Here´s another boat walkthrough I´ve produced during this year´s edition of Cannes Yachting Festival: The Neel 43. As usual, I want to start very frank and honest: Neel never caught my imagination and has never really touched me in any sense. This applies, by the way, to all trimarans – except for racing, like the huge Ultim behemoths, I always looked at the trimaran concept as something very, very special – too “nerdy”, maybe, too far away from what I consider a boat for myself. Yet, these boats are also interesting as they represent a combination of a multihull´s speed, interior volume and the amenities of a cruising yacht.
Neel is a French boatbuilder located in La Rochelle. Eric Bruneel, former Manager of Fontaine-Pajot, founded this company back in 2010. So it´s not a startup anymore, but also a “young” company in terms of its history. Yet, one of their first ever models, the Neel 51, is regarded as a kind of breakthrough boat. With little over 100 units produced annually in pre-Covid-times, the commercial success of this brand is a first serious exclamation mark – it´s really worth looking at those, I think.
A concept of its own for cruising
I was happy of being greeted and guided through this boat by an old acquaintance of mine: Miguel Guimares, managing the Sales for Neel, welcomes me at the dock. I know him since my first days in the business, back in the day we both used to work for Dufour Yachts. So that´s a nice thing and an instant connection. Also, an instant connection to the Neel actually. Miguel assures me that he himself was a bit reluctant at first, but quickly learned to embrace the concept (and the power of the performance!) of these boats. So, let´s jump aboard and get our walkthrough started!
Basically, the trimaran isn´t just a catamaran with a third hull. It´s not derived from the two-hulled boat, but should rather be seen as a monohull with two supporting floats. Just like the classy outrigger boats of the Hawaiian or Polynesian people. I find it a bit hard to let go of my catamaran experience, but that is the first thing you should do if you look into this topic. It´s not a cat with one more hull, it´s a mono with two supporting floats.
You are on a trimaran …
… and that means that in port or at anchor there is always a slight tack when the boat is not in motion. As seen on the picture below, the Neel 43 heeled to portside while the starboard float was almost completely out of the water. As any sailing yacht, a slight heeling is needed for the sails to work properly. This means that the floats to either side of the main hull are a bit elevated. However, this heel is so subtle that you barely notice it. More so when there´s a slight swell or motion by waves going on.
I step aboard. Miguel asked me which of the two boats showcased in Cannes I wanted to feature. At the Croisette, the shipyard had the Neel 43 and the Neel 52, currently the flagship of the brand. I chose the smaller for two reasons. First I´d say that the boats around 40 feet are most probably important and interesting for you, dearest readers (as much as we all love to check out the big boats, right?) and secondly because of the fact that Neel presented a new variant of the 43 in Cannes. The Neel 42 DUO is a new version with just two cabins and two bathrooms, derived from the basic model that features another front cabin. So, let´s check out the 43 footer here.
Stepping aboard is a no-brainer. Since you dock your yacht stern-first in the Mediterranean, out of the three available hulls, at least the main hull will be close to the pontoon at any time. The transoms of the both floats are not as long as the main hull so that if you have stored a dinghy on the (very practical!) stacks on the main hull´s aft platform, you´ll have to tie up your yacht a bit rotated to make sure that one of the floats will be close enough to the jetty. Of course, a passarella will solve this issue quickly.
Checking out the helm station first
Upon boarding the Neel 43 I instantly pass by the aft socializing area, walk through the cockpit and take the few stairs up to the semi-fly helm position. This is the workplace of the boat´s Captain. It´s four stairs to reach the double seat fly t starboard side. I know that it is impossible to sail without, but visually the bimini, especially the one covering the helm station, are always a harm to the visual beauty of any boat. These just look like one of those little sentry posts …
Up on the fly-deck (it´s not a deck, but let´s call it that way) you will gain a very good view over the complete starboard side of the boat. Apart from the tip of the portside float and of course the whole port side of the trimaran, I found the view exemplary. You can both have a great view of what´s happening in front of your boat, of what´s happening up and above you in the rigging and when maneuvering, at least for the starboard side you will be able to land and cast off without any problems. That´s the beauty and practicality of a flybridge, of course.
