S/V Amelie IV
Well, we can hardly believe we're saying this. We've decided it's time to take our daughter back to Canada for High School, and getting the planning for our son's transition into adulthood, with his unique needs, underway. That mean's the big list of places we still need to sail to will have to wait for a few years, and Amelie IV will get to sail there ahead of us with new owners while we leave the 'real world' and head back to 'civilization' for a few years.
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| Watching dolphins at the bow off of Nuku Hiva, French Polynesia |
The Amel Super Maramu, from the perspective of ‘The Admiral’
(a.k.a: mom, teacher, cook)
For me it actually wasn’t the Amel’s impeccable reputation of being a solid and extremely well designed blue water boat that drew me to her. It was not the many special features that my husband, the captain, was excited about; such as the unique pole system, the easily set stay sail and twin head sails, the hard dodger, nor the well protected prop and dedicated engine room.
For me, it was the roomy interior design, the comfort, beauty and the practicality of it. From the moment I stepped down the companion way, I felt at home. The charming wood, the long galley and the open plan saloon with its horseshoe shaped dining area made it so that I could picture ourselves really living in here ! I could envision myself preparing snacks while the kids were doing school projects right across from the galleys’ large counter. I could see that the children would be very comfortable and that they would feel safe and at ease in the large cabins. The unbelievable amount of storage, which, over the years has seemed to be limitless, were just additional bonuses for our family of 4.
The fact that a boat this size could actually be easily sailed by one person, from the safety of the centre cockpit was another feature in her favour.
Sure, Mark and I had looked at catamarans, as most families with children do. But we never found one that had the storage capacity and capabilities that the Amel offered for the same price point. The fact that the Amel Super Maramu was reputed as being a very strong and reliable blue water sailing vessel, very popular and in demand worldwide was important to us. Amel’s customer service has been excellent. In the few times we had to order parts from them, it has been a pleasant surprise to see that, not only did they always answers our calls, but also that they had the parts in stock and quickly shipped them to us, hassle free, in all corners of the world.
I am so grateful that we decided to buy the Amel for our adventures on the high seas. Amelie has taken us safely and comfortably from the Caribbean, through the Panama Canal, across the Equator, to the enchanted Galapagos Isles, and across the South Pacific and then on to New Zealand and beyond. It is difficult for me to imagine letting Amelie go, she has been our guardian, our provider and our home. We know that she will be a great boat for her next owners.
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| Forward Cabin V-Berth (Sleeps 2) |
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| Bow Thruster access in forward cabin |
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| Saloon as seen from Galley: |
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| Pull Out Bed in Saloon: (Starboard side) |
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| Saloon table makes into a large bed. Also ideal for movie nights ! |
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| Television on swing mount |
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| Lots of storage capacity, including three and a half closets |
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| Two water tight doorways |
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| Water tight door for privacy |
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| Aft walk through single cabin (Sleeps 1) |
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| Captain's Cabin (Aft) Sleeps 3 |
Option of two single beds with table or one double bed ad one single bed
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| Double bed option (not seen in photo; Single bed on Standboard Side) |
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| Two single beds option with table |
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| ote added hatch in aft cabin (such nice airflow into aft cabin!) and 2nd autopilot drive under bunk |
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| Additional Single Bed on Stardboard Side |
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Aft Head  Forward Head  Both heads have deep sinks and plenty of storage 
Both heads are equipped with shower and wrap around curtain
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| Amelie in the Tuamotus |
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| View from Companion Way (Note the warm wood floors instead of the cold blue of the 2000 and later Amels. We much preferred this look) |
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| GALLEY : Central location with lots of counter space ! |
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| 2 deep sinks |
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| Water maker, electrical panel and generator switches seen in background |
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| Lots of storage ! |
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| Washing Machine in Galley |
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| Propane Stove and Oven |
Navigation Station:
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| Nav. Table as seen from Galley |
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| Closet to the right of the nav. table |
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| Amelie on her way to South America (before the addition of the arch and solar panels) |
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The Amel Super Maramu from the perspective of ‘The Skipper’
(a.k.a: navigator, mechanic, jack-of-all trades)
Having a background in Mechanical Engineering and hobbies that include small aircraft restoration & construction, plus growing up on a farm maintaining heavy farm equipment, the ability to easily access critical items for maintenance was very high on my list of priorities.
