Marc,

If your Maramu is like my previous one (Hull 102) the windless is a Lofrans
Tigres. AMEL supplied me with replacement rub
<BR><BR><BR>**************************************<BR> AOL now offers free
email to everyone. Find out more about what's free from AOL at
http://www.aol.com.

Gary,
I purchased propane regulators from a local propane supplier in the
USA. The regulators are attached via a hose adaptor. I cut the rubber
hose supplying the existing butane regulators, inserted the propane
regulator into the cut end of the "butane" hose and secured it with
two hose clamps. This very simply solved all of the "thread" matching
problems of US versus European hose ends!
I replaced both of the Amel supplied regulators but I see no reason
why you could not modify just one regulator. Then you just have to
find a propane tank that will fit in the same space as the butane
tank. I don't have the butane tanks any longer but I expect a ten
pound propane tank will fit in the same space as a 5 kilo butane
tank. According to the stove manufacturer for the Super Maramu, the
top stove burners required no modification between propane or butane
use but the air tube for the oven burner required a simple
adjustment.
Ed Steele
SV DoodleBug (SM#331)
www.sv-doodlebug.com


--- In amelyachtowners@yahoogroups.com, "gwollenberg" <gary@...>
wrote:

I have just arrived in St Martin from Europe. My Amel 54 has the

Butane

system. However, St Martine is propane. Has anybody set up a system
that you can set up a propane system and butane system that you can
switch between systems??

Thank you,
Gary Wollenberg,
Vessel "Bozo Cinq"

I have just arrived in St Martin from Europe. My Amel 54 has the Butane
system. However, St Martine is propane. Has anybody set up a system
that you can set up a propane system and butane system that you can
switch between systems??

Thank you,
Gary Wollenberg,
Vessel "Bozo Cinq"

Bill & Judy:

Sorry that your circuit board quit working. I would be curious about the
details, i.e. what LEDs were lit when it quit?, was the green LED on the
circuit board on after the failure?, did the high pressure pump trip off,
did the diversion valve energize?, did the low pressure pump keep
running?, etc.

Do you still have the old board? Any chance you would send it to me
for analysis.

Is the replacement board the same board or a newer version?
Any chance the new board actually works as advertised as far as
dirverting salt water or is it still the sham hookup that came
stock from Dessalator? I have considered designing a board that
would interface to a real salinity sensor and retrofitting it to my
system. Your thoughts would be appreciated.

Gary Silver

Hi, John. Thanks for the note.

I'm not concerned about heat during the day. It's night at anchor in the tropics that concerns me.

As I noted previously, we're going to cut a hatch over the aft berth and one over the head. I'm also considering adding dorades in the main salon. It's not practical to keep the hatch open on passage, unless you don't mind getting wet.

Regards,
Howard Berger

From: "john martin" <symoondog@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: amelyachtowners@yahoogroups.com
To: amelyachtowners@yahoogroups.com
Subject: RE: [Amel Yacht Owners] Maramu Ventilation Below
Date: Mon, 19 Feb 2007 20:34:55 +0000

Hi all, maybe a helful hint. We have canvas covers for all our deck hatches
that we leave on all the time except when sailing. Also we keep the heavy
Amel lined curtains closed doing the day and my wife even made lined
curtains for the small port holes in the galley,head, etc. With just the
main hatch open doing the day we get plenty of light but no sun below. You
can't see out the port holes anyhow,unless you're 7 feet tall. Remember the
more holes you cut in your boat the more it will flex in the ocean. My old
boat had lots of opening ports and hatches, I was always cool, ,,,,, and
wet!!! This boat has never leaked a drop.

John SM248 "Moondog"

From: "Howard Berger" <svresolute@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: amelyachtowners@yahoogroups.com
To: amelyachtowners@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [Amel Yacht Owners] Maramu Ventilation Below
Date: Sun, 11 Feb 2007 21:10:39 -0000

We're considering purchasing a Maramu (1984). Looking at the plans,
I'm struck by the lack of opening ports throughout the boat. As a
considerable amount of the time we plan to be out cruising will be in
the Tropics (both Caribbean and Pacific), the potential for a "hot"
boat below is a concern to me. The Caliber 40 in which we cruised the
Caribbean for more than a year has has a total of 10 opening ports (5
per side), plus larger hatches than are present on the Maramu, and
during the day it still got pretty hot below.

I'd appreciate any comments from current or former owners of the older
Maramu.

