AMEL 53? or Not

[D Rock]

Amels are a lot of boat for the money right now, but might bring with them quite a bit of updating cost too ( I know how much the cost is for new rigging). Check out the web blog of some friends of ours on Cream Puff. These are cool people. (google it).

We have a Tayana 48 for sale (check out the classified section). It is also a platform of size worth looking at. There are many, each with different qualities. as the saying goes, "the wand will pick the wizard".

Best of luck on your search.
D

[olaf hart]

Originally Posted by Eleuthera 2014

On what do you base your comments. Some of us would like to know!

Fair winds.

This wierd proprietary sail drive is the thing that scared me away, stranded waiting for parts if anything goes wrong ....

SUPER MARAMU (AMEL) sailboat specifications and details on sailboatdata.com

[Hobie_ind]

We looked seriously at a Taswell 49 but went with the Amel for a number of reasons. Storage (deck lockers and below was far better and far more of it on the Amel), maintenance access, cockpit layout, hard dodger and we felt a better setup for singlehanding were the primary reasons. We loved the layout of the Taswell (except my wife much preferred the Amel galley) but realized the space came at the cost of storage which for a family of 4 was important to us.

Also on our short list were:
- HR49's (HUGE, well built, about 10 yrs older on average, similar price but most examples that came up while we were looking were in coming up on major teak deck repair time)
- HR46 (loved the boat, but a very different price point - in the end the Amel won out on value for us)
- a few customs in the mid 40 to 52' range. One close contender was a 48' Perry Pilothouse Ketch (CAPAZ- currently for sale again through Swiftsure Yachts - nice boat, but the layout just didn't work for us)
- Oysters (great boats, but for us they ended up for us either too old and needing work or were at a price point where they ended up like the HR46 and lost to the Amel on value)
- Ovni. Upper end of our price range and I didn't like the maintenance access to many of the systems. As well the 3 cabin layouts had cabins on either side of the cockpit and that's a layout that we persoallly weren't fans of.
- There were many others we looked at that either ended up being too old, too expensive, or didn't work for us for a myriad of other reasons.

The Super Maramu isn't the perfect boat. None of them are. Every sailboat is a collection of compromises.

I never liked the fake teak decks, hated the raised locker hatches, and found elements of the design dated. However we LOVED the rig (the pole system is spectacular, how many 50+' sailboat designs are that easy to run full light wind downwind sails singlehanded on?..... I regularly set and doused the twin headsails singlehanded...... and the mizzen staysail was an absolute dream in light winds), LOVED the mainteance access on pretty much everything (well except the starter on the engine), the layout (below and above decks) worked VERY well for us, found her a very comfortable boat overall in a wide variety of conditions, and at a price we found quite reasonable when comparing to others. She also sold quite quickly when we finished our trip to an individual who had been looking for one for a while.

[Eleuthera 2014]

Originally Posted by olaf hart

This wierd proprietary sail drive is the thing that scared me away, stranded waiting for parts if anything goes wrong ....

SUPER MARAMU (AMEL) sailboat specifications and details on sailboatdata.com

Hello Olaf, I agree up to a point. But the system is proven and rugged. For instance, I picked up a large chunk of fishing net while motoring Gibraltar-Madeira. (Dead calm but with a V large swell.. could not dive to remove.) Because the shaft is very short, we could continue to motor.. at reduced RPM... till we reached Lanzarote. Most boats with P bracket could not have continued to motor due to vibrations. We required a haulout on arrival in Lanzarote to replace the Wear Out Bearing (WOB)but as it is a timed replacement item (800 hours) this was not an issue.

The system has additional good features too:
- The prop is deep under the boat and operates in undisturbed water
- The prop NEVER cavitates in heavy seas.
- The C drive is simple and heavily constructeed

If your post was to indicate a lateral thought process, great... but to state an Amel is a Citroen in sailboat clothing is unfair as it suggests unreliability which Amel boats are not.

My aim is to RTW on a safe and comfortable boat. After +- 10000 miles, she's as reliable and comfortable as I expected. I'd looked at many other boats but none had the simple, common sense solutions I found on the Amel. (Worst one is a mate's Oyster 575 Mark II which has 24.. YES 24 seacocks. He has a checklist provided by Oyster for when he leaves the boat!) I have 2 seachests providing raw water to the entire boat. That is a real safety feature as I can run the boat from either of the units.

Cheers

[olaf hart]

Originally Posted by Eleuthera 2014

Hello Olaf, I agree up to a point. But the system is proven and rugged. For instance, I picked up a large chunk of fishing net while motoring Gibraltar-Madeira. (Dead calm but with a V large swell.. could not dive to remove.) Because the shaft is very short, we could continue to motor.. at reduced RPM... till we reached Lanzarote. Most boats with P bracket could not have continued to motor due to vibrations. We required a haulout on arrival in Lanzarote to replace the Wear Out Bearing (WOB)but as it is a timed replacement item (800 hours) this was not an issue.

