Tri this out.

[capnsensible]

Rapido 53XS First Look: A trimaran with proper living spaces for comfortable sailing

Might have appeal for trimaran fans with deep pockets!

 

[Chiara’s slave]

Speeds into the mid 20kn are available, which is a wee bit faster than you want to go on any cruising yacht. Never a truer word spoken. But it’s there, and nobody said you have to drive it that hard. We reef primarily for comfort when cruising, as I’d regard about 15 knots as the comfort limit on ours, though we have exceeded 20 when racing, and very occasionally, by accident, cruising. That was entering Poole harbour against a spring ebb in a F5 SE wind, surfing. I’m sure the Rapido is a fine yacht. Not sure what headway they expect to make against Gunboats, Dazcats, Outremar etc, which do much the same but with even more space.

 

[capnsensible]

Thought you might be interested! Reading the link, the idea seems to be to make tris more comfortable over extended periods to live on and retain performance for tri fans.

I put a link on the multihull thread about cats taking over the ARC that also talks about short handed sailing performance.

Wouldn't it be nice to have that kind of wonga!!

 

[RunAgroundHard]

Speeds into the mid 20kn are available, which is a wee bit faster than you want to go on any cruising yacht. Never a truer word spoken. But it’s there, and nobody said you have to drive it that hard. We reef primarily for comfort when cruising, as I’d regard about 15 knots as the comfort limit on ours, though we have exceeded 20 when racing, and very occasionally, by accident, cruising. That was entering Poole harbour against a spring ebb in a F5 SE wind, surfing. I’m sure the Rapido is a fine yacht. Not sure what headway they expect to make against Gunboats, Dazcats, Outremar etc, which do much the same but with even more space.

Is it slamming or bumpiness that is unpleasant when cruising above 15 kts?

 

[Trident]

I think there is some sense in awaiting the outcome of the situation with the la Vagabonde crash before getting excited at Rapido. Seems to be that main cross beam has cracked in half along most of its length from a low speed crash by a fishing boat which hit an arma- facts are uncertain so I may be wrong - but there is some discussion elsewhere between naval architects about just how strong the carbon beam is (seems to be made in a two halves and glued together) and if its repairable and perhaps may even write off the boat. All too early to know but I would certainly be watching the news before looking at Rapido designs (if , you know, I had £3m to spend on a an extra hull with less room than an ORC or Gunboat)

 

[capnsensible]

You've got to have a dream.......

 

[Fr J Hackett]

Knowing nothing about catamarans or trimarans except in the very distant past hiring a hobby cat for a day which improved my swimming no end as I think I spent more time in the water than on the thing ( slight exaggeration) However I wonder how these ultra fast machines would cope both upwind and downwind in very big 4M seas, breaking water and short period. Are they likely to bury their bows in the back of a wave and either be swamped or pitch poled? I simply don't know how you would handle such a machine in those difficult offshore conditions, would you have to hand steer, reduce your speed to that of a monohull, are the outriggers and their attachments up to the stresses ( remember team Phillips and Pete Goss).
Again I ask the questions out of complete ignorance only to be better informed.

 

[capnsensible]

Whatever the negatives are, doesn't stop me from wanting a go on one!!

 

[Fr J Hackett]

Whatever the negatives are, doesn't stop me from wanting a go on one!!

Me also

 

[Chiara’s slave]

Is it slamming or bumpiness that is unpleasant when cruising above 15 kts?

I speak of mental comfort and dryness. We are a fairly dry boat up to that, then it gets very very wet. At 18kn the bow wave off the lee ama is up to the sail numbers, sheets of spray float off to leeward, and about 10ft behind the boat you get a powerboat style rooster tail. If a wave hits the windward float, which will be about a metre plus out of the water, it’s kind of blown to bits. Most of which will go down your neck.
Modrrn cats and tris don’t pitchpole unless committing acts of total foolishness, getting vain about the speed. Once we are getting close to the magic 20 barrier, it’s sheets in hand, experienced multi helms only, I wouldn’t even trust the good Captain here even though he’s clearly a proper sailor and sensible with it. Realising how had you are pressing is a black art. Hand steering is needed if you’re pressing, but if you’re comfortably reefed, the autopilot copes fine, and you’re still at nearly double mono speed if you wish. Ours flexes a little, the new generation DFs do not, or not nearly as much. Big cats don’t, unless they’re lagoons with loose bulkheads. Farrier tris are very stiff too. Our bows deflect an inch or so as they punch into a wave, basically. We have never had any form of bows down incident, even when deliberately pressing as hard as possible.

 

[Fr J Hackett]

I speak of mental comfort and dryness. We are a fairly dry boat up to that, then it gets very very wet. At 18kn the bow wave off the lee ama is up to the sail numbers, sheets of spray float off to leeward, and about 10ft behind the boat you get a powerboat style rooster tail. If a wave hits the windward float, which will be about a metre plus out of the water, it’s kind of blown to bits. Most of which will go down your neck.
Modrrn cats and tris don’t pitchpole unless committing acts of total foolishness, getting vain about the speed. Once we are getting close to the magic 20 barrier, it’s sheets in hand, experienced multi helms only, I wouldn’t even trust the good Captain here even though he’s clearly a proper sailor and sensible with it. Realising how had you are pressing is a black art. Hand steering is needed if you’re pressing, but if you’re comfortably reefed, the autopilot copes fine, and you’re still at nearly double mono speed if you wish. Ours flexes a little, the new generation DFs do not, or not nearly as much. Big cats don’t, unless they’re lagoons with loose bulkheads. Farrier tris are very stiff too. Our bows deflect an inch or so as they punch into a wave, basically. We have never had any form of bows down incident, even when deliberately pressing as hard as possible.