Of course the coachroof of the Neel can be covered with solar panels. The shipyard offers a solution with walk-on panels with a total of 312 Wpeak. The cockpit itself is pretty impressive. Over the whole width of the console, the helmsman of a Neel 43 will enjoy a large electronic chart plotter, secondary display, bow thruster and engine controls and of course the whole clavier of jammers for the running rigging. I liked the bit extravagant Goiot steering wheel which adds a little touch to the otherwise a bit austere atmosphere up here.
Looking at the ropes and winches: Two standard 40´winches are used to sheet in and veer the lines for the main mast, a secondary line driver by Antal is also mounted. One of the winches is electrified. The fact that they´ve fitted two 6 jammers is impressive too: This way, apart from operating the dinghy winch, the whole boat can be sailed and operated from up here. No running around in maneuvers, no sheet mumble down below in the guest or social area. Also, if a professional skipper is hired, there won´t be any interference between service/crew and guests.
I can clearly see the advantages of having a raised, or semi-fly, helm station both for normal sailing mode and also for navigating the intricate and narrow waterways of a cramped marina. On the other hand, I see the downsides: Up here, any skipper is “alone” and kind of cut off from social live within the boat. Secondly, if you are on autopilot and something needs to be done very quickly, the way up the stairs is always longer and could potentially be harmful (think of a pitch black night) when taken in a rush. But it´s never black or white, isn´t it? There´s always a ying and a yang and you will have to weigh in pros against the cons and make a decision, if certain compromises outweigh the downsides to being able to cash in on the advantages. My overall impression was that Neel found a nice balance here.
„She sails like a beast!”
Being up in the helm, let´s talk sails and performance a bit. The Neel 43 is rigged with an aluminium mast, sporting a dacron mainsail and Jib with 54 respective 44 square meters of sail area. The trimaran can also be fitted with a carbon rigging and – as usual – I would emphasize to ask your local sailmaker to custom-make nice performance cruising laminate sails for a boat that powerful. And powerful she is! Speeds of up to 20 knots SOG are possible and Miguel shows me a video shot wit his own phone where he casually sails past 15 knots SOG.
Miguel is honestly excited telling me more about how she sails. It´s not a secret that multihull yachts are much faster than monohulls. Designed by no other than unforgotten Marc Lombard, the Neel 43 is around since 2023 and has won the prestigious “Multihull of the Year”-award right away. Quick sailing is a matter of fun and joy, but also a matter of safety. Being able to sail away from bad weather zones or reach a protective harbor and anchorage in time is thing to consider, even more for long haul travel. Speaking of which …
Cruising comforts aboard the Neel 43
Having seen the steering section and how the sails are worked, I am interested in getting familiar with all the amenities aboard this trimaran. To be honest: It looks and feels smaller, or let´s say, more compact, that a comparable 43 feet cruising catamaran indeed! So, what about the luxury of a perfect vacation on the seas aboard a Neel?
Of course, the aft cockpit and seating area is indeed much smaller than on a catamaran, where the whole width of the boat translates instantly to usable area. Here, on the Neel, the aft cockpit covers not even half of the boat´s width of 7.40 meters. Nevertheless, there´s a large dining table grouped around an L-sofa. Vis-à-vis of the outside seating area, behind a glass front, another dining area is located.
When weather turns shitty, you and your guests can retreat to the inside of the trimaran and will find a similar seating configuration behind glass. Here, a very cozy L-sofa is grouped around a table. At least this one can be lowered so that you can turn it into a third bed for unannounced sleeping guests or a nice day-chillout zone. Which brings us to the interior setup of this trimaran, which is the most interesting part. At least for me, haven´t been aboard a Neel myself before.
