Thank you for this interesting video. contentwise I do not agree. It is funny, it was actually my boat from 1995 till 2010, I then bought an Amel 54 and I sold the Super Maramu to a close friend who has sailed it another 10 years, beeing very happy. My main point is: This is an absolut reliable boat. I never had any major problems, especially not with the furling systems or the electric winches. We had wonderful 15 years enjoing this great boat without having any big problems beside a lightning strike. If you furl the main sail you have to make sure that the boom is horizontal, then you will not have any problems, you can even furl the sail sailing downwind. You mentionend problems with the engine and the generator - well, they are old and this is not a thing to blaim Amel. All the systems of the Amel work very properly for years and are well thought about but of course you don't know about the other products which are built in, so Amel usually dubbles pumps etc. Of cours you can say the best boat is the one which does not have any extra elektrik or luxury or helpfull additional technique like elektric winches, but I can tell you: If there is a boat out there you can trust for years and years and years, it is a well maintained Amel (not knowing anything about the new ones, desgned by the Bennetau-Designer). It is wonderful to have a good watermaker, washingmashine, dishwasher (which saves water) etc. Conclusion: I still think they are the absolute best boats for big bluewater cruises which even can be sailed by just one person easily. And Amel has the best after sail service you can think of! They help you all over the world right away. By the way: The ventilation of the boat is great, even with closed windows.
@@RiggingDoctor Question about the electrical systems like furling and winches: are there manual backups? If the in mast electric furl motor fails, can you slap a winch handle on something and crank it in?
Another nice video...... However most of the comments you have about issues with an Amel Super Maramu, or specifically the one you were on were not justified at all. Mizzen....wrong sail fir the boat that is not a sail made fir the Amel Super Maramu at all. Looks like a modified 2nd hand sail from another boat. Also if too old and stretched out if shape it can jam like any in-mast furling sail on any boat.. Code sail....... again not fitted by or designed by Amel. If fitting a code furling headsail it should be attached to the very forward of the bow by the anchor roller. There is a place designed to attach such a sail. Watertight bulkheads.....there are 5 not 4. Engine issues.......this could happen on any boat with a diesel engine, which is most cruising yachts. Volvo Penta is also an extremely common engine. Again looked like poor maintenance. In-Mast furling is fine if you know how to use it! Yes it can jam with old sails or furling head to wind rather than with some pressure still in the sail. Sailing over 40 years never jammed a furling main. However I have had to go up a hast at sea in bad weather to cut a halyard that jammed in the masthead block so we couldn't drop the sail to reef!!! Also ripped a sail when a batten caught in a lazy-jack line from the stack pack!!! So is furling actually more dangerous?!!! Furling easier to reef, faster to reef and infinite reefing points. Water maker.......again could happen to any boat not just an Amel. If a water maker breaks no issue!!!! You should carry enough water on any ocean passage but its nice to shower often etc. Amel Super Maramu has 1000 litres water tank!!!!! Mire than most of what you call blue water boats!. Yes more systems do mean more maintenance,.....and the Amel Super Maramu will bite you if you don't keep up on maintenance. Many things also aren't only available from Amel.....handles, latches, winches, furling motors, hatches...etc. Basically many things Amel buy in but the did buy best quality available at the time. Obviously most Super Maramu boats are around 20 years old or older as last made in 2005. Ours is 26 years old but still built better than most new production boats. Sorry for the long message just we live abroad full time over 5 years. I've been sailing on and off over 40 years and was an RYA instructor. I've sailed and owned many boats. All I can say is our Super Maramu was our first Amel.....and we never plan to change boat again, but if we do it would only be fir another Amel. Simply nothing else comes close.
Hey thanks for the clarification. I have to say though I feel like they never stated, that these were issues specific to Amel boats. These are just things that can happen that one should know. So I think you maybe misunderstood their statements a little bit. Thanks for clarifying how those problems most likely came to be in the first place.
@@zebarzebra yeah they claim there boat is better for world cruising as no systems to go wrong. Amel is designed to world cruise and has manual backup for everything. Just saying
Brian makes living aboard an Amel look so easy. I’m not as handy. But, wonder why other boat builders don’t add water right bulkhead doors. Seems like a no brained.
Enjoyed the tour! Especially appreciated your recap re how to minimize maintenance issues... Also great to hear your concluding statement about Amel being a "turn-key" ready blue water cruiser.
Thank you so much! I think for me its between 3 boats: This Amel, various years, a Bavaria 55 (Because its so darn fast and sails like a dream) and a under 50 foot Cat, most likely a Philippine Aluminum custom cat w dagger boards. Just LOVE this boat though. I am 55, experienced at sailing and will be, at least at first, be sailing solo. Sure, bigger boats are more to handle alone but the Amel is easily handled alone, in fact I was lucky enough to deliver a boat just like this one from San Francisco to Everett, WA in 2019...I had to sail almost 400 miles off the coast to get wind to come back to Puget Sound. Anyway, I am NOT an experienced Ocean sailor (my longest solo sail was my delivery of the Amel from SF to Puget Sound) so any truly experienced boat owners out there who know these boats your advice is appreciated! I'm not worried about a shallow draft, though that can be a benefit at times I just want a safe relatively fast boa that can get out of the way of weather on long crossings. The vast majority of my time will be spent living in Asia and South Pacific atolls, harbors, marinas and the like, I MAY transit Panama and head to England just to say I did it but no rush.
What is the ventilation system that gets around having dorades? I love how clean the deck is - but open hatches are a gaping maw ready to ingest water what is the ventilation story for rough seas/weather? How does it all work in tropical climates if you don't want to run the air-conditioning - they're hot as hell, but you also have so much rainfall an open hatch seems like a terrible option too. Interesting with the shower and the bulkheads, did you say the shower drains to the bilge, but is on the same side of the bulkhead? Is that designed to work as a flow limiter so that the compartment may fill, but drainage is restricted to a pace that the bilge pumps can cope with?
I have in mast furler on my Beneteau and have not had issues with it. There are a few tricks...When rolling the sail back in while under load it is much more predictable and easier to be on a port tack when rolling in...and to exert some pressure on the outhaul while rolling in with the in-haul so that the sail is firmly and tightly packed and not puckered or bunched up...otherwise when you later try to unfurl the sail it can get "pinched" and not want to unfurl because it was not properly rolled back in. If you point into the wind so that the sail is not under load...then it is even easier. Every boat and rig is different but reef early and reef often...the boat will sail faster and less stress on the rig as less heeling, and drag and easier on the crew. That being said if I had the money I would prefer in boom furler...over any other kind due to horizontal battons, better sail shape, more roach. Hank on sails are great for the young but so much easier/safer... with furlers. Best..."SV Aquila"...Seattle...Shilshole...
We are family living onboard for last 5 years. Owned 4 boats in the last 6 years. Now have an Amel Super Maramu. I can honestly say I will never buy anything other than an Amel after living and sailing one for the last 18 months
@@JayPerrypersonal REALLY appreciate your comment. Being new to this dream, I'm in that steep learning curve and comments like yours let me know I'm spending my time on the right path!
i think i agree with everything you say about nice vs need. i'll mention 1 but....emerald steel built their own water maker from off the shelf goods and as far as i know have never had any problems with it.
