Amel 64 , will it sail in light winds ?

[Braavos]

I've been looking at buying a boat and I started looking at the Amels. But every video I can find on them , has them is in high winds and rough Seas talking about how smooth the ride is , well that's great. , but they also comment that it takes Good wind to sail them , so my question is. , is there anyone out there with experience with amels , ? maybe the Amel 64 ? if you only have a light when say 5 to 10 knots will it even be able to sail on a Amel ??

[a64pilot]

Does any Amel sail particularly well in light winds?
That is not meant as an insult, but may speak to a design philosophy.

[Polux]

Modern Amels like the 64 are better sailers than older ones but they are not boats designed to sail on very light winds. They have a big tankage for that.



The 17.00 SA/D is average for a modern cruiser with medium displacement, the 189 D/L is a medium one for a boat of that size.

Even so I am sure it would not have problems sailing well with 10k wind. With 5k forget about it. With lighter than 10k you would have to use a big code 0 and that can be trouble for a couple.

The numbers are similar to the ones of an Halberg-Rassy 64 for instance except in what regards B/D that is much bigger on the HR. The HR will sail better with bad weather and high winds but regarding light winds the performance will be very similar (without a code 0).

With a code 0 the numbers will be considerably better on the HR that has a much bigger mast (the Amel is a Ketch). With a big Code 0 the HR with 6Kt wind will make easily 6kt.



If you want a cruiser that has a good performance in light winds (without a code 0) and a performance better than the HR in strong winds and heavy weather go for something like the X6 that has a 147 D/L and a 23 SA/D.

I am not saying that any of these boats are bad, quite the contrary, even if in what regards the Amel and the HR I would prefer clearly the HR due to a much bigger B/D ratio for a very similar boat otherwise (except the ketch configuration).



The X6 is just a different type of boat and even if it does not belong to the cruiser racer line of Xyachts but to the cruiser line it is a boat designed for the ones that like as much to sail as to cruise. Only this type sailors will sail in very light winds while the owner of an Amel, more specifically cruiser oriented and less sail concerned, will just turn the engine on.

All these boats are oriented for long range cruising, you have just to know what type of sailor and cruiser you are

[robert sailor]

Very few cruising boats are going to sail well in 5 knots of wind, while most of them will sail not bad in 10 knots of wind as long as the seas are flat..Also depends on point of sail..If your going to windward then your apparent wind increases by your boat speed. If you are going down wind it is reduced by boat speed. Today's modern cruisers have very wide beam which adds to the wetted surface and slows them down in light air especially when they are really loaded up with cruising gear. So as long as you can get enough sail up and the seas are not too confused an Amel should do as well as most cruisers in light air however if you lose patience with going slow they have good fuel capacity , far better than most and can cover good miles under diesel alone.

[Braavos]

Thanks for the reply.. I think I worded my question poorly. mainly I've heard that camels are slow boats heavy and require more wind , than the average Cruiser so mainly I was looking for feedback from anyone that had an experience with an Amel , to find out how great the difference is..

[a64pilot]

From a very limited experience, I would say what you have heard is likely correct.
However you temper it with the fact that in weather that may have some fearing for their lives, the Amel owners are comfortable and sitting down for dinner.
OK I exaggerated that, but maybe not as much as you may think.

[jhe]

I have a lot of experience with the 55. It sails very well in light air. My general rule is 6kn true or more upwind or on a close reach will get the boat moving nicely. Downwind or broad reaching you need more wind - like 8-10 kn, but that’s typical for any cruising boat. I have a code zero and a parasailor for those conditions. I hope that helps.

[billknny]

I have an Amel 53. Despite what people regularly say about it, it is not a heavy boat (35,000 lb, ready to sail, NOT light-ship)

The OP asks about sailing in 5 to 10 knots of wind. She'll do just fine upwind for a cruiser in 5 knots true wind making 2-2.5 knots, but downwind, any cruising boat will struggle with 5 knots true wind.

