{"id":74715,"date":"2022-12-16T10:50:00","date_gmt":"2022-12-16T15:50:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/?p=74715"},"modified":"2023-05-07T00:03:39","modified_gmt":"2023-05-07T04:03:39","slug":"2023-boat-of-the-year-best-multihull-neel-43","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/sailboats\/2023-boat-of-the-year-best-multihull-neel-43\/","title":{"rendered":"2023 Boat of the Year Best Multihull: Neel 43"},"content":{"rendered":"\n        <section class=\"hydra-container\">\n\n\t\t\t                <div class=\"hydra-canvas\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/BOTY2023-13449-1024x682.jpg\" class=\"hydra-image\" alt=\"Neel 43\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/BOTY2023-13449-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/BOTY2023-13449-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/BOTY2023-13449-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/BOTY2023-13449-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/BOTY2023-13449.jpg 2000w\" \/>                <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n            <figcaption class=\"caption margin_top_xs full border_1 hydra-figcaption\">\n                <span class=\"hydra-image-caption\">The Boat of the Year judging team praised the Marc Lombard-designed Neel 43 for its ease of handling; quick through tacks, the boat powered up quickly when sails were sheeted home. <\/span>\n                <span class=\"article_image_credit italic margin_right_xs\">Walter Cooper<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t            <\/figcaption>\n        <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n<p>Sailing World Magazine\u2019s<em>&nbsp;annual Boat of the Year tests are conducted in Annapolis, Maryland, following the US Sailboat Show. With independent judges exhaustively inspecting the boats on land and putting them through their paces on the water, this year\u2019s fleet of new performance-sailing boats spanned from small dinghies to high-tech bluewater catamarans. Here\u2019s the best of the best from our&nbsp;<\/em><a href=\"\/boat-of-the-year-2023\/\"><em>2023 Boat of the Year nominees<\/em><\/a><em> \u00bb<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-power-of-three\">The Power of Three<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Neel 43 2023 Best Multihull<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Stated purpose: Family cruising, casual pursuit racing<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Crew: Two to four<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Praise for: Easily handling, open interior layout, overall positive sailing experience<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Est. price as sailed: $600,000<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>In the sea of slab-sided catamarans that make up \u201cmultihull alley\u201d in the US Sailboat Show, there\u2019s a homogeneity that makes it almost impossible for one cat sailing condo to stand out among the others. (Gunboat and HH Catamarans being the high-ticket exceptions.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<style>.embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; }<\/style><div class=\"embed-container\"><iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/\/4F23CqK3zRM\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Unique and mixed in among them, however, is the Neel 43 trimaran. From the dock perspective, it\u2019s a big and imposing vessel. It\u2019s also a proven bluewater performer that\u2019s already won its share of hardware. While previous French-built Neel performance cruising tris have been overlooked by the racing set, that\u2019s starting to change, as are opinions of multihulls. Ask the Texans in Galveston how many performance cruising multis are now doing their annual Harvest Moon Regatta\u2014more than ever. And the Caribbean Multihull Challenge in St. Martin? It\u2019s growing bigger by the year, and that\u2019s because boats like the Neel 43 can be one heck of a ride and capable of being first to finish in a coastal overnighter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhat surprised me is how much it sailed upwind like a monohull,\u201d Allen says. \u201cWhen you start flying the weather hull\u2014when it\u2019s just skimming the surface\u2014the boat takes off. We didn\u2019t have a ton of breeze for the test sail, but it was easy to see how you could really cover some ground with the right sail combination. I could see this boat being easily raced point-to-point by two people. With four crew on a coastal race, it would be a blast\u2014go around the island and then park the thing and have a great night.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Neel-Trimarans, explains Alex Sastre, the North American agent, was founded 20&nbsp;years ago by Eric Brunel, founder of catamaran giant Fountaine Pajot. Neel now builds nearly 200 boats per year at its facilities in La Rochelle, France, and it\u2019ll build plenty of these entry-level cruising tris.