Feeling like a living room
Upon entering the Neel´s salon I instantly have this feeling of standing inside a living room of a vacation flat. Straight out of Air b´n´b, one could say. As it is an almost 360 degrees panoramic view through the windows, the whole area is light suffused. Instantly it conveys a certain feeling of safety and security. Which is a specialty of multihulls: Being that much high above water level, looking down on things, communicates a sense of security. Same goes for Neel´s salon.
The showcased trimaran showed a classic mix of maritime colors and materials. I loved the sisal-like carpet to walk on, certainly this will translate to much better grip on foot than ordinary floorboard material would offer. This is much needed, I can imagine, since this boat will sail with a high average cruising speed and will hence produce some rocking and motion underway.
Woodworks looked decent. The veneered joinery of the Neel as shown in Cannes displayed a light Oak design. Edge bands, metal fittings and hinges are of a nice and heavy quality – definitely not taken out of the cheap stuff shelf. All in all the whole interior didn´t screamed at me nor was it particularly exhilarating. This “in between”-style leaves no particular mark or impression, which can be a good thing: That way any owner will be able to add a very personal design touch to the yacht by incorporating colorful accessories, for example.
Neel´s galley
The galley on the Neel 43 is special, so it makes sense to talk about it a bit more in detail. This is one example where, from my point of view, any monohull-galley is superior. It´s not something limited to this boat, I find it odd and strange in every catamaran I´ve seen so far. In a monohull, I prefer the classic L-galley as it is the best way to utilize the galley and at the same time wedge yourself in. Even in heavy seas the chef will be safe and can work in the galley to prepare meals.
Not so in multihulls. Here, stoves and ovens aren´t gimbaled. That´s the first thing. I know, I know, these multihulls aren´t supposed to sail with heeling, that´s right, but I know from my own experience in bad weather that a fixed stove quickly becomes unusable: During my first ever catamaran delivery crossing the stormy Biscay the kitchen remained cold for more than 30 hours due to waves of 3 meters and more. Not even a hot tea or coffee could be produced. No gimbaled stove …
For the Neel, this applies too. The longitudinal galley mounted here is very nice, I like the Corian worktop and the arrangement of stove, working area, sink and stowage makes perfect sense. But the stove is fixed, so I assume that from a certain wave height onwards it is rendered unusable as well. Secondly, apart from the mast stand, there is nothing behind the ship´s cook to securely lock onto or fix you to. If a wave hits in a bad way and you fall backwards, you will fall a long way. Any multihull afficionado will veto now, I know, but I can´t help: I see things through the lens of a monohull guy. Apart from this, the galley is practical and, what I like most, doesn´t all too much “dictate” the impression of the whole salon. Again, the nice woodwork plays a crucial role in this, making the whole galley appear like being “blended” in in some way. Well designed.
Captain´s place …
Remember what I´ve said about the semi-flybridge and my reservation in terms of raised helm stations? Well, here´s at least partially a solution. Inside the salon, just behind the large front windows, the shipyard has fitted a secondary helm station. Apart from the fact that you cannot really steer the boat from here (except for the autopilot controller maybe), this is a very good idea.
The main switches for the separate battery banks are here and some secondary displays. The boat´s whole management system, usually worked upon via main switch panel, has been replaced by an all-digital boat management system. Utilizing another large size chart plotter, you can observe and work anything from lights to bilge pumps from here. As the Neel 43 doesn´t have a dedicated chart table, for which there is no need facing the fact that there are two supersized dining tables at hand, this comes closest to a Captain´s place. The forward part of the salon sofa faces the big front windows. Sitting here offers a nearly 180 degrees view and should be awesome when underway.
I am not a great fan of all to much electronic stuff aboard a sailboat, as you may know. Digital BMS (boat management systems) might seem handy and very practical, but I also know many insider´s stories of what happens if they fail, stall or are (unknowingly) misused. I can´t help, I am a fan of the good old mechanical systems, which break far less and can be repaired. On the other hand, there is a huge market in digital systems as well as they offer a lot of easy convenience for the owners. In case of the Neel 43, I think it enhances the overall feel of value of the boat. Sporting an all Garmin electronic setup is something I like as I am a biased Garmin-fan.
