trimaran rapido 40

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Sailboat Review: Rapido 40

• By Mark Pillsbury
• May 6, 2024

In the great debate among sailors about what’s better—a monohull or a catamaran—both sides make compelling ­arguments. Monohulls are more efficient at going upwind. Their sufficient ballast ensures stability in a seaway. Some would say that a keelboat is just plain more exciting to sail. But cat lovers counter that they don’t care to “sail on their ear.” They’re willing to motor to windward if necessary, they enjoy the ability to pull up next to a beach, and they rave about the outdoor living space that two hulls afford. 

And then there’s the trimaran crowd, which, on a boat like the Rapido 40, gets the best of both worlds. Fast, flat sailing upwind and down? Check. Shallow draft for cruising in skinny water? Check. Lots of room to spread out on deck, and generous accommodations below for a cruising couple with kids or occasional friends? You bet.

The Rapido 40 is designed by the high-performance team at Morrelli & Melvin, and is built in Vietnam by Triac Composites. Rapido was co-founded in 2014 by Paul Koch and Richard Eyre. Koch is an old hand at trimarans—he was formerly president of Corsair—and he says that there is a market out there, albeit a niche one, for performance-oriented, oceangoing cruising trimarans. 

Rapido’s 40 is the smallest in a line that ranges upwards of 60 feet—its original model. Just sitting at the dock, the all-­carbon-fiber build is one sleek-looking boat. It has a rotating, spreaderless, double-tapered wing mast; a V-shaped boom; and a square-top main that’s paired with a versatile two-headsail sail plan. That sail plan includes a self-tacking jib for upwind sailing or days when it’s blowing, and a screecher set on a sprit. There’s also a continuous-line furler for off-the-wind or light-air conditions. 

Underway, that package provides plenty of horsepower, as my Boat of the Year judging colleagues and I would discover on Chesapeake Bay this past fall. It was a ride where we all vied for the dubious honor of top tiller hog.

In 10 to 12 knots with the small jib rolled out, we skipped along at close to 8 knots, according to the GPS. Things got really lively when we rolled up that sail and unfurled the big dog. Twelve knots and change was about top end for us in those relatively light conditions.

And boy, was the Rapido fun to sail! The boat has bench-style seats outboard to either side of the cockpit, so skippers can sit with the tiller extension in hand and legs stretched out, watching the world fly by. C foils in the amas are adjusted up or down depending on the point of sail; strategically placed electric Harken winches raise them, and gravity drops them down. Sheets and halyards can also be led to the winches, so, for a shorthanded crew, sailhandling—especially with the self-tending jib—is pretty simple.

A base model Rapido 40 runs just under $700,000, though the boat we sailed in Annapolis—with top-of-the-line North Sails, B&G electronics and a composting head—carried a price tag of $800,000 and change. Other options include a performance mast and electric propulsion. Lithium batteries are standard.

I’ve been on smaller tris, where the interior can feel cramped because of the relatively narrow beam of the center hull, but the 40 has more-than-adequate living space. An inline galley takes up the starboard side of the salon, with a dining table opposite. The raised cabin top and windows all around provide 360-degree visibility and 6-foot-6-inch headroom. Rear-facing ports are removable for ventilation and to provide better visibility forward from the cockpit. I liked the look of the carbon-fiber countertops and drawers, which felt light as a feather to open. And the composite work was clean as a whistle.

Beneath the cockpit, there’s a double berth that’s accessible through a cockpit hatch or from below. It would be a great place to stash the kids, and two single berths are an option. I’m told that in later models, the cockpit sole has been raised 3 inches, making the aft cabin that much roomier. The owner’s stateroom, with a double berth offset to port, is in a cabin forward of the salon, along with a head and shower.

Hulls and deck are foam-cored. The prepreg autoclave-cured components such as the bulkheads, boom, mast, C foils, structural beams and T-foil rudder are all made in-house. The main hull and amas (which fold in, reducing the beam from 28 feet, 10 inches to 19 feet, 3 inches) all have watertight bow crash compartments. The engine compartment, which houses a 30 hp Yanmar with a shaft drive, is also surrounded by watertight bulkheads, just in case.

