VMG Trimarans
VMG Trimarans: Racing DNA with a Cruising Brief
The VMG 53 is the debut model from VMG Trimarans, a New York-based shipyard with a clear ambition: bring offshore race trimaran technology into serial production for cruising sailors. The boat is currently under construction in Cape Town.
The name says it all. Velocity Made Good: how efficiently a yacht converts speed into progress toward a destination, and that philosophy underpins the whole project.
The Founders
VMG’s origins go back to an offshore race off the coast of New England, where co-founders Michael Schwartz and Karl Reed first met as crewmates.
Schwartz has over 25 years in product development, industrial design and manufacturing efficiency. Reed brings more than 70,000 nautical miles of ocean experience as a professional skipper, delivery captain and multihull specialist.
Reed trained under South African sailing legend David Immelman in Cape Town before building a parallel career in technology entrepreneurship and environmental sustainability.
The third key team member is Rachel Fallon-Langdon, Media and Communications Director. Her background spans a decade at Gunboat as Marketing Director, eight years managing Team Phaedo (the record-breaking MOD70 program behind 10 world records and 40-plus race victories), and extensive work in marine photography and brand communications alongside photographer Richard Langdon.
VMG Trimarans sits under the parent entity VMG Industries, with the project formally launched in June 2023.
The Design Team
The project draws on a considerable bank of expertise.
Naval architecture and structural engineering: VPLP Design (Paris). VPLP has decades of experience in ocean-going multihulls across both racing trimarans and cruising catamarans. The objective is to use solutions developed in offshore racing and bring them into a production boat where it makes sense to do so.
Interior design: Christophe Chedal Anglay.
Engineering: Thorne Yacht Design.
Construction: Evolution Marine Manufacturing, Cape Town.
South Africa has become a recognised hub for composite multihull construction, with a skilled workforce and solid experience in offshore-capable structures.
Why a Trimaran?
Trimarans deliver high speeds while keeping the central living hull. It also offers superior upwind handling. The challenge, which VMG frames as central to the brief, is providing comfort over long passages without sacrificing the performance advantage.
The VMG 53: What We Know
The VMG 53 is a 16-metre (53-foot) offshore cruising trimaran. Beyond the hull configuration and the design team, VMG has not yet published detailed technical specifications. Key data on displacement, materials specification, sail plan and performance targets remain a secret ahead of delivery.
The boat is aimed at experienced owners and offshore-capable families who want fast passages.
Where It Fits
The cruising trimaran segment is small but growing. Neel Trimarans (La Rochelle) has spent over a decade defining what production cruising on three hulls looks like, with the Neel 45, 51 and 65 establishing the category. Rapido and Dragonfly have also had cosiderable success in this area.
VMG is entering with a strong proposition: a purpose-designed offshore performance yacht from one of the world’s leading multihull architecture studios, built in a proven composite hub, with an expereinces team with ocean-racing credentials.
The first VMG 53 is under construction. Delivery is scheduled; a confirmed date has not been publicly announced.