Argo, a new maxi trimaran made by VPLP and Multiplast

(top-bottom l-r) Weston Barlow, Hugo Roche, James Dodds, Antoine Lauriot Prevost, Xavier Guisnel, Peter Cummins, Alister Richardson, Nicolas Baral, Quentin Lucet, Yann Penfornis, Chad Corning, Chris Maxted, Arthur Le Bouëtté, Samuel Napoli, Brian Thompson © Multiplast

After sailing in recent years on the MOD70, the American team Argo Racing has announced the launch of an Ultim-sized trimaran by 2029, intended for a crewed record-breaking campaign. The design has been entrusted to VPLP Design, and the construction to Multiplast.

Passionate about offshore multihulls, American owner Jason Carroll has been a major player in multi-class racing in recent years at the helm of the MOD70 Argo, the sixth boat in this one-design series launched in the early 2010s. This trimaran has been considerably optimized since then, allowing it to build an impressive track record, from the Mediterranean to the Caribbean and across the Atlantic.

Jason Carroll has decided to take a step further by launching a new Ultim-sized trimaran (32 meters long by 23 meters wide) that will allow him to aim higher.

"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. To meet those goals, we needed a bigger boat, and here we are," explains Chad Corning, managing director of Argo Racing.

This boat will therefore be a maxi-trimaran designed by VPLP Design, which has extensive experience in the field, having notably designed the recent Ultims Banque Populaire XI and SVR Lazartigue.

"We worked with VPLP on optimizing the MOD 70, so we had a strong working relationship with them" continues Chad Corning. "They also designed Jason Carroll's cruising boat, a Gunboat 80, so we already had all that experience with them under our belts. That, along with their success in the past, made it an easy decision."

A decision that has been received with great satisfaction at VPLP Design: "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," says Quentin Lucet, associate architect. "Especially since this is not a boat that has to respect all the criteria of the Ultim class [due to its record-breaking program], it allows us to open up the field of possibilities."

Two years of construction in Multiplast

VPLP Design will deliver the hull lines for the platform at the end of 2026, allowing construction to begin in Vannes at Multiplast, the yard chosen by Argo Racing. "As for VPLP, the decision was easy," explains Chad Corning. "Multiplast has an impressive history of high-performance offshore racing boats; they built some of the current Ultims and they are neighbors with VPLP, which makes things easier for us".

Yann Penfornis, Managing Director of Multiplast, welcomes this new challenge with enthusiasm: "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. We are confident with this schedule, which fits particularly well into our cycle, following the three IMOCAs we are currently manufacturing".

Construction will begin in January 2027 for delivery in the spring of 2029. "We will likely begin sailing in France for the majority of that year before heading to the United States to wait for a weather window for the North Atlantic record," specifies Chad Corning.