Looking for Center Cockpit 40-50 ft Sloop or Cutter Rigged

[joemac4sail]

Hi ALL
Yes,, some would say that Amels are not the prettiest of boats and I would have to agree with you that manouvering in reverse could be a problem, but the bow thruster when used can deal with most situations. Also, I have to admit I love the look of a Hans Christian,I get goose bumps when I see one in a marina. But the idea was to cut out having to worry about wooden decks in the first place, 20 years on, there is still great grip whether barefoot or when wearing deck shoes and no screws in the deck to worry about. For a production boat they are up with the best and as the surveyor who looked at our Santorin before we bought it, one of the safest. He was suprised at the specs that came as standard.
Regards Joe

[BentP]

I think manouvering in reverse is a problem to sailboats in general? But offcourse you are wright, there are prettier boats out there. But for long-distance cruising I think it looks very competent.

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by joemac4sail

Hi ALL
Yes,, some would say that Amels are not the prettiest of boats and I would have to agree with you that manouvering in reverse could be a problem, but the bow thruster when used can deal with most situations. Also, I have to admit I love the look of a Hans Christian,I get goose bumps when I see one in a marina. But the idea was to cut out having to worry about wooden decks in the first place, 20 years on, there is still great grip whether barefoot or when wearing deck shoes and no screws in the deck to worry about. For a production boat they are up with the best and as the surveyor who looked at our Santorin before we bought it, one of the safest. He was suprised at the specs that came as standard.
Regards Joe

Yes, maintenance free decks are good, especially in the tropics. I like almost everything I see on an Amel and the reason is that they were designed for cruising, which only few boats are.

ciao!
Nick.

[Daedalusk]

I am preparing to place on the market my 42' center cockpit Cascade custom cutter. Though the hull was laid up by Yacht Constructors/Cascade Yachts of Portland OR in 1972 she was never exposed to the weather or water until completed and launched in 2004. She is documented and insured as a 2004 model.
42' hull length, 45' OAL, 11' 3" beam, 6' draft, 20,000# approx.
Sailed in the Gulf of Mexico and Keys for 8 years. Sadly, family situation says it is time to let her go. Will be priced at $100,000. If interested e-mail me at fredlkeith@knology.net and I will give full details.

[islandplanet]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

Okay guys, now the weak points of the Amels... like any design they have those too

Here's two:

- the prop sticks out of the keel far forward of the rudder which makes maneuvering all but impossible

- the fake teak decks are ugly

How do owners feel about the diesel stove?

ciao!
Nick.

Nick,

I own an old Maramu and have had the privilege to spend time on many others up to the newer 54's. Perhaps some owner retrofitted with a diesel stove but AFAIK all Amel's going back to the mid 1970's have been outfitted with LPG stoves, mostly Eno from what have seen.

As for maneuvering being impossible I can draw only two conclusions, one being that you have never personally operated an Amel, and the other possibility being you tried and don't know how to handle the boat. While ours has a more traditional shaft arrangement, one benefit of the newer "C drive" is there is no prop walk as the shaft is parallel with the waterline. Further most seem to be fitted with a feathering prop. I've observed a Super Maramu being docked with aplomb under challenging conditions on more than one occasion.

[Nostrodamus]

Why all the arguments when really there is only one boat that fits all the OP's needs.
Oyster 45
And of course I am not biased in anyway because I own one, we live aboard an have been cruising for the last year and a half.
If the OP wants to know any more then please just ask or go to our website below and e mail me.

[captain58sailin]

You also might want to consider either a Skookum 47' or 53' , they have been out of production for awhile, but they are excellent sea boats, and the ones built in the 1970s have heavy frp layup. I have sailed extensively on a 47' center cockpit model and it is seaworthy and a good ride and excellent sailing vessel. In my adulthood, I ended up with a 53' Skookum, and it carries the same attributes. I have the pilot house model, I am sure there are some very fine examples still available on the PNW.

[Voyager269]

Very informative threath.

We were looking at a Moody 42 CC and a Catalina Morgan 45 CC.
Both sailboats are fine, but now we have much more to choose out.

We also are sticking to a CC, definitely!

We started looking at a Jeanneau 36 AC, but it is amazing how fast we found out, there are other sailboat around, much more suitable for off shore cruising.

Taco.

[chef2sail]

Mason 43. Great room in the aft secttion divided into single for berth while sailing and a double as a stateroom.

Engine easily acessable under flooor down low along with tankage leaving tremendous storage room.in the boat.

Great sailplan.

[westsail374]

One thing that hasn't been mentioned is whether a boat under consideration has been built and certified to Lloyd's standards. This is an assurance of quality construction that can give great peace of mind.

Nauticats, Moody's, and Nicholsons are/were built to the standard. Any others on the list I don't know of?

Good luck.

[islandplanet]

Originally Posted by westsail374

One thing that hasn't been mentioned is whether a boat under consideration has been built and certified to Lloyd's standards. This is an assurance of quality construction that can give great peace of mind.

Nauticats, Moody's, and Nicholsons are/were built to the standard. Any others on the list I don't know of?

Good luck.

Lloyds certification is great fodder for the boat manufacturer marketing department but means little when looking at an older boat. As I understand it there's a lot of different ways to achieve the standard. Having scantlings reviewed by Lloyds 20+ years ago means little. There are a lot of great boatbuilders that never felt compelled to bother with it. ABS is another overblown rating. Our boat was certified to some standard established by the French government or navy but 34 years after construction, it really means little.

[DSDman]

So has the OP found the boat yet? What is the decision?

[CabezonBD]

I am the OP and we are still a year from buying our boat. I do appreciate all the comments here that this post has generated. I made a list of all the suggestions and still value everyones comments. We have boarded and sailed a few on the list.

[BentP]

Originally Posted by joemac4sail

Hi All
There are alot of photos of Amels, but usually of boats that are for sale. I thought I would share with you all a few downwind photos of our Santorin Sloop.
Regards Joe

Hey Joe

Nice photos of your Santorin.

We finally decided for the Mango, and sailed it from France to Denmark this summer. Great trip, and great boat.

One thing that challenged us was the rigging of the spinnaker poles. We found it quite hard to manouver them out in the right position.

Any tips and tricks for this?

Regards
Bent

[Hermanns]

My wife and I purchased a '82 Amel Maramu earlier this year - lovely vessel and fun to work/learn on.

Highly recommend Amel