When Eric and Barbara Bruneel introduced their first 45-foot trimaran at the Annapolis sailboat show about 10 years ago, I was interested at how innovative the design was and also amazed that no one had thought of putting the saloon on top of the three hulls instead of inside them. The result was a tri that has the excellent sailing characteristics of trimarans and the ample living space of modern catamarans. NEEL introduced the NEEL 43 a few months ago and it embodies all that the Bruneels have learned about boat building, sailing and cruising over the last decade. Designed by Marc Lombard, the 43 is about three tons lighter than a comparable catamaran and has less wetted surface or drag when the windward hulls is flying due to the narrowness of the hulls. In recent sail tests, the 43 sailed at about one and half times the speed of similar cats or monohulls. Uniquely, there are two large sleeping cabins adjoining the saloon, yet the saloon area is ample and joins through sliding doors with the large cockpit. There are three more small cabins on the bows of the three hulls. If tris have a downside, it will be the beam; at 25 feet wide, you’ll be challenged to find a marina slip the 43 will fit into. Yet, these unique tris do so many things well, they have become true leaders in the performance cruising category. Check out the NEEL website and watch a YouTube video.
