2024 NEEL 52 Trimaran Boat Review
Globetrotting on three hulls has its benefits
May 13, 2024
Multihulls have been making deep inroads into the offshore cruising market and while catamarans still reign, large trimarans are proving they have additional benefits even over cats.
Trimarans are stable platforms that won’t roll at anchor robbing you of sleep and they offer lots of living space, much of which is above the waterline. But like a monohull, tris do a better job of pointing and sailing to weather than cats and that makes them versatile as well as more familiar to traditional sailors.
Above: A 2024 NEEL 52 Trimaran underway sailing. Photo via MV Yachting .
Design & Construction
The NEEL 52, a Marc Lombard design, is the latest entrant into the cruising tri segment. It replaces the NEEL 51 of which around 40 hulls were built. The new design offers a sleeker profile than her predecessor with an improved cockpit layout. She’s an enormous 1500 square foot platform but is very approachable under sail.
The vacuum-infused sandwich construction is cored with foam rather than balsa and she’s over a ton lighter than her predecessor. The rocker or bottom curvature on the main hull is deeper for improved maneuvering and her 6’ 3” draft helps her point higher. An aluminum mast is standard and supports the square top mainsail and nearly 1,800 square feet of total upwind sail area. You can upgrade to a carbon spar which adds two feet and more mainsail area.
Above: A 2024 NEEL 52 Trimaran underway sailing. Image via Performance Yacht Sales in Miami Beach, FL.
Performance
Our test day provided ideal conditions for a boat of this size as we headed out onto Biscayne Bay in Florida. We were met with 12-14 knots of true breeze over a 2-foot chop. With the Code 0 flying, we settled into an easy beam reach at 11 knots of boat speed. Pinching up to 40 degrees AWA, we still made good 9 knots. Tris point higher than cats and also reduce wetted surface by lifting the windward ama even in a light breeze. But unlike a monohull on its ear, a trimaran remains comfortable and mostly upright even while flying a hull.
Deck Design
The deck and cabinhouse present a massive living platform. The central hull has an integrated dinghy cradle to carry an 11-foot tender which is lifted with the end of the boom, eliminating lifts or hydraulic platforms that add weight and complexity.
Above: 2024 NEEL 52 Overhead View. Photo via Performance Yacht Sales in Miami Beach, FL.
The cockpit is spacious and resembles one on a catamaran. A straight dinette stretches along the port side with half of it in the cockpit and half inside in the salon and separated by the sliding door. With the door open, you can seat 12 for dinner. To starboard is an multi-person lounge bordered by steps that lead up to the raised helm on the bulkhead.
Above: The stern of the NEEL 52 Trimaran. Image via NEEL Trimarans.
Visibility from the wheel is good aft, excellent down the starboard side, and decent forward except to the opposite bow. The helmsperson will have to keep an eye on that corner when in close quarters. The station is divided into three distinct spaces so the driver and the line handler won’t get in each other’s way while friends keep both parties company from their perch on the elevated L-shaped lounge on the bimini. This settee will also be the go-to spot for sundowners since the views of the anchorage from here are fantastic.
Above: The cockpit of the NEEL 52 Trimaran. Image via NEEL Trimarans.
Vast Interior
The NEEL 52 looks and feels colossal on deck and that continues inside. The salon is to port with a straight-line settee as mentioned above. The owner’s suite is on the same level to starboard with a bed on the main deck and the head and office space down in the starboard ama. An angled walkway leads just ahead of the master cabin to the galley with vast countertop space and upmarket appliances. This is a kitchen that would be at home in a sizeable condominium but with the added benefit of 270-degree views of the ocean from the large windows.
Above: The galley of the NEEL 52 Trimaran. Image via Performance Yacht Sales in Miami Beach, FL.
Next to the galley and in the middle of the main interior is the forward-facing navigation station. An MFD and autopilot control let you drive from inside if the weather is uncooperative on passage and the visibility is good except for a thick mullion smack in the middle of the sightlines.
Between the galley and the nav desk are steps down to the accommodations level that normally include two cabins. The port hull holds two more cabins and you can spec the NEEL 52 with up to six cabins plus two crew bunks in the aft ends of the outer amas.
Above: One of the sleeping berths in the cabin aboard the NEEL 52 Trimaran. Image via Performance Yacht Sales in Miami Beach, FL.
Tech Room
Our test boat swapped the aft middle cabin for an impressive tech room with a bank of lithium batteries fed by the 2600 watts of solar panels on the bimini and a 13.5 kW generator. For even more charging capacity, the 110-hp Yanmar was fitted with an Integrel high output alternator which makes an excellent backup should the genset go down. Also in this space, the owner of had added a water maker and a washer/dryer. The systems were complex as they mixed 12, 24 and 48 volts and it would take a knowledgeable owner to manage the package. However, despite all the systems tucked in there, there was still plenty of room for spares, AC units, and stowage nooks and crannies. It’s the kind of tech room that makes all the difference when distance cruising.
Best of Both Worlds
Devotees of three hulls feel that trimarans are the best of both worlds, marrying the comfort, speed and stability of a cat with the simplicity and superior pointing ability of a monohull. And when you have 52 feet LOA to work with, you can imagine how comfortable and practical you can make a bluewater cruiser. The NEEL 52 absolutely makes life on three hulls worth investigating.
Specifications:
LOA: 52’ 0”
Beam: 28’ 10”
Draft: 6’3”
Air draft: 79’ 0” - 81’0” (alum/carbon)
Displacement: 29,762 lbs
Sail Area: 1,786 sq ft (alum mast)
Power: 110-hp Yanmar diesel
Designer: Marc Lombard Yacht Design
Builder: NEEL Trimarans/ neel-trimarans.com
Price: Well-equipped for around $1.5 million
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