The design grew from a collaboration between Eric Bruneel and Gildas Cornic; the name Corneel combines Bruneel and Cornic. It arrived while Fountaine Pajot was building dinghies and racing monohulls and taking its first steps into multihulls with the Louisiane.
Design and Lineage
Bruneel and Cornic had launched the Corneel 18 sports cat in the early 1980s before scaling up the same idea into this 26-foot design. Fountaine Pajot, then a young multihull builder, produced the Corneel 26 at roughly one hull per week.
At the small end of the catamaran spectrum, the Corneel 26 has an 18-foot beam and displaces 1,984 pounds. Its hull and deck use PVC-foam-cored fiberglass sandwich construction, with lead ballast. The centerboard keel gives a maximum draft of 8 feet 10 inches.
The fractional sloop rig carries 408 square feet of sail and has a sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 41.34. Its capsize screening ratio is 5.74, reflecting the stability profile typical of a light, beamy day-cruising catamaran.
Performance
This is a boat for speed and playfulness rather than passage-making. Bruneel set out to create a lively, enjoyable day-boat catamaran, and the published record says the Corneel 26 is capable of reaching 20 knots.
Its light displacement and the twin hulls’ modest wetted surface allow it to accelerate readily. The centerboard can be raised for exploring shallow water or lowered for more bite upwind.
Accommodations
Multihulls World described the Corneel 26 as capable of accommodating a family for a few nights at a time. That makes it a pocket cruiser for weekends rather than a full liveaboard. The interior volume provided by its 18-foot beam allows roomier overnight accommodations than a monohull of similar length, though daytime enjoyment remained the design’s first priority.
The same source presented it as a boat that could be put away and forgotten about for the winter, reinforcing its role as an uncomplicated seasonal toy.
Ownership and Storage
The Corneel 26’s light weight and winter-storage profile made it a candidate for sailors who wanted a multihull without year-round marina commitments. Fountaine Pajot’s early production pace of about one boat per week suggests a modest but steady run aimed at the sports-cat and day-sailer market rather than bluewater cruisers.
Verdict
The Corneel 26 is a focused design: a small, fast, enjoyable catamaran from the mid-1980s that bridges dinghy-style excitement and minimal family cruising. Its main strengths are the enjoyment it offers afloat and its straightforward seasonal storage. Its limitations follow from its compact size and day-boat purpose.
Pros
- Capable of 20 knots under sail
- Beamy catamaran layout can accommodate a family on short trips
- Simple to lay up for the winter
- Light, foam-cored construction with lead ballast
Cons
- Suited to outings of only a few nights, not extended cruising
- Small size limits accommodations and payload