Rapido US importer Bob Gleason—an experienced ­multihull guy and owner of The Multihull Source in Cape Cod, Massachusetts—had fit out the boat that we got aboard to keep the weight down. I still found it packed with all that I’d need for a comfortable getaway. Workmanship and equipment was ­top-notch, just as I’d expect on a boat built to go places.

Mark Pillsbury is a CW editor-at-large and was a 2024 Boat of the Year judge. 

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Rapido 40 : A livable sailboat for cruising on 3 hulls

The Rapido Trimarans shipyard has launched the first example of its new Rapido 40, a 40-foot carbon multihull designed for fast, offshore cruising.

A new trimaran by Melvin&Morrelli

Rapido Trimaran has just finished building the first unit of its new Rapido 40. The new multihull from the Vietnam-based shipyard is the smallest in its catalog, alongside the Rapido 50 and Rapido 60. Designed like the rest of the range by the naval architects Morrelli & Melvin, specialists in multihulls who have worked with HH Catamarans , Leopard Catamarans and Gunboat , it aims to be the best performing folding trimaran in its size range, offering both accommodation and the possibility of offshore sailing, with a category A certification.

Carbon boat and C foils

To reach these objectives, the boat can count on beautiful measurements and a careful construction in technical materials. The trimaran is entirely built in carbon fiber. The hulls and decks are made of infused sandwich, while the beams and appendages are made of pre-preg fabric with post-curing in autoclave.

The sailboat of 12 meters length has a width of 8,80 meters and only 5,20 meters folded arms. The manufacturing process allows to announce a displacement in minimal configuration of 4 745 kg and 6 135 kg in full load.

With a mainsail surface of 65 m², associated with 7 m² of wing mast and 32 m² of solent, the polars of the shipyard anticipate a speed of 26 knots in 20 knots of wind. The asymmetrical spinnaker of 158 m² should allow to reach 25 knots at 120° of the wind in 20 knots. For this, the boat will be able to rely on its C-shaped daggerboards and its T-shaped support plane on the rudder, offering additional power.

A boat equipped for ocean cruising

If the Rapido 40 is aiming for the podium in a race, it is also designed to accommodate its crew over the long term. In addition to its Category A certification, its layout allows for real life on board . Under the roof, with a panoramic view, there is a comfortable saloon with a galley along the starboard side and a chart table. An owner's cabin, with its bathroom, is located forward of the saloon, while a nice guest cabin with a large double bed is accessible aft of the cockpit.

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The Rapido 40 is a 20-Knot Cruising Tr

If you feel the need for speed, a Rapido is the boat for you

By George Day

Rapido has built an avid following amongst performance oriented cruisers even though the yard is small, it is in Viet Nam, and the boats are all-carbon and very high-tech. It doesn’t hurt that the famous YouTube Vloggers Riley and Elayna of Sailing La Vagabond, have opted to give up cruising in their Outremer catamaran and are building a Rapido 60 for themselves and their two boys.

I was able to see the first 40 at its US debut at the Miami show last winter and got to meet the builder Paul Koch. I had been eagerly looking forward to seeing this new Rapido as I had spent a bit of time checking out their website and watching videos. A cruising boat that can go 20 knots has a lot of appeal to me. Plus, the new 40 has folding amas so it will fit into a marina slip.

I was not disappointed. The 40’s cockpit is large and comfortable. The side trampolines give you a huge amount of space for relaxing. The foredeck is large enough to actually work on, unlike smaller trimarans.

Down below, the dinette is raised so you can get a great view while having a morning coffee or evening sundowner. Four adults can fit around the table. Across and on the same level is the galley, which is fitted out for preparing proper meals, with plenty of counter space, storage areas for dry good and pots and pans, and a good-size fridge-freezer.

Down two steps going forward, the head and shower are to port, with the shower occupying its own space, which keeps the head and sink dry.  The forward cabin has a queen-size V-berth with drawers under it, plus a hanging locker and more storage cabinets.

