rapido 40 trimaran cost

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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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For Sailors. The Rapido 40 offers the benefits of the Rapido 60 – but only requires a single berth in a marina. And, the floats can be folded without barnacles growing on their side, thanks to our new, patented, folding mechanism. You'll be happy with the price as well so give us a call.

Make or Manufacturer

Length overall, length at waterline.

Advantages of the Rapido 40

Customers always have options in the market. We believe the Rapido 40 will capture the interest of this segment for the following reasons:

Lighter Faster Easier to handle Better accommodation and layout Far more competitively priced Higher tech build Stronger, safer folding system Better all-round offshore Better weight distribution with heavy items (eg engine) in the middle of the boat . More functional interior which will be very nicely finished in a style similar to that of the Rapido 60 And then, of course, there is the folding system…

Folding Features for the 21st Century and Beyond

To enable easy and more affordable single-berthing at marinas around the world, the Rapido 40 is a folding trimaran. The outer floats fold in against the main hull to keep her beam narrow enough for single berths. Unlike some folding trimarans, however, the Rapido 40, when folded, retains excellent stability and the floats remain upright so there are no growth issues or need for bottom paint on the sides of the floats. The upright floats are also a breeze to walk on whether boarding from the dock or handling lines when coming into a dock

The C-Foils in each outer hull, replace a daggerboard located in the main hull, and give the Rapido 40 a massive performance boost both upwind and downwind without adding a lot of complexity. For normal day sailing or cruising both can be in the “down" position. For less drag when racing or simply looking for more speed, the weather C-Foil is easily raised.

General Information

FAST AND POWERFUL Trimarans are the fastest and most powerful design type as demonstrated by the fact that trimarans currently hold most point-to-point, and 24-hour speed records, including the singlehanded around the world speed record. These records require power and low drag in light air, pointing ability when forecasts prove wrong, and the ability to de-power and still sail at top speed when the weather gets a bit sporty.

SAFETY Speed can increase safety when cruising especially as the Rapido line of trimarans has sailing top speeds that will outrun or help avoid storm systems.

SPACIOUS The Rapido 40 has some truly amazing living spaces both down below and on deck. With trampolines between the main and outer hulls, an aft cabin, a forward cabin, both separate from the main cabin, and a large amount of seating on deck,

STABLE AND COMFORTABLE Trimarans are comfortable on all points of sail and remarkably stable whether sailing or at rest.

FUN The combination of safety, performance, and comfort put the Rapido 40 in a league of its own. The enormous trampoline nets add fun and excitement as you watch the blue water rush by underneath you – or as you lounge on the nets while gently floating over a reef. You will be instantly hooked.

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RAPIDO 40 - The very first seatrials of a folding trimaran... it’s exciting!

Article published on 18/02/2022

By Dick Sawyer

published in n°182 mar. / apr.

The Triac Composites shipyard and the enormous experience of its team produces a wonderful range of high-performance trimarans from 40 to 60 feet out of its base at Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), in Vietnam. The manufacturer has just unveiled the very first images of its latest “little” boat, the Rapido 40. Trick of the light - that's its name - has shown good average speeds right from its first sail.

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This model, in the Racer version, can be boosted with C-foils and a carbon rig. While the central hull has a very narrow beam at the waterline, reasonable volume is nevertheless ensured inside, thanks to a marked chine. The floats are particularly voluminous, obviously guaranteeing good strength. And when you go alongside in port, they fold backwards: the beam is reduced from 28’10” (8.80 m) at sea down to 16’1” (4.90 m). Builder: Rapido Trimarans/Triac Composites Architect: Morelli & Melvin Material: composite Length: 39’4” (12 m) Beam: 28’10”/16’1” (8.8/4.9 m) Draft: 22”/4’7” (0.56/1.4 m) Displacement: 10,600 lbs (4.8 t) Mainsail: 820 sq ft (76 m²) Solent: 345 sq ft (32 m²) Price: $ 595,000 ex-tax

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Description

Boat layout.

The World’s Ultimate Folding Cruising Trimaran

The Rapido 40 is a remarkable model offering the benefits of the Rapido 60 – but only requires a single berth in a marina. And, the floats can be folded without barnacles growing on their side thanks to the new patented folding mechanism.

World-acclaimed designers, Morrelli & Melvin are designing the Rapido 40, which has become the benchmark of the mid-range size. The trimarans will be built by Rapido’s exclusive builder, Triac Composites.

A FOLDING MECHANISM FOR THE 21ST CENTURY To enable easy and more affordable single-berthing at the marina, the R40 will be a folding trimaran (folding the outer floats (amas) up against the centre hull) – but with an important difference. The R40 will feature a folding mechanism for the 21st century.

The R40 will introduce a remarkable engineering solution to two age-old problems typically associated with folding trimarans; namely, the folding mechanism will not compromise the boat’s stability; and actually keep the floats in the upright position. Say goodbye to weeds, algae and barnacles growing on the sides!

FAST AND POWERFUL Trimarans are safe, powerful and fast as demonstrated by the fact that they consistently win races and hold the solo speed record for circumnavigating the world.

SAFE Safety at sea is the No. 1 priority and this thinking is reflected throughout the design and construction of the Rapido.

SPACIOUS The Rapido 40 has some truly amazing living spaces which provide more open, private and intimate areas than monohulls or catamarans.

STABLE AND COMFORTABLE Trimarans are comfortable on all points of sail.

FUN The combination of safety, performance and comfort put the Rapido in a league of its own. The enormous trampoline nets add fun and excitement as you watch the blue water rush underneath you – or as you lounge on the nets while gently floating over a reef. You will be instantly hooked.

Specifications

• LOA 12m / 39.37
• LWL 11.96m / 39.23ft
• Beam 8.3m / 27.23ft
• Beam overall (folded) 4.6m / 15.09ft
• BOA (float to float CL): 7.45m / 24.44
• Freeboard 1.5m
• T-Board up 0.56m
• T-Board uown 1.4m
• Displacement (light) 4T
• Displacement (max) 5T
• Mail Sail 76m2
• Solent 43m2
• Reacher 100m2
• Asymmetrical spinnaker 128m2
• Intracoastal Waterway -
• Max 19.6m / 65ft* (The mast height is capped at 65ft above the water so that it fits under all the bridges in intracoastal waterways.)
• Mast Length Max 17m
• Mast Height above DWL 19.3m

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Prices are not fixed due to daily fluctuations in international exchange rates. For current pricing on any of these models please contact us on:

• P: +61 (0) 7 5452 5164
• E: [email protected]

New Zealand

• P: +64 (0) 9 217 0600
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• P: +66 (0) 76 238 117
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