Trimaran Dragonfly 36 with folding floats

Trimarans are known not only for their stability and performance, but also for their dimensions. The Dragonfly shipyard has found an interesting solution - to make the trimaran floats foldable. The shipyard has recently introduced a new model called Dragonfly 36, which uses the shipyard's previous developments and combines them with new solutions.

This article is adapted from the article "New Dragonfly 36: Composite folding wings reduces weight for more speed" from YachtingWorld.com.

Developing Dragonfly's ideas

Two years have passed since the presentation of the shipyard's previous trimaran. Dragonfly has spent this time developing a new model, which is designed to fill the gap in the model range between trimarans of 32 and 40 feet (10 and 12 meters respectively). The result was the new Dragonfly 36, which has already been shown at Boot Dusseldorf and the Multi Hull Boat Show in La Grande Motte.

Source: dragonfly.dk

The shipyard's CEO, Jens Kvorning, says: "When you create something new, you want to raise the bar." That bar was the use of composites in the construction of the hull's folding crosspieces. Kvorning explains: "When the boat is planing, the struts are subjected to a pressure of almost 20 tons. Previously, only metals and their derivatives could withstand such loads, but today there are equally strong and durable materials - composites."

Dragonfly decided to make the "wings" for the floats from composite after a series of crash and tensile tests. After that, the shipyard became confident in the reliability of the material and that the composite can cope with the loads in the supporting elements of the trimaran structure.

Source: dragonfly.dk

As a result, the Dragonfly 36 became not only stronger, but also lighter - it was possible to save about 5 tons of useful mass only due to the use of composite. As a result, the 36th model was able to achieve better controllability among trimarans of similar dimensions.

Other interesting features of the Dragonfly 36

In addition to using composites, the shipyard also focused on the trimaran's performance. For example, the asymmetrical floats were improved in the 36th model. They were given more volume, lengthened and balanced to "improve diagonal stability while moving." The floats themselves are still foldable: it is possible to reduce the width from the standard 8.12 m to 3.7 m.

Source: dragonfly.dk

The Dragonfly 36 cockpit is divided into two zones. Closer to the midship, where the entrance to the saloon is, there is a recreation area with a folding table, and closer to the stern there is a cockpit with two steering wheels and comfortable side benches along the sides. At the stern of the floats there are two ladders for easy descent to the water.

All sail controls are brought to the steering wheels. Winches are located near the bulwarks, chart plotters and a bow thruster control system are installed in front of the steering wheels. The trimaran's bowsprit is fixed.

Source: dragonfly.dk

The trimaran's interior... Well, it's typical for this type of hull - a longitudinal interior with narrow passages. In the bow there is a small master cabin. On the left side there is a galley with a two-burner stove, and in the center of the saloon there is a folding table.

Technical specifications and additions

According to Dragonfly, you can fold or unfold the floats in just 40 seconds. Instead of a classic engine, a Saildrive is installed. There are two versions of the Dragonfly 36 - cruising and sports. The cruising version offers an automatic staysail, and the sports version boasts an increased rig.

According to the company's reports, 17 hulls have already been sold and the vast majority of customers - about 80% - choose the sports version with classic equipment.

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24.05.2025