Not having to disassemble half of the galley or companionway to access the alternator or the raw water pump on the engine was not an option for me, particularly when cruising with a family on-board. Having to crawl inside a lazarette or remove access panels in the head to simply inspect and service the generator was unfathomable. The concept of having to remove a bunk and various miscellaneous components simply to access the watermaker pump for inspection and service makes my head hurt just thinking about it.
Having now owned, sailed and maintained Amelie IV now since 2012, I can say, she's exceeded my expectations on virtually every front. Maintainability IS excellent as expected. The dedicated engine room has been a fantastic feature where I'm able to inspect and maintain everything readily. All critical systems are readily accessed for inspection and maintenance. There's ample storage on the boat for tons of spares and tools. While I quickly recognized the accessibility of the mechanical systems, the excellent access to the electrical systems was a pleasant surprise. Critical components are easily accessed or removed, with some components installed with long enough tails so that the entire assembly can be removed from it's location under or behind something and simply brought out for inspection/repair/testing while still connected! When troubleshooting some initial difficulty I was having getting the B&G instruments talking to the Raymarine autopilot and charplotter, the tech who came to help was shocked when I simply slid a panel open and opened a door and he had FULL easy access to everything in seconds. His first comment was, "Why don't more manufacturers think of these things?"
In the specs below, I've listed the major work we did to get the boat set up how we wanted for the South Pacific, and then last season in NZ as we still hadn't decided if we were continuing on sailing or not, so wanted her ready for SE Asia and through to South Africa. What you'll see in those lists is my philosophy that good preventative maintenance on a regular basis allows us to focus on sailing, diving, snorkelling, hiking and exploring during the sailing season….not major repairs and waiting for parts in exotic locations. The lists also reflect my philosophies on sparing and redundancy. The only 'maintenance delay' we've had since leaving the Caribbean was about a week in Fiji last year while I had Amel ship out new racks and pinion for the steering system due to a worn and skipping tooth on one of the racks. Called Amel on Wednesday, confirmed the part on Thursday with them, they shipped it Friday, I had it in Savusavu, Fiji the following Friday! Installed it Saturday with the service instructions that Amel tech emailed me. Installing the solar array and controller was largely to reduce our reliance on the generator (even though it's never missed a beat in the 4 years we've owned the boat) and increase our redundancy on our charging systems. It did that in spades. Our old battery charger/inverter started acting up last year in Tonga. Given that we were only using the generator an hour or so a week at anchor (usually when we did laundry) and an hour or less a day underway, it wasn't a critical failure and we continued on to NZ where I simply installed a new one rather than repair the 10 year old unit. This year, we know two other boats that turned around leaving NZ with autopilot problems. We had the autopilot compass start acting up about 24 hrs out of NZ this year. A simple turn of a switch at 2 AM 'solved' the problem as the backup autopilot system was engaged and we continued on to Minerva reef. A new compass was then installed in Fiji about 2-1/2 months later when a friend came to visit. Redundancy when sailing shorthanded is critical in my opinion.
Finally when talking about the safety features of the Amel, everyone immediately focuses on the watertight bulkheads, safety systems, the U-drive and protected prop, the few thru-hulls, the robust construction, etc. Those are all true, but I now think that the ease of singlehanding every aspect of this boat has to be the most important safety feature of the boat, particularly with a family.
Running out poles at night when the wind moves behind is so easy and safe, there's no excuse not to do it and subject your rigging to flogging sails. Putting up or dousing the twin headsails (or the mizzen staysail), singlehanded, rather than disrupting the sleep of the off-watch crew is a non-event. If the wind pipes up unexpectedly, being able to simply furl the twin headsails alone, allows much more confidence in leaving them up at night and gaining some extra miles, when others on the SSB nets are talking about taking their spinnakers or jennakers down every night 'just in case'. Being able to furl the main, mizzen and genoa quickly from the cockpit, solo, in rougher conditions is a major safety feature we believe now. The ability to easily drop and raise the anchor solo from the helm is great if one of the crew is incapacitated or simply occupied. Even launching the dingy from the foredeck or davits and getting the outboard off the rail onto the dinghy can be easily done by one person!