Nice boat. The Amel is my favorite boat. I know there is a lot of electronics and gadgets, but they allow a couple to sail 54 feet boat. Without it you will need 20 people to sail the boat.
Along with a Std 34 weekend slab reefed boat, I've been crewing a hanse 418 on trips for the past 6 months. Its kinda sailing but not. Self taking jib no Genoa, in mast furl, no traveller and electric winches everywhere. We bring up winches but have never once used them. Apart from berthing, it gets banged on autopilot, which like everything else, is controlled from the plotter screen. Tacking procedure is just turn the wheel.....or tell the plotter to do it. Its big, comfortable and great for groups but.... Luckily i still get to sail the little jeaneau.
Could you convert the water maker to be powered by a large battery bank? I hope to install as much solar as possible. The battery bank I want to install in my boat will essentially be two Tesla car batteries. Hopefully enough to run AC at night while I sleep (Custom DC aircon for sleeping cabin only, I have a similar system in my OTR big rig that powers my AC and my fridge, tv micro lights etc and two rooftop 400 watt panels and the rigs alternator recharge the battery while I drive (Just ONE Tesla battery in my truck)
Thanks for the tour. The Amel has too many complicated (breakable) systems for me to have much interest and well beyond the capacity of my wallet anyway. That being stated, I do like the design of the vessel overall. BTW - I'm guessing the "messy side" is Maddie's.😁
@@observer7418 Guess what? My guess is your guess is right on target! Or.....maybe....should we both guess again?😂🤣 (sorry - sometimes I can't help myself).
Nice review. But I don't understand the point you make against the watermaker. "If it breaks, what do you do" - Well easy answer, the same thing you do, when you don't have a watermaker. The watermaker should not be a substitute for a well dimensioned reservoir. It's just a very convenient way to refill that reservoir without having to go to a marina where you rely on supply of unknown quality. Btw: What do you do, when your reservoir breaks?
Our issue against water makers is we have found that people often remove water tanks to make room for the water maker. They rely so heavily on the water they produce that they are not able to ration their water and avoid waste. If their water maker breaks and they do have a substantial water reservoir, they wouldn’t know how to use it sparingly because they are out of practice. As for the water reservoir, our biggest complaint was that the 1000L water tank (an excellent amount of water to have on board) was only one tank. Literally all your eggs in one basket. If it got contaminated or worse, broke, the entire boat would be out of water. We carry 200 gallons (760L) of water partitioned over 9 tanks. If one tank fails, we have plenty of other tanks that will help us get to our next destination safely. Water makers are a great convenience, the problem is when people start to depend on them too heavily.
@@RiggingDoctor Hey, thanks for that detailed response. I understand and I agree, that it is important to never rely or at least never depend on any equipment you have on board. You should always be prepared to live without all these gadgets. But I don't think this is a point against a watermaker. You don't have to be like other people - you can have a watermaker and be ready to live without it.
On my Hans Christian 48T which was built custom for me in 1987 we had Forespar in the mast furling. I sailed that boat for 32 years. From 2004 to 2018 I owned and operated SailBravura in the BVI, as a high end day sail business. We average 100 charters a season for 15 years. That is about 1500 sails which required a minimum of 2 sets and furls a day. So about 3000 in and outs (not counting reefing) over our charter years. During that time we experienced 3 jams with the sail; all on the roll out which does not present any real danger as your engine is still engaged. Each time was the result of the top 5-8 feet of the sail getting tired and folding over on itself. In time I became sensitive to this condition and had the sailmaker refresh that portion before we had any problem . I cannot disagree with the couple in this video more. The safety in a furling sail is ten fold that of a hank on. The dangers of going on deck to reef or change a sail in weather are so much greater than reefing from the safety of the cockpit . More importantly, you don't delay reefing. Once it crosses your mind,; you reef. No postponing hope things will ease up. For the last few years I've had a Bristol 45.5 with a Hood Stoway main. Our experience has been similar to that with the Forepar system. Trouble free , easy to use and safe.
That is very impressive and having only 3 failures in all that time is a wonderful testament to the system! I seem to be cursed because when I step foot on a boat, the furler will jam and the engine will have trouble! For us, we will keep to the old way since I bring the curse with me wherever I am, but for others who are in tune with their system, especially at your level, it is an incredibly valuable system that lets you manage the entire boat with a few lines from the convenience of your cockpit.
I think that boats just have finicky systems, yes they break, but if you do a good job at maintaining them, theoretically it should keep things running smoothly. However, sometimes weird crap happens, you get a bad part, and you don't figure it out until you're 50 miles out to sea. Some boats are worse than others, but creature comforts are more than just nice to haves sometimes, without them people burn out, get homesick and it makes living aboard uncomfortable. The truth is that things break on land too. The AC goes out, or your car turn signals go out, yes you can stick your arm out the window, but most people won't know what you're signaling or even that you're signaling. (true story, got pulled over in my early 20's in this exact scenario and the cop was like "Oh yeah, I wasn't looking for that.") Living aboard is similar to living in an RV, the systems are functional but sometimes made of Chinesium, all you can do is wait for someone to build it better or build it better yourself.
I think what you're really saying is, if you're going to invest in an Amel, owners shold invest in a very deep spares package and take the time to become familiar with the SV, and start a maintenance program on the SV. I'm not sure, but it sounds like your friend just bought the SV, and even though he had a mechanic go through the boat, do some work on the boat, it wasn't done correctly. You know what they say? RTFM And in this boat, owners need to do so, because as you said, there are lots of systems and pieces of gear that Amel builds into the boat. BUT... it not Amel's fault items need maintenance, that's just part of have extensive systems out on the salt water.
Herbie hates them. I get it, they can be annoying when they don't work. Personally, when you get a little older I find a furling Genoa is a God send for single handing. Get a quality one and inspect it regularly.
Ok, I am 62, my wife while younger, has a few health issues, when it is time to manuver or change sails it is all up to me with her at the helm. We have discussed furlers but still keep on sailing hank on. A big thing not discussed with furling is sail weight. That is so important . Your medium light Genoa may furl, but how about that gale coming in, can you fly it in a huge wind and not worry about it tearing like you can a heavy storm jib? Ok, I get convenient, I also get the right sail for the right conditions. And what about light winds while that medium light Genoa is Luffing and chaffing but you can fly a light weight sail? If you are willing to do the work, get an inventory and sail hank on. Furlers is all about being easy, not about efficiency.
@@NotaFlea ,my genoa is heavy, i flew the 45kt wind on a hankerchief of it out with no problem,when the wind is to light,i just pole her out. U can still use a hank on storm jib on removable staysail. Not ideal,but it saved me quite some time not messing with sail on the bow in heavy seas.
I'm guessing Maddie is the messy one? What are your thoughts on a roller furler on a head sail vs. in-mast main sail furling? Very different levels of risk vs reward IMO. I'm looking forward to the list of cruising needs vs nice-to-haves as I'm currently contemplating what is essential on my boat for sailing to Mexico from CA.
I personally think in-mast is more risky than furling headsails. In the world of furling, I think that in-boom furling is the way to go. It stows neatly, has all the benefits of furling and if anything goes wrong the sail can still be lowered like a normal sail onto the boom.