Up to this point of my walkthrough I must admit I was still kind of puzzled. Or maybe it´s better to say that I felt a bit dislocated. The interior layout of this trimaran is so unlike everything I´ve ever seen and been aboard, I still had to look around, localize myself, compare and re-adjust where the front and where the stern is. It´s interesting, but that´s nothing I ever experienced on a catamaran. You will grow into it, once you start sailing and using this boat, I am sure. But even know that I am writing this article, it still feels odd. Not in a bad way, but in a very interesting way. And this feeling even grows bigger when you start to take a look at the cabins.
Neel trimaran cabins – like a loft
This Neel 42 “Duo” offers a new layout-version to the boats built up to that point. It comes with a twin cabin layout. Both cabins are to one side of the boat, one – the larger one – could be described as the owner´s suite, is located on the starboard side of the boat. Right behind the large galley. This galley functions as a literal “bulwark” or visual demarcation from the salon. There is a window from the galley into the cabin (check the pictures above in the galley-section), but this can be closed by a blind from inside.
The owner´s cabin has no second in other boats. And here comes the big difference to catamarans. In a cat, all cabins are also “down below in the basement”. The advantage of being high above sea level and looking down on the waves is usually only granted from the salon and kitchen. Not so on the Neel 43. Here, both cabins are high above water. If you look at the picture, you will notice this great panorama view, partially with front windows, mostly by the side windows. The whole cabin is literally flooded with natural light.
Same goes for the second, the guest cabin. Even though the bed is a bit slimmer and there is much less stowage, the amount of natural light is stunning. Both cabins extend into the floats on the outside of the boat, utilizing the volume creating in those. I absolutely love the idea of having a boat that is on one unified level. No stairs, just a few steps. It´s basically a boat on one single level – just like you have in your Air b´n´b flat, right? What else is in the floats, you might ask. Well, you can have the Neel 43 with two single “cabins” in the bow float´s compartments as well.
Onboard bathrooms
And this is where it gets a bit complicated. The heads of the Neel 43. As for the owner´s cabin, it is pretty easy: You have your own en-suite bathroom in the back of the cabin. The size is decent, but not overly big. This bathroom features an electric toilet, a washbasin and the possibility to take a shower. For the long haul trip a washer/dryer combination can be installed.
I absolutely loved the fact that Neel fitted a nice floor to the bathrooms, which is a constant source of criticism for me in so many other boats. Even in mid- and big-size yachts worth a couple of hundred thousand bucks, you often have to cope with cold, white, ugly, cheap, bare gelcoat. I mean, how expensive can a grating get? I am not asking for the elaborate real Teak gratings, but bare gelcoat?! Bravo, Neel, thanks for the nice floor! On the other hand, this owner´s bathroom isn´t very welcoming at all. I didn´t like the fact that some of the piping was visible, fixed by plastic straps? Also, the washbasin is way too small, unacceptable at least for my fiancé. But maybe this isn´t the primary bathroom?
That is because Neel fitted a much nicer head to the 42 as well. That´s one of the big news in the “Duo”-version: Instead of the up-to-now standard front cabin, there is a very spacious, roomy front main bathroom now. That´s a very interesting setup. Instead of going down into a bunk, a little spa opens up in front of you. I feel that way at least when looking at the WC. Because, man!, this view outside from here is marvelous!
Bathrooms in the front are a double-edged sword, in my opinion. I remember quite vividly sailing a racing version First 30 a few years ago. She had her head – as the name suggests – in the classic bow location. It was late autumn and we were sailing in quite awful conditions. Lots of waves, lots of up and down and rocking in the boat. Using the toilet wasn´t any fun at all and at times literally not possible to take a pee without smudging oneself. Take a look at the stairs leading down into the Neel forward bathroom …
You have to put the right foot on the right stair. “Watch your step” gets a whole new context. Even without any storm, this is very steep and takes up all of your focus. If you are throwing a party aboard and your guests are a bit tipsy-topsy? Offer them the owner´s bathroom, it´s safer. I am exaggerating here, of course, but you see my point: It´s very clear that this bathroom has been retrofitted into a room that initially hasn´t been designed to house a plumbing unit.
