The American sail racing team Argo Racing has announced the launch of an Ultim-sized trimaran by 2029, intended for a crewed record-breaking campaign.
The design will be by VPLP Design who recently designed Ultims Banque Populaire XI and SVR Lazartigue, and constructed at Multiplast’s Vannes shipyard.
The new trimaran will follow on from the team’s MOD70 ARGO and will be 32 metres long by 23 metres wide.
The design is due to be delivered at the end of 2026, with construction scheduled to begin in January 2027 for delivery in the spring of 2029.
The team will initially begin sailing in France before aiming to break the North Atlantic Record among others.
Building a record-breaking boat is something we like.
Yann Penfornis
“This kind of project, due to its scale, does not happen very often, so we are very happy to work with Argo Racing on this future boat,” explained VPLP Design associate architect Quentin Lucet.
“Especially since this is not a boat that has to respect all the criteria of the Ultim class [due to its record-breaking programme], it allows us to open up the field of possibilities.”
Chad Corning, managing director of Argo Racing, added: “We had a great campaign with the MOD 70, but we reached the limits of what that boat could achieve in terms of records.
“We are very interested in the North Atlantic record, the Route of Discovery, all the big top-tier records that were just not achievable in the MOD 70.
Offshore racing yachts
“To meet those goals, we needed a bigger boat and here we are.”
And Yann Penfornis, managing director of Multiplast, which has built several high-performance offshore racing yachts welcomed the new challenge.
“Building a record-breaking boat is something we like and is solidly anchored in the history of the shipyard.
“We are going to invest ourselves fully in this project and we know that the calendar will give the architects and then our teams the time to work well.”
