First look aboard the Neel 52, a fast cruising family trimaran from France
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- Опубліковано 4 чер 2024
- Neel broke new ground when it introduced its cruising trimarans over a decade ago. In this new Neel 52 model from Lombard design we're seeing some refinement to these production models. Report in YW December 2023
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Wow, this Neel feels like a completely different boat to what I've seen previously. It's the first tri I would consider. Well done and thank you, Toby.
Hats off to be able to,speak positively about any boat! This must have been your greatest challenge to date!
Boatbuilders pay the bills at yachting world.
My ONE criticism is putting the watermaker above the electrics. They can leak / spray out HP sea water, and should really be separated from anything electrical!
Otherwise, great vid. Thanks for the tour!
I like it that the cabinetry and countertops have almost all rounded corners. 52 feet is not that large compared to the ocean, so in heavy weather, it is still going to be tossed around abit. Rounded corners are necessary.
Finally the video I have been waiting for!
better than a catamaran in every way. more builders should join in on this. cant believe neel is still the sole builder after so many years.
nah these condo-tri's are trash
@@pred7949 I saw a review a couple of years ago, and the fit and finish was terrible. I hope they improved over time
@@BigBadLoneWolf Neel are great sailing boats but yes the final fitout quality is pretty poor. They claim they have fixed thier QA standards but time will tell if thats real or just made up. If I was buying a tri today I would still go Rapido,
It’s the best looking TRI I’ve seen to date and I’d be interested in owning one if I had the digits in the bank account, Neel has a winner with this 52, it’s only up from here, use this design layout to further the brand on to the next chapter in the company history books.
Thank you very much for your comment! We are glad to see that you like it.
I am a mono sailor and have always been concerned by cats for passage making. This looka like it could take a couple or family on very extended cruises. Very different and interesting, thanks for the video.
No problems as long as it has been maintained.
Like anything else.
I really like the NEEL Ethos approach to sailing.
Thanks for another great review.
Thank you for showing the aft ama storage/crew cabin area. I have not seen that in the videos of the Neel 52 that have been released so far. Amazing yacht with tremendous potential.
Thank you, we are glad that you like it!
About the aft crew cabins. There is one overhead hatch with a waterproof seal. Where does the breathing air enter?
Go anywhere at 9-12kts. 8 berths and that aft locker is still almost big enough to stash Sea-Doo. Goodness gracious!
I’m looking forward to seeing this vessel in person at the Miami International Boat Show in February!
Oh it's full of surprises!!!going to fall apart!
Thanks for the excellent walk through, as always, Toby. I've been looking forward to seeing the 52 ever since they talked about doing it, as I really liked a lot about the 51. The improvement in quality and attention to detail seems palpable from the video, but I'm honestly really disappointed with some of the decisions they made with the 52. The engine room on the 52 is an absolute disaster compared to the 51. On the 51, you could literally walk all the way around the engine and easily access it from any angle. On the 52, it has been stuffed into a tiny compartment at the rear, just like every other production monohull out there, and it'll be a nightmare to work on. Just because you can see air on either side between the hoses doesn't mean it's got great access.
I also don't understand why they thought flipping the galley and nav station positions from the 51 would be clever on the 52. It isn't. They've taken a massive amount of room away from the master cabin to make room for more counter space in the galley, which was already massive on the 51 and really didn't need it. The forward cabin, the one you called the "pullman berth," used to be a reasonable size. Now it's little more than a closet with tiny benches on one side that we're supposed to believe are actual berths. This is adjacent to another large stateroom, the existence of which is ostensibly why the engine room is now terrible.
And lastly, they still insisted on including that ridiculous fly bridge. If you're over 4 feet tall, it's laughably useless...well, unless you're just using the boat as a dock queen to impress your friends and you don't ever intend to actually sail the thing. It would be a lot better if they ditched it altogether, which would make more room for solar panels and they'd be able to lower the boom height (and thus the center of effort under sail) several feet, which would make a significant difference.
