BoatsAmel 50

Amel 50

Masthead Sloop · Fin w/bulb & Dual Rudders · First built 2017

Amel's first sloop since 1997, this 16.5-metre masthead design features a fin keel with bulb and dual rudders

Designed by Berret-Racoupeau.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Ballast
Hull type
Fin w/bulb & Dual Rudders

See her sail

The Amel 50, on the water

The fleet's own footage — the truest look at how she really moves.

Footage from Sailing Mirage

Is it for you?

Character

Where this design lands on the numbers a shopper trusts — read straight from her own ratios.

LivelySea-kindly

Her light displacement on a narrow beam gives 33 — a sea-kindly motion in a seaway.

Comfort ratio 33
CoastalBluewater

1.82 — just under the 2.0 offshore line; her beam is modest for her weight.

Capsize screening 1.82
LightHeavy

171 — light for her waterline, so she is easily driven and quick to accelerate.

Displacement / length 171
EasygoingPowered-up

18.2 — plenty of sail for her weight; lively and quick to respond.

Sail area / displacement 18.2
TenderStiff

29% of her weight is ballast — on the tender side; she'll heel readily and want a reef sooner.

Ballast 29%

Light and lively — happiest day-sailing and coastal-hopping in settled weather.

  • Heavier than ~85% of boats her size on file
  • Beamier than ~84% of boats her size on file

Compared with 1228 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

What the fleet has seen

The Amel 50, as the fleet has seen it

Derived from the videos the fleet has analysed of this model. ▶ marks open the moment aboard.

The Amel 50 is a 16.5-meter masthead sloop designed by Berret-Racoupeau and built by Amel since 2017, marking Amel's first sloop since 1997. It features a fin keel with a bulb and dual rudders, displacing 18,750 kg. Aboard *Sailing Mirage*, the Amel 50 has been sailed through the Bahamas, Turks & Caicos, and the Mona Passage, demonstrating its capability for long-distance cruising and handling rough conditions, including 4-meter waves and 35-knot gusts.7:45 The crew regularly uses the inner staysail for downwind performance and sets a preventer on the mainsail.2:32 The boat's systems, including depth and speed sensors, windlass motor, and watermaker, require ongoing maintenance.4:21 Navigation in shallow areas like the Turks & Caicos demands careful attention to tidal currents and wind-driven chop.1:47 Professional sailor Theodora, aboard *Hashtag Sal*, works as a skipper on an Amel 50, highlighting its use in professional yachting for long-distance cruising.10:56

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

The channels sailing this model, and where they were last seen.

Sailing MirageVlad documents his solo coastal and offshore passages along the Atlantic seaboard and Caribbean aboard his Amel 50, Mirage, while managing vessel maintenance.

Seen 59 times across 4 channels of the fleet.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

On the water

The Amel 50 on video

Sailing Through New York City | Manhattan, East River & Hell GateMirage times the flood tide at 08:30 to run Hell Gate and the East River without incident.Sailing MirageSolo Sailing from Annapolis, Maryland to New York City | Chesapeake to ManhattanA solo sailor navigates the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal and the Atlantic coast toward New York City.Sailing MiragePreparing Mirage: Boat Repairs, Upgrades & a Chesapeake Bay Test Sail to Hooper IslandThe owner of Mirage performs extensive system upgrades, including a watermaker control board replacement and windlass repair.Sailing Mirage"Tales from the Sea" – Volume 3 (Tales of the Present) | My Third Album by SY Mirage.Vlad's Amel 50 Mirage sails Puerto Rico to Annapolis across three original song albums.Sailing MirageThe Final 80 Miles: An Overnight Sail Home to the Chesapeake Bay. From Norfolk to Solomons, MD.Vlad completes a transatlantic voyage from La Rochelle to Solomons, Maryland, aboard his boat, Mirage.Sailing MirageRounding Cape Hatteras at Night - Fast Sailing Through the Graveyard of the Atlantic in 25+ knot windsVlad sails the Mirage around Cape Hatteras, navigating the Graveyard of the Atlantic to reach Norfolk, Virginia.Sailing MirageWhen things go wrong. Broken Rigging in the Gulf Stream - 450 NM from Florida to MoreHead City, NCA broken mainsail clew attachment was repaired at sea using soft shackles and secondary safety lines.Sailing MirageFull Moon Overnight Sail from Fort Pierce to Ponce de Leon Inlet | Downwind Sailing Florida Coast.An Amel 50 completes an overnight coastal passage from Fort Pierce to Ponce de Leon Inlet, Florida.Sailing MirageCrossing the Gulf Stream: Sailing from West End, Bahamas to Fort Pierce, Florida on "Mirage"An 85-mile Gulf Stream crossing from West End to Fort Pierce in 14 hours on an Amel 50.Sailing MirageFast Sail to West End, Grand Bahamas From Mangrove Cay | Last Stop Before Crossing the Gulf StreamEasterly wind shift removes the north component before a Gulf Stream crossing from West End, Grand Bahama.Sailing MirageMy Best Sailing Day in the Bahamas | Downwind Across Little Bahama Bank to Mangrove Cay, Grand BahamaCharted 3.5-meter anchorage proved only 2.2 meters deep; a neighboring boat touched bottom first.Sailing MirageFrom Royal Island, Eleuthera to Lynyard Cay, Abacos | Solo Sailing Bahamas — Fast Code 0 Adventure.A solo sailor navigates the Bahamas using a Code 0 headsail while managing hull fouling and currents.Sailing Mirage

