The French World-Beater
1996 Amel Super Maramu 53 — $299,000
When it comes to sailing across the globe, the cruising community is divided into two groups. There are the purists who want to hand-steer a wet, cramped 35-foot boat while eating canned beans in a freezing V-berth.
And then there are the people who buy an Amel.
If you want to cast off the dock lines, cross the Pacific Ocean, and do it while sleeping in a massive walk-around master bedroom and washing your clothes in a real washing machine, there is only one boat. Built in La Rochelle, France, the Amel Super Maramu 53 was engineered specifically for a retired husband and wife to sail around the world in absolute safety, without ever having to leave the cockpit.
If a retail buyer wants a brand-new 50-foot Amel today, they are going to join a multi-year European waitlist and sign a check for well over $2,000,000.
The savvy buyer plays a completely different game. They look for the legendary 1990s models that have already undergone massive mechanical refits.
Currently sitting in Connecticut, is a beautiful 1996 Amel Super Maramu listed for just $299,000. To buy a 53-foot French world-cruiser for the price of a suburban starter home is the ultimate escape fantasy.
But before you hand in your resignation letter, sell the house, and plot a course for the Marquesas, you need to read the broker’s listing like a marine surveyor. If you buy a massive offshore sailboat without understanding the terrifying cost of “Standing Rigging” or dead watermakers, your South Pacific dream will bankrupt you at the dock.
The Specs
Builder: Amel Yachts (The French Legend)
Model: Super Maramu (53 Feet)
Year: 1996
Price: $299,000
Location: Westbrook, Connecticut
Engine: Yanmar 4JH80 (Brand New in 2015)
Generator: Onan 6.5 kW (Rebuilt in 2015)
The Green Flags (Why We Love It)
The “Engine Room” Jackpot: The single most terrifying part of buying a 1990s 53-foot sailboat is the engine. Yanking a massive, dead diesel engine out from deep inside a sailboat hull is a $30,000 to $40,000 nightmare. The previous owner of this Amel already absorbed that massive hit for you. In 2015, they completely repowered the boat with a brand-new Yanmar 80HP engine and rebuilt the Onan generator. You are getting a 1996 hull with a modern mechanical heartbeat.
The “Collision Bulkhead” Fortress: Amels aren’t just luxurious; they are practically indestructible. The interior of this boat is divided by massive, watertight submarine-style doors. If you hit a submerged shipping container in the middle of the Atlantic and puncture the bow, you simply close the watertight door. The front of the boat will flood, but the boat will not sink.
The Electrical Conversion: European boats are built to run on 220V/50Hz power. That means if you plug them into a standard US marina, you will fry the boat. This specific listing states that transformers have already been installed to convert the boat to US electrical standards. This saves you thousands in complex electrical work.
The Red Flags (The Reality Check)
The “Not Guaranteed” Watermaker Trap: If you read the listing carefully, under the Galley section, it says: “Water maker... (not guaranteed).” In broker-speak, that means the watermaker is completely dead. If you want to cross oceans and live off-grid, you cannot carry enough fresh water in tanks; you absolutely must make it from the ocean. Buying a brand-new marine Reverse Osmosis watermaker will cost you $6,000 to $10,000 plus installation. You must deduct this from your offer price.
The “Running vs. Standing” Rigging Trap: The listing proudly states the boat has “new running rigging” (which are the ropes you pull to trim the sails). That is cheap. What the listing does not say is the age of the “Standing Rigging” (the thick stainless steel cables that hold the massive masts up). If the standing rigging is over 12 years old, no insurance company will cover you to cross an ocean. Replacing the standing rigging on a 53-foot ketch is a $25,000 to $35,000 shipyard job. Your surveyor must verify the exact age of the wire rigging.
The Dated Electronics: The boat features an older Raymarine C80 chartplotter and an EPIRB with an “expired battery.” If you are taking this boat across the Pacific, you will likely need to spend $10,000 modernizing the navigation screens and radar.
The Verdict:
This is the absolute holy grail of husband-and-wife world cruising. At $299,000, the brand-new Yanmar engine and fresh hull paint make this a phenomenal base for a circumnavigation. However, the savvy buyer will use the dead watermaker, expired safety gear, and unverified standing rigging as massive leverage to negotiate the final price.