I just don't understand how, on the one hand, they could actively be working to improve quality, but on the other, still make so many bad decisions on the design of this boat. And at this price point, there's just too much wrong with it, frankly. I was unaware the founder had left and that the company was under new management, so maybe they'll be open to reworking a lot of these problem areas for future customers. As it stands, if I were ordering one today, I'd ask for the 51...but with the quality improvements of the 52. The 51 is a better boat from the standpoint of design, practical usability, and comfort, even though it shares some of the same failings as the 52 (fly bridge, etc.).
Interesting points thanks @meadmaker4525 - one thing to mention is that they have addressed a balance issue, by shifting some weight aft, including the engine room. There was a 51 nearby and you could see how bow down it looked in comparison - where the stems of the 52 are totally dry. It'd be interesting to sail them against each other. But I take your points on the layout issues too.
@@yachtingworld - That's really interesting about the balance issue. Thanks for drawing my attention to that. I recall you mentioning it in the video, but I didn't recall hearing that the 51 had balance issues to begin with, so was unsure how to place it in context. Having a 51 right next to the 52 would do exactly that. Very interesting indeed to hear that the 51 was bow down compared to the 52. I imagine that might translate into a fair performance difference for the 52, but it makes me wonder, as the bow-down 51 would technically have a longer water line (more speed), but also a larger wetted area (more drag). I also agree that it would be interesting to sail them against each other to see what kind of real world difference they've achieved (performance, comfort, stability, etc.).
If shifting weight aft was an improvement, then fair enough, but it's a bitter pill to swallow losing the engine room access of the 51. Wonder if Neel's new management would be amenable to taking a page out of Windelo's playbook and offering electric propulsion with diesel backup. That would be seriously cool on this trimaran.
Massive boat, plenty of sleeping quarters. I’m not sure of this builders quality? Not a lot of fond comments below. But if someone said here’s a boat take it around the world. Id have a go at it with this vessel. Thanks for the tour Toby
That's good, cheers
Its got great potential for a familly and one with members with a movement disability as theres that cabin on the main living deck .
The other thing is they could transfer some of the propulsion tech over from the Leen MV. by using hybrid electric power and the electric pod motors in the Amas ..back up power, electric only mode vastly improved handling in close quarters you can tank turn
On the spot without having to fire up the diesel warm it up and then keep blipping it to get water to flow over the central rudder plus... You can also regen under sail ...
They are also experimenting with alternative greener construction materials.
I wish them luck and hope they continue to learn and evolve these vessels to meet whats going to be a fast changing market.
Ive followed the Sailing oceans polish familly on their early prototype vessel
and it sails very well in heavy Atlantic seas as well as providing a good platform to live a cruising life in the tropics.
nice boat, good design
Design is almost there, but I think moving the nav station in front of the main cabin and the galley to port would allow for a larger main cabin (looks cramped to move around), less wasted space around the nav station, a more traditional square galley that is more connected to the living space, etc. Odd choices that prevent the 52 from being perfect. Maybe the 53 will get it right and look more like the Neel 51 in that sense.
always like the idea of the brand. Great to see the change for the better. I wonder why Brunnel [was it him?] wouldn't address quality as he seemed pretty switched on and has been a succesfull builder. A shallow draft version would be perfect!!
❤❤❤
Really looked a lot better quality than the older 51. With the new management I hope their attitude to their customers is greatly improved. I actually like Neel but the build quality really killed them. They have a lot to make up for these days. Lot of boat for the money. Thanks for the video.
the way people are selling their neels is wild, market is flooded with neels
Also forward net half the depth with extended lower deck can have low seating area x 2
i would buy 1
*Impressive now I see why Sailing La Vagabonde just received theirs! Nice chat Toby very well.*
Theirs is a Rapido not a Neel trimaran...
@@yachtingworld Okay now get I need to have my eyes and ears examined...but this specific one has a better feel vs. the hippy style slvb one.
The 52 is way more comfortable than the 65, to my eyes.
You are not telling us what space you are moving into as you move around the boat. Is it the port amas? The aft main hull? or the above deck living space?
