Hello Sam,
Regarding your query:
From 1989 to 1998 came the Super Maramu.
From 1999 to 2005 came the SM 2000.
From 1999 to 2005 came the SM 2000 Red Line ... for the US market
1. Hulls are all the same except.
SM initially had 4 +1
batteries located in the
engine compartment. Overtime most owners brought this up to 8 +1
batteries in 2 different compartments. The last units had 10+1 batteries
From about 1992 (don't quote me), the batteries migrated to under the
passage berth on the starboard side of the
boat. This served 2 purposes: reduce the heat source the batteries were exposed to and rebalance the
boats as the SM typically has a list to port... too much
gear on that side.... During the
refit of my early
boat, my batteries were moved to below the
passage berth.
2. There are NO black
water tanks on the early SM's. 2 are installed in the SM2000's. I am installing a
single one in the forward heads only.
3. Minor differences in the sea chest due changes in the
engine bay.
4. The SM
head sail foil has 2 throats for sail hoisting. If you want to fly both the
genoa and the "ballooner" during a long downwind, you have the use a
single halyard for both
sails (not good idea) or 2 halyards, one for each sail. In both cases, you cannot furl as the
spinnaker halyard used for hoisting the ballooner wraps around the
furler... You must release the ballooner/spin halyard and bring the "ballooner" to
deck then furl the remaining
genoa. That is a serious PITA if you ask me. I am reviewing my options on this one; I can get a 3 throat foil with an Amel patented "mouse" which allows
furling the
sails together on the
furler or I can go for a "top down furler" with a cruising genaker. Second solution is double the
price.
5. The SM has 2 zone AC. (Aft
cabin and saloon) The SM2000 has 3 zone AC (Aft
cabin,
saloon and forward cabin). Mine now has 3 zone all new Webasto :-)
6. Watermakers were somewhat low output at first. Old SM' had a 25 l/hr production rate.... New 2000's have 50 or 60 l/hr. Changing mine to a Dessalator DUO AC/DC 100 l/hr dual voltage unit 24 V or 220V. Apparently delivers 160 l/hr if the membranes are in good nick.
7. Gensets were a 2 cylinder (3000 rpm) German
diesel unit but these were problematic. Then came proper Onan 6.5 kw 3 cylinder (1500 rpm) units. A
major improvement. Mine has the 1500
rpm unit. (It is so quiet that I've left the boat with it running...) Some minor in
service problems but nothing difficult... the
water pump">raw water pump tends to leak.
8. Main engines: Initially
Perkins 80 HP with TC. Morphed into
Volvo TDM 22 ... exactly the same engine, different name. Later SM 2000's received a
Yanmar 100 HP unit. I buy the
Perkins rotables... 1/4 to 1/2
price of Volvo!!
9. The earliest SM's had an alu case for the dual 90 degree engine
gearbox. This proved a disastrous choice of material and Amel retrofitted all early
boats with a cast iron casing within 2 years. Although it is a practical solution for these boats, this 90 +90
gearbox is expensive to replace (€10000 I am told) and requires
shaft seal changes every 800 hours and a possible Wear Out Bearing (WOB) change if grooves are forming on the shaft. Not difficult to do but requires a
haul out. Most Amel owners carry a 36 MM wrench and a long length of pipe to remove the retaining nut off the housing ... part of the fun. Do the
service right and you should not need a replacement.
I trolled the
For Sale websites yesterday. Some nice oldies waiting for you. Not quite on your
budget but you get what you pay for.... when you buy, do so from a
broker who knows the boat. There are 2 good ones in EU and I passed their names to you earlier. But they are still brokers... so get a surveyor who knows Amels. I can recommend one in EU, he found every wrinkle on Eleuthera... :-)
GL
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