Amel 50 - Build Thread

[boom23]

Originally Posted by Adrian Chen

Great progress on the build. We have crown cut walnut which gives a nice grain pattern. Is yours the same?

Frankly, Walnut is my favorite wood. Your boat looks incredible. We chose Oak because it looked bright and carefree inside. Amel can do the Walnut in matte finish, which I think is amazing.

Originally Posted by B23iL23

Good choice. Interiors of boats need to be brighter and more welcoming. This is a great thread and looking forward to the next update. Great to see the build in progress and getting nearer to handover.

Thank you! We are looking forward to the handover week. We've never done this kind of delivery before. We are very excited to start cruising again.

We are currently getting a bunch of boxes ready to ship to the factory. The factory receives and stores the buyers' boxes. They can also purchase for you anything you ask them to, so that you can start cruising immediately after the handover.

[Adrian Chen]

They have some boats at the Dusseldorf show, hopefuly I will be able to pop over to their stand tomorrow. The handover will be a great experience with lots of information to take in, (and some features you may not have realised about the boat) it's also a great feeling when you sail away from the yard to your first destination and then you know she is truly yours - have a great time!

[boom23]

Originally Posted by Adrian Chen

They have some boats at the Dusseldorf show, hopefuly I will be able to pop over to their stand tomorrow. The handover will be a great experience with lots of information to take in, (and some features you may not have realised about the boat) it's also a great feeling when you sail away from the yard to your first destination and then you know she is truly yours - have a great time!

Thank you, you too! It has been about a year since we first started this project... I am sure you cannot wait either. We are ready to use our boat in the Med for 2-3 seasons. I am particularly excited about the handover week.

At the Dusseldorf, Amel has the 50 with the matte Walnut wood. When we ordered our boat, they offered the Walnut with a glossy finish, which looked beautiful but too formal to us. We wanted something more fun. We would probably have selected the matte Walnut if it was available.

This is the gloss Walnut wood on the Amel 50 (top) and Amel 64 (bottom).

[Lost Horizons]

Originally Posted by boom23

When we ordered our boat, they offered the Walnut with a glossy finish, which looked beautiful but too formal to us. We wanted something more fun. We would probably have selected the matte Walnut if it was available.

This is the gloss Walnut wood on the Amel 50 (top) and Amel 64 (bottom).

Walnut looks real. With the oak, it was not obvious from the pictures wheather it was a real wood or manufactured panels similar to what Beneteau/Jeanneau use lately.

[boom23]

Originally Posted by Lost Horizons

Walnut looks real. With the oak, it was not obvious from the pictures wheather it was a real wood or manufactured panels similar to what Beneteau/Jeanneau use lately.

Most, if not all, boat manufacturers use marine plywood. It is much more stable and it is "real" wood. Quality boat manufacturers match the wood grain better and have rounded corners and edges, which is more time consuming and expensive.

All the pretty tables you see with beautiful wood are veneer. If you cut them, you'll see the plywood under the top surface.

[Lost Horizons]

Originally Posted by boom23

Most, if not all, boat manufacturers use marine plywood. It is much more stable and it is "real" wood.

This is not true. Volumewise, the most popular material is extruded wood-looking composite.
The boat I have under construction will use solid wood for furniture including the table and cabinets. When I had a factory tour, they showed the carpentry section with the parts in different stages of production. Very impressive.

[boom23]

Originally Posted by Lost Horizons

This is not true. Volumewise, the most popular material is extruded wood-looking composite.
The boat I have under construction will use solid wood for furniture including the table and cabinets. When I had a factory tour, they showed the carpentry section with the parts in different stages of production. Very impressive.

Congratulations on your boat! Another build thread?

I am not a carpenter and I do not know all the terminology... Amel does not use extruded wood-looking composites.
I remember the Indian Rosewood being a very expensive option on the Amel 50.

[Lost Horizons]

Thanks.
Not planning on starting a thread. Don’t think I need any input.

[boom23]

Here are few pictures of the Amel 50 at Dusseldorf with matte walnut finish wood. Walnut is one of my favorite woods. It is beautiful to look at. I would not have selected white cushions (how do you keep them clean?) but everyone has a different taste. I wanted a more care-free boat.

[boom23]

Here is the video of the Amel 50 at Dusseldorf with matte walnut finish wood.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ru3b0Itp24s

[Sojourner]

Originally Posted by B23iL23

Good choice. Interiors of boats need to be brighter and more welcoming.

I'm just the opposite... on our Amel, there is dark mahogany everywhere... going downstairs is like being in a tree's womb I mean, when it's bright and hot everywhere outside, retreating to that cool cocoon is bliss.

[boom23]

Originally Posted by Sojourner

I'm just the opposite... on our Amel, there is dark mahogany everywhere... going downstairs is like being in a tree's womb I mean, when it's bright and hot everywhere outside, retreating to that cool cocoon is bliss.

Very visual description! It reminded me of how nice and safe I feel inside the boat at anchor in a rain storm.

Keep enjoying your boat! Life is short.

[Orion Jim]

Stunning. It must be a wonderful feeling going through the build process. Thanks for sharing.

[boom23]

Originally Posted by Orion Jim

Stunning. It must be a wonderful feeling going through the build process. Thanks for sharing.

Except the paying part, it has been an amazing experience! I wish I were living closer to the factory...

I have to say that it has been a pleasure to deal with Amel. They have been very professional and pleasant. Customer satisfaction is important to them and it shows with everything they do, before, during and after a sale.

Thank you for your comment.

[boom23]

According to Amel, our boat is on schedule! I am so excited! It is amazing how quickly time goes by... I started this process about a year ago.

I've already shipped, by ocean freight, a bunch of shipping boxes to the factory. They are supposed to arrive before the handover week. The boxes contain parts, tools, books, bed and galley stuff, diving equipment, etc. Most of the things were from my previous boat. But, it is much easier, and cheaper, to find and buy things in US than Europe. Even Amazon.fr has a very limited selection compared to US.

Here she is out of the pool. The 45kg Ultra anchor is fitted. The solar panel brackets have been redone and are higher. They look too tall to me, so I am discussing it with the factory. I wish I were closer...



The cockpit needs the electronics and the seat.



The two round holes are for the two independent autopilots. The big rectangular hole is for the 15" Furuno MFD. The smaller rectangular hole is for the B&G H5000 Graphic Display.



Chart table area. I chose the ICOM VHF and SSB. I also got the Fusion Apollo stereo. The watermaker remote panel is installed. I really like how easy it is to see and access things. This has always been an issue with my previous boats.

I can see the Red/White light switch for the salon overhead lights that I requested. This was not an Amel option but I found the red lights extremely useful during overnight crossings. I also have Red/White lights at the cockpit.





Salon table with the lowering base. It has the 15" Furuno MFD that will be installed at the chart table area. I had Amel install a lee cloth here. It can be a great sea berth. Someone, much more experienced sailor than me, told me that I cannot have enough lee cloths...



The galley looks almost complete. The silverware drawer is on the counter top.



The two refrigerator drawers. I opted for the separate freezer under the salon seat.



The hole on the corian top fiddle, to the left of the stove, is for cleaning bread crumbs. What can I say... It is a French boat.



The water filter is installed.



The master stateroom looks complete. I requested a lee cloth for the center of the bed.



I decided to splurge and get a TV for the master. The cool part is that it can double as the MFD display. This way I can take a quick peek at what is happening in between naps while off watch.



The two heads look finished. The 7kg washer/dryer is in the master head.





There is separate shower with seating and an opening hatch in both heads.



The forward stateroom seems complete. The view from the bed is amazing through the portholes.