Cool, what’s the sailing specs. I know tri faster than cat but what compares rates of speed to say equivalent cat
I don’t know, but there is something that isn’t right about the Neel’s. I hate the right hand single helm. If you are going with a single helm, make sure it’s centered, like the Rapido. Interior looks cheap and over crowded, with too much stuff crammed into a small space.
That said, the review was excellent! Thank you Toby.
Have you looked at the construction?
Neel's boats used to have really poor construction, hopefully they have improved since then...
Thanks for the tour. Interesting ideas as usual, these have always reminded me of a Catamaran with an extra hull added in the middle for more storage/cabins.
The newer design seems a bit better than Bruneel's. The build quality seems a bit better.
Sounds like the performance is good, but these are definitely NOT trimarans in the spirit of Farrier, Dragonfly, Rapido, Corsair, Jim Brown, Chris White, etc.
That’s modern boat design tho, applicable across monos and cats. You either go cruiser, performance, or get a combo of the two by paying BIG bucks
Right, 750k for a Dragonfly 40 or 1.3 million for the Neel 52. Basically you pay for space on the Neel and cramped quarters on the Dragonfly. As a single person I'd go for the Dragonfly, as a family boat the Neel. Different use cases.
@@Paul_C Agree, they're pretty different designs for different purposes. I'd joke that the only thing they have in common is three hulls.
BTW, there are larger Dragonflys, etc.
@@LoanwordEggcorn Isn’t the D40 the largest model?
@@PN_48 Yes, you're right. I was thinking of the 40 as much larger than the earlier ones.
It needs me to design the interior, where the hell is inside helm
The Neel, very beautifull but extremely poor build quality,i have been a board of one in Belgium, a brand new version of a couple of years ago . Failing
electro installation, roof windows not waterproof,cracks in the hull. A shame
1.3 million plus TVA 260,000 for zero storage in the cabins. So many negatives with this boat. Any cracks at the bulkheads?
There seems to be a few disgruntled customers with Neel.
Sweet ride. The galley is huge, however the design of the living room and dinning room is boring; very Ikea like.
All the kitchen tops and all tops inside? How about gorgeous marble effect synthetic material and 40mm edges ????? Ffs employee me to make fabulously nice
Some shocking owners reports on there workmanship >?
Это что за лабиринты? Что курили они?
It should have inside 2nd helm too what on earth why hasn't it got ? It's the most obvious thing
can i have the 53? I got some new tech ideas.
I find it odd that Neel could not have a 52 on standby to perform documented sea trials in anything other than insignificant winds. You do not need Toby Hodges on board to perform an actual sea trial. He made a walk through of the boat in pond trial conditions, so now we have seen the boat. Fine. But then wait around until conditions are right, get some Neel and Zatara family folks on the boat in 15 - 30 knot winds and show us what it can do. That is what we need to see. This video could have been made tied at the dock. We need to see the boat sail.
PS, I LIKE Neel trimarans. It's just that this is useless and I want to see the 52 sail in real conditions.
There are a few reviews of this companies trimarans - their inferior construction, glued rather than tabbed fiberglass bonding, and poor response to owner’s complaints. Do your own diligence!
I already got seasick.
still got that cheap looking IKEA rejected furniture interiors
Another channel reviewed the neel 40 and the fit and finish was shocking especially as it was show boat. steps that wee screwed in place, when they should have been through bolted,, gaps around the woodwork, thin ply doors
@@BigBadLoneWolf Mention of that old 'review' keeps creeping up in almost every new Neel video as if it's somehow relevant for the Neel product line in 2024 and beyond. The boat in question was hastily assembled for that show due to tight time constraints and not representative of what owners can expect. I've seen many owner videos and although there are the occasional minor issues as one would expect on any boat they are nowhere near that bad. If they were Neel wouldn't exist today. Neel sold well over *forty* of their previous 51 model, a yacht that's over a million equipped. It remains sought after in the second-hand market. This boat is its replacement and is off to a great start which is indicative of trust in the Neel brand.
