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Amel super maramu 53 review: cult boat, deservedly so.
Amels have all these unique differences that make you think, “That’s interesting – I haven’t seen that before.” Even in their marketing, they have a unique flair with words. They use “gently” and the interrogative instead of declarative. This cultured voice blends perfectly with what Amel yachts represent. But is Amel just trying to be different for different sake or are these touches really superior? At first they clearly have a French flair that lures you in. Do the features hold under scrutiny?
In 1965, Henri Amel opened Amel Shipyards in La Rochelle, France. He was known as le Cap’tain and had a unique style which is the continuing foundation of Amel’s excellence. His real name was not Amel, but after fighting in WWII in Africa, he declared that the person he once was did not exist anymore and so took the name Amel. He was a forerunner of fiberglass, bluewater sailboats producing 36 Kirk, 41 Euros, 52 Meltem designs. This moved onto the 41 Sharki and 46 Maramu in the late 1970’s and 53 Mango in the 80’s. In the late 1980’s, Amel moved to a 46 Santorin and the subject of this review the 53 Super Maramu, an evolution of the 53 Mango design. In April of 2005, le Cap’tain passed away four days shy of his 92nd birthday. These days the Amel 54 is their only production model. They are building hull 1 of a 64 Amel in 2010. The company is 100% employee owned and has produced more 50-foot ocean cruising boats than any other manufacturer.
First Impressions The Super Maramu has a soft raked bow coupled with a straight sheer that declines steadily from stem to a sugar scoop stern. The hull is of moderate beam at 3.5 length to beam ratio. The cabintrunk runs from the foredeck to far aft. A plastic overlay over the portholes gives the cabin trunk a one-piece look and sexy French style. The sidedecks are faux teak – a distinctive feature. The hard dodger is an easy way to pick out Amels. Just below the sheer is a thick red rubber rubrail bolted to the hull through a stainless striker strip. These ketches have a tall two spreader main mast and smaller mizzen. Underneath, Henri Amel was one of the first to combine a fin keel and full skeg hung rudder. The keel bottom is flat and wide enough for her to stand on. But, of course you should block up like usual. Some notable differences to the older Mango 53 are a lower profile cabintrunk and the sugar scoop stern aft. The Mangos had a counter stern.
Construction I like how Amel does their hull and deck joint. The hull is solid fiberglass of bi-axial cloth layers including the skeg and stub keel. The deck is cored with Balsatek. To join these, they place the deck on the hull while the hull is still in the mold. Then, Amel fiberglasses the hull from the outside and inside to the deck. This procedure eliminates the need for a traditional hull-deck joint. It is one of the features that makes you wonder. In this case, the procedure really adds value here and makes sense. The end result are traditional bulwark style gunwales without any mechanical fasteners or 5200. An Amel is really one piece.
As I perfectionist I never like when builders use iron instead of lead and especially with an external keel. Amel uses mostly high quality techniques, but the only reason for using lower quality cast iron instead of lead is to reduce cost. Lead is superior in every way. Lead gets the VCG lower, absorbs collisions better, and is more resistant to corrosion. The only thing I can say and pretty persuasively is that this trade-off makes an Amel more reasonably priced than an Oyster or Hallberg Rassy. The chainplates mount outboard, tuck under the external rubrail, and bolt through the hull. Amel brags that you can pick her up by her chainplates. Amels come with a retractable bow-thruster in the foc’sle.
What To Look For “Either you buy in 100% or don’t go near Amels,” says one owner. More than any other, Amels are a cult-like group. In France, they have an unquestionable reputation especially for support. The factory really stands behind their product. For instance, the Lexan in the hard dodger on one owner’s 15 year old Amel 53 was crazed and scratched from years of sun and abuse. The owner emailed the factory and asked what they would recommend to replace the glass. The next day Amel emailed that it was part A-45 and would arrive in three days to his address. Sure enough, three days later the Lexan piece arrived. The owned unscrewed the old one, screwed in the new one, and cocked the edges. It was an absolutely perfect fit.
A valid criticism of Amel is the lack of options. When purchasing his new 53 Maramu, one prospect mentioned his wife did not like the upholstery. The Amel agent replied, “Monsieur, you have three options. One, you can purchase a new Amel with the upholstery you see here. Two, you purchase an aftermarket Amel that has a different upholstery. Three, you can purchase a new Amel and hire someone to reupholster her according to what your wife likes.” The options are limited and include the inverter wattage, two engine models, and various other miscellaneous items.
