Doyen and aficionado of the multihull (trimarans) industry, the venerable Paul Koch has re- entered the fray on Sailing Anarchy’s Multihull Anarchy Forum (note, Paul Koch is also a co founder of Rapido Trimarans).
Paul has provided further details of the new Rapido 40 and Rapido 50, both designed by Morrelli & Melvin, in a post titled, Two new folding models coming.
An edited version of Paul’s post on Sailing Anarchy is reproduced below. ***
Rapido Trimarans is currently developing two new Folding Trimarans that will fold for marina berthing.
They will be an exciting addition to the fleet of Rapidos led by our flagship the Rapido 60!
Expected pricing and weight
Depends on the options selected. Options will determine the weight and price. Obviously, options cost more and weigh more!
Rapido 40
- Click to view Rapido 40 Aft Cabin (dated 17 March 2019 (pdf file))
- Early weight estimate: 3,700 kgs
- Expected launch date: Soon after launch of Rapido 50 (early 2020)
Rapido 50
- Weight: 6,500kgs
- Click to view Rapido 50 Interior arrangement
- To view additional information, click here.
- Expected launch date: Early 2020
Note to expected launch dates
We are highly motivated to get the two new models out sooner. We just bought a big CNC Robot to speed up the tooling!
If you want know more email [email protected]
Preliminary feedback on Sailing Anarchy
“Seagul”
-
Really nice to see the development in the bigger trimarans for “normal” use.
“Boardhead”
- At last – some offshore trimarans to go play with!
- Excellent, I wish you “Good Luck” with all three and can’t wait to see the 40 in person. Hopefully, it will be a bare bones, performance version…Enquiries
“Nets”
- The Rapido 40 looks awesome!
- Is fully foiling, like the D&A F10 from the same designer, an option on this boat? What is her estimated performance – any polars?
Paul Koch’s response
Maybe in the future when the technology is more user-friendly to average sailors! But, initially, it has long “C” foils which will give a lot of lift. We don’t have polars yet but expect the performance to be very good; certainly better than almost all 40ft cruising multihulls!
“Fredericktham“
Really great to see the first drawings of the Rapido 40. It is along the lines what I’ve been waiting, for some time. On the website it says, “Intracoastal Waterway”. What category will it be? What offshore/ocean capability will it have?
Paul Koch’s response
Maybe that is confusing! We are keeping the mast height at 65ft off the water so it fits under all the bridges in the intracoastal waterway.
The design is for an ocean-going boat that you can sail anywhere. It will be built to CE Category A standards. It will also fold up with the floats vertical, eliminating the old trimaran issue of barnacles / algae etc growing on the sides when folded and left in a marina.
