AMEL 53? or Not

[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

[Scout 30]

Amels are specifically designed for blue water cruising. Of course there are a lot of boats out there that are designed for the same thing. Are you an experienced sailor? That's a really big boat to handle & maintain.

[Eleuthera 2014]

Welcome.

Here is a thread to which i contributed some time ago... hope it helps.

GL with your search

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ls-137037.html

[TheThunderbird]

It is a love-or-dislike boat, much of identity, a kind of a choice, not appealing but reliable, sure it is no magic as fans pretend it to be.

It is solid but scruffy to my Eye :-)

Boreal and boats byMike Dashew are having consensus as adventure boats now.
Read also morgancloud blog... ATTAINABLE ADVENTURES.. they have a project boat..on paper

To me, any medium to heavy displacement boat Over 42' can go.
My advice : Baltic or Swan 44/46 from late 70s/80s, or Nauticat

If you miss technical experience about boat gear and machinery, you better buy New, which means $$$,more than you may dear thinking

[RafaCavi]

I have a Super Maramu. I think it's an remarkable sailboat, excellent, you feel very safe on board, but the main drawback is that it only has 2 cabins and a bed in the passageway

[onavegador]

Hi
before trying the very expensive and luxury Super Maramus I would at first have a look to the very reliable but less luxury Maramus (about 48 foot). The Maramu was designed and built in the spirit of Hanr Amel, a water sailing">blue water sailing yacht with every thing you need but without the gimmicks who often fail and ask for a lot of maintenance. Better to sail six days and work on the boat one day than vice versa
May be you look an Amel Maramu built in the 80s, one of the 2nd generation with the adjustments made with the 1st generation by the end of the 70s.
GL James

[ztsf]

I'm not an Amel owner, so I will certainly defer to the advice of those who are.

Several years ago, a friend and I were looking at mid-50 footers for him. We started south and saw a Hallberg-Rassy 53 in Annapolis. Later in the week we met up with Joel Potter in Ft. Lauderdale and toured the Amel 53 Super Maramu, which was still Amel's biggest boat at the time. We remarked that the Amel seemed to be somewhat lightly built as compared to the HR, which was truly a tank. That being said, the Amels sail all over the world, and Henri Amel designed several nifty things into the boat that aid in the cruising lifestyle. It seems people fall into two camps, those that hate 'em and those the love 'em. Almost every Amel owner I've ever talked to or seen anything written on, loves em!

My wife and I just purchased our cruising dream boat. We started looking in the mid to low-50 foot range, and ended up with a 48-footer. Amel would have been on our list, but we wanted ICW capable. Boy am I glad we landed under 50 feet. Of course, the bigger the boat the more expensive the gear (and the cost of all the parts to replace), more paint, more sanding, etc. Every ten feet is a pricing break-point in the Marine Industry, so not only do you pay for more feet, but you pay a higher rate per foot, typically. But that wasn't the worst. We suddenly found out how many marinas and mooring fields couldn't accept a 48 footer, let alone anything over 50 feet.

If your planned lifestyle is to cruise the southern oceans and hang on the hook, then the extra room and speed might be worth it. If you're going to be marina-hopping, then you might consider looking at something a little smaller.

John Kretschmer's book Sail A Serious Ocean, has a wonderful section comparing some of what John feels are the best Bluewater designs in all lengths. Of note are Bob Peterson's Hylas 49 and 46. We now own a Hans Christian 4750 Explorer (essentially a deck-saloon Hylas 49, redesigned by Chuck Paine). Great boat so far. There is a brand-new spec-built one in Thailand called a Hallmark 48 (completed about 2011-12), at the last HC builder, Pantawee Marine.

Think about your likely lifestyle and how/where you will sail the boat. Bigger is not always better, depending on your circumstances.

Godspeed.

[Kenomac]

Personally, I don't like the dated look and ketch rig. Modern sloop and cutter rigs are much easier for two people to sail and don't have all the extra rigging clutter, shrouds and sheets. When we were shopping seven years ago for a Tayana 58, a fellow we knew owned a Tayana 52 ketch rig and invited me out for a sail. The rig was too much for him to sail and fully understand despite owning it for two years. All he ever did was put up the small jib and mizzen sail and get himself into trouble.

Amel has almost a cult-like following mostly here in Europe where we see them everywhere. There are better choices IMHO, but the Amel followers will argue this point endlessly. Another issue is proprietary parts. Who wants to be waiting around for Amel or any other manufacturer to ship parts to you in remote locations. We've found it adventagious to own a boat where the parts can be obtained from any local chandlery off-the-shelf.

