Henri Amel, an emblematic founder
Henri Amel - whose real name was Henri Tonnet, Amel being his resistance name - was born in 1913 and was passionate about boats from his childhood. Mobilized during the war, he was seriously injured in one eye and lost his sight for several years. But this handicap will develop in him a strength of character and will incite him to build strong, safe and easy to handle sailing boats.
After managing several companies in Paris and Lyon, Henri Amel took over the Ateliers Rochelais de Polyester Industriel et Naval in 1963 and renamed the amel" work site which he will make prosper during several decades.
An accomplished navigator and tourdumondist, he did not hesitate to sail several months a year, despite his visual handicap. A paternalistic and grateful company manager, he gave his shares to his employees when he left the company in 1980.
Following his death in 2005, the boats produced by the shipyard no longer bear the names of winds or islands, but the name "AMEL".
A know-how focused on quality and comfort
Henri Amel was among the precursors of polyester construction, developing his know-how in this field very early. He favored the stratification of the interior partitions, combined with a deck and hull made in one piece, thus forming a perfectly watertight and extremely resistant structure.
This resistance and this sense of practical detail are found everywhere on board. Over the years, the shipyard's products have undergone a number of evolutions designed to improve comfort and enhance passive safety.
Among these, we note: the forward station equipped with a bulkhead and a watertight door allowing to sail with a waterway at the front; an anti-shock rudder developed by the shipyard, an articulated spinnaker pole intended to facilitate the pitching, electric furlers for the sails of before, a mainsail adapted on a mast with furler of a great reliability
We are not talking about sport sailing when we sail an Amel, but about comfort and reliability.
A range dedicated to travel
In the 1960s, Henri Amel developed the know-how of his teams in the use of polyester. The shipyard first launched small monohulls, such as the Super Mistral Sport or the Buddy.
Then Amel launched its first ketch in 1968, the Euros 39. This large boat for its time was built from 1968 to 1972 and was the precursor of the many ketches designed by the shipyard afterwards.
Amel confirms its desire to position itself in the travel boat market with the Kirk, then the Meltem a large 16m ketch. It is on board, and during a convoy to Polynesia, that Henri Amel imagines and designs the Maramu which will become a best seller of the yard.
The Super Maramu, the sailing boat designed to go far
This solid 16m ketch is still today a reference in the category of travel boats. It is one of the architects of the Amel shipyard's reputation. Released from the shipyard in 1988, then renamed Super-Maramu 2000 in 1998, 450 units were produced. She is a reliable, easy-going boat that will take you to your next anchorage in great comfort, in keeping with the shipyard's philosophy.
Genuine made in France
The shipyard has a turnover of approximately 24 million euros, and employs 130 people. 20 boats leave the Périgny workshops each year, with 70% of the business devoted to exports.
At Amel, everything is designed and manufactured in-house. The shipyard has developed several workshops where each specialty is represented: lamination, carpentry, fittings, motorization and peripherals. A rare fact in the nautical industry: even the masts are made at the shipyard. In total, nearly 30 different trades work together in the Charente workshops.
Excellence and perfection reign supreme in all phases of the construction of an Amel. Before sailing, each boat undergoes extensive waterproofing tests in the shipyard pool. The deck and portholes are intensively watered to detect the slightest defect.
A catalog with two models
Today, the yard offers two models: the Amel 50 and the Amel 60 . These models, released in 2017 and 2019 respectively, have abandoned the ketch rig but remained true to the brand's fundamentals. They offer plush accommodations and a well-finished boat for sailing and living aboard.
You will have to pay a little more than 1 million euros for the 50 feet and be patient, the waiting list making you wait several years before taking your first steps.