Best Regards,
Howard Berger

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Hi all, maybe a helful hint. We have canvas covers for all our deck hatches that we leave on all the time except when sailing. Also we keep the heavy Amel lined curtains closed doing the day and my wife even made lined curtains for the small port holes in the galley,head, etc. With just the main hatch open doing the day we get plenty of light but no sun below. You can't see out the port holes anyhow,unless you're 7 feet tall. Remember the more holes you cut in your boat the more it will flex in the ocean. My old boat had lots of opening ports and hatches, I was always cool, ,,,,, and wet!!! This boat has never leaked a drop.

John SM248 "Moondog"

From: "Howard Berger" <svresolute@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: amelyachtowners@yahoogroups.com
To: amelyachtowners@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [Amel Yacht Owners] Maramu Ventilation Below
Date: Sun, 11 Feb 2007 21:10:39 -0000

We're considering purchasing a Maramu (1984). Looking at the plans,
I'm struck by the lack of opening ports throughout the boat. As a
considerable amount of the time we plan to be out cruising will be in
the Tropics (both Caribbean and Pacific), the potential for a "hot"
boat below is a concern to me. The Caliber 40 in which we cruised the
Caribbean for more than a year has has a total of 10 opening ports (5
per side), plus larger hatches than are present on the Maramu, and
during the day it still got pretty hot below.

I'd appreciate any comments from current or former owners of the older
Maramu.

Best Regards,
Howard Berger

_________________________________________________________________
Refi Now: Rates near 39yr lows! $430,000 Mortgage for $1,399/mo - Calculate new payment http://www.lowermybills.com/lre/index.jsp?sourceid=lmb-9632-17727&;moid=7581

Has anyone experienced a failure of the circuit board in the
Dessalator water maker?

Our 160 liter water maker cut off while making water and would not
restart. We checked everything, breakers, fuses on the logic board,
etc. We had it serviced by Electec in St. Martin.

It required the replacement of the logic board...about $450.

Bill & Judy Rouse
s/v Security SM2 #387

Hello,

This is a message from current moderator of the group. I have seen some
people trying to join but they do not leave an email address I can
respond to.

Let me remind that membership is restricted--to join you'll need to
include an email address that the Amel Yacht Owners Group moderator can
respond to. Please follow directions to 'sign in', or send an email to:
amelyachtowners-owner@yahoogroups.com

Regards
'Joseba' (Jose Luis Isasi)

Hello Howard,
I had a hatch fitted in the aft cabin top and it works extremely well
especially whilst at anchor. See message nos 1781 and 1804 for a
description and Bali Hai SM 317 photo album for more details.

I had problems with my bilge pump but it was a self inflicted injury
because I was using the pump on manual switching when it had already
emptied the sump to its preset level. This caused the electric pump to
suck air thus emptying the pump above its top flap valve. The valve
then failed to do its duty as it relies on the head of water above it
to make it seal. The flap was only made of neoprene unlike the ones in
Whale Gulper pumps which have flaps with a slice of something heavy
like lead moulded in to make them seat properly.

Regards to all Anne and John SM 319

Hello, and thanks to everyone who replied to my question re:
ventilation and airflow on the Maramu. Your comments were very
helpful.

I've decided to add a hatch over the aft berth and possibly a smaller
one over the aft head as well. I'll try to post messages and
pictures as the work progresses.

Best regards,
Howard Berger
--- In amelyachtowners@yahoogroups.com, amelliahona <no_reply@...>
wrote:

Hi Howard:
We have had our SM2000 in the Caribbean for 4 years. It is a great
boat and I am very happy with it. My observations on ventilation
are as follows:

Forward Cabin: Excellent air flow from hatch under virtually all
conditions.* Excellent air conditioning. I have two Hella Fans to
augment airflow as needed and/or if the boat is closed up under
sail or due to insects or rain.

Forward Head: Excellent air flow from hatch under virtually all
conditions. Excellent air conditioning.

Saloon: Adequate, but not excellent air flow from hatch. Better
with Breeze Boosters. I also have two Hella fans near the saloon
forward bulkhead to help if winds are light. The single 9,000
BTU Climma AC is ok for the eating area only but inadequate
for the galley and nav station area.

Nav Station: Only a Hella fan mounted here makes it bearable.**

Galley: This is a real sweat box. The portlight isn't adequate
and the saloon AC doesn't get this far. I just finished installing
a 4th AC unit (10,000 Climma)*** for dedicated output to the galley
and nav station area in order to keep the 1st mate (wife) happy.
The Breeze Booster Port Ventilator helps. I have several of the
Breeze Boosters and Port Ventilators and they are the only ones
that I have found to work on the Amel (self erecting) see:

www.breezebooster.com/index.html

Quarter Berth: Inadequate ventilation. The single portlight

doesn't

provide airflow and the port ventilator doesn't work because it is
located in the cockpit behind the dodger. I have directed an AC
vent from the new install to shoot AC air into the quarter berth.
I am contemplating installing a second portlight here to get
some airflow. There is a Hella fan here that makes it bearable.