The system has additional good features too:
- The prop is deep under the boat and operates in undisturbed water
- The prop NEVER cavitates in heavy seas.
- The C drive is simple and heavily constructeed

If your post was to indicate a lateral thought process, great... but to state an Amel is a Citroen in sailboat clothing is unfair as it suggests unreliability which Amel boats are not.

My aim is to RTW on a safe and comfortable boat. After +- 10000 miles, she's as reliable and comfortable as I expected. I'd looked at many other boats but none had the simple, common sense solutions I found on the Amel. (Worst one is a mate's Oyster 575 Mark II which has 24.. YES 24 seacocks. He has a checklist provided by Oyster for when he leaves the boat!) I have 2 seachests providing raw water to the entire boat. That is a real safety feature as I can run the boat from either of the units.

Cheers

I love Citroens, especially the older ones.

Quirky, out there, a lot more reliable than their contemporary UK cars with Lucas electrics ....

The quote came from a respected yacht designer, not from me ..

[Suijin]

If the OP is looking for suggestions he needs to give us a lot more information about himself than he has. For example, is he single handing or will he have crew? If the former going over 40' is a big step and should only (imho) be undertaken for very good reason.

As to his questions, yes the Super Maramu is up to the task and as to what other boats are the list is pretty damn long.

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by Suijin

If the OP is looking for suggestions he needs to give us a lot more information about himself than he has. For example, is he single handing or will he have crew? If the former going over 40' is a big step and should only (imho) be undertaken for very good reason.

As to his questions, yes the Super Maramu is up to the task and as to what other boats are the list is pretty damn long.

I singlehand our boat four months of each year when it's never in a marina and constantly on the move.

It's not a big deal, not difficult at all. Most likely... just as easy on an Amel.

[Eleuthera 2014]

Originally Posted by olaf hart

I love Citroens, especially the older ones.

Quirky, out there, a lot more reliable than their contemporary UK cars with Lucas electrics ....

The quote came from a respected yacht designer, not from me ..

Dreaded thread drift follows!! My father had an early DS... great car but the alu body was so bad you could hear it disintegrate while parked in the garage... biggrin:

[Scout 30]

Originally Posted by olaf hart

I love Citroens, especially the older ones.

Quirky, out there, a lot more reliable than their contemporary UK cars with Lucas electrics ....

The quote came from a respected yacht designer, not from me ..

If it's compared to a Citroen SM that is a compliment indeed. A great car way ahead of it's time.

[sailorboy1]

To the OP, it's a fine boat and if you like it get it!!!!!!! Lots of boats have issues sailing on the internet.

[Scout 30]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

To the OP, it's a fine boat and if you like it get it!!!!!!! Lots of boats have issues sailing on the internet.

I think it's clear that the OP is set on the Amel & that's really half the battle. Now you need to find the best deal out there which means the best condition first & best price second. This can take more time than you might think & involve quite a bit of travel but it's worth it to take your time.

[Exile]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

Lots of boats have issues sailing on the internet.

Took me awhile to learn why this is so, but this could be the wisest comment about boats 'sailing on the internet' I've read thus far.

[Chicane]

Sent you a PM.

[Telesail]

Originally Posted by newrigs

Looking for a change in life, away from Alaskan
Storms and headed to make some rather long
Passages around north america thru NWT and then around south America.
I'm looking at the Amel super maramu 53 lots latly
Is the others that be as robust as the Amel cruiser.
I'm looking for somthing to compare with super amel. Any thoughts or directions woud be great.
Is the Amel at the top of the list. For heavy cruising Mike

Please forgive my ignorance. I was just re-reading and realized I have no idea what the NWT is. If you mean the NorthWest Passage then that raises a whole other question about whether the Amel is the boat for you. If you look at sail boats making that transit, I did not notice any Amels on the list of successful passages and the fiberglass boats that take this on are frequently reinforced and customized to make them resilient to inevitable contact with ice.

The Amel is undoubtedly a fabulous boat but there is a reason Jimmy Cornell chose an Aluminum hull..... if NWT means something else, then it seems your plan is golden. You get a lot of boat compared to many of the other options that are similarly capable.

I confess I went Aluminum with two sealed compartments fore and one aft but I could not knock your choice.

[monus]

We own a tayana 58 that is for sale. Tayana even more than amel earned their name in blue water SAFE cruising! Have a look at the classified forum, able to deliver!