Is she the best cruising trimaran? Check out the all new Neel 52 ! Full walkthrough.
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- Опубліковано 2 жов 2023
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Designed by Marc Lombard to replace the great Neel 51 Trimaran, the Neel 52 goes even further in performance, safety and comfort. Her lay out is completely innovative, keeping with Neel's history of revolutionizing yacht design. The Neel 52 can offer 4 to 6 cabins + 2 crew cabins and can be customized with 2 main versions for charter or private owners. She is lighter and stiffer for added performance and safety. Her sleek lines and high end materials combined with impressive storage space and smart furnitures makes her one of the best blue-water multihulls.
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I like what Neel has done with the 52 overall. My main criticism is the replacement of the technical room in the 51 with the center cabin. The engine room serves as the technical room now. There appears to be less space, so it's not exactly equivalent. I guess the owner can always choose not to have a center cabin. Another issue I have is moving the master cabin head downstairs into the starboard hull. That's inconvenient if you need to use the head in the middle of the night, instead of having it right beside the bed on the same level. All the other changes are definite improvements. Extremely curious about the performance numbers.
OK, I just viewed another Neel 52 video and it's confirmed that you can have the original technical room in the center cabin area if desired. Neel is taking long strides in offering additional customization with their new model line. I am generally impressed by the company's willingness to work with its clients.
So, what I'd do is have an enlarged technical room instead of the center cabin, and the forward cabin with double bunks transformed into a workshop a la Outremer on their 52. The owner could then utilize the entire center hull for mechanical, electrical, and repair work, or anything of a technical nature. The port hull is for guests and the starboard hull is exclusively for the owner's use. That's it! I may have stumbled onto the perfect layout I've been searching for years, or nearly perfect. The master head is still downstairs but maybe that wouldn't be as bad as I imagine if the sea state isn't rough. Lots of potential with this boat. I think Neel has another winner.
What you criticize here is all one owner's preferences. Also in the past many UA-cam channels has based their critique on Neel designs on basically owner's preferences, which is really poor. I think it is a good thing overall, that Neel clearly listens to it's customers and offer first of all a lot new safety features, as for instance rails to the bow, which many catamarans do not have at all and which former Neel trimarans were did not have either. I would always prefer hard rails though. Neel also offer even more layout options with this 52, than they already did with the 51, and that model already had many layout options. If you don't like those options, don't tick that box, I guess! He actually forgot to show two areas, by the way, the aft part of both outriggers, which also could either be storage areas or even spare cabins. I sure would move the laundry to one of those, which I have already seen done very smart on a Neel 51 and leave the other to e-bike storage and charging etc. On that 51 at least, those storage rooms only could be accesses from the outside, by swinging up the stairs from the sugar scoop, which of course have some obvious issues if you need to access those in rough seas, but do you even do laundry in those conditions? On the other hand, it got to me the obvious advantage, that you move noisy laundry machines out of all accommodation areas that way. Then you essentially got two technical rooms in the outriggers and back to same capacity, still with the central cabin intact. Just don't plan to place heavy things to go into the outriggers, of course. That also double the work space for the owners cabin below. Personally i got no issue with walking down the stairs to have a wee pee in the night, that is actually, what I have to do, where I live no, in a tiny house sleeping on a balcony really and the living accommodation, including my bathroom, is all below. You also could argue, if you sleep with a partner, maybe it would be more comfortable for that person, if you are going a bit further away at night to pee, so they do not have to listen to the drizzle and flushing toilet and all that. There is no such thing as a perfect boat for everyone, but Neel 52 in my opinion can be so hugely customized, that it could work for most people.
@@1corinthians15.1-4kjv In the sailing world, there's a huge range of owner preferences and requirements in a boat. No doubt my commentary was from a subjective viewpoint. That said, the Neel 52 is as close to perfect for my needs as I've seen thus far in any yacht around the 50-foot length. Of course, the larger the yacht the more ideal the layout and accommodations that are possible. There's also the price to consider. It's the principal factor for most buyers and the Neel 52 isn't the most affordable out there. Nevertheless, it's incredible what the company has managed to do in this size bracket. I'm eagerly looking forward to an actual review under sail and anticipate its performance to be superior to the 51. Not that its predecessor was slow by any means but more performance is always welcome.
