Design and Construction
The Quickstep 21 is a monohull recreational keelboat built predominantly of fiberglass with wood trim, its solid hull and deck eschewing core materials anchor. She is essentially a semi-custom production sailboat, and at least one owner's hull and superstructure were fabricated by a local builder adjacent to Lannigan's Bristol office. Period reviews praised the execution: writing in a 1988 Cruising World review, the editors noted teak used nicely for interior trim and on the toe rails, coamings, handrails and weather boards, and Steve Henkel later called her a pretty boat nicely conceived and well made near Newport. The fixed stub keel carries a retractable centerboard, and a transom-hung rudder on a tiller gives her a plumb transom and raked stem. Her deep forefoot, with the bow not cut away, partly explains why owners describe her as easy on the helm and inclined to track in a straight line.
Rig and Handling
She carries a Bermuda fractional sloop rig with 201 square feet of sail, a sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 17.46 that Henkel judged lively against competitors in light air anchor. The relatively heavy weight for her length should make her comfortable in a seaway. That same straight-tracking nature, however, becomes a handful at the dock: Henkel's worst-features note cites her tendency to keep moving in a straight line as a docking challenge, and one owner mentioned that to turn sharply you must use the outboard to steer as well as the tiller. Originally she wore Thurston or Hood sails, and factory options ran from roller furling to a cruising spinnaker to teak cockpit gratings.
Accommodations
Below, the design sleeps four: a double V-berth forward and two straight settee berths in the main cabin. The galley sits to both sides just aft of the bow cabin, fitted with a single-burner stove and a sink, while the head folds away in a hinged compartment. Henkel found her Space Index high against competitors, indicating relatively good stowage for the size, and the 1988 Cruising World review cataloged four Lewmar screened ports for light and air, an insulated ice chest, and a stainless sink with fresh-water pump among the homey details that usually appear only on larger boats.
Known Issues
The principal documented handling quirk is the boat's stubborn straight-line tracking. Because the deep forefoot resists yaw, she will not pivot readily under tiller alone; owners learned to bring the outboard into play for sharp turns, and close-quarters docking demands anticipation. The molds survived Lannigan's death and could in theory still produce a hull, though at prohibitive cost.
Ownership and Community
Quickstep offered the Q21 with a heavy Triad trailer for those who wanted to tow, reinforcing her identity as a trailerable cruiser for young families or experienced sailors who value mobility. An active class club, the Quickstep Owners Group, supports the fleet, and the boat reads as the younger sister of the popular Quickstep 24, sharing that design's amenity-rich philosophy in a smaller package.
The Verdict
The Quickstep 21 is a thoughtfully detailed pocket cruiser that punches above her length in comfort and stowage, with a tracking disposition that rewards planning rather than quick corrections.
Pros
- Heavy displacement and 38 percent ballast ratio for seakindly motion
- High space index and four-berth layout with real galley and head
- Semi-custom fiberglass build with quality teak trim
- Active owners' group and trailerable configuration
Cons
- Straight-line tracking makes docking and sharp turns demanding
- Only 40 built; replacement hulls would be prohibitively expensive