Also on YouTube

What broke, what changed

Gear aboard, as the crews told it

Moments from individual boats of this model that the fleet has filmed — one crew, one piece of kit, one day on the water. Not a review of the class, and not a count of anything.

  • ComparedHarkenweighed against original part

    The speaker replaced a shackle with a Harken brand shackle, noting it was the closest match in strength rating to the original.

    aboard Sailing Mirageseen July 20260:52

  • ComparedSimradweighed against Unix

    The speaker compared chart data from a Simrad system with a Unix-based system due to discrepancies.

    aboard Sailing Mirageseen February 2026watch

  • InstalledStarlink

    A smaller Starlink unit was installed, expected to reduce power consumption.

    aboard Sailing Mirageseen November 20251:51

  • WorkingNavionicsalongside the chart

    The speaker trusted Navionics for accurate depth readings over the boats chart.

    aboard Sailing Mirageseen June 202614:10

  • WorkingPredictWind

    The crew used the app to analyze current and wind models for their passage.

    aboard Distant Shores TVseen March 20256:43

Each line is one crew's account of their own boat. Another Amel 50 may be fitted out entirely differently.

Who's been looking

Market signal

Crews the fleet has filmed weighing this model up — no sale seen, and no asking price.

1channel weighed buying one

From the fleet's own footage — our observed signal, not broker listings.

The record

Full specifications

The complete reference set — tap any figure to switch between metric and imperial.

Dimensions
Weights
Ballast / displacement
28.6%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Masthead Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
18.2
Displacement / length
171.4
Comfort ratio
32.9
Capsize screening
1.82
Hull speed
9.2 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
2672
Hull
Hull type
Fin w/bulb & dual rudders
Construction
Resin infused GRP
Production
Years built
First built 2017
Designer
Berret-Racoupeau
Builder
Amel

Boats like this, on the water

More boats like her, on the water

Comparable boats the fleet has on camera: same type, within a quarter of her length. Open the boat, or watch the video — a timestamp means she only appears in passing.

Hanse Yachts 54816.22 mSame hull family0.3 m shorterA 16.22-metre Judel/Vrolijk design featuring a 2.55-metre bulb keel and a balanced 18.26 SA/D ratio for modern cruising
Why Charter with 45 Degrees Sailing?from 45 Degrees Sailing
Baltic Yachts 55 DP16.76 mSame hull family0.3 m longerA Doug Peterson-designed masthead sloop built by Baltic, balancing high-performance sail area with a stiff, stable hull
Campbell Mackie: Ocean Globe Race skipper | Practical Boat Owner0:09from practicalboatowner
Hallberg-Rassy 5016.34 mSame hull family0.2 m shorterA German Frers-designed bluewater cruiser featuring a modern fractional rig, dual rudders, and a high-stability hull
Hallberg-Rassy 50 English0:08from SEILmagasinet
Dufour Yachts 53016.35 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthOffered in Easy, Ocean, and Performance configurations, this 16.35-metre cruiser adapts from simple handling to race-ready trim
Newport Beach International Boat Show (NBIBS) and Anchoring with Local Cruisers (April 2023)18:55from keeldragger
Moody 5416.43 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA cutter-rigged 16.43-metre cruiser featuring a skeg-mounted rudder and a 34% ballast ratio for offshore stability
The Sailor Alex Rosén25:51from SEILmagasinet
Pearson Yachts 53016.15 mSame hull family0.4 m shorterThe largest yacht ever built by Pearson, this William Shaw-designed staysail ketch balances heavy-displacement comfort
Mistakes, money saving and lessons we learned buying an old sailing boat Episode 4630:31from Sailing Catalpa

The family

Boats like this

Nearby designs by size, type, and era — worth a look alongside her.

Amel 60A modern cutter-rigged bluewater cruiser from Berret-Racoupeau, designed for high-latitude comfort and long-range stabilityAmel 55A 17-metre staysail ketch built since 2010, balancing a powerful sail plan with a stable, skeg-hung hull for long-range voyagingAmel 54A robust staysail ketch designed for serious blue-water cruising with a high comfort ratio and stable skeg-hung rudder

Keep asking

The fleet has more to say

Search what's been said about the Amel 50, or ask a specific question — the answer comes back written out, with links to the moments it draws on.

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