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| Amelie sailing under Mizzen Stay Sail, Genoa and Mizzen- New Dignhy on the Foredeck (Fulaga Pass, Fiji) |
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| Dinghy : New (2016) 3.4 m Hypalon Dinghy with 15hp Yamaha Enduro and BeachMaster wheels from NZ |
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| an be hoisted on the side (as seen here), on the arch at the back or can laid flat on the front decks. |
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| Mizzen Stay Sail at dusk. We're always in a good mood when the conditions are right for this sail. It completely transforms the Super Maramu's performance in light winds. |
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| Twin Head Sails- Fantastic for downwind sailing ! |
Cockpit: (Seats 8 or more)
Very comfortable and roomy. The access to the large engine room is from the floor.
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| Teak swing table small enough to use underway |
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| Large cockpit table for when at anchor (usually stored flat against the wall in walk-through berth). Forward part of the bimini is seen folded forward here for terrific visibility from the helm for manuevering in tight quarters, docking or weaving through reefs. |
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| DECKS : In October 2014, we replaced Amel's "fake teak decks" with textured gelcoat to address our least favourite cosmetic feature on Amels and to improve our grip! The lighter coloured also significantly decreased the heat (inside the boat and on our toes!) |
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| Dolphins off of Nuku Hiva, Marquesas, 2015 |
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| Bay of Islands, Fiji, May 2016 |
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| ENGINE ROOM: Yanmar 4JH3-HTE - 100 HP |
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| Clean Spacious Engine Room with Great Maintenance Access Dry clean bilges under engine, drive and generator - If you see fluids, it's time to start investigating! |
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| Well insulated engine room means no sound enclosure on generator so it runs cooler and is easier to inspect, service and maintain. Watermaker, potable water pump, AC pump, filters all readily accessible for inspection and service. Easy storage of spares and fluids for long distance self-sustained cruising, plus tools to keep everything shipshape. Engine room is shown in these photos in full cruising mode with spare oil and fuel filters, spare belts, oil change pump, engine oil and transmission fluid for an oil change, spare misc. fluids, shop vac and a spare engine room blower fan all securely stowed! |
The last haul out was in April 2016 in New Zealands's Half Moon Bay
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| Bow thruster |
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| Amelie in Roroia, Tuamotus …….. this could be YOU next season!
Specs
Builder: Amel
Designer: Henri Amel
Flag of Registry: Canada
Hull Shape: Monohull
Year of Manufacture: 1994
Hull Number: 128
Dimensions
LOA: 53’
Beam: 4.60 m
Draft: 2.10 m
Ballast: 5000 kgs
Dry Weight: 16000 kgs
Mechanicals
Main engine: Yanmar 100hp (Approx 1650 h currently)
Generator: Phasor Marine 5.5kw (Approx 2750h currently)
Watermaker: Dessalator 24V - 50L/h (3600h currently) - New membranes in 2014. Spare rebuilt HP pump included in spares.
Bow thruster 7,5kW - serviced annually with Amel factory recommended upgrades installed. Upgraded output shaft to address common seal wear issue.
Windlass Lofrans 1,200W - gearbox completely overhauled in 2014 and motor serviced. Spare motor and brushes in spares.
Electrical Systems
Solar panels on stainless steel arch (825w) - 2015 with Outback MPPT Controller
8 batteries (Lead Acid - 450 A/H @ 24V / 900 A/H @ 12 V) - Oct 2014 1 battery 100 A/H (starting) 135 Amp - 24V Alternator on Main Engine with external regulator (Rebuilt 2015) Victron Quattro 3000 W Inverter/Charger - (220V/24V) / 70 amp charger (2016) 110 V / 24 V Inverter - 1500 W (2015) Phasor Marine - 5.5 kw Generator
Note: Mizzen mast mounted wind generators shown in some photos were removed in NZ in 2017. After the solar panels were added, their relatively small contribution didn’t offset the noise, windage and inability to use the Mizzen Staysail. After 5 months of full time cruising, the light wind sailing improvement has more than confirmed their removal as they’ve rarely been missed!