<\/p>\n\n\n\n        <section class=\"hydra-container\">\n\n\t\t\t                <div class=\"hydra-canvas\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/BOTY2023-2345-1024x682.jpg\" class=\"hydra-image\" alt=\"Neel 43 cockpit\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/BOTY2023-2345-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/BOTY2023-2345-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/BOTY2023-2345-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/BOTY2023-2345-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/BOTY2023-2345.jpg 2000w\" \/>                <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n            <figcaption class=\"caption margin_top_xs full border_1 hydra-figcaption\">\n                <span class=\"hydra-image-caption\">The entirety of the Neel 43&#8217;s accommodations are visible from the aft cockpit&#8217;s sliding doors and with windows all around visibility at sea and at anchor are nearly panoramic. <\/span>\n                <span class=\"article_image_credit italic margin_right_xs\">Walter Cooper<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t            <\/figcaption>\n        <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n<p>The boat\u2019s overall interior concept is to have one large and connected living space, visible from hull to hull. Step through the main salon sliding door and the living quarters are all right there before you with a near panoramic view. There\u2019s an owners cabin in one hull, a guest cabin in the other, and a sunken V-berth forward. The layout is a striking change from similar-size catamarans, where cabins are down and low in the hulls. On the Neel 43, there\u2019s a feeling of inclusion, like a loft apartment. It\u2019s not necessarily better or worse in terms of owner privacy, the judges say. It\u2019s just different. What the trimaran\u2019s large center hull provides is a giant mechanical room below. Open a hatch and climb down a short ladder to an airy and brightly illuminated space with all the boat systems accessible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The boat is primarily intended for family cruising, Sastre says, but it\u2019s ultimately for a sailor who appreciates performance. \u201cWhen you trim in the sails, the boat lurches forward,\u201d he says, thrusting his hips forward, \u201clike whoosh! It&nbsp;takes off!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-style-plain has-medium-font-size is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p style=\"font-size:30px\">\u201cWith four on a long-\u00addistance race, it would be a blast [to] go around the&nbsp;island and then park&nbsp;the thing on a mooring and have a great night.\u201d<\/p>\n<cite>\u2014Chuck Allen<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n        <section class=\"hydra-container\">\n\n\t\t\t                <div class=\"hydra-canvas\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/BOTY2023-2462-1024x615.jpg\" class=\"hydra-image\" alt=\"Neel 43 helm station\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/BOTY2023-2462-1024x615.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/BOTY2023-2462-300x180.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/BOTY2023-2462-768x461.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/BOTY2023-2462-1536x922.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/BOTY2023-2462.jpg 2000w\" \/>                <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n            <figcaption class=\"caption margin_top_xs full border_1 hydra-figcaption\">\n                <span class=\"hydra-image-caption\">The helm station on the Neel 43 is only a few steps up from the aft cockpit.<\/span>\n                <span class=\"article_image_credit italic margin_right_xs\">Walter Cooper<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t            <\/figcaption>\n        <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n<p>\u201cA trimaran,\u201d he adds, \u201cis more stable than a catamaran and is faster than a catamaran, so sailing this boat is a lot of fun because helming it gives a feeling of great sensation. With the keel, mast and rudder on the center hull, trimming the amas is like a balancing act. It doesn\u2019t heel too much, and it\u2019s very stable. This is a platform for adventure.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n        <section class=\"hydra-container\">\n\n\t\t\t                <div class=\"hydra-canvas\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"488\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/BOTY2023-2423-1024x624.jpg\" class=\"hydra-image\" alt=\"mechanical room\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/BOTY2023-2423-1024x624.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/BOTY2023-2423-300x183.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/BOTY2023-2423-768x468.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/BOTY2023-2423-1536x935.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/BOTY2023-2423.jpg 2000w\" \/>                <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n            <figcaption class=\"caption margin_top_xs full border_1 hydra-figcaption\">\n                <span class=\"hydra-image-caption\">The mechanical room underneath the sole of the center hull provides easy and roomy access to all the boat&#8217;s systems.\r\n<\/span>\n                <span class=\"article_image_credit italic margin_right_xs\">Walter Cooper<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t            <\/figcaption>\n        <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt was the least multihull-like of all the multihulls we sailed,\u201d Powlison says. \u201cIt handled like a monohull, and the third hull really makes a difference in being able turn the boat easily without stalling.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The boat is an impressive build of vinylester and foam core, with nearly the entire hull built off with one mold. Neel touts use of eco-friendly and recyclable materials, and even cork is used as coring in some interior elements. Solar panels on the roof power the fridge and electronics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n        <section class=\"hydra-container\">\n\n\t\t\t                <div class=\"hydra-canvas\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"539\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/BOTY2023-2339-1024x690.jpg\" class=\"hydra-image\" alt=\"Neel 43 cabin\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/BOTY2023-2339-1024x690.