Neel 51

The Neel 51 is a bluewater cruising trimaran built by Neel Trimarans in La Rochelle, France, and first launched in 2017. Conceived by Eric Bruneel — a former French sports catamaran champion who won The Transat 2004 — the design was penned by the Joubert Nivelt Muratet studio. At 51 feet 2 inches on deck with a 29-foot beam, it occupies an unusual market niche: a high-performance trimaran that delivers catamaran-style living arrangements. The boat earned considerable recognition on its debut, winning the 2018 European Yacht of the Year (Multihulls category), Multihull of the Year over 50 feet, and SAIL magazine's Best Large Multihull award.

The 51 carries a CE Category A (ocean) certification and is engineered for extended offshore passages. The design philosophy emphasizes that weight concentrated low and amidships in the central hull limits pitching and produces a smoother motion at sea than a comparable catamaran, particularly when beating to windward. The trimaran's peak righting moment arrives at roughly 27 degrees of heel — far later than a catamaran — giving it a progressive and reassuring stability curve for offshore work.

The hull structure uses PVC foam cores sandwiched between quadraxial fiberglass rovings, laminated with isophthalic and vinylester resins. The mold is split into three sections covering the central hull and the inner halves of the floats, a method that allows tight quality control over the infusion process. The central hull features a pronounced rocker that aids tacking performance, while the float sections incorporate a graduated entry that reduces wetted surface as boat speed increases and the hulls rise in the water.

The "Cockloon" is the design team's term for the broad combined zone comprising the aft cockpit, cockpit nacelle, and interior saloon. Sliding glass doors retract fully out of sight to dissolve the boundary between inside and outside, creating a continuous living platform that rivals the beam-to-beam salon of a large cruising catamaran. A deep basement storage area runs beneath the cabin sole, providing a practical volume rarely found on multihulls of this size.

The Neel 51 is sized for sustained double-digit passage speeds. With a main and self-tacking staysail set, the boat is easily managed short-handed; deploying the large genoa pushes speeds comfortably into the high teens in a fresh breeze. One delivery from the La Rochelle yard to a boat show produced a 290-mile 24-hour run under triple-reefed main and self-tending jib alone. A peak speed of 25.8 knots has been recorded by an owner passage-racing in rough conditions.

Directional stability is a consistent theme in reviews: the autopilot holds course with little correction needed, and tacking through 90 degrees requires only a turn of the wheel. The helm station is split into two distinct zones — a wheel console and a separate sail-handling panel — keeping the driver focused while leaving sheets and halyards organized. In light air the sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 24 keeps the boat moving, while the D/L ratio of 103 confirms the relatively light displacement for her length.

Standard configuration provides four cabins and four to five heads for eight to eleven berths, with an optional layout reducing to two center-hull cabins for a lighter, performance-oriented setup. The master stateroom occupies the starboard float with a queen berth, dedicated head, and shower; the port float mirrors it for guest use. Two additional cabins in the central hull are available in the full-accommodation version. Headroom throughout runs approximately 6 feet 6 inches — generous for a trimaran.

The galley is a full C-shaped unit on the port side of the saloon, described by reviewers as spacious enough for serious offshore provisioning. A dedicated navigation station sits to starboard, placed clear of the main traffic flow between cockpit and galley. The overall interior volume, including the saloon, is frequently compared favorably to that of a 40-foot cruising catamaran, which is a deliberate design goal — to give owners catamaran comfort without sacrificing the speed advantages of three hulls.