Rapido 40 Racer

Ocean Racing Within Your Reach

If you’re a fan of high-performance multihulls, you’ll probably remember reading our test of the Rapido 40 Cruiser (see MW189). We were won over by the simplicity and outstanding performance of this trimaran, which also offered surprisingly generous living space. At the 2026 International Multihull Show in La Grande-Motte, the Vietnam-based shipyard pulled out all the stops by showcasing its 40 Cruiser in the Performance version and, in a world premiere, the all - new Rapido 40 Racer - an even more radical design, especially since it, too, was presented in the Performance version.

The Rapido 40’s narrow waterline beam, its wide chine providing ample interior volume, and the hulls with inverted bows promise an excellent balance between performance and comfort at sea.

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Practical info

Boat Test price5.00€ Inc. tax

Purchase

Boat Test price5.00€ Inc. tax

Purchase

Test location: La Grande-Motte, France
Conditions: 9 to 11 knots of wind, calm sea

From Coastal Regattas to Ocean Racing

While it obviously shares the DNA of its predecessor, the Racer immediately asserts its uniqueness. It was also interesting to see the two versions side by side and play “Spot the Difference” - and it’s clear that none of the differences are mistakes, given how explicit the design philosophy is.
Paul Koch, co-founder of the shipyard, explains that he wanted to offer a racer capable of both competing in coastal regattas with a crew of four to five people while also being able to line up at the start of major solo transoceanic races, while remaining accessible - both from a financial and a technical point of view. While there is no shortage of racing monohulls in this size range, the selection of multihulls is significantly more limited. The Rapido 40 Racer aims to fill this niche with an attractive balance of technology, performance, and price, without neglecting transportation and dock space constraints: its folding floats reduce its beam from 29 feet down to 19 (8.8 to 5.8 m).
This positioning is made possible by the shipyard’s location, but also by it...

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