rapido trimaran vietnam

• Yachting World
• Digital Edition

First look: Rapido 50 folding trimaran

• June 9, 2021

The recently launched Rapido 50 will share many of the same characteristics of her predecessors as a performance folding trimaran that should turn heads

When launched in 2016 the Morelli and Melvin-designed Rapido 60 quickly established this brand as a new breed of ultra-fast, yet practical, performance cruising/racing trimaran

The Vietnam-based builder has two further models in development, at 40ft and 50ft. Both are folding multihull designs, which enables them to slip into a regular monohull marina berth and reduces storage costs when ashore.

Construction of the Morelli and Melvin design is of infused carbon foam sandwich, with beams, daggerboards and rudder made of pre-preg carbon. The central hull is configured for single-level living, with the cockpit and deckhouse both on the same level, although the Rapido 50 has a higher helm station to give a clear view over the coachroof.

Polars for this model show it being capable of well over 20 knots of boat speed across a wide range of reaching wind angles, and as much as 18 knots beam reaching in just 14 knots of breeze. The first Rapido 50 was built for delivery to an owner in Palma, Mallorca.

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Rapido is also working on a 40-footer with curved C-foils and T-foil rudders. As well as offering a performance boost, without the control issues of a fully foiling boat, these allow the interior to be opened up as there’s no need for a daggerboard in the central hull.

The result looks to be a very enticing high performance yacht with a civilised two-cabin interior and acres of deck space.

Base prices are ex works, ex sails and electronics, and with aluminium spars.

Rapido 50 specification

LOA: 15.24m / 50ft 9in LWL: 14.96m / 49ft 1in Max beam: 10.38m / 34ft 1in Folded beam: 5.5m / 18ft 1in Draught: 0.67-3.52m / 2ft 2in to 11ft 7in Displacement (light): 8,200kg / 14,400lb Base Price: US$1.25m ex VAT

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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.

Rapido 40 : Featherweight trimaran from Vietnam with smart solutions

Michael Good

 ·  27.05.2023

Rapido Trimarans has already caused a stir in the market for sporty yet comfortable trimarans with a 60-footer and a 50-footer. Now the young brand from the Far East is following up with a smaller model. The Rapido 40 was recently presented as a new product at the La Grande-Motte multihull trade fair in April 2023, where it was also put to the test by YACHT. The test report will appear in one of the next issues. Until then, you can see the first photos of the test run in the detailed gallery above.

During the test run, the multihull, which is made entirely of carbon fibre, impressed with its high speed and surprisingly good height upwind. The turning angles in medium winds are 80 degrees and less, which is very unusual for multihulls. The tripod designed by Morelli & Melvin in the USA is fitted as standard with curved and asymmetrically profiled C-foils, which provide additional lift. Incidentally, the two side hulls can be folded in, which can reduce the maximum width of 8.80 metres to a more acceptable 5.80 metres for harbour berths.

Good for the lawn - but also for travelling

Despite its fundamentally very sporty and performance-oriented design and consistently weight-optimised production, the Rapido 40 is also quite comfortable. Cabins with berths for at least five people are located forward and aft. An exciting feature: the seating area in the saloon is raised, just like on a yacht with a deck saloon. The large superstructure windows provide an almost all-round view when seated. The galley is fitted into the side of the saloon as a long row and features large work surfaces and plenty of storage space. Of course, the boat is also equipped with a very spacious wet room with shower option.

The basic price is quoted by the shipyard at 695,000 US dollars. At the current exchange rate, this corresponds to a price of 649,780 euros. If 19 per cent VAT is added, the base price for the Rapido 40 ex shipyard is just under 773,250 euros. The price is for the boat with the standard carbon fibre rig but without the sails. On top of this, around 10,000 euros will be added for transport from Vietnam to Europe.

Technical data Rapido 40

• CE design category: A
• Designer: Morelli & Melvin
• Hull length: 12.03 m
• Waterline length: 12.00 m
• Maximum width: 8.80 m
• Width with retracted side hulls: 5.80 m
• Weight: 5.2 tonnes
• Draught (with foils): 0,87-2,18 m
• Mast height above waterline: 19.25 m
• Mainsail: 65.0 m²
• Self-tacking jib: 32.0 m²
• Reacher: 113.0 m²
• Gennaker: 158.0 m²

Further links on the topic

• The Rapido Trimarans shipyard
• The competition: The Dragonfly 40 in the YACHT test
• Trimaran Astus 22.5 in the YACHT test
• Trimaran Black Marlin 33 on test

Most read in category Yachts

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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Published 18/02/2022

By Dick Sawyer

Published: mar. / apr. 2022

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Issue #: 182

Published: March / April 2022

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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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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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Caption: Rapido Catamarans is located in the Triac Composites factory in HCMC, Vietnam - on the banks of the Nha Be River. Sail away... 

 Rapido Catamarans' Founders

Paul Koch and James Sganzerla, arguably, have built more composite multihulls than any other boat builder in the world. We estimate that they have built more than 1,500 multihulls since 1986 when  Paul established OSTAC (Ocean Sailing Trimarans and Catamarans) in Australia.

Paul owned OSTAC until 2008 but it was when he took the reins of Corsair Marine in 1994 over in the USA that the production really started to pick up. Understanding the economics of building boats for an increasingly cost-conscious market, the two of them relocated Corsair Marine's entire business to Vietnam in 2006. 

In 2010, they sold Corsair Marine to focus on the launch of Rapido Trimarans and Triac Composites in Vietnam. Rapido Trimarans would focus on a range of Trimarans, spearheaded by the Rapido 60 (see video below) . The hallmarks of the Rapido 60 was that she would be the world's fastest production cruising trimaran!