I think this is a much improved version from the 51! Thanks for the walkthrough.
Looks like great practical upgrades, dream yacht!
The central cabin will make a great place for a walk in fridge/freezer
I noticed a lot of sharp edges (and corners outside the main saloon area) throughout the boat - those could be softened or rounded to prevent accidents. Otherwise, a great improvement over the 51. As asked by someone else - how does it perform?
Hello and thanks for your comment! I can't tell your first hand how she performs as I haven 't had the chance to sail her yet, but I had detailed conversation with the team from the yard that did the sea trial and the feedback was unanimous : she sails faster than the 51. She is a bit lighter, a bit stiffer and a lot of computational power has been used by Marc Lombard's team of architect to design the hulls. It's incremental change, not going at double the speed of the 51 which was already a fast boat but 1-2 knots faster in average conditions
I like most of the improvements.
Questions, water heating? Is it tank or on demand?
If one wants to go propane for stove, grill and water heating, where is the designated propane locker?
Does it have AC, or option of AC?
Where is a good place to put a propane or diesel stove for higher latitude sailing?
how do you control the engines from the saloon Nav station?
Great to see Neels evolution. Well done. I wonder whether the Michelin WISAMO would work. Simply to go faster? Maybe wishful thinking.
could be nice to try !
Is this system available yet? Looks to be in the R&D stage and aimed primarily at commercial fleets.
..Oui!!!!🙏
the large cabin in the central hull - it'd be great if the inward-looking window could be of a greater height; as it is, it's not much higher than a slit. create an experience: make it three time the existing height, if the hull structure allows it, that is.
Solar Panels: I've seen a lot of other builders and owners modify the "flush" application of solar panels... Having an air gap under the panels reduces heat, heat that can be transferred into the boat... heat that reducing the efficiency of the panels...
hello @bobjohns8914 you are absolutely right . Under the tropics it also decreases the panels lifetime as the connections end up burning. fortunately the latest models of panels handle it much better but you need to get top quality like Solara for example, not cheaper panels. Overall flat panels mounted on frames have better performance and now we often install the double side ones on davits : they even produce from the reflection of the sun on the ocean that hits the bottom side of the panels. But it's a trade off between practicality (the mounts have sharp edges and make moving on the roof more difficult) and efficiency. As dealers we offer several solutions to our clients and let them choose what they prefer
I feel like the space could be used a bit better. The Nav station space is too big, the master a bit too small. Move the galley to where the nav station is,, move the nav in front of the master, move the stairwell to the front cabin to the other side of the post, next to the new nav station, make the master bigger.
But all in all, it's a great boat to live in.
Thanks for your comment ! It's funny what you say about the galley and the navigation is what the lay out of the previous model was. Check the video we did a few months ago : ua-cam.com/video/9gC9LtUUMEU/v-deo.html
@@SAILTAHITI There were good aspects to the previous layout. I found the galley too big on the 51, but the main deck master cabin with the adjoining head was remarkable for a 50-footer.
what about build quality?
Neel has strongly improved their build quality. The few boats that had problems (nothing to do with problems at Marsaudon Composites or other brands) were fixed under warranty and new processes have been put in place. Yacht building is still somewhere between industry and craft especially for high performance boats, that s the only way to produce really great boats.
Neel boats seem to have an issue of cracking along seems. Have you come across this issue?
Hello. In the first Neel 47 the bulkheads were glued to the hull and on some of them the glue did not work as well as it should. Neel has done warranty work on these boats and now it s not an issue anymore. On the 51 the bulkheads are all stratified to the hull so no problem
@@SAILTAHITI Thanks for the information. This is the first I have heard of them fixing the issue. Hopefully the new building process is done on all Neels.
