The Amels 80 was unveiled as a "digital world premiere" at the beginning of 2022, towed from Romania to the fitting-out dock in Vlissingen two years later and now ready for launch. An 80-metre yacht that is not a one-off. Amels launched the Øino design "on spec", i.e. without a signed purchase contract.
On Spec: An owner will come
In yachting, on speculation loosely stands for: Shipyard builds on speculation, on good luck so to speak. Paraphrased commercially: We know exactly who wants this yacht - and doesn't want to wait long for it. Or in the poetic version: an owner will come. In the case of the Amels 80, the owner signed up just six months after the project veil was lifted and had Burgess supervise the construction.
Spec yachts require solid pre-financing from the shipyard and a platform that appeals to as many tastes as possible over a long period of time. Behind the Amels brand is the Dutch Damen shipyard group and a long tradition of semi-custom models, which were labelled Limited Editions for years and are now simply called Amels. The Dutch have perfected the semi-custom business. They attract owners with well-calculated designs, who are usually heavily involved on the inside and take delivery of fairly priced yachts comparatively quickly. The 80-metre model takes this principle to the extreme.
Amels benefits from the Damen shipbuilding group
For the Amels 80, time was taken to plan the size of the yacht and Espen Øino and Sinot Yacht Architecture & Design were brought on board. The yacht brand is backed by Damen, a renowned and financially strong shipyard group. Members of the Damen family, above all Damen Yachting Managing Director Rose Damen, acted as potential owners during the project phase and contributed their wishes and ideas.
Damen Yachting also utilised the parent company's facilities for the Amels 80. The hot work was carried out in Galati, Romania, one of Damen's 35 locations worldwide. After the filled steel-aluminium hull had slipped across the Helgen into the Danube, it was towed across the Black Sea to the open sea and on to the Amels site in Vlissingen.
Espen Øino's second project with Amels
Amels signed a new "old" acquaintance in Espen Øino: The Norwegian made his debut for the Dutch team with the Amels 60of which seven units have been afloat since 2022. Øino's brief was to design a timeless beauty. "These lines don't age and will still look good in ten years' time," says the designer and builder, summarising the appearance of the 80-metre-long and 12.50-metre-wide lady. At 2175 gross tonnes, the semi-custom model offers an impressive volume and enormous open-air spaces. The 14 guests on board can therefore look forward to all kinds of superlatives in terms of space, such as a 200 square metre sun deck, an owner's deck with 517 square metres of living space and a 200 square metre beach club including lounge and spa.
On a long journey with hybrid drive
Damen Yachting provided all the design services. The focus is on efficient drives and an environmentally friendly energy supply, bringing Amels a big step closer to its goal of becoming the "world's most sustainable yacht builder". The key technologies include heat recycling from the engine room for hot water preparation and fuel-efficient CAT engines, which are computer-controlled, battery-supported and run at around 80 to 90 per cent power thanks to variable speeds. The E-Serenity package, which supplies all decks completely with stored electrical energy at night, is optional so that guests can sleep peacefully and the surrounding area is spared any disturbing noises.
The Amels 80 is capable of travelling at a maximum speed of 16.5 knots and has a range of 5000 nautical miles at a cruising speed of twelve knots. Two tenders (11.50 and 8.50 metres) ensure mobility in port or at sea, which are lowered into the water from the forward hull hatches by crane. On request, there is a charging station for electric dinghies instead of a petrol station. If guests arrive by air, they land on the helipad on the foredeck, which can hold up to four tonnes of weight. Sinot's interior combines ecological materials with lots of free-standing furniture. Owners have the entire upper deck at their disposal; all six guest cabins are located one floor below and can be arranged flexibly.
Amels currently has four further Amels 80s under construction (three of which have been sold), three Amels 60s and one 120 metre custom format (Tanzanite), which is due to be delivered this year.