@@RiggingDoctorme too. I'd like in boom, furling Genoa, Hank on staysail, code zero and a shute or gennacker. But life's a comp...you get what's on the available boat.
So batons in-mast furling sails are a bad idea. Separately, curious as to why the inner jib wasn't furled first followed by the outer jib to address the collision issue. Since everything is powered and manageable from the elm shouldn't be easy to do. Perhaps I am missing something.
I’m so with you on this. All these gadgets that go wrong. The worst of course is the engine cos if that breaks down and it will, what on earth do you do? But even worse, if it leaks and it will, just think how many seagulls it’s going to kill! After all it’s going to leak diesel not water!! I reckon you just don’t use any of this stuff, much better; no engine or generator for sure!
I watched a fairly in-depth sales pitch on one of these. All I could think was, "This is cool as heck, but what do you do 10 yrs down the road when the push buttons stop working?"
12:30 There's no rule against having two tiny water makers. Everybody goes big and expensive on one item, when probably they should go small, with dual units. Even the hand pump water makers are recommended to have handy and working for (non critical) emergency use. A watermaker which makes 30 Liters per hour is insane, no one should need to shower twice a day on a sailboat, people only consume less than 2 liters per day each, so go smaller.
13:20 Usually when people say "For blue water voyaging you need a water maker" they are talking about South Pacific voyaging (from California to the west) where there's no rain.. and often no wind so timing is unpredictable.. Not the Atlantic side where there is rain. Having a water maker is what saved Lea Lea from potentially life threatening situation when sailing from Hawaii to Alaska and the trip took 3x longer than expected due to the Pacific's spontaneous "lack of" weather.
I never seen a bigger smile on Herbs face when he went down with the engine ..... So the Alburg refit will include a diesel engine fractional roller furling rig an a jasco head right ? 🤣🤣🤣.
If the water maker fails on an Amel Super Maramu it’s is not unsafe at all, as the water tank holds 1000 litres of fresh water. Much more than on many boats!
The water tankage is incredible but it’s all in one tank so if anything happens to that tank, all the water is damaged. I really wish it had that tankage split up into 3 or 4 tanks in the same space, just to give you the safety of redundancy.
The code zero in your shot is set wrong with the sail tacked inside the jib which means the halyard is routed inside the jib halyard. Looks like you jibed the code zero inside rather than outside the jib halyard, crossing the halyards. It won’t furl like that. Well maintained roller furlers that are sailed properly shouldn’t fail. Famous last words, I know.
Volvo Penta, I thought that the Amel had the Yanmar diesel. That is a beautiful boat for sure, and powered winches! That's the life. A sail boat owner I know who has arthritis uses a right angle cordless drill as a powered winch handle for his day sailor. I miss Wisdom! The neat side is Herby's and Maddy's is the unmade side. Maddy is an artist, and creative people are usually not as neat.
Haha Maddie is definitely not the neat one! We missed Wisdom too at this point, but hold on until Sunday! She’ll be back and ready to cross the Atlantic!
Super Maramu's came with a bunch of different engines... started with 78 HP Perkins, moved to 78 HP Volvo's (same thing really), then to 78 and 105HP Yanmar's.
i think for there target market someone who buys a new amel and sells it before it’s 10 years old. you would not have a lot of breakdowns. no more then any other boat. those systems only start to become a problem after probably 10 15 years I bet.
Is that your boat? I really wish you'd document what exact boat you're on in the video description section. Watching a video of yours and not being able to figure out what boat it is is frustrating.
It’s not our boat. The precious episode explanes how we moved into our friend’s boat for a month to cruise around the Balearics. Sorry about how confusing it is, but the episodes are set up to be watched in sequence. I’ll work on making the descriptions more detailed.
I have to say I am with you on the furler issue. Have seen how convenient they can be, and seen them broken when you needed to use them. Plus there is the issue of getting good trim on a sail, or changing a sail. I just prefer multiple hank on sails.
Wow the first actual review of how she sails as well thank you guys. I’d like to know what you think about the helming position? Do you think you lose anything ?
It feels very much like driving a car being off to the side up by a windshield. As long as the electric winches work, it’s great because from the helm you can’t reach anything. If you have a bunch of people sailing with you, everyone gets to have a job and plenty of space at their own winch which can make sailing as a group fun since no one is in anyone else’s way. I’m just used to sitting midline so it felt very strange to be off to the side. It was great on starboard tack when you are on the low side, but on port tack, being how beamy she is, you are very high up. That said, you don’t feel like you are going to fall out because of all the foot wells and coamings. If you are sailing with kids, it’s ideal since the cockpit is so well protected and deep. They can be playing on the sole in a gale and you won’t fear that they will fall overboard and be swept away. I really think it should be considered in its own class and it’s amazing, but it’s very different from every other boat.
Wow thanks you so much for replying I didn’t know you had until I came back to this video again. Since last time things have changed I’m now in a different position hopefully better than before making this boat an option is getting closer . I’m just also concerned about the upkeep costs compared to similar size boats but as it’s going to be my home I think it’s going to be worth it . I can fix most things myself it’s just the Amel premium costs per specialist mechanical this like the transmission unit if it goes or the bow thruster.
Yachts have captains, or owners, cabins. They OFTEN have guests aboard for varying amounts of time, but the captain is there all or most of the time, hence the nicest cabin is a large private personal space that normally is off limits without an invitation. So, no, it isn't the royal navy in the 1800s but it is a matter of practicality.
Yes, everything has its issues, but at least the seal exists above the waterline so you can actually drop the unit out at anchor and just have a hole in your bow where water won’t go gushing in!
Super boat but like you say plenty to fix/maintain I guess I'm lucky that I'll never be able to afford one! Which side? I think your teddy bear gave it away Herby (it was YOUR. teddy bear wasn't it 😉😂)
man i can say nothing good of furler sails or button push boats beyond the "if everything is working nicely and the wind is co operating and mild" that you have the convince of not having to leave the cockpit and that for sailing short handed it can make life a bit less "chaotic" until it doesn't for what ever reason and then its just a mess not to mention that i find when reefing the boat handles like ars its balance pointed pushed forward closer to the mast and as mentioned i cant feel my sail tug on me
Heavy weather is actually when we are most thankful for hank on sails. When you need the sail down, it comes right down! No mess of furling it’s in slowly or having a bulky luff. We do miss our furler (we took it off about 7 years ago) when we arrive somewhere and now need to bag the headsails up. Furlers are great for putting the sail away and getting it off the deck 😎
Exactly! Keep it simple and go cruising or spend your entire time fixing things that you don’t actually need instead of enjoying the places you cruise to.
I would say Maddie sleeps in the Portside bunk becuase she is more artistic than you Herb! I'm having flashbacks to 1999 and the world renowned and 'left of field' artist Tracey Emin's dirty laundry and unmade bed winning the prestigous Turner Prize at the Tate Modern in London. Maddie is very expressive in the same sense BECAUSE she is an artist first and sailor second only to you Herb! RE: Amel synopsis - I would simply sum up Amel for their intelligent well thought out blue water yachts. There are quite simply superb! The Amel 54 ticks all my boxes. Best ROB-Portsmouth
All boats have problems if not properly maintained or operated. Most of the problems you that referred to fell in one of those two buckets. Your "answers" are often nonsense... e.g. for not having a water maker but this boat has a 1100 litre tank to give you lots of water if the water maker does break down. ALL of those electric winches can be operated manually so you are back in the 60's IF you want. Yes, it's complicated but those comforts allow you to sail a 53 boat with 1-2 people in comfort across huge seas.