On Deck Up forward, two hatches to the chainlocker are port and starboard with hinges from the bulwarks and dog latches. The windlass is horizontal between the hatches. The decks have that awful faux teak, and I really think Amel has lost their taste here. While the faux teak is functional and sensible, I feel like it cheapens the yachts. More logically, the faux teak can develop annoying voids and is not entirely maintenance free. Then again, the fake teak is definitely more cost effective and maintenance free than real teak – not to mention more ecologically responsible. The human race can’t keep plundering out natural resources.
With the chainplates outboard and genoa tracks along the top of the bulwarks, the side decks are easy to walk along. The main has mid boom sheeting with a traveler in front of the hard dodger. Portside of the cockpit is a deck hatch. Aft of the cockpit is an end boom traveler for the mizzen mast. There is oddly no push pit but instead a setup of various holes, a pole, and rope. You can insert the pole in two stern deck holes and another on the first step of the swim platform. This moves the orientation of the stern railing. Two lazarettes port starboard aft finish the deck storage.
Notably, the Super Maramu has relatively little obvious ventilation except three hatches. The Mango had four hatches forward while the Super Maramu has only two. There are not any dorades. The key to ventilation is opening all the hatches and closing the companionway. This allows air to flow though the interior. But, you must close the companionway for it to work. To facilitate air flow, an optional fresh air system draws from the cockpit and blows through the interior.
The cockpit has low head room with the hard dodger setup. The helm is a molded chair with the wheel mounted on the companionway wall. The helm has a raised footrest and is nice and comfortable. Clearly, an experienced eye fine tuned the ergonomics. The companionway hatch is offset to starboard. The port and starboard benches are long enough to lay down on and have the right kind of corners for cruising. Port side is a locker under the seating. Centerline aft is the mizzen mast with cockpit lockers port starboard. Two portholes help lighten up the interior starboard side and aft to starboard. Access to the engine room is under the cockpit sole.
Down Below A one-piece companionway door slides downward for interior access. I really like this guillotine style hatch instead of the normal slats. Every manufacturer should have entryways like Amel. The interior is fantastic African mahogany with teak covered plywood soles in the galley and saloon. The staterooms and walk through are carpet. The headliner is cream vinyl. You feel like you entered a French nobleman’s boat during the renaissance. The frilly upholstery and dainty details contrast deeply with what you usually see.
Forward most, the V-berth is more accurately U-shaped. A hatch and two portholes give some light and ventilation. The stateroom has a two piece door that latches shut. Outside is a head to port with en-suite shower. These all close off by the first submarine bulkhead. Amels are famous for these watertight submarine style bulkheads. I think you can classify this as one of the features that does not make sense. While on a submarine, such a bulkhead is useful, on a pleasure yacht it seems silly. At a recent Annapolis Sailboat show, Amel had a demonstration where they flooded the forward compartment and then went for a sail on Chesapeake Bay. With her nose 10 degrees point down, she still sailed safely to port. At the very least, the submarine bulkheads do illustrate a positive and under appreciated mentality. Amels are engineered to be seaworthy vessels with safety foremost, an ideology that many manufacturers either do not understand or disregard in their blind search for the all might dollar.
Amidships, the saloon has a quaint French love seat starboard. To port, a U-shaped dinette fits a good group of guests. The galley is port side the starboard offset companionway and is a long U-shaped galley with front loading refrigeration. The tiled counter top has high fiddles a sometimes forgotten detail. The navigation station is opposite forward of the step down to walk through aft. Aft most is another watertight bulkhead and access to the master stateroom and head. The master head has an en-suite shower again. The berth is low, large and U-shaped.
Engine and Underway Another unique feature of the Super Maramu and Amels in general is the engine access through the cockpit sole. The hatch is watertight and opens easily with hydraulic lifts. I think this goes as another superior feature on Amels. The access and room is excellent. You can step down into the room and maintain the Volvo engine and Onan generator with ease. A particular problem and worry with this approach is leaking through the sole. Amel takes particular care to seal and prevent this possibility. On the Mango 53, this aft cockpit sole was raised to help. Here the sole is flush.
The Super Maramu is on the light side of the D/L ratio at 222. Performance cruisers usually range from 220 to 280. The Super Maramu has a double spreader rig for the main instead of the single you will find on Mangos. One owner writes about the Amel Super Maramu’s pointing ability and performance to weather, “The shrouds are fastened to the sides of the boat so the Genoa angle can not be brought in to point very high, But 30-35 degrees is a max. You also have a hundred horsepower engine and enough fuel to motor from New York to Bermuda. Getting off a lee shore is not a problem.”
