Every now and then, no matter what field or market you are in, someone comes up with a concept that disrupts everything you thought you knew. In the multihull yacht realm, that is exactly what Eric and Barbara Bruneel did when they launched the NEEL trimaran company in France.
Eric had been involved with Fountain Pajot, so he knew catamarans. His great breakthrough with NEEL was to take the living space of a cruising cat and put it on top of the three hulls of a trimaran instead of down inside the relatively narrow main hull. This innovation created cruising boats that have the excellent sailing qualities of a tri with the huge living spaces of a cat.
The first boat, the NEEL 45, took the sailing world by storm when it was shown at the European and U.S. boat shows. Plus, it competed in that year’s ARC rally across the North Atlantic and earned line honors by over 24 hours. Since then, NEEL has taken off. They also build power tris but we’ll just look at the sail boats here.
The 43 is the heir to the first 45 that launched the company. Designed by Marc Lombard, the boat has the main owner’s cabin on the same level as the saloon and the guest cabin is also tucked behind the large dinette on the port side. There are three single berths down in the bows of the three hulls. The cockpit and saloon are joined by a sliding glass door to make one large living space. The engine and all systems are down in the middle hull, what NEEL calls the basement. This is a huge 43 footer.
The 47 was designed by Marc Lombard to be the ideal cruising boat for the Bruneels and their extended family. It has the owner’s cabin next to the saloon and then there are double cabins with their own entrances in the aft ends of the outer hulls or amas. And then, there is a double cabin in the bow of the main hull and single cabins in the bows of the amas. Yikes, berths for 10 people. Yet, this plan works remarkably well. The other notable aspect of the 47 is it’s sailing qualities. It’s a rocket ship.
The brand new 52 was also designed by Marc Lombard and is the builder’s high-performance family cruiser with the sleekest hulls and the raciest profiles and rig. It also has the master cabin adjacent to the saloon and then four double cabins in the port and central hulls. The galley or gourmet kitchen is down on the starboard hull. The 52 would make a fine crewed charter boat or a happy home for a large family.
The 65 is in a class by itself. Sure, a 65-foot cruising boat is large but a 65-foot NEEL-style trimaran is getting into the super yacht category. The saloon is larger than most people’s living rooms at home. The master cabin is a full bedroom, and the galley is a full-size kitchen. Then there are four double cabins and heads down in the hulls plus garages for a large inflatable dinghy and two full-size kayaks. And, there is a full flying bridge with the helm, sail controls and a lounge. With 40 feet of beam, the question might arise of where will you be able to dock this beautiful beast?
Read more. https://www.neel-trimarans.com/