Rigging and Sails
Furling mainsail - 2007 - Insp NZ 2016, excellent condition, leech pocket replaced
Furling genoa - 2007 - Insp NZ 2016, excellent condition, UV cover replaced
Furling mizzen - 2016
Storm Jib (ATN Galerider) - 150 sq ft - 2014
Ballooner - 1994
Mizzen Staysail - 1994
(Ballooner and mizzen staysail were not used by previous owner for over 12 years, stored dry and are in excellent shape, stitching and fabric are in great condition, fully inspected prior to S Pacific crossing and again in NZ, used regularly now. These are our two absolutely favorite sails!)
Standing rigging - Replaced 2011, Regularly inspected and tuned in NZ 2016
2x poles plus extensions (Amel’s incredible pole and twin headsail system has to be used to be fully appreciated for it’s simplicity and ease of singlehanding!)
Electric furling genoa - 2014 complete overhaul: cleaning, lubrication, , bearings, upgraded hub, & seals (and fully inspected/lubricated again in NZ this season)
Electric main sail furling system - main and outhaul gearboxes replaced 2014. New electric motor on main furler (2014) and outhaul furling motor overhauled 2016. Both gearboxes were fully inspected/lubricated again in NZ this season
Electric winches:
- 2 electric winches for genoa - 1 electric winch for main sail (gearbox overhauled 2014, new motor 2014) - 8 mechanical winches
Electronics
Log-speedometer (B&G Network Speed - 2008)
Wind speed and direction (B&G Network Wind - 2008 - NMEA)
Depthsounder (B&G Network Depth -2008
Chartplotter / Radar / GPS - Raymarine C80 (integrated to AIS, Autopilot, Wind)
- Caribbean/Central America/S Pacific/SE Asia charts
Autopilot - Raymarine Primary (2014), Autohelm 7000 Secondary
AIS Transceiver - Vesper Marine - XB8000 WatchMate w/ Wifi (2016)
VHF Radio - Standard Horizon - GX2150 (2014) w/ DSC & AIS
SSB Radio - Icom IC-M7000 - with backstay antenna, used regularly
Iridium satellite telephone (9575 Extreme) with RedPort Optimizer
Laptop with OpenCPN and Extensive S Pacific/SE Asia Google Earth data Cockpit speakers Compass TV/DVD set
Tanks
Fresh Water Tanks: 1 Fiberglass (1000 Liters)
Fuel Tanks: 1 Stainless steel (600 Liters)
Holding Tanks: 1 (80 Liters)
Appliances
Refrigerator (incl. small freezer compartment) in galley - Vitrofrigo (2014)
Refrigerator/freezer under saloon couch - Waeco/Danfoss (2011)
Air conditioning/heating - Cruisair 12,000 BTU (2010)
Washing machine - Eumina (2009)
Gas stove - ENO (2010)
Ice maker, rice cooker, blender,Sodastream,electric hot plate, toaster
Dishwasher (Never used, excellent storage!)
Accomodations
Forward cabin: 2x berth or 1x double berth and 1 single berth
Salon: 1x pullout sea berth & 1x double berth with table dropped down
Passageway: 1x berth
Aft cabin: 1x double (or single) berth and 1 single berth
Bathroom/toilet 2x (forward and rear)
Air Conditioning - 12,000 BTU AC System in main saloon (adequately cools entire boat on the rare occasions it’s needed.