Dead downwind with poled out head sails, at 10 knots true wind I do 4 knots, close hauled: 5knots at 50 TWA

Dead downwind with poled out head sails, at 8 knots true wind I do 3 knots, close hauled: 4knots at 50 TWA

[SV Sailfish]

Heck, if you are looking at Amels then you have the bucks.

So... just hire 6 good looking crew members to row, (male or female, your choice). Then get a big drum and just sit in the cockpit, sip on your martini and keep a good beat for them to row by.

Or maybe a good red wine since it is a French boat?



(You would definitely be the talk of any anchorage. I can see the YouTube videos now)

[nhschneider]

Originally Posted by Braavos

Thanks for the reply.. I think I worded my question poorly. mainly I've heard that camels are slow boats heavy and require more wind , than the average Cruiser so mainly I was looking for feedback from anyone that had an experience with an Amel , to find out how great the difference is..

I love it! I have been searching for an appropriate nickname for Amels! I finally found it! Thank you!

Auto Correct: My worst enema.

Fair winds and calm seas!

[StuM]

Originally Posted by nhschneider

I love it! I have been searching for an appropriate nickname for Amels! I finally found it! Thank you!

Auto Correct: My worst enema.

!

Yep, gives you the shots

[Polux]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

From a very limited experience, I would say what you have heard is likely correct.
However you temper it with the fact that in weather that may have some fearing for their lives, the Amel owners are comfortable and sitting down for dinner.
OK I exaggerated that, but maybe not as much as you may think.

He is not talking about an old Amel but about a new one. The performance is not comparable with light wind being the new Amel much faster than the older ones. As I said comparable to the one of the Halberg Rassy 64. The new Halberg Rassy are relatively fast boats for medium light cruisers.

As Robert pointed out a performance not very different from modern similar medium weight yachts. You can have a look at the Halberg Rassy performance in light wind here:

http://www.hallberg-rassy.com/filead...eeddiagram.jpg

Regarding seaworthiness or sea comfort the Amel is no better than similar boats in fact it has a similar hull to most main market cruisers including Beneteau, Bavaria or Jeanneau and even if it may be better built the stability characteristics are not different and its B/D ratio puts in with those boats and far away from boats like the Halberg Rassy 64 or the X6 and others.

[Polux]

Originally Posted by SV Sailfish

Heck, if you are looking at Amels then you have the bucks.

So... just hire 6 good looking crew members to row, (male or female, your choice). Then get a big drum and just sit in the cockpit, sip on your martini and keep a good beat for them to row by.

Or maybe a good red wine since it is a French boat?



(You would definitely be the talk of any anchorage. I can see the YouTube videos now)

I am afraid I don't understand you. Can you explain better what you mean?

[Polux]

Originally Posted by billknny

I have an Amel 53. Despite what people regularly say about it, it is not a heavy boat (35,000 lb, ready to sail, NOT light-ship)

The OP asks about sailing in 5 to 10 knots of wind. She'll do just fine upwind for a cruiser in 5 knots true wind making 2-2.5 knots, but downwind, any cruising boat will struggle with 5 knots true wind.

Dead downwind with poled out head sails, at 10 knots true wind I do 4 knots, close hauled: 5knots at 50 TWA

Dead downwind with poled out head sails, at 8 knots true wind I do 3 knots, close hauled: 4knots at 50 TWA

The Amel 64 has the potential for a better light wind performance. Your boat has a D/L of about 223 the Amel 64 has 189, a considerable difference.

[billknny]

Originally Posted by Polux

The Amel 64 has the potential for a better light wind performance. Your boat has a D/L of about 223 the Amel 64 has 189, a considerable difference.

Yes, a lower D/L, but also a lower SA/D (16 vs 19) so... I'll not make any predictions one way or the other.

No question, however, the Amel 55 and 64 (and double for the new 50) are very different beasts than the previous generations of Amels up to the 54.