However, once down, this bath is really something. The size is awesome as is the headroom. I´ve mentioned the spectacular view out of the large bow window, especially when you are sitting on the toilet. Right in the bow, behind the forward crash box, the shower is located. It´s also decently sized and again, I loved the tap which is definitely not bought from the cheapest supplier. But again, the washbasin in this bathroom is also very small: Good for your hands and brushing your teeth, I don´t know if this is sufficient.
All in all, the hygiene amenities on the Neel 43 do their job and will make you and your onboard guests stay clean and relieved. I´ve seen better layouts and equipped heads, but I also don´t want to overly exaggerate the importance of a bathroom aboard a yacht. Basically, you need a place to take a dump, wash your body, take a shower and brush your teeth. Definitely, Neel´s bathroom will accomplish this mission for sure. The last place I haven´t seen however is also very interesting and revealing: The engine room, so follow me down into the basement of this trimaran. Ah, but before we do, one question: Have you already signed up for the NO FRILL SAILING.com newsletter? It´s free and will be sent once per month. Never miss any story and sign up now!
Neel´s Engine room: Let´s go down into the basement
Right in the middle of the salon is a big hatch. Miguel opens it and takes two steps down to the bottom of the hull. Underneath is the engine room. It makes sense since you want to put all of the heavy stuff to the downmost point of a yacht. Also, the engine – single most part of any boat´s equipment – should be placed as near as possible to the pivoting point of a yacht, which is essentially the mid-section. So I follow Miguel down below …
I have mixed feelings about the engine room, if I´m honest. It is indeed a huge volume of free space. Seeing the engine standing free on its base mount is a rare sight. Usually it is cramped into a very narrow engine compartment. This however is perfect for maintenance and repairs since you can reach any part 360 degrees with ease. Mechanics will love this! On the other hand, seeing such a huge volume makes me think of water ingress … if this room gets flooded, I don´t know, will the boat be floating held up over water by the two floats as well? I should ask the shipyard.
Anyway, this engine room is even bigger than the role model engine rooms aboard Hallberg-Rassy or Oyster yachts! The accessibility to any installation, be it tanks, water distribution, valves, batteries or electric and electronic equipment is absolutely great and exemplary. No comparison to the narrow, cramped and backbone-wrenching situations on so many other boats. I really liked it down here!
I guess, as an owner of a Neel 43, maintenance and routine checks really become a pleasant job. Once you´ve internalized where to find what, it will be as easy as ABC. In this context I can fully understand why so many owners don´t like and sometimes refuse to thoroughly maintain their yachts just because it is so annoying and bone-breaking to crawl into the farthest corners of their yachts just to check a stupid handle …
There´s more to check …
And with this impression I conclude my walkthrough in the Neel 43. I must say that I did not expect this boat being this interesting. As with every yacht there are details I don´t really like (or don´t fully understand) and there are solutions I think which are great and exemplary. I wouldn´t say I am hooked, but I would definitely like to sail a Neel and see that it is like on a trimaran. Where´s the difference to a catamaran? What about steerability, stability and ease of use? Trimming, speed and of course, maneuvering. Maybe there´s a chance in the near future to dash out with one of these, who knows.
For now I thank Miguel for the interesting tour of the boat. If you are looking for a multihull, make sure to check out the trimarans as well. I don´t see all too many people sailing on the Neel 43 as the available space is smaller than on a same-sized catamaran. But I definitely see a sailing couple, maybe with occasional guests or a small kid on their vacation, enjoying the high speeds and joys of a quick journey.
You might as well try one of these trimaran-related articles too:
Aboard the Rapido 40: Carbon overkill!
Racing trimaran closeup
Complete walkthrough in the Dragonfly 36