Aft of the saloon, though a low passageway or through a large hatch in the cockpit, there is another double cabin that will be fine for a couple and will be a natural play area for young crew. This is peace and quiet cabin or the playpen. The dinette can also fold down to make a double berth, and there is a single pilot berth aft to port, so, if you were so inclined, you actually sleep seven souls aboard.

The 40 is remarkably spacious and with the raised sole in the saloon, you feel fully engaged with the world around you and not the least claustrophobic. The huge windows and the amazing six-foot, seven-in headroom really aid in this pleasing effect. The 40 I was on in Miami had a light colored interior and pale cushions, both of which add to the interior lightness and sense of space.

No Compromises

Paul Koch is a veteran high-tech yacht builder and has built scores of trimarans for Corsair in Viet Nam, where Rapido is also based. Koch’s vision for the Rapido brand is simply “no compromises.” The hulls and decks are epoxy infused carbon fiber laminates that Koch says are the most advanced yacht structures being built anywhere in the world.

The stiffness and weight reduction of carbon laminates over fiberglass truly enhance the 40’s sail area-to-displacement ratio and thus the swiftness of the hulls.  To make the most of modern C-foil technology, the 40 has C-shaped dagger boats that curve under the ama and provide quite a lot of lift as the boat moves rapidly through the water. This reduces wetted surface and increases speed. The dagger boards also provide lift when sailing hard to windward so the 40 will point as high as a modern racing monohull and will likely be faster, all without crew crowded on the windward rail.

But, Koch didn’t stop there. Every laminated part on the boat is ultralight cored carbon laminate, including drawers, doors, bulkheads and interior structural pieces. All up, the 40 weighs around 12,000 pounds or a fraction of the displacement of a 40-foot monohull or catamaran.

Removing the central center board in favor of the C-shaped daggerboards frees up a lot of space in the saloon and this, too, adds to the sense of spaciousness.  The center hull has a very narrow profile at the waterline for reduced drag, but above the waterline the hull flares out dramatically to a chine and this, again, adds to interior volume without adding wetted surface or drag. Plus, the flared shape of the hull sides will deflect that fire hose of spray the boat creates when sailing at top speeds and thus will keep crew in the cockpit dry.

The carbon mast and boom offer a powerful sail plan with a slab-reefed mainsail and a self-tacking jib.  The rotating wing mast is a massive 63 feet off the water and is a spreader-less design as you would find on racing trimarans.

The long bowsprit will be the tack down point for a Code Zero headsail, which may be the only downwind sail you will need for normal cruising. In fact, with the speed ranges shown on the boat’s designed polar curves, you will have the wind forward of the beam most of the time, even when beam or broad reaching. Frankly, I think you would rarely sail dead downwind as reaching will give the better speed and quickest angle to your downwind destination.

Finally, the 40 comes with two folding hull versions that give the boat a 15-foot beam when folded up and thus the ability to moor in any conventional marina slip.

The new Rapido 40 is a very special new boat that offers maximum sailing performance in a package that is easy to sail, easy to move around and easy to live aboard and cruise. Because of its sailing ability, owners will sail more and motor less, so the 40 is also a very natural sailing craft and an eco-friendly vessel with a minimum carbon footprint – aside from all the carbon the hulls and rig. I could easily cruise far and wide in a Rapido 40 and I am sure Paul Koch and his team will find a large and ready market for the boat. The base price is about $675,000 and you can expect a well fitted out boat to come in at about $750,000. Read more here.

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Rapido entered the world of multihulls about ten years ago with the ambition of building high-performance ocean-going trimarans. After the 60 and 50, the shipyard unveiled the 40, a smaller model. This “small” Rapido obviously keeps the DNA of its big siblings and features a folding structure that comes into its own when you’re in the marina.

The Rapido is recognizable by its very aerial look with its floats that barely touch the water.