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/BOTY2023-2339-300x202.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/BOTY2023-2339-768x517.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/BOTY2023-2339-1536x1034.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/BOTY2023-2339.jpg 2000w\" \/>                <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n            <figcaption class=\"caption margin_top_xs full border_1 hydra-figcaption\">\n                <span class=\"hydra-image-caption\">The starboard cabin on the Neel 43 has a lot of room and quick access to the salon. Privacy curtains slide across the interior window.<\/span>\n                <span class=\"article_image_credit italic margin_right_xs\">Walter Cooper<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t            <\/figcaption>\n        <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n<p>With a displacement of nearly 9 tons, there\u2019s a lot of boat that spans 24 feet at maximum beam. Looking bow on, it\u2019s a formidable-looking craft that glides quietly across the water when there\u2019s all of 1,100 square feet of upwind sail area on the carbon rig. With its roller-furling gennaker deployed, the boat really lights up, as it should, Allen says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The single helm is up high to starboard with good visibility, the judges note, with all the reef and control lines spilling into the helm area and into sheet bags.<\/p>\n\n\n\n        <section class=\"hydra-container\">\n\n\t\t\t                <div class=\"hydra-canvas\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/BOTY2023-13129-1024x682.jpg\" class=\"hydra-image\" alt=\"Neel 43\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/BOTY2023-13129-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/BOTY2023-13129-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/BOTY2023-13129-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/BOTY2023-13129-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/BOTY2023-13129.jpg 2000w\" \/>                <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n            <figcaption class=\"caption margin_top_xs full border_1 hydra-figcaption\">\n                <span class=\"hydra-image-caption\">Boat of the Year judges test the Neel 43 in Annapolis with ideal conditions to test the power and handling of the lightweight performance cruising trimaran.<\/span>\n                <span class=\"article_image_credit italic margin_right_xs\">Walter Cooper<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t            <\/figcaption>\n        <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n<p>The Dyneema cable steering, Stewart says, was very responsive: \u201cThis is Hull No.&nbsp;25, which is a good indication they\u2019ve hit it right with the type of owner drawn to this type of boat. It definitely meets its purpose and does what it is supposed to. It\u2019s stable and powerful, and accelerated well, even with the small jib. It felt far more nimble than other big multihulls we\u2019ve sailed in the past. The way that it tacked easily is a really appealing trait for the type of racing an owner can do, like in the Caribbean, where the races are around islands and there can be a fair bit of tacking.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>First around the island means the first \u00adrelaxing, and that\u2019s what the Neel 43 is designed to do.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Neel 43 Trimaran impresses the.judges with a greater appreciation for three hulls and the potential for swift coastal rally racing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":74706,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"BS_author_type":"BS_author_is_guest","BS_guest_author_name":"Dave Reed","BS_guest_author_url":"","hydra_display_date":"","hydra_display_updated":false,"_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"160","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"The Neel 43 trimaran was test sailed at Sailing World Magazine's Boat of the Year trials and emerged as 2023's Best Multihull.","_yoast_wpseo_title":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","arc_story_id":"","arc_website_url":"","custom_permalink":"","arc_subtype":"","arc_exclude_from_feeds":false,"sponsored":false,"sponsored_label":"Sponsored Content","sponsored_display_label":false,"sponsored_image":false,"post_right_rail":true,"post_right_rail_ad_1":true,"post_right_rail_ad_2":true,"post_right_rail_ad_3":false,"post_right_rail_ad_4":false,"post_right_rail_recirc":true,"fixed_anchor_ad":true,"post_top_ad":true,"post_off_ramp":true,"post_taboola":false,"labels":true,"apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"footnotes":"","ad_targeting":"","ad_settings_ads_on_this_page":true,"ad_settings_automatic_ad_injection_into_the_content":true,"sponsored_url":"","social_share":true},"categories":[160],"tags":[2887,173,438,2889,164],"class_list":["post-74715","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sailboats","tag-2023-boat-of-the-year","tag-boat-of-the-year","tag-multihull","tag-print-winter-2023","tag-sailboats"],"acf":[],"apple_news_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74715","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=74715"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74715\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/74706"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=74715"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=74715"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=74715"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}