April 28 2016

By Steven Killing
A Gamble From Quanta
Ray Wall's enviable track record of design achievements includes products for both Camper and Nicholson in England and CS Yachts in Ontario. In February, 1984, Quanta Yachts, a new venture for the designer, was born, with Wall as president. So what kind of boat does the soft-spoken, friendly Ray Wall produce when he has the opportunity to make all the deci­sions himself? A very sensible one. His experience shows in the approach he takes to a design in the popular 28-foot range. It is not flamboyant, nor does Wall profess it to be a grand prix racer, but it does represent a very carefully thought out solution to today's sailing needs.
In any business venture, the personalities of those involved are as important to its success as the product itself. Quanta should have no problems. Ray is quiet, sensible, relaxed and straight­forward. I hope you get a hint of the man himself through his views pre­sented here.

"When you see people sailing in boats of this size," he says, "80 per cent of the time it is just a man and his wife, sometimes with a young family, but mainly just the two of them." Wall likes the philosophy of designing a boat for that primary market. He does not want to pile in the berths as he sees• many other companies doing to give the im­pression that there is room for you, your family and every friend that you have ever shared a meal with to sleep onboard. But Wall is a good listener too. He admits that if his design turns out not to have mass market appeal, then he will fine tune it until it does.

The conventional forward V berth features a bi fold door that separates it from the athwartships head. The starboard settee berth is provided for sitting and occasional sleeping with your feet under the galley. To port is the real sleeper, a seven footlong berth that pulls out to a double. Aft on the port side is the marketing gamble, a chart table where some would like to see a quarterberth. Quanta will probably be tooling up for both.
The Quanta 28's overall appearance is in the style of Wall's previous boats, with a kickup over the window and nice sense of proportion.

Wall feels that for a boat to be a good seller it must be an all-round performer, and by definition that means moderate in most dimensions. It doesn't give you any extreme features to write about, but when you sail the boat you won't have anything to complain about either. A moderate displacement allows room for the necessary gear. A fairly sizable sail plan is provided to drive the boat on those light-air evenings along the coast.
The first boat should be off the production line this fall, and although volume will depend on the demand, they contemplate a construction rate of one every two weeks.
For more information, contact Quanta Yachts, 4-11180 River Rd., Richmond, B.C. V6X 125.

Steve Killing is an Independent Yacht designer based in Midland Ontario. He is the head of the design programs for the true North America’s cup Challenge.

Orginally published in Canadian Yachting's October 1984.

Specifications:
Sail
Length..............28ft 5in
Beam...............9ft 9 in
Draft.................5ft 6in
Weight..............6,900lbs 
Ballast..............3,082lbs
Sail Area...........409 ft²