Design and Construction
Writing in boats.com, the reviewer noted the 64 follows Amel's recent center-cockpit idiom but reinterprets it: the master stateroom sits forward rather than aft, freeing the stern for a cavernous dinghy garage. The deck structure is distinctive, with an integrated hard dodger and a new electric hardtop that extends aft to cover most of the cockpit seating for weather-protected dining. The helm is forward and offset to port, with a dashboard placing all electronics and switches within easy reach of the captain. Safety-oriented construction appears in the form of six watertight bulkheads, one of them in the large sail/fender locker, and a protected full-skeg rudder. The hull is fiberglass, of monohull fin-keel-with-bulb type with a spade rudder, and the boat carries a solid stainless-steel top guardrail all around with secondary and tertiary lifelines below.
Aft, the transom is electric and drops to form a swim platform, while the aft deck itself is separated from the cockpit by an enormous sunpad, with two built-in seats flanking the pushpit. The dinghy garage is engineered to hoist an inflatable with outboard via electric winch and rollers, though buyers could delete it. An electrically deployed passerelle with self-raising handrail and a life raft integrated into the starboard rail round out the stern arrangements.
Rig and Handling
As a staysail ketch the 64 carries over 2,000 square feet of sail area, with a 100-percent measured area of 1,894 square feet split between a 624-square-foot main and 947-square-foot foresail. Reckmann furlers handle both staysail and genoa, and all winches except those mast-mounted are electric. The auxiliary is a 160 hp Steyr diesel (a separate specification source lists 180 hp total engine power) turning a four-bladed prop on a short shaft close to the aft end of the fin keel; the engine faces aft and the entire central zone between saloon and aft cabins is given to machinery and systems, reached by a crouching-access door, with additional engine access through the cockpit sole. MaxPower bow and stern thrusters aid tight docking. Under sail, she will do nine knots in 15 knots of beam breeze, and the data show a capsize screening value of 1.74 with excellent righting capability if capsized.
Accommodations
Below, the three-cabin, three-head layout sleeps seven. The forward master holds a walk-around island berth. Aft, the section divides into two cabins each with stand-up headroom: a queen to port and twins that join to starboard. The saloon exploits the 18-foot beam with a formal dinette folding out to seat eight and a separate lounge. The galley sits at the bottom of the companionway to starboard, equipped with a four-burner stove, sink, Corian counters, microwave, electric oven, full-sized stainless dishwasher, and optional second fridge; the nav station is ahead of it. Interior finish is high-gloss polyurethane walnut with other woods available.
Systems and Equipment
The vessel is a 24-V platform with a 735 amp-hour house bank and a 5,000-watt inverter, backed by a 19.5 kW Onan genset. Dual Racor fuel filters are fitted. The reference data rate fuel capacity (about 370 gallons) as excellent and note an excellent water supply range at roughly 238 gallons. The helm-forward dashboard clusters controls for the electric winches, furlers, thrusters, and electronics.
The Verdict
The Amel 64 is a purpose-built, heavily engineered bluewater ketch that trades ultimate stiffness for survivability features, vast enclosed cockpit comfort, and a forward-master layout unusual in her class. Her systems density and customization choices demand an engaged owner, but the structural and handling basics are thoroughly considered.
Pros
- Six watertight bulkheads including forward locker, with full-skeg rudder and excellent capsize righting
- Electric hardtop and integrated dodger create a protected center-cockpit social space
- Forward master plus two stand-up aft cabins; saloon seats eight; full dishwasher and oven galley
- 24-V house with 735 Ah bank, 19.5 kW genset, 5,000-watt inverter, and 370-gallon fuel range
Cons
- Not stiff under the reference assessment, despite strong righting if capsized
- Central machinery zone limits access to a crouching door plus cockpit sole
- Over 30 tons displacement with modest sail-area-to-displacement ratio (17.02) suits breeze, not calm
