Graham, as odd as it might
sound, Trevor’s suggestion of ‘heat of the
moment brain fade’ could be the likely
culprit. I have sold hundreds of used
Amel’s and offer clients a training period
of several days to get them up to speed.
On more occasions than you would believe,
when things get tense the first few times
with the new owner on the helm ( after I
demonstrate that “THIS IS EASY”), they
lower the thruster and then turn off the
power switch the first time they reach for
the toggle/joy stick. Especially with
short timers, panic ensues and the
helmsperson goes into save the boat mode
and neglects to turn the power on. Just to
make an indelible impression, I wait until
the helmsperson gulps, loudly , before
restoring power.
If this is the case, don’t feel bad. I’ve
had many folks much brighter than I, which
is just about everybody, do this. Some
have even turned the power back on in
their panic without realizing they had
turned it off! Go easy on yourself.
Were you fortunate to have the
seller/other knowledgeable person spend
time with you familiarizing you with
your-new-to-you Amel? I sure hope so, If
not, find an Amel owner close to you and
buy them dinner with many adult beverages
if they will get you on the path. Lots of
little secrets, all of which add to the
greatness and enjoyment of these very
cleverly conceived and mostly well
engineered cruisers.
Some misconceptions that have been
inadvertently offered here…
Your bow thruster is an early Amel
BISSON/BUFFLE type, more than likely. Lots
of evolution since. It is a 12 volt unit,
not 24 volts as on the Super Maramu and
subsequent Amel models. It is better than
nothing certainly but not a game
changer/life saver like the much more
powerful 24 volt units that followed. The
bow thruster on the Amel 54 is a
completely different animal, dual props,
counter-rotating, very powerful. Your
installed bow thruster won’t allow you to
dock your Amel Maramu with impunity in 20
plus knots of wind until you practice and
really learn the capabilities and
limitations and even then... Practice
makes perfect and I try to use the bow
thruster as little as possible to keep my
boat handling skills alive but do not
hesitate to employ it before it is needed.
There is no fuse/thermal limiter on the
electric motor on any Amel installed bow
thruster on a Sharki, Maramu, Mango,
Santorin, Super Maramu, or Amel 54 so
don’t go looking for that as there is none
Anybody close to Graham in Barbados? I
think you will be getting a dinner invite.
I waited to chime in as I make my living
selling experienced Amels and I wanted
someone else to make the suggestion that
Trevor did. I can’t afford to have anyone
feel I have scolded them and I sure hope
you don’t. You will love and appreciate
this owners group.
Have Fun With Your Amel, Joel
Joel F. Potter/Cruising Yacht Specialist
LLC
THE EXPERIENCED AMEL GUY
954 462 5869 office
954 812 2485 cell
From: amelyachtowners@...
[mailto:amelyachtowners@...]
Sent: Thursday, December 31, 2015 12:24 PM
To: amelyachtowners@...
Subject: Re: [Amel Yacht Owners] Re:
Intermittent bow thruster - Maramu
Graham,
The motor (15hp) has so much torque it
will either throw off weed or light
plastic immediately, or break the nylon
shear bolts.
This is a really lame suggestion, but as
it is all a bit new to you, is it possible
you turned off the switch beside the
toggle switch in the heat of the moment?
The good news is the more that you
practice the easier it will become, you
will quickly be able to wander through a
marina in 25kts+ of winds stern too,
without a thought.
Happy new year.
Trevor
Seafever of Cuan
SM 425 Redline 2004
For Sale
$295k
Mexico
[Non-text portions of this message have
been removed]