I see your point, but when the electric winches allow them to be placed in locations that can’t be reached from the helm, you can no longer easily steer and trim. Imagine trying to jibe when the helm is to the side and the winches are far far away! As for the water tank, yes, it carries a ton of water which is excellent, but in a single tank. If anything happens to it or it gets contaminated, all of your water is lost and that is a major design flaw. We only carry 800L of water, but it is divided into 8 tanks, so if one tank gets damaged or contaminated, we still have 700L of water left. Our water tanks typically last us 1 month if we are not conserving water or 2-3 months if we are conserving water. With that logic, why have the extra maintenance and headache of a water maker if you can get by with visiting a pier 4 to 12 times per year? The Amel was a very plush and well designed boat, but all of those amenities will keep you tied to land as you will constantly need parts for maintenance or professional help if you are too old to crawl into the small spaces where these systems live. In other words, your are either going to need a lot of money to pay someone to do the maintenance or you are going to be spending your cruising days working on the boat to keep it running. This is why I prefer simplicity.
@@RiggingDoctor I've sailed over 8000 nm offshore in them across 4 different passages and three different SM's. Each of them was well maintained and we had no issues other than having to replace sea water impellers due to Saragaso grass and a clogged toilet for a sin that will go unmentioned. Nothing at all specific to the type. If you go on the Amel forums, you'll see that about 90% of the maintenance posts/questions are about either the bow thruster or rear C-drive seal regular maintenance items (replacement every 2 years). As to jibing and tacking without the electrics, I've done it dozens of times single handed at night when you don't want to wake the crew with the noise of the electrics. No big deal. As long as the boat is well trimmed, the forces aren't huge but It's a big boat so you plan things accordingly. You can easily manage the sheets on the winches and even the mainsheet from the helm although you generally do one at a time so not an issue. You're both young and can enjoy living on a more basic boat... most of us started that way but when you get to be my age, you appreciate those conveniences as it allows an extra decade or two of sailing. There is a good reason why there are so many Super Maramu's and other Amel's in remote locations around the world (probably more than any other specific model)... they were designed from the keel up to be cruised by an older couple. I get it that it isn't your cup of tea, but you are dead wrong in many of your criticisms.
LIKE W/T COMPARTMENTATION BUT WHY NO PORTATABLE PUMPS ? AGREE WITH YOU ON SELF FURLING RIGS THE MAJOR FLAW WITH THIS VESSEL IS THAT IT RELYS ON SYSTEMS WHICH WILL BREAK AT MOSTLY THE WORST TIME IN THE OTHER EXTREME WHAT WOULD CAPT JOSH SLOCUM IN THE SPRAY DO ??? THERE MUST BE A HAPPY MEDIUM HAPPY AND SAFE SAILING !
I hate to say this but that Amel looks very poorly maintained. You pretty much have to do a complete refit of Amels about every 5 years. Will they last longer? Yea...but. So the Amel I was lucky enough to deliver from CAlifornia to Washington state was exactly like this one but it had been completely refit every 5 years and when I say complete I mean complete. ALL standing rigging and ALL running rigging. Not rebuilt electric winches but either completely rebuilt with every internal part new or a whole new winch/motor. As for the Engine room after 12 years a new Volvowith 20 more HP was installed and a brand new generator and brand new engine room insulation, And ALL NEW SAILS. As for the interior it was completely refit in the galley and main salon with light oak and granite. As for the bow thruster? Now motor AND shaft and prop. So in the end the owner told me to put away $12,000 every year you sail IN ADDITION to the things that break between refits. His last refit (without new engine, generator and engine room insulation) just the standing rigging, running rigging and all new winches and furler motors WITH new sails and new forward looking sonar and a all new Garmin Navigation suite with a race boat hydraulic auto pilot (With rebuilt factory auto pilot as backup) cost him $39,000 at Amel service center. The engine, genpack and insulation with all new hoses, wire harnesses and fittings and a seperate new sea strainer installed just for the generator cost him $55,000. Not cheap to keep.
This is bad seamanship. There is nothing wrong with a furler, but you have to use it wisely. If the system clips in any way you tack. . If you don't realise that, you are not entitled to comment on this. Go and take a few lessons.
You again. It seems that you are on your way to spread lies all over youtube. What is your problem? You do not even know what your are speaking about. What means M E ?
![[All About] Boat Propellers and Prop Walk | Sailing Wisdom](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/E1dt19C_vxE/mqdefault.jpg)
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Thank you for this interesting video. contentwise I do not agree. It is funny, it was actually my boat from 1995 till 2010, I then bought an Amel 54 and I sold the Super Maramu to a close friend who has sailed it another 10 years, beeing very happy. My main point is: This is an absolut reliable boat. I never had any major problems, especially not with the furling systems or the electric winches. We had wonderful 15 years enjoing this great boat without having any big problems beside a lightning strike. If you furl the main sail you have to make sure that the boom is horizontal, then you will not have any problems, you can even furl the sail sailing downwind. You mentionend problems with the engine and the generator - well, they are old and this is not a thing to blaim Amel. All the systems of the Amel work very properly for years and are well thought about but of course you don't know about the other products which are built in, so Amel usually dubbles pumps etc. Of cours you can say the best boat is the one which does not have any extra elektrik or luxury or helpfull additional technique like elektric winches, but I can tell you: If there is a boat out there you can trust for years and years and years, it is a well maintained Amel (not knowing anything about the new ones, desgned by the Bennetau-Designer). It is wonderful to have a good watermaker, washingmashine, dishwasher (which saves water) etc. Conclusion: I still think they are the absolute best boats for big bluewater cruises which even can be sailed by just one person easily. And Amel has the best after sail service you can think of! They help you all over the world right away.
By the way: The ventilation of the boat is great, even with closed windows.
I’m glad you got so much enjoyment out of your boat! I can definitely see the appeal. It’s all about the style of cruising that you prefer :)
@@RiggingDoctor Question about the electrical systems like furling and winches: are there manual backups? If the in mast electric furl motor fails, can you slap a winch handle on something and crank it in?
@@davidross5291 Yes there are
Another nice video......
However most of the comments you have about issues with an Amel Super Maramu, or specifically the one you were on were not justified at all.
Mizzen....wrong sail fir the boat that is not a sail made fir the Amel Super Maramu at all. Looks like a modified 2nd hand sail from another boat. Also if too old and stretched out if shape it can jam like any in-mast furling sail on any boat..
Code sail....... again not fitted by or designed by Amel. If fitting a code furling headsail it should be attached to the very forward of the bow by the anchor roller. There is a place designed to attach such a sail.
Watertight bulkheads.....there are 5 not 4.
Engine issues.......this could happen on any boat with a diesel engine, which is most cruising yachts. Volvo Penta is also an extremely common engine. Again looked like poor maintenance.
In-Mast furling is fine if you know how to use it! Yes it can jam with old sails or furling head to wind rather than with some pressure still in the sail. Sailing over 40 years never jammed a furling main. However I have had to go up a hast at sea in bad weather to cut a halyard that jammed in the masthead block so we couldn't drop the sail to reef!!!
