Amel 50

"I can't sit on the fence about the Amel 50; it is a brilliant boat. It's neither revolutionary nor showy, and the unequivocal adherence to making everything maintenance light and easy-to-handle results in a boat that is not at all svelte."

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The guide on a 2017 Cannes boat show tour: "The storage on this boat is massive because the Amel philosophy has always been to have the central engine room under the cockpit, so all the systems are there, no pumps, nothing inside the boat, and that makes the boat very silent and very comfortable."

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The guide on a 2017 Cannes boat show tour: "You will complete between 200 and 250 miles a day as a cruising speed, will be always between 8 and 10 knots, the boat points 35 degrees to the wind... very protective in the cockpit without going on deck, so even if it's blowing 35 to 55 you can stay in the cockpit and reef. Fuel tank is 675 liters and water tank is 600 liters, coupled with the water maker... that will give you about 45 days of full autonomy."

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During the engine-room tour, the Amel representative explains the seawater intake and a manifold supplying the engine, generator, watermaker and air conditioning. He also points out two battery chargers, an inverter and the watermaker in the same compartment.

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Amel's representative explains the 50's move from a ketch to a sloop rig. He says the hull's broad stern favors twin rudders, allowing mechanical steering without the loads he associates with one deep rudder.

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Amel's representative points out through-bolted fittings with backing plates, including stanchions and hinges. He says this arrangement avoids puckering the surrounding fiberglass and wood.

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The owner of a neighbor's Amel 50 shows the engine room: a 110 horsepower Volvo Penta with an Onan generator, air conditioning and a watermaker. He says "we only have one through hull in the whole boat" and everything is plumbed from that one point, so the bilges stay dry.

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The owner says this is hull number 22 of about 48 on the water, and the first with lithium batteries. Owners of the new model share technical information in a Facebook group.

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The presenter says it is "like driving a truck," very stable, and compared with a Beneteau 373 it "just doesn't move around at all."

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The owner says the furlers are all electric, with a manual override if anything breaks, and the presenters note their first time sailing with electric winches.

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In 18 to 19 knots of wind the boat cruised at seven to eight knots with no engine. The presenter says that anyone with the chance to sail an Amel 50 should take it.

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The Berthon broker describes this 2017-built Amel 50 (launched 2018, the first of the 50s, used for boat shows) as a cutter-headed sloop with swept-back spreaders and a self-tacking jib. The headsail is electrically furled by Profile, the mainsail is on electric in-mast furling, and a code zero is carried for downwind. These are the broker's sales claims.

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The broker points out an electric drop-down transom, engine-room access from the cockpit, a helm station with "fantastic vision", and five watertight bulkheads. Below, hull portlights flood the cabins with light and air. These are the broker's sales claims for one boat.

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The YachtBook presenter says the Amel 50 deck is covered with Estec instead of teak, which he describes as lighter, low maintenance and fully UV resistant. Both forestays have hydraulic furling, one for the self-tacking jib and one for the genoa.

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On the aft owner's cabin the presenter calls the leather-trimmed table stylish but functionally weak: it is so low that even a slim person would struggle to sit at it, and he thinks it may need modification.

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The presenter points out a hatch under the owner's cabin mattress that gives direct access to the propeller, so debris can be checked for quickly.

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The presenter describes a retractable bow thruster driven by an 8-horsepower 24V electric motor and a retractable stern thruster, with twin rudders for steering precision when heeling and a folding Varifold propeller.