Designed by Morrelli & Melvin and built by Triac Composites, the Rapido 40 was nominated as a SAIL Top 10 Best Boats 2024 contender and a Cruising World Boat of the Year 2024 contender. Its builder describes it as a 20-knot cruising trimaran.
Design and Construction
The Rapido 40 is built entirely from carbon, using a carbon-and-foam sandwich for the hulls and deck. In high-load areas, it uses prepreg, autoclave-cured components. The mast, beams, foils, and rudders are built in-house from prepreg carbon and autoclave-cured.
The structure includes sealed bulkheads and no below-waterline through-hulls. Multiple watertight bulkheads, watertight bow crash compartments in both the main hull and amas, and a fully contained, watertight engine compartment add safety margins. The engine and other heavy components are kept near the center for balanced weight distribution.
The folding system is fundamental to the design. Folding the amas reduces the beam from 28 feet 10 inches to 19 feet 3 inches. The floats sit neatly alongside the main hull, maintaining full trimaran stability whether sailing or folded. Although still substantial, the folded beam gives the boat access to single marina berths and smaller marinas.
Rig, Foils, and Handling
The Rapido 40 carries a carbon, spreaderless rotating wing mast, offered in standard and performance versions. Its double-tapered wing mast and V-shaped boom are paired with a square-top mainsail and a versatile two-headsail plan.
The self-tacking jib handles upwind sailing and breezy days. For light air and off-wind sailing, there’s a screecher set on a sprit with a continuous-line furler. In the USA, the standard rig fits beneath all bridges on intracoastal waterways.
Twin asymmetric C foils in the amas provide lift upwind and downwind. Both can be lowered for maximum lift, or one can be raised to reduce drag when day sailing. The foils lift both windward and leeward. Electric Harken winches raise the foils, while gravity lowers them. Sheets and halyards are also led to the winches.
With the small jib rolled out, test sailors aboard the review boat recorded close to 8 knots of boat speed in 10 to 12 knots of wind.
Accommodations
The raised saloon avoids a down-in-the-hull layout and provides 360-degree panoramic views. The cabin top and wraparound windows preserve that visibility. Headroom is 6 feet 6 inches.
Later models received a cockpit sole raised by 3 inches and an expanded aft cabin with an extra 6 inches of headroom, creating more room below. Rear-facing ports can be removed for ventilation.
The saloon has an inline galley to starboard, with a dining table opposite. Forward, the owner’s stateroom includes a double berth offset to port, along with a head and shower.
Two private cabins are located aft, with the aft cabin configurable as either a double or twin. A double berth beneath the cockpit can be reached through a hatch or from below.
Custom carbon furniture—including countertops and drawers—helps keep weight down. One reviewer noted that the carbon drawers felt light as a feather to open. Cork flooring adds comfort and resilience underfoot.
Propulsion, Equipment, and Options
Standard propulsion comes from a Yanmar 3YM30AE 29 hp diesel with shaft drive. Electric propulsion is also available for eco-minded owners, including an Oceanvolt twin-propulsion package with two single ServoProps.
Lithium batteries are standard. Options include a helm wheel and roller-furling boom.
The performance mast increases rig height above DWL from 64 feet to 71 feet 6 inches. An optional central daggerboard is available for traditionalists, although the C foils already remove the need for a central board and leave more interior space free.
The Verdict
The Rapido 40 is a thoroughly modern ocean-cruising trimaran that doesn’t trade structural integrity for folding convenience. Its all-carbon, autoclave-cured construction, watertight compartmentation, and CE-A certification for unrestricted ocean crossings put it firmly in the serious-voyager class.
At 19 feet 3 inches when folded, it makes berthing a 39-foot trimaran more realistic, though it still needs a wider slip than many monohulls. The rotating wing mast and self-tacking jib help keep short-handed handling within reach. For its length, the accommodations are generous, with a panoramic saloon, configurable aft cabins, and lightweight carbon furniture.
Pros
- All-carbon, foam-sandwich construction, with autoclave-cured high-load parts made in-house
- Folding amas reduce beam to 19 feet 3 inches without sacrificing stability
- C foils lift both windward and leeward and eliminate the need for a centerboard trunk in the interior
- 360-degree visibility from the raised saloon and wraparound windows
- CE-A certification for unrestricted offshore and ocean sailing
Cons
- The performance rig’s 71-foot 6-inch height limits bridge clearance outside the US intracoastal standard-rig envelope
- Even folded, the boat requires a 19-foot 3-inch slip, which is wider than many monohull berths