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Rapido was created in 2014 under the impetus of Paul Koch, an Australian with a long-standing passion for multihulls. Before embarking on the adventure of his new brand, Paul was, from 1986 to 2008, the owner of OSTAC, which manufactured catamarans and trimarans. He was then at the helm of Corsair Marine from 1994 to 2010 before deciding to create Rapido with his own ideas - a logical course for someone who has always been known for his sense of innovation. The brand relies on Triac Composites, the factory in charge of construction, which Paul co-founded with Richard Eyre. The yard is located in southern Vietnam, in Ho Chi Minh City. Drawing on his experience, the founder has always been driven by the desire to create the most efficient trimarans in the category while maintaining a certain simplicity - both in the layout and the boat’s handling.

A design by Morrelli & Melvin

To carry out the project, Rapido called on the Californian design firm Morrelli & Melvin, who are well known in the field of sailing, notably for their work on the America’s Cup racing boats and on a n...

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Boat Anomaly: Rapido 40 Trimaran

• April 19th, 2023
• Sailing Yacht

Being present at boat shows I always try to find interesting sailboats to write about. Right now, roaming the pontoons of La Grande Motte Multihull boat show, I detected an anomaly, so to say, but one in the best sense of the word: The Rapido 40 trimaran caught my attention right away. It was not so much the boat itself as a whole, but the sheer number of small details – summing up to an exciting package.

People with “eyes” will notice the Rapido 40 right away: A mast with a considerable rake can be seen on so many boats, especially multihulls, but a spreaderless rigging is an exemption. This kind of rigging is normally reserved for strictly pro-racing yachts and regarding the Rapido 40 just a first harbinger of what this boat is entitled to be.

A seemingly limitless attention to details

Nearing myself the berth of this trimaran, which was moored a bit off at one of the pontoons more far away from the big brands and production cats, I quickly start to notice many more deciding details. The standing rigging, for example, is made of carbon fibres . This so-called “soft rigging” offers many advantages over steel wiring but of course comes with a hefty price tag.

Spreaderless mast, soft rigging – the consequence should be a rotating wing mast. Those type of masts can be tilted by the skipper and thus optimize airflow on the mainsail significantly. This is as well a feature we only know from pro-racing .

Operating such a mast requires thorough knowledge and capabilities of the skippers. Rapido most certainly is not a boat you should choose as your first boat. And if so, you should book some thorough classes with pro-skippers and people who know how to handle this gear. The outcome, this is for sure, of having such a variety of trimming tools at hand, is high speed and stunning performance.

Looking at the daggerboard´s shape, for example, reveals that the Rapido trimaran was made by absolutely dedicated specialists. This daggerboard is not just shaped nicely to cut through water and minimize leeway, by looking at the drop-shaped hydrodynamically optimized form of the cross-section reveals that this is true high-tech.

Rapido´s mission: Creating the best ocean cruising Trimarans in the World

As the website states, Rapido´s mission is to simply make and offer the best ocean cruising trimarans in the world. In this, the Hong Kong-based company is completely focusing on the highest level of construction and design. The carbon fiber in this respect is their material of choice.

Seemingly everything about the Rapido 40 is made of carbon composite. As many, many parts are lacquered and painted white, like the pulpits for example, I have the feeling that this is done for protection and aesthetics, but also to kind of “hide away” or add a bit of understatement to the whole boat. Boasting around with this level of material-usage and craftsmanship may not be top priority of Rapido´s clients.

The appearance of the Rapido 40 is very dynamic, but as mentioned, but the boat prefers to stay in the background. Understatement is a feature of this boat. Compared to other trimarans this one looks as if it wants to downplay its aggressive and high-performance nature. A Dragonfly for example looks a loot more ready to fight – but this is just the looks.

No compromises

The brand Rapido is kind of trending right now. The brand´s name got a huge elevation recently as the guys from LA VAGABONDE announced that their next boat will be a Rapido, the “beast”, the Rapido 60. People who know are aware of this brand of course long before LA VAGABONDE joined the game. The company was co-founded by Paul Koch, who apparently was sitting aboard the Rapido 40 and welcomed his visitors personally. This guy is well known in the multihull scene.