Also ripped a sail when a batten caught in a lazy-jack line from the stack pack!!! So is furling actually more dangerous?!!! Furling easier to reef, faster to reef and infinite reefing points.
Water maker.......again could happen to any boat not just an Amel. If a water maker breaks no issue!!!! You should carry enough water on any ocean passage but its nice to shower often etc. Amel Super Maramu has 1000 litres water tank!!!!! Mire than most of what you call blue water boats!.
Yes more systems do mean more maintenance,.....and the Amel Super Maramu will bite you if you don't keep up on maintenance.
Many things also aren't only available from Amel.....handles, latches, winches, furling motors, hatches...etc. Basically many things Amel buy in but the did buy best quality available at the time. Obviously most Super Maramu boats are around 20 years old or older as last made in 2005. Ours is 26 years old but still built better than most new production boats.
Sorry for the long message just we live abroad full time over 5 years. I've been sailing on and off over 40 years and was an RYA instructor. I've sailed and owned many boats. All I can say is our Super Maramu was our first Amel.....and we never plan to change boat again, but if we do it would only be fir another Amel. Simply nothing else comes close.
Hey thanks for the clarification. I have to say though I feel like they never stated, that these were issues specific to Amel boats. These are just things that can happen that one should know. So I think you maybe misunderstood their statements a little bit.
Thanks for clarifying how those problems most likely came to be in the first place.
@@zebarzebra yeah they claim there boat is better for world cruising as no systems to go wrong. Amel is designed to world cruise and has manual backup for everything.
Just saying
Good trolling vessel me thinx
Brian makes living aboard an Amel look so easy. I’m not as handy. But, wonder why other boat builders don’t add water right bulkhead doors. Seems like a no brained.
Great review, I think Maddy said it best 'maintenance is the key'. I love Delos's Amel, and they are great at maintaining their yacht. peace
Enjoyed the tour! Especially appreciated your recap re how to minimize maintenance issues...
Also great to hear your concluding statement about Amel being a "turn-key" ready blue water cruiser.
Thank you so much! I think for me its between 3 boats: This Amel, various years, a Bavaria 55 (Because its so darn fast and sails like a dream) and a under 50 foot Cat, most likely a Philippine Aluminum custom cat w dagger boards. Just LOVE this boat though. I am 55, experienced at sailing and will be, at least at first, be sailing solo. Sure, bigger boats are more to handle alone but the Amel is easily handled alone, in fact I was lucky enough to deliver a boat just like this one from San Francisco to Everett, WA in 2019...I had to sail almost 400 miles off the coast to get wind to come back to Puget Sound. Anyway, I am NOT an experienced Ocean sailor (my longest solo sail was my delivery of the Amel from SF to Puget Sound) so any truly experienced boat owners out there who know these boats your advice is appreciated! I'm not worried about a shallow draft, though that can be a benefit at times I just want a safe relatively fast boa that can get out of the way of weather on long crossings. The vast majority of my time will be spent living in Asia and South Pacific atolls, harbors, marinas and the like, I MAY transit Panama and head to England just to say I did it but no rush.
Of those three, I only have personal experience with the Amel and the Bavaria 55. The Amel is much better built than the Bavaria. Just my two cents.
@@RiggingDoctor thanks!
Thanks for another great review about life. Great insights about gizmos, cant wait for the episode
I sailed on an Amel in the Mediterranean off Spain in18. The boat your on is soooooo nicer than the one I was on.
Good point… “working to get it ready or working to keep it ready” … but you will be working👍
What is the ventilation system that gets around having dorades? I love how clean the deck is - but open hatches are a gaping maw ready to ingest water what is the ventilation story for rough seas/weather? How does it all work in tropical climates if you don't want to run the air-conditioning - they're hot as hell, but you also have so much rainfall an open hatch seems like a terrible option too.
Interesting with the shower and the bulkheads, did you say the shower drains to the bilge, but is on the same side of the bulkhead? Is that designed to work as a flow limiter so that the compartment may fill, but drainage is restricted to a pace that the bilge pumps can cope with?
I have in mast furler on my Beneteau and have not had issues with it. There are a few tricks...When rolling the sail back in while under load it is much more predictable and easier to be on a port tack when rolling in...and to exert some pressure on the outhaul while rolling in with the in-haul so that the sail is firmly and tightly packed and not puckered or bunched up...otherwise when you later try to unfurl the sail it can get "pinched" and not want to unfurl because it was not properly rolled back in. If you point into the wind so that the sail is not under load...then it is even easier. Every boat and rig is different but reef early and reef often...the boat will sail faster and less stress on the rig as less heeling, and drag and easier on the crew. That being said if I had the money I would prefer in boom furler...over any other kind due to horizontal battons, better sail shape, more roach. Hank on sails are great for the young but so much easier/safer... with furlers. Best..."SV Aquila"...Seattle...Shilshole...
I too love in boom furling. It’s the best of both worlds! All the convenience and if something goes wrong you can still lower the sail like normal.
I have one,but nothing like this behemoth 😂 i love amels, there is s reason why u see them all over the world.
They are definitely excellent boats
Thanks. I’ve loved Amels for years. I’m guessing her side is the ‘lived in’ side.
We are family living onboard for last 5 years. Owned 4 boats in the last 6 years. Now have an Amel Super Maramu. I can honestly say I will never buy anything other than an Amel after living and sailing one for the last 18 months
@@JayPerrypersonal REALLY appreciate your comment. Being new to this dream, I'm in that steep learning curve and comments like yours let me know I'm spending my time on the right path!
i think i agree with everything you say about nice vs need. i'll mention 1 but....emerald steel built their own water maker from off the shelf goods and as far as i know have never had any problems with it.
British registered boat
@@Mylifelovingit what?
That’s cool! Water makers are great as long as you don’t rely on them
Nice boat. The Amel is my favorite boat. I know there is a lot of electronics and gadgets, but they allow a couple to sail 54 feet boat. Without it you will need 20 people to sail the boat.
Along with a Std 34 weekend slab reefed boat, I've been crewing a hanse 418 on trips for the past 6 months.
Its kinda sailing but not. Self taking jib no Genoa, in mast furl, no traveller and electric winches everywhere.
We bring up winches but have never once used them. Apart from berthing, it gets banged on autopilot, which like everything else, is controlled from the plotter screen. Tacking procedure is just turn the wheel.....or tell the plotter to do it.
Its big, comfortable and great for groups but....
Luckily i still get to sail the little jeaneau.
Great video. Very fair discussion of the Amel. I will hopefully be purchasing one shortly so great to get the low down.
They are awesome boats!
Could you convert the water maker to be powered by a large battery bank? I hope to install as much solar as possible. The battery bank I want to install in my boat will essentially be two Tesla car batteries. Hopefully enough to run AC at night while I sleep (Custom DC aircon for sleeping cabin only, I have a similar system in my OTR big rig that powers my AC and my fridge, tv micro lights etc and two rooftop 400 watt panels and the rigs alternator recharge the battery while I drive (Just ONE Tesla battery in my truck)
Lithium batteries are a huge game changer, and don’t take up much space so you can always cram more in somewhere if you need extra power.