Heating - Reverse cycle AC system and electrical space heaters in fwd cabin, main saloon and aft cabins
Mooring Equipment
Bugel anchor 35kg - Primary
300’ - 10 mm Chain - 2014
Fortress anchor FX-55 - Secondary/stern
CQR Stainless anchor 75lb - Secondary
30’ - 10mm chain for Fortress/CQR
100m rode and 2 x 25m rode for anchor / drogue
Bow roller assembly removed and rebuilt/reinforced & chain pipe from deck to anchor locker replaced with stainless pipe - 2016
Lofrans Tigres Windlass completely overhauled 2014 (bearings, dog clutch, motor)
Mooring lines / 6 large fenders
Safety Equipment
Life raft (6 persons) - New 2014, custom rail mount, NZ Feb 2016 service
Storm drogue and 300’ of 7/8” multiplait line (and 2 x 75' for bridle)
406 Epirb (2014 - Canadian registered)
Well provisioned ditch bags w/ PLB and hand pump watermaker
Lifesling MOB Recovery System
Fully stocked and up-to-date flare sets
Automatic engine fire suppression system in engine room
Portable fire extinguishers throughout boat (4)
Fire blanket in galley
Amel’s unique watertight bulkhead system (anchor locker/fwd cabin/aft cabin/engine room)
Standard Amel electric and manual bilge pumps in engine room
Emergency portable bilge pumps and hoses - 2000 gph (24V) and 3000 gph (220V)
Spare halyards, genoa sheets, mainsheets and misc running rigging spares
Emergency rigging repair equipment (cabling, clamps, turnbuckles, large boltcutter hacksaw and spare blades, cordless grinder, rivets, large rivet gun)
Miscellaneous
3.4 m Highfield Hypalon Aluminum RIB c/w Beachmaster wheels from NZ - 2016
Yamaha 15hp Enduro Outboard - 2015
Custom cockpit swivelling cockpit table for use underway or at anchor (still can also use original full size cockpit table)
Amel’s great hard dodger design with a custom cockpit bimini/side panels that now allows standing in cockpit to monitor lookout forward while standing well sheltered in the cockpit with bimini closed and side panels in place. Bimini over helm still quickly folds forward while retaining shade on aft part of cockpit. Full side panels (screen and clear vinyl) and rear panel (screen only) are included.
Koltri compressor (220V) to fill diving tanks
4x diving tanks
Amel’s unique and well designed bathing ladder/gangway
Fishing gear, fishing gear and then some more fishing gear
Countless tools and spare parts including:
- Starter, coolant pump, raw water pump kit, injectors, thermostat, misc spares - Engine - Coolant pump, raw water pump kits, exhaust elbow, misc spares - Generator - 24 v alternator (65 amp - internally regulated) - Mainsail/outhaul furling motor - Amel furling gearbox ring & pinion and spare hub - Windlass spares incl spare motor & motor brushes - Lewmar winch gearbox and motor brushes - Bowthruster seal kits & spare prop - Amel U-drive seal kits
- Bilge pump diaphraphms and valves (2 sets) - B&G wind sensor spares - Rotary autopilot drive (spare in addition to installed backup linear drive) - Lewmar winch spares - Outboard spares - Hatch parts kits - Head rebuilt kits - Potable water system pump - Washdown pump - Extensive stainless fastener spares - Extensive spare blocks, shackles, travellers, rigging spares - Extensive electrical spares - Hoses, clamps - Diving equipment spares (regulators, straps, hoses, BCD spares, etc) - Extensive hand tools and electric tools
(Complete detailed inventory of spares available on request)
All high quality kitchen utensils, cutlery and plates
Refit work in 2014/2015 prior to Pacific Crossing
o Overhaul of all furling equipment. New mainsail furling and outhaul gearboxes (including manual gearbox). Amel genoa furler completely overhauled with new bearings, seals, ring and pinion (old ring and pinion still quite serviceable and retained as emergency spares).
o Stainless steel solar arch/davits with 825W solar array with Outback MPPT Controller
o Engine and generator comprehensive service plus:
- New engine mounts on main engine & alignment on engine & U-drive - New main engine exhaust hose - Rebuilt raw water pumps on both engine and generator - Pulled exhaust elbow on main engine and inspected (excellent condition) - Adjusted tappets on both main and generator
o Serviced Amel U-Drive (new seals/fluids) and overhauled retractable bowthruster.
