Design and Construction
At 37.14 feet LOA on a 33.77-foot waterline, the Amphora carries 17,637 pounds of displacement with 7,385 pounds of lead ballast — a 41.87 percent ballast-to-displacement ratio that places her firmly in the serious cruising camp rather than the weekend racer's. Her beam of 12.8 feet and 6-foot maximum draft describe a hull with volume and seaway manners suited to passage work. The construction is solid GRP throughout, with a fin keel and skeg-hung rudder — a configuration that, paired with the moderate displacement-to-length ratio of 204, reads as a considered offshore profile rather than a coastal compromise. Holman & Pye's hand in the lines is evident in the bluewater brief: she was built as a center-cockpit cruiser with generous interior volume, not a deck-salon dayboat.
Rig and Handling
The Amphora is a ketch, and the standard rig dimensions tell the story of a two-sail-split ocean plan: a 45.25-foot foretriangle hoist with a 14.60-foot base, a mainsail luff of 38.50 feet on an 11.70-foot foot, and a mizzen of 24.67 feet luff with a 7.63-foot foot. That divided rig reduces individual sail weights for short-handed handling offshore and keeps the center of effort manageable when the wind builds. With a sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 19.36 and a capsize screening value of 1.97, the numbers describe a stable, load-carrying hull rather than a lively planing shape. The skeg-hung rudder adds a measure of protection to the steering gear in following seas and during groundings that a spade would not enjoy.
Accommodations
Below, the Amphora is a roomy layout sleeping up to seven, with stand-up clearance exceeding 6 foot 2 inches in every part of the cabin and reaching close to 7 feet in spots — generous for a 37-footer of her era. The center-cockpit arrangement separates the forward owner's quarters from the saloon and aft cabins, and the boat carries a full galley, a dedicated navigation station, and easy engine access. The survey found her well-suited for comfortable coastal or offshore passage making with a small crew or family, and the volume distribution bears that out: the navigation station and full galley mean the boat was conceived for liveaboard stretches, not just harbor hops.
Refits and Ownership
Production ended in 1981, and with 138 built the Amphora is a finite and identifiable class. The solid GRP hull and conventional systems of the period mean that refit paths are straightforward compared with cored structures, though any buyer should reckon with four decades of owner history on original rigging and tanks. The easy engine access noted in the survey is a genuine ownership virtue when it comes time to service the single diesel.
The Verdict
The Amphora is a thoughtfully conceived small bluewater ketch from the Holman & Pye/Wauquiez collaboration — conservative in construction, divided in rig for manageable offshore sail handling, and genuinely roomy for her length. She is not a performance boat, but she was never meant to be.
Pros
- Solid GRP hull with fin keel and skeg-hung rudder for offshore credibility
- Ketch rig splits sail area for short-handed passage work
- Roomy center-cockpit layout sleeping seven with stand-up headroom nearly everywhere
- Full galley, navigation station, and easy engine access for liveaboard cruising
Cons
- Moderate sail-area-to-displacement ratio limits light-air pace
- Finite production (138 boats, 1976–1981) means sparse brokerage availability
