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The new Rapido 40 trimaran is designed by Morrelli & Melvin, whose portfolio includes multihull rockets ranging from America’s Cup contenders to Steve Fossett’s Playstation, so no surprise that performance is in its DNA. But it’s also a cruising multihull that’s light, strong, easy to sail, and designed to fit into a standard slip, with retractable amas.

The smallest in the Vietnamese-built Rapido line, this tri combines bright above-waterline living with efficient sailing and easy singlehanding with a self-tacking jib. Multiple watertight bulkheads offer a measure of safety in case of collision, and the carbon/foam construction keeps the boat light and agile. At just under 12,000 pounds, it’s half the weight of a 40-foot catamaran, but with an equivalent sailplan that helps her slip along at wind speed even in light breezes.

The Rapido 40 has a carbon V-boom, aramid cap shrouds, and a carbon, two-piece, tapered, wing mast with no spreaders. Twin asymmetric, prepreg, dagger C-foils on the outer amas remove the need for a heavy centerboard or keel, and the lifting rudder T-foil is excellent for both shallow and deep waters. With a reacher or gennaker, expect 20-plus-knot boatspeeds in 15-20 knots of wind.

Trimarans are known for their performance, not their livability, but Rapido designs are built for distance cruising in comfort. The raised salon, galley, and nav station are all on the same level, and surrounding windows bring in plenty of light so there’s no feeling of being “buried in the hull.”

A step down leads to the head to port and a forward cabin with double berth. The aft cabin—tucked below the cockpit and accessible via a hatch in the cockpit, as well as a crawl-through tunnel to starboard behind the nav station—is quite massive (guaranteed crowd-pleaser for any kids on board). The settee hi/lo table also converts into a bed, and a small quarter berth is aft to port. So, with a full house, you could sleep up to seven people.

The straight galley runs along the starboard side with a cooktop, sink, and Vitrifrigo refrigerator drawer. Additional refrigeration is below the aft end of the settee and can be used as a drinks fridge or a freezer. To save weight, countertops and drawers are made of carbon, and the cabin sole is cork. Extra storage is available in the amas, which offer a space roughly 3-by-9-by-3, or 81 cubic feet of room.

At the Miami boat show in February, we sailed hull No. 3, the first 40 in the U.S. Word is that the boat can sail upwards of 25 knots in the right conditions, which we sadly did not have. Nevertheless, we had fun sailing the speed of the wind with 3 knots of boat speed on 3 knots of true breeze at 60 degrees apparent wind angle (AWA). In a refreshing 7-knot gust, we sped up to 6.2 knots at 45 AWA.

When we cracked off to 120 degrees AWA, we dropped to just below 1 knot of speed. I felt a bit gypped by the weather gods for this test sail, but even in the light air, the tacks were tight and fast and sailhandling was easy. This was good because five people in that small cockpit could have become crowded if the lines weren’t close at hand. The boat responded quickly to every move of the carbon tiller, and the C-foils were easy to lift and lower with the help of Harken electric winches. Keeping half the C-foils lowered even downwind helped the boat track better without introducing much drag.

Two raised seats on either side of the cockpit are situated for steering, with the tiller extendable to a helmsperson here. The Karver hook on the halyard helped when raising and lowering the mainsail, and the reacher saved the light-wind day. It’s on a furler that’s attached to the carbon sprit, which also holds the anchor. Visibility is tricky at times; you can see forward if you sit outboard or stand up, but the sightlines to the opposite bow are obscured by the cabinhouse, especially for short people.

A single 30-hp Yanmar diesel with a straight shaft and a folding three-blade Gori propeller provide auxiliary power. The engine, accessible under the salon sole, is contained in its own watertight compartment, and that becomes a safety factor in case of even a minor hull breach.

On flat water, we motored 6.1 knots at 2,100 rpm and came up to 8.1 knots at wide open throttle and 3,100 rpm. The throttle is on the cabinhouse, which takes some getting used when handling the tiller at the same time. Electric propulsion may be added with an Oceanvolt motor, which would maker for greener, quieter motoring but which also adds $90,000 to the price.

The Rapido 40 is designed for podium finishes, but with its emphasis on livability, cruising couples interested in fast passagemaking are taking notice. Benefits include wide nets on both sides to relax or carry the tender, the folding amas to make grabbing a standard slip doable, and an ICW-friendly 63-foot air draft. Reportedly, 17 have sold already and are being shipped all over the world as deck cargo with the amas folded and the mast down.

Triac Composites started building Rapido trimarans only eight years ago and they now have three models (the 40, 50, and 60) in the line. This model is the smallest in the Rapido line, and the builders expect a majority of buyers will be ex-multihull racers and cruisers who find anything short of three hulls underwhelming. For performance-oriented cruisers who feel the need for speed, the Rapido 40 offers an approachable price point as well as an alternative to life on only one or two hulls.

Rapido 40

LOA 39’ 6”

Beam 28’ 10” (19’ 3” folded)

Draft (foils up/down) 2’ 10” / 7’ 2”

Displacement (light) 11,474 pounds

Air draft 63’ 2”

Sail area 1,044 sq ft (main, wing mast area, and solent)

Builder: Triac Composites, rapidotrimarans.com

Base price $649,000 ($750,000 as tested)

For more multihull reviews and stories, subscribe for free to Multihull Power & Sail at sailmagazine.com/multihull

May 2023