Conclusion Amels have unique features and a cult-ish following including the long running and popular 53 Super Maramu. Some of the unique features make significant sense like the hull-deck join and engine access while others like the watertight bulkheads are interesting. Finally, features like the faux teak decks and cast iron ballast do not add value for me but do keep the prices on these yachts comparatively low without any serious trade-offs. Two used Amels in Fort Lauderdale are asking $350,000 and $450,000. Fort Lauderdale happens to be Amel’s US headquarters, and a resource for more information is Joel Potter, the exclusive US agent for the Americas.
8 Replies to “Amel Super Maramu 53 Review: Cult Boat, Deservedly So?”
The author did not understand the stern of the Amel Super Maramu. The “setup of various holes, a pole, and a rope” are NOT used to move the orientation of the stern railing. The stern railing remains in place with the pole and rope. Those holes are for the passarelle.
The swim ladder which is normally mounted beneath the railing on the starboard side is re-positioned to the stern and used as a passarelle or ‘boarding plank’ when docked stern-to. The ladder has a large mounting that fits into either the larger hole in the stern deck in the center of the steps or into the hole on the top stern step, depending on the level of the dock to which you are berthed. There is a stainless steel stabilizer bar that clips into the side of the ladder to prevent lateral movement of the passarelle. A “Y” line with a spacing separator to keep the 2 sides apart is clipped to the axel bar of the wheels on the end of the ladder; the other end is clipped to a halyard. The halyard is used on a winch mounted on the mizzen mast to adjust the height of the passarelle. A piece of wood fits into the top horizontal side of the ladder on which to walk while using it as a passarelle.There is another attachament — 2 poles connected with rope — that ties to the stern pole. This serves as a handrail on the port side when walking on the passarelle.
Thanks Judy!
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how much should I expect to run and maintain a super maramu in Grand Canaria per annum; say a 2003 year needing new sails?
S/V Delos is a famous Amel Super Maramu 53. It’s been on a world cruise for years. You can see Brian and the boat on youtube or the website. I’m sure he would answer any question posed.
There’s no “best” boat, there are boats suited for a purpose. The Super Maramu’s purpose is to sail around the world, in particular the South Pacific (French Polynesia) hence its design is made of choices for this application. Tradeoff examples: Chainplates: It will not point high on the wind, it’s made to go downwind. But it will survive heavy (really heavy) weather. The submarine bulkheads, the Chainplates and the rigging in general suddenly make sense when you cross the Pacific… Know your needs, and chose your boat accordingly.
“The factory really stands behind their product. For instance, the Lexan in the hard dodger on one owner’s 15 year old Amel 53 was crazed and scratched… three days later the Lexan piece arrived. The owned unscrewed the old one, screwed in the new one, and cocked the edges. It was an absolutely perfect fit.”
I’m pretty sure he ‘caulked’ the edges… with sealant. At least I hope he did.
Signed, Your friendly typo police.
I’ve been dwelling into an Amel 53 for purchase, so all these comments and architectural description’s were an added plus.
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- Sailboat Guide
Amel Maramu 46
Amel Maramu 46 is a 45 ′ 3 ″ / 13.8 m monohull sailboat designed by Henri Amel and built by Amel between 1978 and 1989.
- 2 / 17 Panama 1984 Amel Maramu 46 $84,000 USD View
- 3 / 17 Panama 1984 Amel Maramu 46 $84,000 USD View
- 4 / 17 Panama 1984 Amel Maramu 46 $84,000 USD View
- 5 / 17 Panama 1984 Amel Maramu 46 $84,000 USD View
- 6 / 17 Panama 1984 Amel Maramu 46 $84,000 USD View
- 7 / 17 Panama 1984 Amel Maramu 46 $84,000 USD View
- 8 / 17 Panama 1984 Amel Maramu 46 $84,000 USD View
- 9 / 17 Panama 1984 Amel Maramu 46 $84,000 USD View
- 10 / 17 Panama 1984 Amel Maramu 46 $84,000 USD View
- 11 / 17 Panama 1984 Amel Maramu 46 $84,000 USD View
- 12 / 17 Panama 1984 Amel Maramu 46 $84,000 USD View
- 13 / 17 Panama 1984 Amel Maramu 46 $84,000 USD View
- 14 / 17 Panama 1984 Amel Maramu 46 $84,000 USD View
- 15 / 17 Panama 1984 Amel Maramu 46 $84,000 USD View
- 16 / 17 Panama 1984 Amel Maramu 46 $84,000 USD View
- 17 / 17 Panama 1984 Amel Maramu 46 $84,000 USD View
Rig and Sails
Auxilary power, accomodations, calculations.