[Sailmonkey]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

Personally, I don't like the dated look and ketch rig. Modern sloop and cutter rigs are much easier for two people to sail and don't have all the extra rigging clutter, shrouds and sheets. When we were shopping seven years ago for a Tayana 58, a fellow we knew owned a Tayana 52 ketch rig and invited me out for a sail. The rig was too much for him to sail and fully understand despite owning it for two years. All he ever did was put up the small jib and mizzen sail and get himself into trouble.

I think that just means he didn't know how to sail his boat opposed to a problem with the sailplan!

[edmundsteele]

If you want a boat that can be single-handed in a pinch, can swallow 6 months of supplies, safe (6 water tight compartments, single through hull below the water-line) built to take heavy weather yet relatively fast (we averaged 160 miles per day between Panama and New Zealand), then a Super Maramu is hard to beat. I could set the poles and light wind sails by myself (Mizzen staysail and Ballooner – Amel’s spinnaker equivalent). When you look at other options, note the solid deck rails; check out the “thickness” of the masts and rigging – the Super Maramu is not a “bendy toy”.
Ed

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by Sailmonkey

I think that just means he didn't know how to sail his boat opposed to a problem with the sailplan!

The ketch sail plan is dated and will soon be extinct like the 1970's and 80's cassette tape player. Good luck trying to sell a ketch 5-10 years from now. As I look around tonight's anchorage, how many ketches do I see? Just one and it's on a 1980's Amel.

[Sailmonkey]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

The ketch sail plan is dated and will soon be extinct like the 1970's and 80's cassette tape player. Good luck trying to sell a ketch 5-10 years from now. As I look around tonight's anchorage, how many ketches do I see? Just one and it's on a 1980's Amel.

I'm not saying the ketch isn't dated.....we own one, but it still sails just fine. When you know how to sail it, there are a lot of advantages to it. However to portray it as a bad rig that doesn't work based on someone who doesn't know how to use it is disingenuous.

Yes, on our small boat it does clutter a lot of the cockpit, but it works!!

[sbmesafirstmate]

We have a 1983 Amel Maramu and love it. We left California in 2011 and just finished our westward circle when we arrived in Panama in late May. I felt very safe in this center cockpit boat as we crossed pacific and atlantic oceans and many seas inbetween. We purposely bought a ketch rig as it gives us a smaller mainsail which makes it more manageable by me, should the need have arisen for me to manage it alone (since we did not have any electric winches).

it does have just two cabins, but a big salon with a setee that makes into a double bed and another that makes into a single. So there are plenty of berths for visitors, but some less private.

[Mango51]

https://i2.wp.com/sabbatical3.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/DSCN7157.jpg?resize=625%2C469
That's a 22 year old super maramu being lifted on it chain plates.

[WestCoastRix]

Hey Newrigs - I'll be following along since I'm in the same boat (harhar). I'm 4 years out but also have been looking and the Amel is the only one that seems like a fit for me. Here's a list of what I like and I have not found on any other boat of the line:

- 5 water tight compartments (I have not found any other boat with this feature and it is a huge one in my wife's mind)
- Backup systems especially two auto pilots
- Full access to the engine and generator (sitting in a huge water tight compartment). This is a big deal so that I can have easy access and means I will be more likely to spend time inspecting and repairing than if it was difficult to get to and cramped.
- I like the unique way the laid down the fiberglass for the hull - very interesting technique
- I like the track in the forestay so that you can run wing-on-wing from that. Most owners says this makes it easy and makes it have a smoother ride
- I have not heard from one owner who doesn't love their Amel. Not one.
- Pretty much every used Amel I've seen is in excellent conditions - meaning owner care about them well.
- A lot of thought went into the design and makes life easier - such as already having a guide line inside certain conduits to make pulling new wires easy, single water locker, etc.
- I'd rather give up space to have great access to the motor (plus, the fact that the engine compartment is water tight and out of the saloon makes it less noisy and less smoky in the saloon). Reality is we'll probably have a few people occasionally visit us, so the two stateroom layout works for us. Worst case scenario you can sleep 7 (cramped but doable).
- I've been on board one with a couple. Say it is VERY easy to handle as a couple since most everything is motorized (motorized fuller, motorized in-mast fuller for main, motorized winch with control at helm, etc.)
- Bow Thruster
- Solid stanchions all the way around (no cables) - safety again really important to us.
- Storage - tons and tons of storage (again - a trade between more staterooms or access to engine or more storage)
- AC / heating
- Watermaker
- Two HUGE freezers
- Washer (clothes - not the dishwasher which many think is a waste)

I guess I can keep going on. I've looked at many other boats but have not found ALL the features (I love the look of the Oyster's but has some, not all, of these features).

In the end looks and speed are not as important as safety and ease of handling.

Will stat tuned for any other options. I NEVER marry myself to an idea. I marry myself to success of reaching a goal.