From High-End Design to High-Performance Composite: Building the Rapido 60 Ineffable
Updated: Aug 22
From High-End Design to High-Performance Composite: Building the Rapido 60 Ineffable
When the Rapido 60 Ineffable crossed the Atlantic from Las Palmas to St Lucia in 13½ days, covering 3,222 nautical miles and reaching a maximum speed of 26 knots, the performance of the boat was very clearly demonstrated.
For Triac Composites, the more interesting story is what lies behind that performance.
A boat capable of those speeds places demanding requirements on the composite manufacturer: large structures that are light without compromising the stiffness and strength needed offshore, complex shapes manufactured accurately, and structural components that come together with precision. Ineffable is a good example of that process.
Working with World-Class Engineering
The Rapido 60 was designed by Morrelli & Melvin, one of the world's leading multihull design and engineering firms, with experience at the highest levels of multihull sailing, including America's Cup competition.
For Triac, working with Morrelli & Melvin means taking highly developed engineering and design information and translating it into a physical structure on the factory floor - not simply manufacturing a shape, but working closely with designers and engineers to understand the drawings, specifications, structural requirements and interface details that define each component.
A high-performance trimaran contains large, lightweight structures, multiple hulls, crossbeams, bulkheads and numerous interfaces that all have to align correctly. The quality of the finished structure depends as much on how accurately those components are manufactured and assembled as on the individual parts themselves.
Lightweight Structures Require Discipline
The Rapido 60 was designed around a demanding weight target: in race configuration, Ineffable weighed approximately 9.6 tonnes, with the floats and beams alone accounting for around 1,000 kg each.
In composite construction, reducing weight isn't simply a matter of using less material - the laminate, core, reinforcement and structural details have to suit the loads and function of each part, achieving the required mechanical properties without unnecessary weight.
That takes control throughout the build: accurate material preparation, correct laminate schedules, vacuum infusion, careful consolidation and curing, precise bonding and assembly, and thorough inspection - backed by an experienced workforce that understands why those details matter.
Manufacturing Complex Geometry
The Rapido 60's three hulls and large crossbeam structures are substantial composite components, but their size is only part of the challenge. High-performance composite structures typically involve curved surfaces, changing sections, local reinforcements, bonded joints, apertures and structural interfaces — and small inaccuracies become significant once multiple large structures have to be assembled together.
Triac has developed the capability to produce complex composite structures and tooling with a high degree of dimensional control, supported by in-house tooling, advanced production equipment and technicians who understand both the materials and the finished structure.
The result isn't simply a molded component - it's a component manufactured to fit accurately into a larger engineered system.
[UPDATE: Later, Triac would go onto build 40’ and 50’ versions of the Rapido 60 – and they were folding versions where the complexity increases greatly.]
From Drawings to a Finished Structure
One of the less visible parts of composite manufacturing is translating engineering information into practical production. A drawing may specify dimensions, laminate schedules, reinforcements, bonding arrangements and tolerances; on the factory floor, those requirements become a sequence of manufacturing operations which takes close communication between designers, engineers, production staff and quality control, and the ability to spot potential issues before they become expensive problems.
This is one of the advantages of Triac's experience working with demanding international design partners: we're accustomed to working from detailed engineering information and collaborating directly with the people responsible for it.
Triac's manufacturing model is to be an internationally focused company operating with a skilled Vietnamese workforce, working directly with designers, engineers and customers around the world.
Performance Is the Result, Not the Starting Point
The Atlantic crossing of Ineffable is a real-world demonstration of what the finished structure was required to do. Steve Bourne's account of sailing at around 22 knots while standing at the galley making coffee says as much about the stability and behaviour of the complete platform as any spec sheet could.
But that's an outcome, not a manufacturing claim. Morrelli & Melvin engineered the boat's performance characteristics; Triac's responsibility was to manufacture that design accurately and consistently, using the composite materials and construction methods specified for the structure. Good composite manufacturing is about delivering what has been engineered.
What the Rapido Program Demonstrates
The Rapido program has given Triac extensive experience manufacturing large, lightweight and technically demanding composite structures - working closely with internationally recognised naval architects and engineers, interpreting complex engineering information, managing demanding weight and dimensional requirements, handling complex tooling and production processes, and integrating multiple structural components into a finished assembly while maintaining quality and consistency across a production program.
These capabilities aren't limited to sailing yachts. The same principles apply whenever a customer needs a composite structure that's lightweight, strong, dimensionally accurate and manufactured reliably - a marine structure, a wheelhouse, a superstructure, an industrial component, specialist equipment, or something entirely new.
Bringing Complex Composite Projects to Life
Ineffable was built to operate at the demanding end of ocean sailing, which meant working with sophisticated engineering, demanding structural requirements and tight control of weight and construction throughout.
From an engineering drawing to the factory floor, and from the first component to the completed structure, that's what Triac Composites does.
If you have a demanding composite project, we'd like to help bring it to life.
Contact Us
Email info@triaccomposites.com
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