Cruising World called the Neel 45 a three-hulled wonder and a blast to sail. Its Boat of the Year panel named it the Most Innovative vessel in the 2013 fleet.
Design and Construction
Neel Trimarans built the 45 from a vacuum-bonded fiberglass sandwich with a PVC foam core. This construction extends across the hulls, floats, bridge deck, and superstructure.
The numbers describe a light, beamy cruiser: 44 feet overall, a striking 28-foot beam, and roughly 18,700 pounds displacement. Its capsize screening ratio is 4.22, reflecting multihull stability logic rather than monohull convention. A daggerboard keel and spade rudder complete the underbody.
On deck, testers noted the thoughtful geometry. A curved coaming and aft decks that sweep up and around shape sheltered companionways without enclosing the crew behind bulwarks.
Rig, Handling, and Performance
The fractional sloop rig carries a large, square-topped mainsail, a self-tacking jib, and a code zero-type gennaker for reaching. Multiple padeyes allow the mainsheet to be quickly anchored in different locations, letting the crew tune helm balance without complicated adjustments.
Bruneel calls the Neel 45 a 10-knot boat. Its transatlantic delivery from France reportedly averaged 230 nautical miles a day. During a test sail in a 16- to 18-knot northerly, the boat made 11.2 knots upwind and better than 12 knots reaching—speeds that reframe what a 45-foot cruiser can do under sail.
Accommodations
Rather than using the central saloon layout common to catamarans, the Neel 45 has a long corridor with a straight-line galley that keeps the cook clear of passing traffic. Ample 6-foot-8-inch headroom runs throughout the accommodation.
Two staterooms, one to port and one to starboard, contain outward-facing double berths. A third double cabin in the bow has a large V-berth. Opposite the central dining area and its wraparound settee, a nav station provides a proper place for voyage planning rather than a token chart table.
Machinery and Access
A deep, commodious engine room occupies the middle of the boat. A long ladder through a wide hatch provides access, favoring practical maintenance work over contortion.
Although many buyers may expect a trimaran to have twin engines, the Neel 45 has only a single engine, supplemented by a bow thruster to address the loss of maneuverability that a single centerline screw might suggest.
Verdict
The Neel 45 is a genuinely distinctive cruising trimaran. It’s fast enough to redefine passage expectations, roomy in a corridor-style layout suited to liveaboard life, and designed with serviceable access to its machinery. Its innovations are substantial rather than cosmetic, and the reported speed figures are more than marketing vapor.
The single engine and daggerboard demand a little more docking intent, though the bow thruster and the boat’s predictability soften that drawback.
Pros
- Named Most Innovative vessel in the 2013 Boat of the Year fleet
- Documented speeds of more than 11 knots upwind and reaching in a moderate breeze
- Corridor layout with a straight-line galley and 6-foot-8-inch headroom
- Central engine room reached by a ladder through a wide hatch
Cons
- The single engine requires a bow thruster for close-quarters confidence
- The daggerboard and spade rudder need inspection for play