Like most modern boats do??? Looks pretty good to me! Light and airy, wipe clean surfaces… MUCH better than old dark yacht interior design.
I didn’t know that Eric Bruneel had left the company.
Try building a boat to a cost.
friend, turn on the Russian subtitles, and everyone else too, not everyone knows English; subtitles are needed in order to watch your videos on TV)
I saw a Neel several years ago, was not impressed at all.
компоновка все еще не продумана. сыроват немного. Кухня точно не на своем месте.
Unfortunate design, but on the plus side, they really give you a lot of opportunities to die of a head injury in rough waters.
And what a ridiculous waste of starboard hull ,who want to walk along 30 length outrigger for a bloody pee
Encore une fois ce modèle 4st l'exemple de ce qu'il ne faut pas faire : perdre tous les atouts des modèles précédents. Un exemple là table à carte +électronique n'est pas dans l'axe de la cabine !!! Ineptie totale. On a plus la possibilité d'avoir un œil attentif au lieu de ça on a le bruit et l'agitation de la cuisine !!! C'est absurde. Quand à la distribution des cabines c'est pire. Sans compter la perte de l'habitabilite de la soute technique.
Le chantier devrait choisir ceci : Neel pour les propriétaires qui naviguent et Leen pour les charters. Ce serait plus cohérent. Vous pourriez comme cela faire du lidl mal fini pour les charters et des bateaux propriétaires mieux finis (ça urge) avec Neel. Le succès va vous tuer. La folie des commandes post covid va commencer à diminuer et là, il va falloir avoir une vraie stratégie...
I am a big fan of tri-huls and Neal is one of those on whom I would consider spending a lot of money. However, sailing a Neal in a very light wind with 50 cm wave heights is not a reasonable demonstration of Neal's ocean capability. You have shown it can sail on a lake. Congratulations. So funny. Show me better. Show me why I should buy your boat to sail on the seas and oceans, because I and so many cruisers want to, but you have not provided me or any buyer with a good reason to do that. Seriously Neal, you are paying your marketing department money? Why? You are wasting your dollars. If you want to sell you boats call me. I am a sailor. Your boats are great. Your marketing sucks.
relax, who are you talking to here ? Neel ? Tobby is not paid by neel for info... i hope they call you though.
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.
Shoddy workmanship
Hélas,un beau bateau fier de sa construction,mais ceux chargés de la visite sont tristes, oubien ne parle pas la langue française 😢
Such an ugly boat. Why would you waste your money on such an ugly thing?
Space, performance, comfort.
I like it.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder
Hmm some times one has to look at progress from a different angle , Remember the gaff rig Beautiful BUT ?
Trimarans in general are not as aesthetically pleasing as catamarans. It's not something that can be easily improved upon. You won't make a Neel look like a Gunboat, Outrermer, HH, McConaghy, etc. Sometimes you have to sacrifice something to receive something greater in return. I think the enormous amount of space is a worthwhile trade, but that's just me.
Plus de cabines mais retour en arrière en ce qui concerne l'espace dédié à la technique. À force de vouloir satisfaire les charters on perd un des gros point fort de ce trimaran. Énorme connerie. Je n'achèterai pas de Neel. Je choisis un Rapido 60 plus rapide . Entre celui-ci et le Leen ce chantier se perd...
Bonjour, nous comprenons que la taille de la soute technique puisse vous décevoir, cependant la taille et l'aménagement de celle-ci est laissée libre au propriétaire. Vous pourrez très bientôt retrouver des images d'un autre NEEL 52 sur notre site web, avec un aménagement différent. La soute technique y est bien plus grande, insonorisée, accessible par un escalier situé à l'intérieur du carré et dans laquelle vous pouvez circuler en étant debout. Nous avons également lancé un tout nouveau modèle dans notre gamme LEEN-TRIMARANS, le LEEN 51. Le design a été entièrement repensé afin de répondre aux attentes des passionnés de navigation, autant en terme d'esthétique que de vie à bord et de performances.