Koch is known for his previous dedicated works at OSTAC Yachts and above all Corsair Marine, well known trimaran brands. His dedication and determination to achieve highest possible standards without sacrificing or compromising too much git him his nickname “Pioneer Paul”. Sadly, when I was aboard, he was in the midst of a conversation and I didn´t wanted to interrupt: Certainly a person I´d love to sit down and talk to in more depth. Maybe next year.

Anyways, going down into the boat´s saloon, the “Aaah” and “Wow” didn´t stop: Yepp, this boat is made entirely of carbon: Even the dinner table is made of nicely woven and glossy painted carbon fibre. As wind speeds at La Grande Motte exceeded 30 knots that day, apparently, the whole nearby beach had been blown into the marina and as such the boat was covered with a small layer of finest sand, even inside..

Full carbon build. And I mean “full”!

Looking at the pure data of this trimaran, you will get a feeling for what the shipyard has done here: The boat measures 39 feet overall and has a maximum width of just under 8 meters, float to float. Thus it weights 5.200 kilograms light displacement, thanks to the usage of carbon fibres. For comparison, the Dragonfly 40 from Denmark, already a light and fast boat, clocks in at 6.900 kilograms lightest version, 7.9 tons cruising version.

And this procession of carbon details is never-ending: Standing in the saloon I direct my eyes to the longitudinal galley and notice that here again everything is made from carbon composites. Even the drawers which I pull out are made with this material: The level of attention to details is stunning. Even for a part like this, which is normally filled with cutlery, the visible carbon layers are beautiful.

I catch myself thinking about outfitting such a boat: If everything is made without any compromise to save weight, if everything is done with carbon fibers and literally screams “I am light weight!”, which cutlery would you put into a drower like this? I mean, any steel fork or knife would compromise the idea, right?

Apart from such crazy thought-experiments, the layout of the saloon and the galley´s size are absolutely fine for a trimaran. Already limited in internal volume, the makers of the Rapido 40 managed to come up with a clever usage of available volume and provide for a snug, roomy and above all, light suffused interior.

Made for serious and passionate Sailors

The nav-station of the Rapido 40 has all a skipper needs to manage the boat: Main switch board, VHF and secondary displays are well within reach. Standing in that corner, the Captain will have a great view outside and won´t be away or “down” out of sight for too long. Only downside: It´s a standing workplace as there is no stool or anything to sit down – this area also double-functions as the pathway to the rear cabin.

I especially like one detail: The chart plotter is mounted to a swinging arm so that it can be used both inside and, if swung around, from the outside. This is a similar ingenious but simple solution as Seascape offers in the First 27 SE . From sailing that boat for 2 seasons I can say, it really works, protects the expensive gear and has it away from moisture, rain and thieves. Nice.

40 feet trimaran comforts

As I already mentioned, the saloon is a snug place. Of course, in dedicated cruising catamaran or more common concepts, 40 feet boats offer far, far more internal volume and as such more perceived comforts. But how much do you need? I mean, #microcruising is a real thing and if your preference is set on very fast sailing, you really do not care about buying (and moving around) empty space, which inevitably always comes with more weight. The Rapido 40 offers the minimum, bottom line of comforts and it does it with style.

The floor is made of Cork , which I liked, and the dinner table area with the U-shaped settee is raised. In this, whilst sitting here, the view is a true 360 degree panorama view with amazing outlooks on the boat quickly dashing through the seas or at anchor in a dream bay.

Cross ventilation and lighting situation inside is great: The Rapido 40 is a very light boat in terms of colors and natural light. I can very good imagine a crew, a family or a couple enjoying the quietness and peace of a berth or anchorage, maybe having a tasty dinner or an ice-cold beer, after a leg of rapid sailing. Let´s see what the boat offers internally.

Passing through the primary bulkhead, to the port side the boat´s head is situated. This shall be near the pivotal point of the boat so that even when sailing there shouldn´t bee too much motion when taking a dump . The bathroom is surprisingly big given the dimensions. Again, the volume is utilized in a very clever way. Standing height where you have to be standing, enough space to get dressed/undressed, take a shower or sit down.

