Amel has announced an addition to its formidable range in the form of Amel 50, a 15-metre sloop scheduled for launch at the Cannes Yachting Festival in September 2017.
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Amel has unveiled the latest model of its range and announces its official launch at the Cannes Yachting Festival in September 2017.
With this 15-metre model, the La Rochelle shipyard opens the Amel concept to a new category of clients, with a wide choice of navigation programs. With more accessible dimensions and price, the Amel 50 is also a high-performance, extremely comfortable yacht, suffused as always with Amel’s know-how.
Of course, the AMEL 50 is designed to sail around the world, but with her less-challenging hull length, access to harbours and marinas becomes easier and navigation possibilities expand – the ideal solution for both short-term and long sea trips.
With this model, the shipyard broadens the scope of use and opens up new prospects at sea. While not aiming to compete with racing yachts, the Amel 50 promises superb sensations, allowing owners to choose the way they use their boat. A family trip for a relaxing weekend break, a coastal getaway for two or a cruise on the high seas with friends – Amel 50 is all of the above.
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In a departure from the emblematic ketch design of the La Rochelle shipyard, Amel says it has chosen the sloop format for this unit. However, this is not a new format as such, as a number of sloops have already left the shipyard in the past.
For architect Olivier Racoupeau “The development of embedded techniques such as motorized furlers, means that manoeuvring a 50-foot sloop is much easier today and ketch rigging is no longer necessary on a boat of this size.”
Amel is dedicated to ensuring carefree navigation on its yachts, making enjoyment and tranquility at sea its top priority for owners. Easy to handle, the Amel 50 is a genuine Amel yacht.
Tools that facilitate navigation include electric sail furlers and winches, centralized controls in the cockpit and the self-tacking staysail. Navigation safety is ensured by the quality and ingenuity of Amel construction: rigid cover, deep, protected central cockpit, stainless steel handrail surrounding the deck.
Among the innovations on this new model, the choice of a straight, powerful bow is a break from the shipyard’s habits. The waterline is extended to improve performance, making the front part of the boat more spacious. The addition of a bow sprit makes it possible to move the anchor and the chain away from the stem, as well as tacking an additional sail such as an asymmetric spinnaker or a code-0.
The flat, wide stern, with a midship beam that extends to the rear, offers great dimensional stability and increases comfort at sea. The choice of this feature required twin rudders, something new for Amel, allowing the boat to maintain great manoeuvrability under sail. Safety is also ensured with the split rudder blade and the positioning of the fully impermeable rudder shafts in the aftpeak.
An inverted deck line: a subtle but important detail in the boat’s design. Good headroom is maintained thanks to the slight convex curve at the midship beam: a bonus point for life on board! Extended by the bow sprit, the inverted deck line refines the profile of the superstructure.
With this 50-foot sloop, emphasis is on the shipyard’s ability to break with traditional codes while maintaining continuity. While Amel’s know-how can be detected in every last detail, new horizons are also opening up.
“At Amel we are all enthusiastic, deeply attached to the history of our shipyard and always striving to continue to express our know-how and perpetuate the Amel spirit”, says Emmanuel Poujeade, managing director of the shipyard.
Team spirit has been omnipresent for this project, involving members of management, in collaboration with the sales and marketing department, the design office and the production team, and last but not least, the discernable brushstroke of the Berret-Racoupeau architectural firm.
The Amel 50 brings a new silhouette to the range, reflecting the desire for change expressed by the La Rochelle company. While maintaining Amel brand-specific fundamentals, such as safety and manoeuvrability as mentioned above, and remaining faithful to proven expertise, the Amel 50 will charm those customers interested in evolution but who also remain fond of the brand’s style and elegance.
One of the qualities of the central cockpit is that it ensures protection during navigation, thanks to its depth and rigid cover. This open cockpit with ergonomic angles extends to the rear, via sun decks that maximise the outdoor living space.
The new Amel can accommodate six people, thanks to the two large cabins each with a double bed and one cabin with bunk beds. There is plenty of storage room; under the beds and the benches, in the wardrobes and lockers. The galley, positioned in the starboard passageway, offers a very generous living area in the saloon, maintaining optimal ergonomics. The chart table is located to the left of the entryway and communicates directly with the entire saloon.
Open, bright and refined, everything has been designed to showcase the yacht in keeping with the Amel spirit. Noble materials have been favoured, especially the choice of wood species.
Despite being smaller than her predecessors, the work carried out on the horizontal lines enlarges the space inside the Amel 50. The quest for style and elegance is taken even further with the contrasts created by the different materials used, on which the natural light provided by the large hull portholes and skylight is reflected, and by direct and indirect lighting.
Amel 50 will make her grand international entrance via the boat shows, with her launch scheduled for next September at the Cannes Yachting Festival, set to take place from the 12 to 17 September 2017.
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