o Removed previously installed Nu-teak vinyl teak decking and Amel’s faux teak gel coat from side and aft decks. Replaced with off-white textured gelcoat non-skid surface. Much cleaner looking and cooler. Can walk on decks barefoot now and interior temperature dropped 1-2 degrees Celsius.
o Completely overhauled windlass and installed 300’ of new anchor chain.
o Installed complete secondary autopilot complete with independent linear drive on rudder stock, controller, compass/computer and cockpit display. Rotary selector switch now allows easy transfer between two completely independent installed systems.
o New rudder packing / fully inspected rudder bearings
o ALL seacocks replaced in 2013/2014
o New liferaft in stainless steel cradle built into aft railing and arch structure
o Changed propane system to US style - 20lb Fiberglass Tanks mounted on aft deck in a custom rail cradle with custom Sunbrella cover. (Amel’s standard mounting location is always a point of contention with ABYC surveyors as the access is inside the lazarette. Additionally, the small European bottles the locker was designed for weren’t easily filled in many locations).
o Completely updated safety equipment including drogue, storm jib, flares, ditch bags, Lifesling MOB system, EPIRB, PLB, fire extinguishers, sat phone, VHF with DSC & AIS
o Professional cleaning of fuel tank and installation of access port for cleaning
o Converted to all LED lighting inside boat
o Custom teak table with stainless swivel mount. Easily removed and stowed to allow full-size table to be used.
o Installed backstay antenna for SSB Much better reception than whip antenna.
Service in 2016:
- Comprehensive main engine and generator inspection and service including:
- New injectors on main engine
- New custom built fiberglass water lift muffler on engine
- New generator exhaust elbow and stainless exhaust fittings
o Serviced Amel U-Drive (seals/fluids), dropped and inspected bowthruster
o Overhauled steering system with new steering racks and pinion along with upgraded cable ends from Amel.
o Max-Prop feathering propeller disassembled and fully inspected/serviced by Max-Prop shop in NZ
o Full service/inspection of liferaft
o Disassembled and inspected all furling gearboxes, lubricated, excellent condition
o Removed forestay to inspect and lubricate foil. Replaced forestay although in excellent condition as the cost to do so in NZ was quite reasonable and it was already off the boat so easy to do!
o New mizzen from Caliber Sails - NZ as old mizzen had small areas of UV damage though the slot on the mast and being furled to the same spot regularly. Could have been repaired, but costs to have a new sail made in NZ didn’t justify repairing.
o Genoa sun cover and mainsail leech cord pockets replaced. Sails were fully inspected and in excellent condition.
o Rebuilt bow anchor roller assembly. Pulled and fully inspected forestay chainplate at the same time. Excellent condition. New pins installed.
o Replaced carbon steel chain howser between deck and anchor locker with new stainless steel pipe.
o Pulled lower spreaders on mainmast to inspect and repair small hairline cracks at root of saddle attachment at mast. Full rigging inspection and tuning.
o Installed Vesper Marine XB-8000 AIS Transceiver w/ Wifi. Couples to OpenCPN laptop and iPad’s seamlessly. Excellent anchor alarm feature also.
o Removed wind generators from mizzen mast to allow use of Mizzen Staysail. Completely transforms light wind performance of the boat! With 825 watts of solar installed, the relatively small contribution from the wind generators just didn’t justify the noise, windage and inability to use the Mizzen Staysail. Haven’t missed them at all!
o Sandblasted keel to white metal and recoated with 3 coats of epoxy barrier coat (Interprotect). New barrier coat on entire hull (Interprotect) and anti-fouled with Micron 77 (2 coats on hull / 3 on leading edges and waterline).
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Currently lying Scarborough (Brisbane Area) Australia
(Imported with Duty/GST Paid) listed for sale with:
Rob Devers - Yacht Domain (Brisbane/Scarborough)
Mobile: +61 407 112 265
Email: Rob@yachtdomain.com
See listing below for additional photos and information.
