arranged on both sides and includes a single-burner stove and sink. The head folds away inside a hinged compartment.
Henkel found the boat’s Space Index high compared with competitors, indicating relatively good stowage for her size. The 1988 Cruising World review also listed four Lewmar screened ports for light and ventilation, an insulated ice chest, and a stainless-steel sink with a fresh-water pump—homey details that usually appear only on larger boats.
Trailering, Ownership, and Support
Quickstep offered the Q21 with a heavy Triad trailer for owners who wanted to tow, reinforcing her role as a trailerable cruiser for young families or experienced sailors who value mobility.
The active Quickstep Owners Group supports the fleet. The Q21 comes across as the younger sister of the popular Quickstep 24, sharing that boat’s amenity-rich philosophy in a smaller package.
The molds survived Lannigan’s death and could, in theory, still produce a hull, though the cost would be prohibitive.
The Verdict
The Quickstep 21 is a thoughtfully detailed pocket cruiser that delivers more comfort and stowage than her length might suggest. Her heavy displacement, substantial ballast, and deep forefoot suit a settled little cruiser, but her strong preference for tracking straight ahead makes docking and sharp turns more demanding.
Pros
- Heavy displacement and a 38 percent ballast ratio for seakindly motion
- High Space Index and a four-berth layout with a proper galley and head
- Semi-custom fiberglass construction with quality teak trim
- Active owners’ group and trailerable configuration
Cons
- Straight-line tracking makes docking and sharp turns demanding
- Only 40 were built, and producing a new hull from the surviving molds would be prohibitively expensive
