the amel story
THE AMEL SPIRIT IN CONSTANT EVOLUTION
The present-day lines of our yachts encapsulate some 60 years of savoir-faire, the fruit of Henri Amel’s passion for ocean cruising and shipbuilding. Their equipment and design are in constant evolution to ensure that comfort on board remains optimal, whatever the sailing conditions.
Take a moment to explore the history of AMEL… from the first small polyester boats to the large cruising yachts, highlighting the various developments that have forged the AMEL brand over the decades.
HENRI AMEL
Henri Amel, whose real name was Henri Tonet, was born on 16th April 1913 and, from an early age, he was passionate about sailing.
In his late teens, he undertook his first voyages aboard small sailing boats. But it was in his Paris-based coachwork company that he finally began building boats .
After being drafted into the war, he then continued his shipbuilding business in Lyon. Although he had been wounded in one eye during the war and sometime later lost his sight completely for many years, Henri Amel never relinquished his dream of building robust, comfortable, and easy-to-manoeuvre sailing boats.
The early days in La Rochelle
The AMEL Shipyard began operations in La Rochelle in 1964 when Henri Amel, who had previously subcontracted the construction of his sailing yachts to other yards, took over ARPIN (Ateliers Rochelais de Polyester Industriel et Naval), a company based in the Ville-en-Bois district of La Rochelle.
He had over 40 employees at the time, including draughtsman Jacques Carteau, who went on to become technical director and Henri Amel’s right-hand man, and later CEO of AMEL Shipyard.
The Copain, the Pampero, the Super Mistral Sport and the Euros 39 were all built in the La Rochelle workshops. As a pioneer in polyester construction, AMEL was building its boats using its own fibreglass cloth, using lamination to assemble the interior bulkheads, deck, and hull into one single piece, resulting in a perfectly watertight and extremely strong structure.
Super Mistral Sport
7.06m, built from 1961 to 1972
Copain
5.25 m, built from 1962 to 1968
Pampero
5.74 m, built from 1963 to 1968
Euros 39
11.75 m, first ketch signed Henri Amel, built from 1966 to 1972
The fire
On 3rd February 1968, the ARPIN workshops are completely destroyed by fire. Henri Amel decides to build his new shipyard in Périgny, La Rochelle’s newest industrial estate, with the new premises being inaugurated in January 1969. Since that date, all AMEL yachts up to and including the current models have been built there.
Garbi
6 m, built from 1971 to 1972
Kirk
11.02 m, built from 1971 to 1978
AMEL in Guadeloupe
Opening of a rental company, Guadeloupe Yachting, in Pointe-à-Pitre, which is replaced by an AMEL after-sales service base in 1981.
Euros 41
12.35 m, built from 1972 to 1978
The first La Rochelle Grand Pavois
20th – 23rd September 1973: La Rochelle hosts its very first international in-water boat show, the Grand Pavois, the brainchild of four La Rochelle boatbuilders: Henri Amel, Michel Dufour, Fernand Hervé and Roger Mallard.
Photo credits : Archives Sud Ouest – Jean Gaillard.
Meltem
16 m, built from 1974 to 1977
The Route des Cocotiers
October 1975 to June 1976: Henri Amel crosses the Atlantic to the West Indies and then sails through the Panama Canal to Polynesia, aboard the Meltem ‘Capitoune II’, which he had promised to deliver personally to a client and friend in Tahiti. He is accompanied by 3 crew members. During this voyage, Henri Amel co-designs the Maramu with Jacques Carteau, collaborating by long-distance radio.
AMEL Shipyard
In 1978, Ateliers et Chantiers AMEL becomes Chantiers AMEL S.A., a public limited company.
Jacques Carteau is appointed CEO in 1979.
Maramu
13.80 m, built from 1978 to 1989
Sharki
11.95 m, built from 1979 to 1989
Mango
16 m, built from 1979 to 1989
AMEL furling system
First yachts are equipped with AMEL furling systems.
AMEL develops the retractable bow thruster.
Fango
10 m, built from 1985 to 1991
Super Maramu
16 m, built from 1988 to 1998
Santorin
14 m, built from 1989 to 1997
Super Maramu 2000
16 m, built from 1998 to 2006
Boat of the Year
The Super Maramu 2000 is voted Boat of the Year by the American magazine Cruising World.
Death of Henri Amel
12th April 2005: Henri Amel passes away.
From 2005, all yachts built by the Shipyard no longer bear the names of winds or islands, but instead take the name ‘AMEL’.
AMEL 54
17.20 m, built from 2005 to 2011
A new building
The La Rochelle-Périgny production facility is expanded; a new 4,000m² building is inaugurated, with a view to producing larger models like the AMEL 64.
AMEL Caraïbes
AMEL Caraïbes moves from Guadeloupe to the town of Le Marin in Martinique.
AMEL 64
19.60 m, built from 2010 to 2019
AMEL 55
17.30 m, built from 2011 to 2018
AMEL 64 at Boot Düsseldorf
January 2015: The AMEL 64 is exhibited for the first time at an indoor boat show, Boot Düsseldorf. The model displayed features the new interiors offered by AMEL, with light-coloured woods and refined design.
AMEL 50
September 2017: A new model, the AMEL 50, a 15.50 m sloop, is launched at the Cannes Yachting Festival.
AMEL 50 European Yacht Of The Year
January 2018: AMEL 50 wins the European Yacht of the Year award in the Luxury Cruiser category.
AMEL 60
September 2019: Launch of a new model, the AMEL 60, an 18 m sloop, at the Cannes Yachting Festival.
AMEL 60 – European Yacht of the Year
AMEL 60 is exhibited at Boot Düsseldorf and, just like the AMEL 50, wins the European Yacht of the Year award in the Luxury Cruiser category.
AMEL 50 BEST BOAT OF THE YEAR 2020
After testing the AMEL 50 at the Annapolis Boat Show in October 2019, the US magazine SAIL names it ‘Best Boat 2020’, in the category ‘Best Monohull Cruising Boat 41 to 50ft’.
The 100th AMEL 50 is sold
June 2022: AMEL Shipyard sells its 100th AMEL 50, with delivery scheduled for December 2024. Building on this success, a range of new equipment is developed for this model, further improving its comfort, performance, range, and respect for the environment. Unit. 74, exhibited at Boot Düsseldorf in 2023, is the first to showcase these developments.
Construction of new dining area, break room, and C.S.E. office
Summer 2022: construction begins on a new dining area, break room, and office for the C.S.E. (Employee Relations Committee). This involves building a structure above the staff locker room to accommodate around a hundred people. This is the preliminary phase of a major project to transform the Périgny site (known as the PHARE project).
Launch of the PHARE project
July 2023: launch of the PHARE* project – an extension is added to Building 1.
* Préserver l’Héritage AMEL & Réinventer Ensemble = Preserve the Heritage of AMEL and Reinvent with Everyone onboard
The French word PHARE translates as lighthouse/leading/pioneering
“AMEL – l’héritage d’une passion”
December 2023: the book ‘AMEL – L’héritage d’une passion’ is published and distributed to all company personnel.
AMEL-Mediterranean
June 2024: inauguration of the new AMEL-Mediterranean off-site location in the Hyères nautical hub.