The theoretical maximum speed that a displacement hull can move efficiently through the water is determined by it's waterline length and displacement. It may be unable to reach this speed if the boat is underpowered or heavily loaded, though it may exceed this speed given enough power. Read more.
Classic hull speed formula:
Hull Speed = 1.34 x √LWL
Max Speed/Length ratio = 8.26 ÷ Displacement/Length ratio .311 Hull Speed = Max Speed/Length ratio x √LWL
Sail Area / Displacement Ratio
A measure of the power of the sails relative to the weight of the boat. The higher the number, the higher the performance, but the harder the boat will be to handle. This ratio is a "non-dimensional" value that facilitates comparisons between boats of different types and sizes. Read more.
SA/D = SA ÷ (D ÷ 64) 2/3
- SA : Sail area in square feet, derived by adding the mainsail area to 100% of the foretriangle area (the lateral area above the deck between the mast and the forestay).
- D : Displacement in pounds.
Ballast / Displacement Ratio
A measure of the stability of a boat's hull that suggests how well a monohull will stand up to its sails. The ballast displacement ratio indicates how much of the weight of a boat is placed for maximum stability against capsizing and is an indicator of stiffness and resistance to capsize.
Ballast / Displacement * 100
Displacement / Length Ratio
A measure of the weight of the boat relative to it's length at the waterline. The higher a boat’s D/L ratio, the more easily it will carry a load and the more comfortable its motion will be. The lower a boat's ratio is, the less power it takes to drive the boat to its nominal hull speed or beyond. Read more.
D/L = (D ÷ 2240) ÷ (0.01 x LWL)³
- D: Displacement of the boat in pounds.
- LWL: Waterline length in feet
Comfort Ratio
This ratio assess how quickly and abruptly a boat’s hull reacts to waves in a significant seaway, these being the elements of a boat’s motion most likely to cause seasickness. Read more.
Comfort ratio = D ÷ (.65 x (.7 LWL + .3 LOA) x Beam 1.33 )
- D: Displacement of the boat in pounds
- LOA: Length overall in feet
- Beam: Width of boat at the widest point in feet
Capsize Screening Formula
This formula attempts to indicate whether a given boat might be too wide and light to readily right itself after being overturned in extreme conditions. Read more.
CSV = Beam ÷ ³√(D / 64)
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Find Amel Super Maramu boats for sale in your area & across the world on YachtWorld. Offering the best selection of Amel boats to choose from. ... 1994 Amel Super Maramu. US$198,186. SAIL Tahiti: Brokerage & Sport Boats | Papeete, French Polynesia. 1988 Amel Fango. US$77,072. Michel CHARPENTIER | PORT SAINT LOUIS DU RHONE, 13 - Bouches-du-Rhône.
2019 Amel 50. US$1,219,432. DIAMOND Yachts GmbH | Toulon, 04 - Alpes-de-Haute-Provence. <. 1. >. * Price displayed is based on today's currency conversion rate of the listed sales price. Boats Group does not guarantee the accuracy of conversion rates and rates may differ than those provided by financial institutions at the time of transaction ...
A boat with a BN of 1.6 or greater is a boat that will be reefed often in offshore cruising. Derek Harvey, "Multihulls for Cruising and Racing", International Marine, Camden, Maine, 1991, states that a BN of 1 is generally accepted as the dividing line between so-called slow and fast multihulls.
Amel Super Maramu is a 52′ 5″ / 16 m monohull sailboat designed by Henri Amel and built by Amel between 1989 and 1998. ... Sail area in square feet, derived by adding the mainsail area to 100% of the foretriangle area (the lateral area above the deck between the mast and the forestay). D: ...
One of their most iconic sailboats is the Amel Super Maramu. The Amel Super Maramu is a 52' 6" sailing yacht first built in 1989 until it was discontinued in 2005, after a production run of 497 hulls. It emphasized comfort and convenience, with built-in features ideal for long-distance sailing. The most popular version was the Amel Super ...
The Super Maramu, the culmination of a series of six different Amels produced in Henri Amel's lifetime, was first introduced in 1989 and was discontinued in 2005, the year Amel passed away, after a production run of 497 hulls. It is very much a production boat in that most everything about it is set as firmly in stone as possible at the factory.
Find Amel Super Maramu 2000 boats for sale in your area & across the world on YachtWorld. Offering the best selection of Amel boats to choose from.