I especially liked the windows. A smaller hull window which can be opened will make the head light and ventilate out some smelly air. The round hatch in the hull´s bottom is absolutely breathtaking, making the room appear in oceanic blue colors. When sailing, it must be awesome to enjoy the view here.

Cabins in the Rapido 40 Trimaran

Vis-à-vis the bathroom there is some stowage and a dry-locker for wet sailing gear . Again, Rapido´s exploit of interior volume shows the capabilities of the designers in the fore cabin, which I would dub as owner´s cabin. Three windows in the hull which all can be opened, and a skylight hatch make for perfect cross ventilation and shiny light atmosphere.

The double bed should be suitable for two adults, stowage is to starboard side mainly and a small drawer adjoining the bathroom. Again, the level of details and determination to save weight is apparent even in the cabins: The light switches are made of carbon fibers as well. Crazy.

The rapido 40 is a two-cabin boat. Going back through the saloon and kind of kneeling down wedging oneself through the back of the navigation station one reaches the aft cabin. Measurements are stunning: The mattresses of the aft cabin can easily offer sleeping space for three adults, jet this cabin, being exactly underneath the cockpit, reminds me of small the makeshift “slip-cabins” in small power boats.

Laying in these berths, you have to slip underneath the cockpit, above your head a large hatch can be opened as well. This hatch can be used to climb into the aft cabin from outside as well or, left open, to provide for fresh air. For a sailing family, I presume, this would be the cabin for the kids. I would say, my kids would absolutely love it here.

Judging from the internal volume and the size of the berths, this trimaran I´d say is a good choice for the sailing couple. Maybe with kids joining the party, although performance-wise as a father I would think twice before bringing my kids to a boat like this. If used by more than two adults, the people sleeping in the aft cabin will have to make some sacrifices, especially when having to go to toilet at night … that´s quite a long walk to the head.

Fast cruising

I step out and put myself in the cockpit of the Rapido 40. Sitting in the two steering benches, which offer comfortable seating for two adults but can also be occupied by three, I have a great view over the coachroof. The boat´s running rigging and winch layout is clearly made for single handed sailing: All lines are diverted into the cockpit.

Tiller steering is a matter of fact, a powerful autopilot will work most of the time, I assume. In this I am both surprised and excited: As high and sophisticated the level of craftsmanship, material usage and performance of the Rapido 40 may be, the minimalistic and simplistic this boat appears to be when it comes to actually sailing it.

And I guess this is the true mastery of Rapido´s makers: Making a complex machine accessible, bringing forth the fun of sailing. Making the physics of sailing, the working of a sail, of the daggerboard, hull and rudders visible and the driving of the wind through the sails a primary factor and the main topic of this boat. In this, the Rapido 40 is even a step further when it comes to uncompromised sailing than the Outremer 45, which I sailed and wrote about in my previous article .

A fascinating maritime exemption

As such, I conclude my walkaround in the Rapido 40. She is clearly a boat that will attract and impress many people but will be the choice only of a few seriously dedicated. I guess it´s a matter of the price tag itself, of course, but also of the demanding boat: We all love to look at a Porsche GT 4, but truly capable of mastering one are just a few. The Rapido 40 is a kind of it´s own in this respect.

I like the #microcruising approach, level of attention to details and the almost aggressive use of high end material. In this, the trimaran does not just waste precious carbon fibers to show off but puts it to a good use. Speed, speed and speed – achieving maximum performance and at the same time bringing back a simplistic approach to sailing. A nice and attractive combination.

La Grande Motte Multihull show once again proved that this venue is the one epicenter of multihulls, the world´s leading boat show for yachts with more than one hull. Seeing such a variety of catamarans and trimarans all together in one place, all of them in the water, some also going out to show their character in sea trials, is just great. Big brands, small one-offs; cruisers for a nice charter vacation, coastal cruising or serious circumnavigation – all in one place. Rapido is a wonderful, interesting and exciting exemption from the mass, an extreme in best sense of the word.

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