Ahoy fellow Quickstep owners. Here is the spot to exchange ideas, questions and answers, and your latest news with other Quickstep owners. If you have photos or stories to post on the site, please email them to Quickstep21@gmail.com
Scuttlebutt
Quickstep Owners' Group
Home port for Quickstep sailboats.
Quickstep Owners' Group 
Thank you for your quick responce..
Any help I can get is appreciated: links to sites, scans and emails, old fashion post office snail mail, etc.
The main sail is torn, about a five foot horizontal rip about half way up. Does anyone have suggestions for the best places for repair or replacement?
Thank you,
Tom
Hello Tom and welcome to the fleet! I posted the article Steve mentioned on the Fleet News page where my postings appear. I hope it is helpful.
Do you know which hull number you own? Is there a sail number on the main? I’m trying to keep track of each Q21, so if you don’t mind sending a note with the information that would be great.
As for the sail, I assume there is a local sailmaker in your area who can look at it, but my guess is, that if it’s the original sail (possibly by Hood) you’re probably better off having a new sail cut. We’re on our second main. It’s beginning to show its age and our boat is the same age as yours. Our original sail was by Hood and the current sail was built by Sobstad.
Keep writing as questions arise. The guys who follow this site know a great deal and can help alot. I learn great stuff all the time.
All the best,
Bill
I just purchased a 1989 Quickstep 21. The boat came with a house and the purchaser of the house sold the boat to me. The boat is in the water and the swing keel has never been installed so I guess the original boat owner never sailed it out very far into the Chesapeake Bay. Unfortunately, the pin to hold the keel in place is missing and the marinas can find not information about it.
I am a novice at sailing and would like to know more about this boat. Is there an owner’s manual available anywhere?
Thanks.
Tom
Hi Tom,
I personally can’t help you with the details for which you are looking, but one former Quickstep 21 owner did some work on his keel and centerboard. He posted an interesting article on Bill’s first Quickstep Blog Site. It references the particulars you would need to know (particularly near the end of his post). Bill’s original Blog is no longer available on line, but I have a copy of the owner’s posting. Perhaps Bill or I could get that to you. Another possibility is that the former owner, Dick, follows this blog and will see your question and respond to you.
Steve B.
Quickstep 11
I have a quickstep 24 and am interested in installing a sunshade (a dodger with only the top) just aft of the cabin. HAs anyone tried and if so do you still have frame measurements? Thanks
Dodger or Bimini? Boom is kind of low for a Bimini other than at anchor. Dodger would only shade you if you were standing on the companionway step. Not sure where you would fold a Bimini frame either. Anyway…check out this link and associated links. Teaches you how to measure.
Bimini’s are available in stock sizes from many suppliers or custom from a canvas shop…300 vs 1500 plus though quality will vary. Bimini sample link follows
http://www.overtons.com/Boating-Marine/Bimini-Tops-T-Tops-Shades/?icID=HPFC7
To Quickstep Group,
On Bill’s old Quickstep site ( http://quickstep21.home.insightbb.com/Modifications.htm ) Bill described a modification on the Quickstep rudder that provided the flexibility to both keep the rudder in the full down position and allow for kicking up if the rudder hit an obstruction. My question to Bill is, do you still use this system or have you any updated improvements to it?
I ask because I may be in a situation this season of mooring in a spot subject to extreme tides (lows usually requiring that both the rudder and CB be pulled up) and moderate to strong currents. In the past I have been confident enough with water depths to leave the rudder tightly screwed down. Seeing Bill’s modification and thinking a slightly more adaptable solution might be useful I came up with the following.
” https://goo.gl/photos/tTnfSgBCLnfbv7618 ”
Any comments or criticisms would be welcome. Thanks, Steve B.
Hi Steve,
I’ve actually gone in the opposite direction. The water here has become so deep, I never worry about needing the kick up rudder. I’ve got over 15 feet at the dock! I now use a pin to keep it full down. It’s a quick release pin, so if I need to swing the rudder up, I can. Did your modification work out?
Two questions:
1). Thoughts about replacing lifelines. The vinyl coating on our QS21’s lifelines look brittle, cracked and tired. Is replacement a DIY job? Looking for comments or suggestions about materials, suppliers, method, technique etc.
2). Before we bought her, someone stepped on the companionway hatch. It (and frankly the teak “runners”) need repair/replacement. I certain someone has encountered this – any suggestions?
Best,
Tom and Kristen Siebenhuhner
BlueMoon #33
Hi Tom and Kristen!
Our boat’s lifelines faced the same issue. I was concerned about corrosion beneath the vinyl, so I peeled a bit of it off and took a look. The stainless was in great shape, so I removed all of the vinyl and reinstalled the lines. They’ve worked just fine as bare wire although some may prefer a vinyl covering which is easier to grab. One thing is for sure- the lines look much better without the cracked and yellow vinyl.
As for the companionway hatch, I’ve reinforced ours with fiberglass cloth and epoxy from the inside and fixed exterior cracks with epoxy and filler. After sanding, I repainted the whole hatch with an Interlux topside paint. It was a good fix. The teak slides and hatch guides are a problem. After replacing them once with teak only to have them get cracked again, I chose to fabricate replacements using Starboard, a plastic marine lumber from West Marine. I also replaced the teak restraints for the fuel locker in the cockpit with Starboard. None of it is as pretty as the teak, but I don’t mind the look. I’ll post some photos of the changes on my Fleet News page.
Thanks for the photos, too. Enjoy the season!
After a busy summer, I’ve finally updated the Quickstep site. I’d like to add some stories or pictures about you and your boats, so if you’d like to share photos or stories, please email them to me at Quickstep21@gmail.com. Enjoy the remainder of the sailing season!
fandango was launched yesterday but the centerboard is stuck in the up position. short of hauling at a boatyard does anyone have a suggestion?
Hi Monty. I haven’t had the problem, but if your board is anything like ours, it probably moves a bit from side to side as you sail with the board drawn up. You can sometimes hear it knock around a bit. I think that I’d loosen the pendant a bit- just enough so that the board can drop a couple of inches when it’s loose, and go sailing. Maybe the rocking will free it up. I don’t know if that will work, but at least you’ll get in a nice sail.
I had our boat lifted off the trailer before last season began and had the crew check the pivot and pendant to make sure all was well. It was. We don’t have barnacles to deal with, but zebra mussels are almost as bad. It had been a long time since we’d seen the board out of the water, so it was an expense I thought I should pay considering the boat’s age.
Another thought is to go swimming and see if you can carefully pry the board loose. Again, I’d loosen the pendant just a few inches and see if jiggling the board frees it up. The effort would be refreshing, if nothing else.
Good luck with it!
thanks for your reply. too early to go swimming. i may haul her not only to free the centerboard but also to paint whats never been painted. monty morris, s v fandango
Does anyone here have any information about a quickstep that is about 11 feet long? I was just given one and am looking for more information on it.
You might check out the brochure for the Quickstep Scout that is posted on this site. Sounds like you might have one. There are a couple of Scout owners who’ve posted here before and they might be able to give you more information about the boat.
I’m looking at buying a Quickstep 19. How effective is the stub keel, and what is the windward performance like? Any comments from Quickstep 19 owners would be appreciated.
Hi Paul! We don’t have a 19, but usually sail our 21 without dropping the steel centerboard, relying only on the shoal draft keel. We are generally happy with the windward performance of the boat. The 19 might perform equally well. Maybe some of the other owners of 21’s can comment on their experiences, too.
“Fandango” is moored in Marblehead and gets to go sailing almost every day.
Wish it were more so. We sail Bailero…Hull #11 out of Apponaug RI.