View a wide selection of Amel Super Maramu boats for sale in your area, explore detailed information & find your next boat on boats.com. #everythingboats. Explore. Back. Explore View All. Overnight Cruising ... Look for the exact boat you need with our new search! Search . Default Search. Boats PWCs. Boats for Sale
Amel Super Maramu 2000 is a 52′ 5″ / 16 m monohull sailboat designed by Henri Amel and built by Amel between 1999 and 2005. ... Sail area in square feet, derived by adding the mainsail area to 100% of the foretriangle area (the lateral area above the deck between the mast and the forestay). D: ...
1994 Amel Super Maramu. £151,990. ↓ Price Drop. SAIL Tahiti: Brokerage & Sport Boats | Papeete, French Polynesia. Request Info; 1993 Amel Super Maramu. £181,543. ... 1991 Amel Super Maramu. £168,877. ↓ Price Drop. Michel CHARPENTIER & Benoit SIZUN - Yacht Broker | PORT SAINT LOUIS DU RHONE, 13 - Bouches-du-Rhône. Request Info;
13'. 6.5'. $124,900. Description: 1984 Amel Maramu. With a heavy heart, the owner is selling a lovely 1984 46' Amel Maramu. At the gateway to the world, sitting in Panama, the Caribbean sea is at your doorstep, or take her thru the Canal to the Pacific and you adventure awaits. Meticulously kept and always clean, well maintained and in perfect ...
He was a forerunner of fiberglass, bluewater sailboats producing 36 Kirk, 41 Euros, 52 Meltem designs. This moved onto the 41 Sharki and 46 Maramu in the late 1970's and 53 Mango in the 80's. In the late 1980's, Amel moved to a 46 Santorin and the subject of this review the 53 Super Maramu, an evolution of the 53 Mango design.
Amel Maramu 46 is a 45′ 3″ / 13.8 m monohull sailboat designed by Henri Amel and built by Amel between 1978 and 1989. ... Sail area in square feet, derived by adding the mainsail area to 100% of the foretriangle area (the lateral area above the deck between the mast and the forestay). D: ...
Below is a chain locker accessible through a watertight hatch in the forward collision. bulkhead, forward of the V-berth Cabin. US import duty paid. Equipment: Location: Ft Lauderdale, Florida. L94282. 954-224-8291. Contact Seller. Material.
The Super Maramu is a 54-footer sailboat. It is the archetypal Amel boat and has enjoyed a remarkably long production run. Since its production in 1989, hundreds of Super Maramus exist. Chantiers Amel ended its production 17 years later when it was succeeded by the Amel 54. A used one at this time will cost about $241,259.
Replacement to the MANGO 52. Listed Sail Area: From Amel's documentation on standard upwind sails: Main Sail: 35 sq Metres. Genoa: 67 sq Metres. Mizzen: 19 sq Metres. Total: 121 sq Metres (1,302 sq feet) It can also carry (at the same time as the above although you usually drop the main): Ballooner: 69 sq Metres.
SUPER MARAMU (AMEL) Download Boat Record: Notes. Updated version of SUPER MARAMU (1989). The most common engine was the Yanmar 4JH3-HTE (100 HP) which was an optional upgrade (made standard in 2003) on the standard Yanmar 4JH4-HE (78 HP). About 80% of the fleet has the 100 HP engine.
Tour Our Super Maramu - Delos. Delos is a 53 foot Amel Super Maramu and she is one of the finest built cruising sailboats in the world! She was built in La Rochelle France in 2000 and has seen what most sailboats dream of seeing. Why'd you name her "Delos?" The name Delos may sound familiar; it is a mythical island off the coast of Greece.
Seller Marine Courtage. 34. Contact. +33 6 16 19 26 87. Amel Super Maramu 2000. PORT CAMARGUE, Gard, France. 2000. $275,883 (Sale Pending) Seller Yacht Service Brokerage - Y-S-B.
Some of the most popular Amel models now listed include: Super Maramu, 54, 55, 50 and Super Maramu 2000. Amel models are available through yacht brokers, dealers, and brokerages on YachtWorld. The listings encompass a range of years, starting from 1979 models up to 2025. Find Amel Yachts for sale in your area & across the world on YachtWorld.
1979 Amel Maramu . The 1979 Amel Maramu is currently available for sale in Taravao . This boat has a price of $109,000. Our team at Seattle Yachts is here to help you find the right boat for your needs, budget, and style.
Description. The Amel Maramu 46 is an elegant world cruiser design by Henri Amel and Jacques Carteau, build by Chantiers Amel. The 46 Maramu is truly a classic sail yacht ready to circumnavigate shorthanded or single-handed. Amel design are very distinctive in appearance and as well functionality. The center cockpit has a hard dogger.