Thanks for the tour. The Amel has too many complicated (breakable) systems for me to have much interest and well beyond the capacity of my wallet anyway. That being stated, I do like the design of the vessel overall. BTW - I'm guessing the "messy side" is Maddie's.😁
My guess is that if you can afford one you can afford to fix it
@@observer7418 Guess what? My guess is your guess is right on target! Or.....maybe....should we both guess again?😂🤣 (sorry - sometimes I can't help myself).
Nice review. But I don't understand the point you make against the watermaker. "If it breaks, what do you do" - Well easy answer, the same thing you do, when you don't have a watermaker. The watermaker should not be a substitute for a well dimensioned reservoir. It's just a very convenient way to refill that reservoir without having to go to a marina where you rely on supply of unknown quality. Btw: What do you do, when your reservoir breaks?
Our issue against water makers is we have found that people often remove water tanks to make room for the water maker. They rely so heavily on the water they produce that they are not able to ration their water and avoid waste. If their water maker breaks and they do have a substantial water reservoir, they wouldn’t know how to use it sparingly because they are out of practice.
As for the water reservoir, our biggest complaint was that the 1000L water tank (an excellent amount of water to have on board) was only one tank. Literally all your eggs in one basket. If it got contaminated or worse, broke, the entire boat would be out of water.
We carry 200 gallons (760L) of water partitioned over 9 tanks. If one tank fails, we have plenty of other tanks that will help us get to our next destination safely.
Water makers are a great convenience, the problem is when people start to depend on them too heavily.
@@RiggingDoctor Hey, thanks for that detailed response. I understand and I agree, that it is important to never rely or at least never depend on any equipment you have on board. You should always be prepared to live without all these gadgets. But I don't think this is a point against a watermaker. You don't have to be like other people - you can have a watermaker and be ready to live without it.
Love the Amels. Great video! Love from B-more
On my Hans Christian 48T which was built custom for me in 1987 we had Forespar in the mast furling. I sailed that boat for 32 years. From 2004 to 2018 I owned and operated SailBravura in the BVI, as a high end day sail business. We average 100 charters a season for 15 years. That is about 1500 sails which required a minimum of 2 sets and furls a day. So about 3000 in and outs (not counting reefing) over our charter years. During that time we experienced 3 jams with the sail; all on the roll out which does not present any real danger as your engine is still engaged. Each time was the result of the top 5-8 feet of the sail getting tired and folding over on itself. In time I became sensitive to this condition and had the sailmaker refresh that portion before we had any problem .
I cannot disagree with the couple in this video more. The safety in a furling sail is ten fold that of a hank on. The dangers of going on deck to reef or change a sail in weather are so much greater than reefing from the safety of the cockpit . More importantly, you don't delay reefing. Once it crosses your mind,; you reef. No postponing hope things will ease up.
For the last few years I've had a Bristol 45.5 with a Hood Stoway main. Our experience has been similar to that with the Forepar system. Trouble free , easy to use and safe.
That is very impressive and having only 3 failures in all that time is a wonderful testament to the system! I seem to be cursed because when I step foot on a boat, the furler will jam and the engine will have trouble! For us, we will keep to the old way since I bring the curse with me wherever I am, but for others who are in tune with their system, especially at your level, it is an incredibly valuable system that lets you manage the entire boat with a few lines from the convenience of your cockpit.
I think that boats just have finicky systems, yes they break, but if you do a good job at maintaining them, theoretically it should keep things running smoothly. However, sometimes weird crap happens, you get a bad part, and you don't figure it out until you're 50 miles out to sea. Some boats are worse than others, but creature comforts are more than just nice to haves sometimes, without them people burn out, get homesick and it makes living aboard uncomfortable. The truth is that things break on land too. The AC goes out, or your car turn signals go out, yes you can stick your arm out the window, but most people won't know what you're signaling or even that you're signaling. (true story, got pulled over in my early 20's in this exact scenario and the cop was like "Oh yeah, I wasn't looking for that.") Living aboard is similar to living in an RV, the systems are functional but sometimes made of Chinesium, all you can do is wait for someone to build it better or build it better yourself.
I think what you're really saying is, if you're going to invest in an Amel, owners shold invest in a very deep spares package and take the time to become familiar with the SV, and start a maintenance program on the SV. I'm not sure, but it sounds like your friend just bought the SV, and even though he had a mechanic go through the boat, do some work on the boat, it wasn't done correctly. You know what they say? RTFM And in this boat, owners need to do so, because as you said, there are lots of systems and pieces of gear that Amel builds into the boat. BUT... it not Amel's fault items need maintenance, that's just part of have extensive systems out on the salt water.
PRECISELY!!! Yes.
Do you recommend hank-on over roller furler for single handed sailing?
Herbie hates them. I get it, they can be annoying when they don't work. Personally, when you get a little older I find a furling Genoa is a God send for single handing. Get a quality one and inspect it regularly.
No way.
Ok, I am 62, my wife while younger, has a few health issues, when it is time to manuver or change sails it is all up to me with her at the helm. We have discussed furlers but still keep on sailing hank on. A big thing not discussed with furling is sail weight. That is so important . Your medium light Genoa may furl, but how about that gale coming in, can you fly it in a huge wind and not worry about it tearing like you can a heavy storm jib? Ok, I get convenient, I also get the right sail for the right conditions. And what about light winds while that medium light Genoa is Luffing and chaffing but you can fly a light weight sail? If you are willing to do the work, get an inventory and sail hank on. Furlers is all about being easy, not about efficiency.
@@NotaFlea ,my genoa is heavy, i flew the 45kt wind on a hankerchief of it out with no problem,when the wind is to light,i just pole her out. U can still use a hank on storm jib on removable staysail. Not ideal,but it saved me quite some time not messing with sail on the bow in heavy seas.
Alot of people will see alot of boat.
I see alot to fix and maintain.
Agreeeeeed
I'm guessing Maddie is the messy one? What are your thoughts on a roller furler on a head sail vs. in-mast main sail furling? Very different levels of risk vs reward IMO. I'm looking forward to the list of cruising needs vs nice-to-haves as I'm currently contemplating what is essential on my boat for sailing to Mexico from CA.
I personally think in-mast is more risky than furling headsails. In the world of furling, I think that in-boom furling is the way to go.
It stows neatly, has all the benefits of furling and if anything goes wrong the sail can still be lowered like a normal sail onto the boom.
@@RiggingDoctorme too.
I'd like in boom, furling Genoa, Hank on staysail, code zero and a shute or gennacker.
But life's a comp...you get what's on the available boat.
So batons in-mast furling sails are a bad idea. Separately, curious as to why the inner jib wasn't furled first followed by the outer jib to address the collision issue. Since everything is powered and manageable from the elm shouldn't be easy to do. Perhaps I am missing something.
No it’s just that we were not the captains of this boat. But none of the sails had batons
I’m so with you on this. All these gadgets that go wrong. The worst of course is the engine cos if that breaks down and it will, what on earth do you do? But even worse, if it leaks and it will, just think how many seagulls it’s going to kill! After all it’s going to leak diesel not water!! I reckon you just don’t use any of this stuff, much better; no engine or generator for sure!
