Amel 50 - Build Thread

[Lexi22]

Such a beauty. Well, somebody didn't get the buy only used memo!?

[justflie]

Congrats, Boom, I'm in love with those Amels; beautiful, well-thought out boats. Are you planning on doing any sailing in Narragansett Bay before shipping her west?

[Emoyeni]

Hello Boom,


Thanks for such a great thread. I have read it in it's entirety. I, like I'm sure a lot of people here, am considering going cruising with a spouse and two young children, possibly working part time from my boat. Most people, especially the youtube sailing channels, seem to be going with a catamaran. It's a pretty big deal (or perhaps I should say fundamental shift) to go from a catamaran back to a monohul or vice versa. Also it's clear you have the budget to get the best of each... One could go for half the price of your amel and get a new 51 foot Outremer, for example. Could you please share your thoughts as an experienced catamaran sailor as to why you went with a monohull?

[Wander4Wonder]

Originally Posted by boom23

At least for few weeks, I'll spend a lot of time learning where things are and how they work. I'm thinking that the piece off wood over the cockpit table will work as a work area. Hopefully, I will not have to fix too many things.
By the way, there is storage under the lower bunk also.

I wonder if a magnetic whiteboard like work surface would be useful. It may hold small parts in place and allow you to lay things out and annotate them with a dry erase marker. Not sure how they would hold up to solvents, oils and greases. Has anyone tried that? I've seen kneeboard versions, large rollout versions that I guess could be cut to fit any worktable to fit flush.

[O-N-O]

@Boom23, @Mag3, Congratulations on your new yachts!

I've found this thread to be very informative, and of course vicariously exciting.

I'm planning on a circumnavigation within the next 10 years. As I get closer to retirement, we've begun to think more systematically about our options.

I'd love to pick up a later model Amel by the time we're ready to purchase. Looking at the pricing for the newest Amels, do you have any insight into why the Amel 60 is selling at approximately twice the cost of an Amel 50 with similar specs? €1,600,000 as opposed to €800,000.

The main differences that I'm able to discern are a carbon mast as standard for the 60 while the 50 carries an aluminium mast, 70 more HP in the Volvo Penta, slightly more fuel and water tankage and larger sail plan, the third cabin berths, a third head on the 60, and the additional 10 feet of length. Am I naive to suggest that those additions don't seem to be enough to justify a nearly €800,000 price difference?

[justflie]

It's a good question, O-N-O and I'm curious to the answer as well. A friend told me the economies of scale don't apply to boating; the bigger the boat, the more expensive "per unit". Certainly seems to be true! It really just makes the choice of the 50 that much easier if one is hell bent on an Amel. You have to REALLY want the 60 to go for it.

[boom23]

Originally Posted by Emoyeni

Hello Boom,


Thanks for such a great thread. I have read it in it's entirety. I, like I'm sure a lot of people here, am considering going cruising with a spouse and two young children, possibly working part time from my boat. Most people, especially the youtube sailing channels, seem to be going with a catamaran. It's a pretty big deal (or perhaps I should say fundamental shift) to go from a catamaran back to a monohul or vice versa. Also it's clear you have the budget to get the best of each... One could go for half the price of your amel and get a new 51 foot Outremer, for example. Could you please share your thoughts as an experienced catamaran sailor as to why you went with a monohull?

You are welcome.
I seriously doubt that the 51 Outremer is half the price of the Amel 50... I had a Lagoon 450 and I enjoyed it on anchor, but not much in rough weather. After that, I decided to find a better quality monohull. The Amel 50 met all my requirements.

[Mag3]

Originally Posted by O-N-O

@Boom23, @Mag3, Congratulations on your new yachts!

... do you have any insight into why the Amel 60 is selling at approximately twice the cost of an Amel 50 with similar specs? €1,600,000 as opposed to €800,000.

what follows is my opinion... nothing more. take it for what it's worth.

well... i spent €1.2M on mine COMPLETELY loaded with all the things i wanted... (several of which were adds that weren't on their official list) and several of which were standard on the 60 (lithium, induction stove etc.)..

but...

don't discount the 10'... think of that volume cubed... and all of the associated material etc. The raw materials cost etc. isn't trivial...

the carbon mast is HUGELY expensive... but they had to do that to create enough differentiation as my guess (truly a guess!) is that an aluminum mast would have cut 200k of the price bringing it too close to the 50.. .

it's really a very different boat. I crawled all through number 2 in the bathtub when i visited the factory and did a test sail to decide to buy. I was very much considering the 60 as well.

it is a more complex boat with bigger systems etc. and... it's also totally stunning.

really the choice - as always - is highly personal as at these price points, to be honest, if you have the money for a fully loaded 50, you likely can make the 60 as well, so then it's about preference.

for me, I just decided that i didn't have enough need for the bigger boat and it's associated space. For what my plans were, the 50 was "just right"... and beyond the initial cost differential, my napkin math calculations were that my cost to operate would be almost double (slip fees, insurance, fuel consumption, rigging/sails, basic maintenance).

had my plans really necessitated the extra space and a third full state-room vs. bunk beds, i may have gone with the 60. Personally i find the proportions more elegant (the 50 is a bit snubbed), the carbon mast is stunning, the spaciousness of the saloon addicting etc. - this also reflects my own maturation as the younger me would have been swayed by the sheer beauty vs. the practicality relative to what i actually needed.

still.. either boat is HUGELY competitive price wise with any other blue water boat out there as, in my opinion they put the money in the right places and don't waste it on teak decks etc. ...

