| Chantiers Amel | |
| Founded: | 1965 |
| Founder: | Henri Amel |
| Hq Location: | La Rochelle |
| Hq Location Country: | France |
| Products: | Sailboats |
Chantiers Amel is a French shipyard founded by Henri Amel in 1965. Based in La Rochelle, Amel is known for its production of ocean-going sailboats.
Yacht designer Henri Amel founded Chantiers Amel in 1965.[1] During World War II, Amel noticed that the floating caissons used by invading Allied naval forces in France relied on polyester resin construction,[2] which he would ultimately adopt in the production of his boats.[3] [4]
Amel's first boat, the Super Mistral Sport, was built in Marseille after he took over a failing shipyard. The boat itself was a success, but the business failed.[3] In 1963, Amel began building boats in the shipyard of another builder at La Rochelle. He split off on his own, founding Chantiers Amel in 1965. A fire burned his new shipyard to the ground in 1967, but it was rebuilt and a success by 1973.[3]
Amel was blind for an extended period of his career.[5]
At the time of his death in 2005, Amel donated 12,000 of his 13,000 shares in Chantier Amel to the company's employees.[4] [6]
Chantiers Amel has produced a variety of sloops and ketches for blue water cruising and for day sailing. For many years, Chantiers Amel was known for its practice of only producing a single model at a time.[7] Since around 2010, the company has been producing two models at a time; currently the Amel 50 and Amel 60. Both are sloops with optional solent rig staysails, designed by Jean Berret & Olivier Racoupeau.
| Model | Rig | Length, metres | From | To | Designer(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Super Mistral Sport | Sloop | 7.06 | 1961 | 1972 | Henri Amel | |
| Alisio | Sloop | 9.40 | 1962 | 1966 | Henri Amel | |
| Copain | Sloop | 5.25 | 1962 | 1968 | Henri Amel | |
| Pampero | 5.74 | 1963 | 1968 | Henri Amel | ||
| Euros 39 | Ketch | 11.75 | 1966 | 1972 | Henri Amel | |
| Garbi | Sloop | 6 | 1971 | 1972 | Henri Amel | |
| Maramu | Ketch | 13.80 | 1978 | 1989 | Henri Amel | |
| Mango | Ketch | 15.82 | 1979 | 1989 | Henri Amel | |
| Sharki | Ketch | 11.95 | 1979 | 1989 | Henri Amel | |
| Fango | Sloop | 10 | 1985 | 1991 | Henri Amel | |
| Santorin | Sloop | 14 | 1989 | 1997 | Henri Amel | |
| Super Maramu | Ketch | 16 | 1988 | 1998 | Henri Amel | |
| Super Maramu 2000 | Ketch | 16 | 1998 | 2006 | Henri Amel | |
| Amel 54 | Ketch | 17.20 | 2005 | 2011 | Henri Amel | |
| Amel 64 | Ketch | 19.60 | 2010 | 2019 | Jean Berret & Olivier Racoupeau | |
| Amel 55 | Ketch | 17.30 | 2011 | 2018 | Jean Berret & Olivier Racoupeau | |
| Amel 50 | Sloop/Solent | 15.51 | 2017 | Ongoing | Jean Berret & Olivier Racoupeau | |
| Amel 60 | Sloop/Solent | 18 | 2019 | Ongoing | Jean Berret & Olivier Racoupeau |