Yep, we keep it simple. Less to fix means more time to enjoy the places we sail to!
rely on checking your systems especially if some one else works on them.
I watched a fairly in-depth sales pitch on one of these. All I could think was, "This is cool as heck, but what do you do 10 yrs down the road when the push buttons stop working?"
Right??!!!?
@@chrisrjcox If you could still get them, I would. Guess I'm a bit of a Luddite.
Our boat is 26 years old and the buttons still work fine.
Our boat is 26 years old and the buttons still work fine.
12:30 There's no rule against having two tiny water makers. Everybody goes big and expensive on one item, when probably they should go small, with dual units. Even the hand pump water makers are recommended to have handy and working for (non critical) emergency use. A watermaker which makes 30 Liters per hour is insane, no one should need to shower twice a day on a sailboat, people only consume less than 2 liters per day each, so go smaller.
13:20 Usually when people say "For blue water voyaging you need a water maker" they are talking about South Pacific voyaging (from California to the west) where there's no rain.. and often no wind so timing is unpredictable.. Not the Atlantic side where there is rain. Having a water maker is what saved Lea Lea from potentially life threatening situation when sailing from Hawaii to Alaska and the trip took 3x longer than expected due to the Pacific's spontaneous "lack of" weather.
That’s a good point. No one ever thinks about the smaller ones
Herbie got the couch. It’s the way of the world.
I never seen a bigger smile on Herbs face when he went down with the engine ..... So the Alburg refit will include a diesel engine fractional roller furling rig an a jasco head right ? 🤣🤣🤣.
🤣😂 You know it!!
Thought you missed an opportunity to talk about where crap happens back in the segment about the head.
😂💩
If the water maker fails on an Amel Super Maramu it’s is not unsafe at all, as the water tank holds 1000 litres of fresh water. Much more than on many boats!
The water tankage is incredible but it’s all in one tank so if anything happens to that tank, all the water is damaged. I really wish it had that tankage split up into 3 or 4 tanks in the same space, just to give you the safety of redundancy.
I'm pretty sure 60 liters = 15 gallons. I'm assuming her side is the neat side.
Hehe her side is the messy side.
The code zero in your shot is set wrong with the sail tacked inside the jib which means the halyard is routed inside the jib halyard. Looks like you jibed the code zero inside rather than outside the jib halyard, crossing the halyards. It won’t furl like that. Well maintained roller furlers that are sailed properly shouldn’t fail. Famous last words, I know.
60 liters per hour is actually about 16 US gal per hour.
Volvo Penta, I thought that the Amel had the Yanmar diesel. That is a beautiful boat for sure, and powered winches! That's the life. A sail boat owner I know who has arthritis uses a right angle cordless drill as a powered winch handle for his day sailor. I miss Wisdom! The neat side is Herby's and Maddy's is the unmade side. Maddy is an artist, and creative people are usually not as neat.
Haha Maddie is definitely not the neat one! We missed Wisdom too at this point, but hold on until Sunday! She’ll be back and ready to cross the Atlantic!
Super Maramu's came with a bunch of different engines... started with 78 HP Perkins, moved to 78 HP Volvo's (same thing really), then to 78 and 105HP Yanmar's.
i think for there target market someone who buys a new amel and sells it before it’s 10 years old. you would not have a lot of breakdowns. no more then any other boat. those systems only start to become a problem after probably 10 15 years I bet.
Is that your boat? I really wish you'd document what exact boat you're on in the video description section. Watching a video of yours and not being able to figure out what boat it is is frustrating.
It’s not our boat. The precious episode explanes how we moved into our friend’s boat for a month to cruise around the Balearics. Sorry about how confusing it is, but the episodes are set up to be watched in sequence. I’ll work on making the descriptions more detailed.
The best cruising boat is the one that is paid for.
Amen!
I have to say I am with you on the furler issue. Have seen how convenient they can be, and seen them broken when you needed to use them. Plus there is the issue of getting good trim on a sail, or changing a sail. I just prefer multiple hank on sails.
Amen!
Wow the first actual review of how she sails as well thank you guys. I’d like to know what you think about the helming position? Do you think you lose anything ?
It feels very much like driving a car being off to the side up by a windshield. As long as the electric winches work, it’s great because from the helm you can’t reach anything. If you have a bunch of people sailing with you, everyone gets to have a job and plenty of space at their own winch which can make sailing as a group fun since no one is in anyone else’s way.
I’m just used to sitting midline so it felt very strange to be off to the side. It was great on starboard tack when you are on the low side, but on port tack, being how beamy she is, you are very high up. That said, you don’t feel like you are going to fall out because of all the foot wells and coamings.
If you are sailing with kids, it’s ideal since the cockpit is so well protected and deep. They can be playing on the sole in a gale and you won’t fear that they will fall overboard and be swept away.
I really think it should be considered in its own class and it’s amazing, but it’s very different from every other boat.
Wow thanks you so much for replying I didn’t know you had until I came back to this video again. Since last time things have changed I’m now in a different position hopefully better than before making this boat an option is getting closer . I’m just also concerned about the upkeep costs compared to similar size boats but as it’s going to be my home I think it’s going to be worth it . I can fix most things myself it’s just the Amel premium costs per specialist mechanical this like the transmission unit if it goes or the bow thruster.
Thoughts on bowman 40?
60 litres , 30 gallons? Good deal!
One side is port the other is stb...no, sorry the other way around...:) v good review guys
ok good but whay about the garcia aventure
Great video, but wtf...captains cabin? Is this the royal navy in the 1800s?
Yachts have captains, or owners, cabins. They OFTEN have guests aboard for varying amounts of time, but the captain is there all or most of the time, hence the nicest cabin is a large private personal space that normally is off limits without an invitation. So, no, it isn't the royal navy in the 1800s but it is a matter of practicality.
We all know who sides which.. LoL. I hope all is going well, keep safe. Love yas.
Bello Velero. Me gusta AMEL.
Son increíblemente bien construidos y diseñados.
I would love to maintain a boat like that, but then I'm not lazy.
Good sir, the world needs people who maintain beautiful boats like that
Retractable bow thruster but the seal is subject to leaking.
Yes, everything has its issues, but at least the seal exists above the waterline so you can actually drop the unit out at anchor and just have a hole in your bow where water won’t go gushing in!
The port side is yours and the starboard is hers.
She’s the messy artist 😜
Super boat but like you say plenty to fix/maintain I guess I'm lucky that I'll never be able to afford one!
Which side? I think your teddy bear gave it away Herby (it was YOUR. teddy bear wasn't it 😉😂)
He’s a hedgehog and his name is Bart...-Maddie >_>
@@RiggingDoctor well, of course Bart does have spiky hair but the only proper name for a hedgehog is Sonic! ;-)
Are you guys lusting after this boat? What is going on with your own boat?
Nah we still prefer Wisdom. You’ll see her on this coming Sunday’s episode :)
They didn't think of everything, like insulation!
man i can say nothing good of furler sails or button push boats beyond the "if everything is working nicely and the wind is co operating and mild" that you have the convince of not having to leave the cockpit and that for sailing short handed it can make life a bit less "chaotic" until it doesn't for what ever reason and then its just a mess not to mention that i find when reefing the boat handles like ars its balance pointed pushed forward closer to the mast and as mentioned i cant feel my sail tug on me
Couldn’t agree more
The side that is messy belongs to the person that does the most cleaning on the boat
Haha I like that
30 gallons would be 120 liter (roughly). That's quite funny (unexpected :) ) mistake
I think the Dr. has the clean side of the berth...