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I've been a fan of the Neel 51 for some time, so I had high hopes for the 52, but was frankly disappointed. The ridiculous roof lounge is unfortunately still there, sucking up valuable space where solar panels could be placed. It's a useless space as is (unless the owner just wants a dock queen), and removing it would also allow the boom (and center of effort during sail) to be lowered another 4-6 feet. What used to be a fantastically spacious engine room on the 51, where you could literally walk all the way around the engine, is now just another cramped engine room with difficult, awkward, and incomplete engine access on the 52 (probably the biggest fail in the redesign). They took a massive amount of room out of the owner's suite. And for what? Another galley counter? The galley on the 51 was spacious enough as it was. The forward berth on the 51 actually looked usable, if tight. The forward berth on the 52 is fit for toddlers, at best. A broom closet, at worst. And the so-called "double berth" (looks nowhere near that size) in the center hull is cramped and uncomfortable-looking. I wouldn't put anyone I liked in there. The bows sitting so far out of the water is a recipe for pounding under way, which is not going to be pleasant at any speed. Personally, I've always disliked the helm position on the 51. It looks like a design afterthought, and a bad one at that. I'd hoped they'd rethink it on the 52. Alas, it's just as bad on the 52, although tidier, so I guess that's something.
After seeing this, I'd have to say the 51 is the better boat. I wouldn't even consider the 52 given the mess they've made of it. What was Neel thinking? I very much appreciate the excellent walk-through, but I'm really disappointed with the Neel 52. Such a shame.
Hello @meadmaker4525 thanks for your comment. I agree with some of your points, not all of course. The center cabin looks a bit awkward but is positioned at the center of the boat so probably very comfortable in heavy seas. The bows are high above the water like on many racing boats but remember this was at the boatshow with an empty boat. Add all the gear you'll carry on a round the world trip and they won t be so high. The lounge space on top is not the best for performance I agree with you, but most people ready to buy a boat in that budget range do want some nice space for lounging at anchor... If you're keen on the 51 I would like to mention that we have one for sale : www.sailtahiti.com/en/portfolio-items/neel-51-2022/. she is available now in Fidji, and is completely equipped for long distance sailing. Feel free to contact me at david@sailtahiti.com, I'm looking forward to discussing in more details with you ! Have a great holiday ! David
That master cabin looks awfully cramped for a 52 foot multihull, the kitchen could easily have been a bit smaller to make room for a wider walkway to the owner heads. I like the rest though.
thanks for your comment ! I like the master cabin, may be the video doesn't make it justice
@@SAILTAHITI Yeah that's a good point, it might indeed just be on video that it looks cramped.
I really, really like the Neal, but how sound and sight proof is the owner's cabin? Having the owner's cabin in the upper deck would be excellent if one's daughter and son-in-law were not piloting the boat while the owners were properly enjoying themselves. Ok. Make the upper fornication cabin into an actual office, but place the fun and frivolity berth in the starboard hull. On the other hull, make it a couples boat and provide the duo a wondrously romantic vessel with a deck cabin within which to sail. Guests and family can sleep on the confusticated deck. To purgatory with intruding guests. That's fair. The people who bought the boat should have a majority say in its use.
Just so you know, this is an excellent boat. I like it alot.
That s a good point 😂
Don’t touch these yachts with a barge,pole, they have been really poorly built with a huge amount of laminate failures on bulkheads and chain plate areas. The bonding they used didn’t cure and is like plasticine. It hasn’t bonded so they are death traps waiting to happen.
Neel did have some problems on a few of their trimaran, nothing to the extend of other boat manufacturers and they were all fixed under warranty.
Neel quality is garbage. In 10 min on a new Neel I identified dozens of defects, don't touch the boat if you intend to sail, if you want to stay in the marina and have cocktails perfect.@@SAILTAHITI
Hi Ben. Given that we are based in Tahiti which is 11 000 nautical miles away from the Neel factory I guess at least some of our clients who sailed their Neel across didn’t just have cocktail in the marina. I always wonder how one can have such strong opinion about a boat by walking on her for 10 minutes ? 😂
Perhaps you missed the recently posted video of the Neel owner that managed to sail to New Zealand from Europe via Tahiti to find that his Neel was falling apart? Almost all of the joints that are glued instead of glassed were coming apart. The boat will virtually have to be rebuilt to be seaworthy. If I can identify dozens of defects on a boat in minutes it means there is a serious problem and it has been substantiated by owners. Incredibly badly built boats, a shame.@@SAILTAHITI
@@benlindner5285 he refused to get help from Neel. A few of the Neel 47 had similar problems and all were fixed under warranty. For reasons I do not know, despite Neel offering to fix gis boat multiple times he waited until New Zealand to do it. In the meantime he has crossed the Atlantic several times and the Pacific once.
You speaking angliche sioupaire balaize ouithe almauste no aksante at ole.