Amel Super Maramu for sale

Yachting Address Review — Amel Maramu and Super Maramu

In the world of sailing, a handful of names transcend their era and category to become absolute references for what offshore navigation can be at its finest. The Amel Super Maramu is one of them — arguably the most emblematic of all French sailing yachts ever built.

This is not a marketing claim. It is the verdict of thirty years of circumnavigations, Atlantic crossings, Caribbean winters and Mediterranean returns by owners who chose this Amel and never regretted the price. The Super Maramu is expensive to buy, demanding to maintain, and faithful to a construction philosophy that never sought to please everyone — but has served those who dared to sail genuinely far.

Maramu and Super Maramu: two generations, one DNA

This page groups two distinct models that listings do not always separate with sufficient clarity.

The Maramu (1977-1990, 13.97 metres) is the grandfather — the yacht that established Amel's reputation as a blue-water sailing shipyard. Powered by a Perkins diesel, rigged as a ketch with roller-furling headsails, it was conceived to depart with a minimum crew and return without incident. Current market prices — €80,000 to €116,000 for 1982-1988 models — reflect its age but not its deterioration: well-maintained Maramusare still very capable of long voyages. The Gruissan example at €99,000 (1987, excellent condition, 6 berths) and the Port-Leucate example at €116,000 (1988, presented by an Amel specialist) illustrate this market.

The Super Maramu (1989-1998) and Super Maramu 2000 (1998-2005) are the logical development of the Maramu — approximately 2 metres longer, with increased habitability, a more powerful Volvo Penta engine, and modernised equipment to meet contemporary blue-water expectations. At 15.97 to 16.50 metres, this is a genuinely large yacht — and its prices reflect that: from €195,000 for a 1990 Super Maramu in the Mediterranean to €270,000 for a 2003 Super Maramu 2000 in Sardinia.

What makes the Amel incomparable

Understanding the Amel philosophy is essential to understanding why these yachts are worth what they cost — and why they resell so readily despite their age.

Henri Amel designed his yachts from a simple conviction: a blue-water cruiser must be sailable by two people without professional experience, in all sea conditions, without excessive physical effort and without unnecessary risk-taking. This conviction produced radical technical choices: integrated roller-furling headsails from the earliest models (when this was revolutionary), a retractable electric bow thruster for harbour manoeuvres, a powerful electric windlass operable from the cockpit, roller-furling mizzen, and a ketch rig that allows progressive sail reduction without ever needing to go aloft.

The result is a yacht that non-professional owners have sailed around the world — often as a couple, often without prior offshore experience. This is not a feat: it is the boat's design intent. And it works.

What the specification sheets don't say

The Amel Super Maramu is heavy — 16,000 kg displacement for 16 metres. It is not fast — its reasonable motor cruising speed is 6 to 8 knots, and under sail it moves honestly without chasing speed records. And it is not cheap to maintain — Amel-specific equipment (bow thruster, integrated furlers, central windlass) requires regular attention and an above-average maintenance budget.

These three realities are not defects. They are deliberate characteristics of a precise project: comfort, safety and autonomy for long distances, not performance. For those who share this project, they are acceptable. For those who want speed or racing, the Amel is simply not the right boat.

The second-hand market: how to read it

The Amel second-hand market is distinctive in several ways. First, sellers are rarely in a hurry — a well-maintained Amel sells, but its owners know what they have and don't discount. Second, buyers are often connoisseurs — few people buy an Amel without having sailed on one or met other owners.

The price range on this page deserves careful reading. 1982-1988 Maramusm between €80,000 and €116,000 are 35 to 43-year-old boats — age does not disqualify them (a well-maintained Amel endures), but it requires prior expertise and a meaningful refit budget (rigging, sails, electronics, propeller). The 1990 Super Maramu at €195,000 following "significant refit" represents the category of boats that have received serious updating — often the best value proposition on this model, provided the refit is documented. The 2002-2003 Super Maramu 2000 examples at €245,000-€270,000 are the last production models — more recent, more modern, with equipment closer to current expectations.

What to check when buying second-hand

The diesel engine — Perkins on older Maramusm, Volvo Penta D2-75 or similar on Super Maramusm — is the first check. Navigation hours are secondary compared to service regularity. An Amel that has crossed the Atlantic several times with annual services is often in better condition than a boat that has only done the Mediterranean without being properly maintained.

The retractable bow thruster is the most specific and most costly piece of equipment to service on these boats. Its retraction mechanism must work perfectly — a thruster that won't retract is an emergency in harbour. Verify full operation during the viewing.

The integrated furlers — headsail furling in the forestay boom on older models, standard genoa furler on Super Maramu 2000 — are the primary wearing parts of the rig. Check bearing and swivel condition.

Standing rigging on Maramusm over 20 years old must be replaced — without discussion. A complete replacement on an Amel represents €3,500 to €6,000 depending on the rig and the yard.

The hull (fibreglass reinforced polyester on all Super Maramusm) deserves a moisture meter survey during haul-out, particularly on examples that have spent many years in tropical waters without regular dry storage.

Market prices for the Amel Maramu and Super Maramu in 2025-2026

Indicative ranges, market May 2026. VAT included unless otherwise stated.

Our verdict

The Amel Super Maramu is the yacht you buy when you have decided to leave — truly leave, far away, for a long time — and you want to do it safely and comfortably with a two-person crew without professional experience. It is the yacht of the family Atlantic crossing, the couple's circumnavigation, the return to the Caribbean after ten years away. It is not cheap, it is not fast, and it demands serious maintenance. But it keeps its promises as few production sailing yachts have — and that is why its owners speak of it with a loyalty that resembles love.