Does that include really big seas say 4M and breaking? How would you cope in such conditions downwind?

 

[Chiara’s slave]

Does that include really big seas say 4M and breaking? How would you cope in such conditions downwind?

Match your speed to the waves and you’ll be supremely indifferent. You’ll be hand steering mind you. Going upwind in those conditions is for more stalwart spirits than Mrs C and I. And we are probably more hardened than most. We did once beat out of Burnham on C into a beastly easterly, about 25kn base wind, and it was indeed beastly. My 3 year old son was most upset because one of his teddies got wet, through the closed hatch. I’ll get my GoPro out next year, unless any of ypu lot come past Yarmouth, itks the nearest you can get. Obviously things the size of that Rapido push everything up a notch or 2 weather wise, we have been pleasantly surprised by the difference between 27ft and 30ft 6.

 

[Fr J Hackett]

Match your speed to the waves and you’ll be supremely indifferent. You’ll be hand steering mind you. Going upwind in those conditions is for more stalwart spirits than Mrs C and I. And we are probably more hardened than most. We did once beat out of Burnham on C into a beastly easterly, about 25kn base wind, and it was indeed beastly. My 3 year old son was most upset because one of his teddies got wet, through the closed hatch. I’ll get my GoPro out next year, unless any of ypu lot come past Yarmouth, itks the nearest you can get. Obviously things the size of that Rapido push everything up a notch or 2 weather wise, we have been pleasantly surprised by the difference between 27ft and 30ft 6.

That's the problem with them for someone like me that enjoyed offshore cruising where at times you will encounter difficult conditions that can last for a day and often more. My old boats and many other monos you could set the wind vane or autopilot and retreat out of the weather, it sounds like even if dropping your speed on a trip you have to hand steer, that for even a two handed cruising couple would be extremely difficult and ultimately not possible. So for me as a cruising yachtsman they begin to fall into very fast coastal cruisers admittedly where the coast can be 200 miles away and weather routing and accessibility being paramount. Interesting though.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

That's the problem with them for someone like me that enjoyed offshore cruising where at times you will encounter difficult conditions that can last for a day and often more. My old boats and many other monos you could set the wind vane or autopilot and retreat out of the weather, it sounds like even if dropping your speed on a trip you have to hand steer, that for even a two handed cruising couple would be extremely difficult and ultimately not possible. So for me as a cruising yachtsman they begin to fall into very fast coastal cruisers admittedly where the coast can be 200 miles away and weather routing and accessibility being paramount. Interesting though.

There’s something in what you say. You need a big multi for ocean safety, which might then be fine with a vane or electrical ‘steer to wind’. But all the gear gets exponentially heavy. Against that, theres the room for more crew without walking over each others underwear, but you might not want to cruise with others. We like it best with just the 2 of us. I reckon that Rapido would be fine with vane or auto steering, but it’s bloody huge, really. A 35 foot tri like Angus’s is still not really an ocean crossing boat to my mind, though no doubt he’ll add something if he sees the thread. However, I don’t doubt ypu’d step off our boat with a big smile on your face. And provided it wasn’t blowing old boots, ladies love them too. For their design purpose, smaller multis ate unbeatable. Ours is plated for that 200 miles, it’s great to play in that zone. Which is what we do.

 

[Fr J Hackett]

There’s something in what you say. You need a big multi for ocean safety, which might then be fine with a vane or electrical ‘steer to wind’. But all the gear gets exponentially heavy. Against that, theres the room for more crew without walking over each others underwear, but you might not want to cruise with others. We like it best with just the 2 of us. I reckon that Rapido would be fine with vane or auto steering, but it’s bloody huge, really. A 35 foot tri like Angus’s is still not really an ocean crossing boat to my mind, though no doubt he’ll add something if he sees the thread.

To be honest I was wondering how capable in terms of my questions a DF40 would be.

 

[oldbloke]

You can always make a fast boat go slowly, you can't make a slow boat go quickly

 

[fredrussell]

To be honest I was wondering how capable in terms of my questions a DF40 would be.

Funnily enough, there’s a chap over on Sailing Anarchy (predominantly USA sailor’s forum) who is blue water cruising a DF 39(?). The problem he’s having is a lack of load carrying capacity. When you load it up with all the long term cruising clobber you’re back to monohull sort of speeds.

 

[Fr J Hackett]

Funnily enough, there’s a chap over on Sailing Anarchy (predominantly USA sailor’s forum) who is blue water cruising a DF 39(?). The problem he’s having is a lack of load carrying capacity. When you load it up with all the long term cruising clobber you’re back to monohull sort of speeds.

That's always going to be a problem I think, a 4 or 5 day maximum at sea but that potentially could get you a long way, certainly to the Azores for instance. Then you are into restocking, power ( electrical) might be an issue but Lithium should go a long way to solving that, a water maker would be essential to cut down on tankage and weight. In other words it's doable but it isn't going to be luxurious.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

Funnily enough, there’s a chap over on Sailing Anarchy (predominantly USA sailor’s forum) who is blue water cruising a DF 39(?). The problem he’s having is a lack of load carrying capacity. When you load it up with all the long term cruising clobber you’re back to monohull sort of speeds.

A 1200. Not the finest DF. The 40 is quicker, carries more load, and more advanced design for offshore work. More is relative to the 1200, not to a Halberg Rassey.
And TBH, if you’ve relegated your Dragonfly to mono speeds, you have most certainly exceeded the maximum load figure. Should have booked Cunard.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

If anyone wants to really tri this out, Dragonfly Trimarancharter | Sailing-Holiday