The Dragonfly 40 is bristling with neat touches and feels much larger than a 40ft trimaran might, both on deck and below.

The latter is the result of a combination of clever design features that encourage the brain to assume there’s more volume, combined with attention to detail and taking the trouble to build in accessible stowage wherever feasible.

I was initially sceptical about the Dragonfly 40’s twin wheels, as my preference is for tillers whenever possible, which shouldn’t be an issue on a multihull of this size.

However, the execution is extremely good – there’s enough cockpit width to have good separation between the pedestals, while there’s easy access to the electric winches and to the low-profile built-in pods for MFDs and instrument displays on each side of the boat.

Another nice touch is transom hatches for the floats that enable an inflated kayak to be easily stowed inside each one. Below decks there’s a two double cabin layout, with the aft one being the more spacious, with neat solutions to make use of corners that would otherwise be inaccessible.

While the Dragonfly 40 is far from the lightest trimaran of this size, it’s impressively civilised, with an air of quality throughout, and offers the very enticing prospect of passage making at speeds of 24 knots.

Specification

LOA: 12.40m (40ft 7in)
Length (amas folded): 13.99m (45ft 10in)
Beam (sailing): 8.40m (27ft 6in)
Draught (board up): 0.70m (2ft 3in)
Displacement (light): 5,500kg (12,100lb)
Starting price: €509,000 (ex. VAT)