Hehe 😜 yes
Never heard someone liked hank on vs furling - try that in heavy weather and let me know :). And no water maker in 3 years !!! Not my wife
Heavy weather is actually when we are most thankful for hank on sails. When you need the sail down, it comes right down! No mess of furling it’s in slowly or having a bulky luff.
We do miss our furler (we took it off about 7 years ago) when we arrive somewhere and now need to bag the headsails up. Furlers are great for putting the sail away and getting it off the deck 😎
Well so your brilliant conclusion is if you don't have something then that something won't breakdown... clap clap clap
Exactly! Keep it simple and go cruising or spend your entire time fixing things that you don’t actually need instead of enjoying the places you cruise to.
I would say Maddie sleeps in the Portside bunk becuase she is more artistic than you Herb! I'm having flashbacks to 1999 and the world renowned and 'left of field' artist Tracey Emin's dirty laundry and unmade bed winning the prestigous Turner Prize at the Tate Modern in London. Maddie is very expressive in the same sense BECAUSE she is an artist first and sailor second only to you Herb! RE: Amel synopsis - I would simply sum up Amel for their intelligent well thought out blue water yachts. There are quite simply superb! The Amel 54 ticks all my boxes. Best ROB-Portsmouth
What's going on with the hair 🤣
Who really cares??
Is somebody joining a Boy Band ?
Yes. It’s me. I am. -Maddie
Maddie is messy, goes with extrovert
All boats have problems if not properly maintained or operated. Most of the problems you that referred to fell in one of those two buckets. Your "answers" are often nonsense... e.g. for not having a water maker but this boat has a 1100 litre tank to give you lots of water if the water maker does break down. ALL of those electric winches can be operated manually so you are back in the 60's IF you want. Yes, it's complicated but those comforts allow you to sail a 53 boat with 1-2 people in comfort across huge seas.
I see your point, but when the electric winches allow them to be placed in locations that can’t be reached from the helm, you can no longer easily steer and trim. Imagine trying to jibe when the helm is to the side and the winches are far far away!
As for the water tank, yes, it carries a ton of water which is excellent, but in a single tank. If anything happens to it or it gets contaminated, all of your water is lost and that is a major design flaw.
We only carry 800L of water, but it is divided into 8 tanks, so if one tank gets damaged or contaminated, we still have 700L of water left.
Our water tanks typically last us 1 month if we are not conserving water or 2-3 months if we are conserving water. With that logic, why have the extra maintenance and headache of a water maker if you can get by with visiting a pier 4 to 12 times per year?
The Amel was a very plush and well designed boat, but all of those amenities will keep you tied to land as you will constantly need parts for maintenance or professional help if you are too old to crawl into the small spaces where these systems live. In other words, your are either going to need a lot of money to pay someone to do the maintenance or you are going to be spending your cruising days working on the boat to keep it running.
This is why I prefer simplicity.
@@RiggingDoctor I've sailed over 8000 nm offshore in them across 4 different passages and three different SM's. Each of them was well maintained and we had no issues other than having to replace sea water impellers due to Saragaso grass and a clogged toilet for a sin that will go unmentioned. Nothing at all specific to the type. If you go on the Amel forums, you'll see that about 90% of the maintenance posts/questions are about either the bow thruster or rear C-drive seal regular maintenance items (replacement every 2 years). As to jibing and tacking without the electrics, I've done it dozens of times single handed at night when you don't want to wake the crew with the noise of the electrics. No big deal. As long as the boat is well trimmed, the forces aren't huge but It's a big boat so you plan things accordingly. You can easily manage the sheets on the winches and even the mainsheet from the helm although you generally do one at a time so not an issue. You're both young and can enjoy living on a more basic boat... most of us started that way but when you get to be my age, you appreciate those conveniences as it allows an extra decade or two of sailing. There is a good reason why there are so many Super Maramu's and other Amel's in remote locations around the world (probably more than any other specific model)... they were designed from the keel up to be cruised by an older couple. I get it that it isn't your cup of tea, but you are dead wrong in many of your criticisms.
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LIKE W/T COMPARTMENTATION BUT WHY NO PORTATABLE PUMPS ? AGREE WITH YOU ON SELF FURLING RIGS THE MAJOR FLAW WITH THIS VESSEL IS THAT IT RELYS ON SYSTEMS WHICH WILL BREAK AT MOSTLY THE WORST TIME IN THE OTHER EXTREME WHAT WOULD CAPT JOSH SLOCUM IN THE SPRAY DO ??? THERE MUST BE A HAPPY MEDIUM HAPPY AND SAFE SAILING !
Agreed!
Extroverted artist vs Introverted Mason....gee, no idea who has which side of the v-berth 😒😂
Hehehehe 😜
Your kitchen looks like SV Delos
Same make and model of boat. Amel Super Maramu 2000.
It’s not ours, but it is the same boat
I hate to say this but that Amel looks very poorly maintained. You pretty much have to do a complete refit of Amels about every 5 years. Will they last longer? Yea...but. So the Amel I was lucky enough to deliver from CAlifornia to Washington state was exactly like this one but it had been completely refit every 5 years and when I say complete I mean complete. ALL standing rigging and ALL running rigging. Not rebuilt electric winches but either completely rebuilt with every internal part new or a whole new winch/motor. As for the Engine room after 12 years a new Volvowith 20 more HP was installed and a brand new generator and brand new engine room insulation, And ALL NEW SAILS. As for the interior it was completely refit in the galley and main salon with light oak and granite. As for the bow thruster? Now motor AND shaft and prop. So in the end the owner told me to put away $12,000 every year you sail IN ADDITION to the things that break between refits. His last refit (without new engine, generator and engine room insulation) just the standing rigging, running rigging and all new winches and furler motors WITH new sails and new forward looking sonar and a all new Garmin Navigation suite with a race boat hydraulic auto pilot (With rebuilt factory auto pilot as backup) cost him $39,000 at Amel service center.
The engine, genpack and insulation with all new hoses, wire harnesses and fittings and a seperate new sea strainer installed just for the generator cost him $55,000. Not cheap to keep.
Not cheap, but that’s the price of excellence.
- gizmos have their downside...read downtime...looks like a systems and maintenance nightmare
Our philosophy is, if you have nothing, you have nothing to fix!
Cha Ching, cha ching etc. etc.
Yeah. This is why we sail an old classic boat with basically no electronics haha
This is bad seamanship. There is nothing wrong with a furler, but you have to use it wisely. If the system clips in any way you tack. . If you don't realise that, you are not entitled to comment on this. Go and take a few lessons.
Seamanship can’t correct a baggy sail that gets stuck and pinched in the mast groove.
On new Amel 50 osmosis starting in 8 month! No warranty claims accepted.
Beware!
You again. It seems that you are on your way to spread lies all over youtube. What is your problem? You do not even know what your are speaking about. What means M E ?
British boat? Come on Herb, that's 0 for 2 in a few minutes.
Haha the owner of the boat was British. It was a British flagged boat
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