YMMV.

[boom23]

Originally Posted by justflie

Congrats, Boom, I'm in love with those Amels; beautiful, well-thought out boats. Are you planning on doing any sailing in Narragansett Bay before shipping her west?

Hello,
I purchased the Amel 50 to slowly circumnavigate. I sail during sailing season, and return home when the season is over. Eventually, I will reach USA. I would like to cruise the east coast.

[boom23]

Originally Posted by Wander4Wonder

I wonder if a magnetic whiteboard like work surface would be useful. It may hold small parts in place and allow you to lay things out and annotate them with a dry erase marker. Not sure how they would hold up to solvents, oils and greases. Has anyone tried that? I've seen kneeboard versions, large rollout versions that I guess could be cut to fit any worktable to fit flush.

A magnetic whiteboard could work. For now, I use a large cutting board, which doubles as fish cleaning area, for a work surface. It works great.

[boom23]

Originally Posted by justflie

It's a good question, O-N-O and I'm curious to the answer as well. A friend told me the economies of scale don't apply to boating; the bigger the boat, the more expensive "per unit". Certainly seems to be true! It really just makes the choice of the 50 that much easier if one is hell bent on an Amel. You have to REALLY want the 60 to go for it.

It all depends on your requirements and your budget. Both boats are great in their own way.

[Wander4Wonder]

Boom. How many people do you think had a direct hand in constructing your yacht at Amel? It seems like they do so much in house they employ about 150 or so at the shipyard yea?

[Andre Nordic]

Originally Posted by Mag3

what follows is my opinion... nothing more. take it for what it's worth.

well... i spent €1.2M on mine COMPLETELY loaded with all the things i wanted... (several of which were adds that weren't on their official list) and several of which were standard on the 60 (lithium, induction stove etc.)..

but...

don't discount the 10'... think of that volume cubed... and all of the associated material etc. The raw materials cost etc. isn't trivial...

the carbon mast is HUGELY expensive... but they had to do that to create enough differentiation as my guess (truly a guess!) is that an aluminum mast would have cut 200k of the price bringing it too close to the 50.. .

it's really a very different boat. I crawled all through number 2 in the bathtub when i visited the factory and did a test sail to decide to buy. I was very much considering the 60 as well.

it is a more complex boat with bigger systems etc. and... it's also totally stunning.

really the choice - as always - is highly personal as at these price points, to be honest, if you have the money for a fully loaded 50, you likely can make the 60 as well, so then it's about preference.

for me, I just decided that i didn't have enough need for the bigger boat and it's associated space. For what my plans were, the 50 was "just right"... and beyond the initial cost differential, my napkin math calculations were that my cost to operate would be almost double (slip fees, insurance, fuel consumption, rigging/sails, basic maintenance).

had my plans really necessitated the extra space and a third full state-room vs. bunk beds, i may have gone with the 60. Personally i find the proportions more elegant (the 50 is a bit snubbed), the carbon mast is stunning, the spaciousness of the saloon addicting etc. - this also reflects my own maturation as the younger me would have been swayed by the sheer beauty vs. the practicality relative to what i actually needed.

still.. either boat is HUGELY competitive price wise with any other blue water boat out there as, in my opinion they put the money in the right places and don't waste it on teak decks etc. ...

YMMV.

When you ordered Amel, were you provided with the boat's detailed specification and serial number?

I ran into scam from Amel.

[Albinvega27]

I have 2 boats and I am looking all the time at my boats Fan group in Facebook. Look up, maybe you´ll find in Facebook groups Amel 50 fans?

This is a Facebook Amel50 group link, called Amel50 Techgroup:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/648640632311405

Hope you´ll find good info there!

[O-N-O]

Originally Posted by Mag3

the carbon mast is HUGELY expensive... but they had to do that to create enough differentiation as my guess (truly a guess!) is that an aluminum mast would have cut 200k of the price bringing it too close to the 50.. .

Carbon is a huge weight savings versus aluminium and I can see the advantage for a catamaran, but what is the added value, in terms of performance for a monohull?

Toby Hodges of Yachting World says of the Amel 60 in the review below (9:55) that the mast is deck stepped yet it appears that a portion of the spar runs through the saloon. A similar leather encased column is located in the Amel 50. It's interesting; I thought only keel stepped masts extend down through the saloon to the keel.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gp9GI1miuxw