Triac Composites would be the builder of the trimarans - and Triac Composites would also source composite work from industries outside of marine.

Richard Eyre, a life long sailor, trimaran owner, lawyer and investment banker also played a founding role in the establishment of the company. Richard brought many years of corporate knowledge and good governance to this internationally owned and managed company.

Co founders, Richard Eyre and Paul Koch.

 Rapido Catamarans' time

In 2019, the founders surveyed the boaties in the market.

Like others, these boaties are often time poor. They are unable to afford the luxury of being dependent on the vagaries of the wind to serve their needs. They need the certainty of guaranteed performance at the turn of a key. But that doesn't mean they are prepared to accept a fuel-guzzling boat with its environmental and financial costs. They want to enjoy the water and have that sense of satisfaction in harvesting energy efficiently.

And so, the idea of Rapido Catamarans was born. 

Firstly, we continue to believe that multihulls offer numerous advantages over the multihull as per the Cats Vs Mono page on this website.

We also think that having spent three decades building wind-powered composite boats that sail across oceans, we know something about building boats that are lightweight yet structurally sound. These are key ingredients for achieving greater efficiency from the same engine (hydro, solar or conventional) without compromising safety.

But, we also need an efficient hull design...

The Designer

                                                                        As a boat builder, we rely heavily on the designer to deliver a design that we                                                                            can breathe life into. And with  Albatross Marine Design  (AMD), we have                                                                                    found such a designer.

AMD is a Thailand-based design office, founded by Dr. Albert Nazarov in early 2006, that has grown rapidly and now provides services to clients globally.

With its extensive investment in the latest available design software and testing equipment it is, without doubt, one of the most advanced design offices in the world.

 The scope of AMD's design services includes:

Design and styling

Interior design

Naval architecture

Engineering

Research and consultancy

Construction supervision

Trials and testing

AMD's achievements in the field of small craft design include the Gold Prize 2019 for the European Product Design Award for the F100 water taxi design. The f100 is a smaller version of Rapido Catamarans' RC12m .

The Vision behind the Rapido

Have you ever had a consuming passion for anything?

Co founder of Rapido Triamarans, Paul Koch, certainly does.

While trimarans may be a niche market, it is a market that he has essentially devoted his whole working life to developing.

Paul owned and operated OSTAC (Ocean Sailing Trimarans and Catamarans) Yachts from 1986 to 2008 and then the trimaran company, Corsair Marine from 1994 to 2010. Pioneer Paul , renowned for his passion and vision, has been credited with driving many innovations in the multihull industry – especially  in building production trimarans.

But Paul had always been convinced that there was a missing segment in the sailing market: an ocean-cruising trimaran that was owner-operated, powerful enough to accelerate out of any potential trouble – and could be safely crewed by two. Enter the concept for the  world’s fastest production cruising trimaran , the Rapido 60. Armed with the concept, Paul approached his friend, Pete Melvin, from world-acclaimed naval architects, Morrelli & Melvin Design and Engineering . Their brief was to develop the design and engineering for the Rapido 60.

The Mission

Rapido is committed to building the best ocean-cruising trimarans in the world!

The Designers – Morrelli & Melvin

Rapido Trimarans believes  Morrelli & Melvin Design and Engineering is the best qualified and most professional multihull design/engineering company in the world (for a glimpse of the technology they use, click here ).

Morelli & Melvin don’t just sit in the design office. They actually sail and build boats.

Combined with their developmental work on cutting edge technology behind  America’s Cup  campaigns and other world famous projects, we believe they have the perfect balance of technical knowledge and hands-on experience.

Morrelli & Melvin also make use of the latest technology to develop the most efficient designs that include:

• Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)
• Finite Element Analysis (FEA)
• Velocity Prediction Program (VPP)

To read more about this sophisticated technology, click here .

The Builder – Triac Composites

It was established in Vietnam in 2014 by Paul and co founder, Richard Eyre to build the Rapidos. Importantly, Triac would deliberately diversify its revenue stream by opening itself up to the marine industry more generally as well as non marine.

While Triac Composites are specialists in building sailing boats it is also true that we are specialists in working with composites, irrespective of the industry in which they are used.

Composites are especially well suited to the marine industry because they are light, super strong, non corrosive in salty environments and can be moulded into virtually any shape. These qualities are highly sought after throughout the marine sector more generally as well as other industries.

Accordingly, as Triac Composites’ production capability has increased (eg Kuka Robot , autoclave, CNC machine, labour etc), our order book has become quite varied and robust.

Examples of our composite work includes:

• Composite plugs and molds
• Composite superstructures for European ferries
• Outsourced composite boats (commercial and leisure)
• Mining equipment
• Architectural facades
• Train interiors

Triac Composites has an international management team and technical staff. We employ nearly 100 local staff – many of whom have been with Paul since he first opened a composites manufacturing plant in Vietnam back in 2006.

Holiday in Vietnam and visit factory

Prior to Covid-19, Vietnam had been enjoying stellar growth in its international tourism sector. In 2019, more than 18 million visitors travelled to Vietnam which set a new record.

In January 2020, Google named one of the towns in Vietnam (Danang) as 2020’s Top Trending Travel Destination .

What we are finding is that a number of our international clients would like to visit our factory in Ho Chi Minh City   (HCMC), Vietnam – and then go for a little holiday in this fantastic country.

Our modern factory (40 minutes from HCMC’s District 1), facilities, equipment and talented staff have impressed each of our visitors.

Visas for Vietnam Please note, many nationalities will need a visa to enter Vietnam which must be organised in advance. For further information, please visit the Government’s e visa portal .

Dealership Network

For contact details of Rapido Trimarans’ International Dealership Network, click here .