Two Families, One Dream: The Legacy of Dragonfly Trimarans

It all started in Denmark with a young speed junkie who loved racing his Laser dinghy. His name was Carsten Steenberg. His mentor had a Quorning “Trident” trimaran, but to Carsten, that was just another boat. He had no idea the impact Quorning Boats would have on his life.

Around six decades later, Carsten joins me for a YachtWay News phone interview. He tells me he’s sitting in his office in northern Maine, where he can always see the water (he even sends me a picture of his view, see below). I can hear his faint Danish accent and wry humor as he shares a tale of serendipity, hard work, and friendship. 

The Journey to Dragonfly Trimarans

In 1989, Carsten moved from Denmark to the United States, where he met his wife, Joanne. Eager to buy a boat to explore the East Coast, the new couple discovered Dragonfly Trimarans. It didn’t take them long to realize they had found more than just a new boat—they had found lifelong friends, reconnection to Denmark, and their future.

Dragonfly Trimarans are built in Denmark by Quorning Boats. Started in 1967 by two brothers, Quorning is one of the oldest trimaran multihull builders in the world. Right now, Quorning is in its second generation of ownership, and the third generation is in training. Many of the employees have been with the company for decades.  

Quorning's tightly-knit community was the perfect fit for Carsten and Joanne. Carsten hit it off with Jens Quorning, and their families have been fast friends and business partners ever since. They even attended each other’s weddings. 

In 1990, Carsten’s wife, Joanne, was appointed as the exclusive distributor for Dragonfly Trimarans in North America. With Carsten providing support on weekends, Joanne became a female pioneer in the male-dominated industry, winning awards and selling more than 30 Dragonfly trimarans during her nine years of ownership. 

As Carsten talks about Joanne’s achievements, his voice fills with pride: “She did a fantastic job.” 

He chuckles as he recalls how he taught her sailing and she taught him sales. Apparently, when he took prospective buyers out on Dragonfly boats, his sailing intimidated his passengers, who didn’t know they were on board with a lifetime racer. “I learned my lesson, and I'm much calmer now,” Carsten adds, and I can hear the little smile in his voice.

A Generational Bond

Eventually, Joanne sold her Dragonfly dealership to Richard Suriani. However, just over a decade later, Quorning Boats hired Carsten and Joanne’s son, Nicholas, to expand their operation in the United States.

Over the next two years, Carsten helped Nicholas with Dragonfly deliveries and boat shows.

“It was just a miracle opportunity for me to be with my son doing something we love.”

Though his main job was selling weather stations for big solar farms, Carsten continued helping Dragonfly dealers with sales, demonstrations, and even minor repairs. As the years passed, his love for the boats turned him into a national resource for everything Dragonfly. 

The Future Unfolds

More than three decades after Dragonfly Trimarans captured his heart, Carsten finds himself representing the entire brand from North Carolina to the Canadian border. “That's a pretty damn good territory,” he declares. 

He was offered the sales opportunity by Don Wigston, who owns Windcraft Multihulls in Western Florida.

“I have a fantastic relationship with Don, and I can see how much we can supplement each other.”

Dragonfly has come a long way since Carsten’s wife introduced the brand to the United States. The company itself has grown from six employees to 60, and there’s an entirely new line of trimarans for Carsten to introduce to American sailors. 

So…What’s All the Fuss About?

I ask Carsten if Dragonfly trimarans draw crowds, and he confirms without hesitation.

“When we come into a marina and we fold from 27 feet wide to 13 in four minutes, people gather around," he tells me. "They say the boat looks like a spaceship that just landed.”

This wasn’t always the case. In the past, it was difficult to interest mainstream yacht shoppers in trimarans at all. Traditionally, trimarans tended to be like a “plastic box inside" (Carsten’s words). They mostly appealed to racers who needed lean setups that could get them over the finish line first. 

Quorning Boats has completely changed that. Step into a Dragonfly, and you’ll be stunned by the iconic, airy Nordic elegance. You’ll see high-polish finishes, Danish woodwork, and decadent materials. You can cook, shower, sunbathe, and sleep, just like you would aboard a monohull.

Does the opulence come at a cost to performance? Not at all. “These boats can go over 20 knots with the right conditions and the right sailors on board,” Carsten says. “But they also keep speed at low wind."

"You can go over six knots just gliding through water like glass.” 

When it comes to practical aspects like sailing skill, value, and maintenance, Dragonfly trimarans are a class all their own. The boats are cleverly designed for solo sailing and are friendly to beginners. As a niche within a niche, they maintain their value ridiculously well. And because Quorning Boats only manufactures their own hulls, they provide incredible maintenance support.  

Passion, Refined

I ask Carsten if Dragonfly has opened his speed-demon heart to a more relaxed pace. “I do think maybe I have mellowed down with Dragonfly,” he agrees. “The thing is, it can go fast.
But if you look down below, it's a performance cruising yacht with a lot of comfort on board. So Dragonfly trimarans combine both.”

In an industry that prides itself on combining performance, opulence, status, and eco-friendliness all at once, Dragonfly trimarans deliver on a whole new level. They are the boats that Americans need—Americans just don’t know it yet. I have no doubt that Carsten Steenberg will be the one to change that. 

As we wrap up, I ask him if he thinks he found Dragonfly, or if Dragonfly found him. He responds with his disarming forthrightness. 

“I almost get emotional,” he reflects, “because my wife and I have such a close relationship with the family behind the boats. If I have a love not only for the boats, but also with the people behind it, then I don't think I can be a better spokesperson.”