Aft Cabin & Aft Head: Very marginal to inadequate airflow. Note
that the new Amel 54 has two aft hatches and a cabin top hatch.
The head portlight and small forward portlight are not adequate.
The AC is super and quickly cools the aft cabin. I have tried

various

breeze boosters for the aft cabin with marginal results. We have
three Hella fans in the cabin and I installed an additional Hella
fan in the aft head that makes showering etc ok.

Typically at night in the Caribbean the wind and temp is ok with
normal boat ventilation. The worst time is in the afternoons. I
manage my battery charging so that I can run the ACs and charge
the batteries in the mid afternoon, or I just spend this time in
the water. This is the only boat I have ever owned so I can't

compare

to others. We have the fresh air ventilation system for use when

at

sea or if it is raining. It is a boon and a desirable option.

Notes:
* Fresh air ventilation system is barely adequate when boat is

closed up.

** I think I orderd Hella fans as options when I bought the boat.

I have

since added two more.
*** Joel says he gets four units on all his boats. I installed

mine under

the galley sink, below the shelf, and tied it into the fresh air

ventilation

system as well as running vents to the area of the nav

station/guarter

berth and a vent that comes out into the galley from just to the

port of

the dishwasher.


These are just my opinions. Hope this helps,

Gary Silver SM 2000, Hull # 335



but is--- In amelyachtowners@yahoogroups.com, "Howard Berger"

<svresolute@>

wrote:

We're considering purchasing a Maramu (1984). Looking at the

plans,

I'm struck by the lack of opening ports throughout the boat. As

a

considerable amount of the time we plan to be out cruising will

be in

the Tropics (both Caribbean and Pacific), the potential for

a "hot"

boat below is a concern to me. The Caliber 40 in which we

cruised the

Caribbean for more than a year has has a total of 10 opening

ports (5

per side), plus larger hatches than are present on the Maramu,

and

during the day it still got pretty hot below.

I'd appreciate any comments from current or former owners of the

older

Maramu.

Best Regards,
Howard Berger

I thought this might be of interest to you all. A seven minute,
American made video featuring the 54, in which Joel Potter is interviewed.

The clip can be found on: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsFZURpfdYQ

Needless to say, only watch when you have access to broadband, and not
through your Pactor or Iridium link!

Happy sailing

Roger

Thanks Roy, I appreciate your thoughts.

Gary

Hi John,

I know some people use the material used for spray hood windows, which I assume is vinyl. I
hope that this lead helps. You need to find someone that has actually used it as I have not
but intend to do so. Let me know if you find a definitive answer and I'll do likewise.

Best regards,

Rob
Between AMELS

Hi Gary,

The deck painting is holding up fine. It's been just over one
year, and the boat was in Maine last summer. We're planning on
taking her south this coming winter, so we'll see. I applied another
coat of Polytrol last fall, and had to buy some Penetrol to finish,
as my Polytrol ran out. I found that Penetrol is not quite as easy
to apply as Polytrol (you need to wipe it off sooner), but the
results were similar. I used about half a quart can of
Polytrol/Penetrol for all the brown decks. Apply with a brush, wipe
off with a cloth after about 10 minutes. I did not try it on the
white decks, or other fiberglass areas. I think it would work fine
on the white non-skid. I would not try it on any glossy areas.
Re the deck painting, we were very happy with the striping
device. It went very quickly, and was easy to use. You'll also need
a small brush for corners and around cleats, etc. And keep a clean
cloth with solvent handy. We used one-part polyurethane paint, very
easy and durable. Black looks good, but will make your decks hotter
than they are now (with the faded gel coat stripes). I'm not sure
any dark color will be any different. Many years ago, Amel made some
Mangos and Maramus with white stripes to reduce deck heat, but they
looked a bit strange. The white stripes definitely cooled the decks,
though.
Good luck,
Roy on Excalibur (SM #195)

--- In amelyachtowners@yahoogroups.com, amelliahona <no_reply@...>
wrote:

Hi Roy:

I just re-read your post on painting the deck stripes in
preparation to doing my decks. I have been able to
purchase some Penetrol (the US equivalent of Polytrol)
from Budget Marine in Antigua. How much did it take to
treat the decks? Did you also treat the white cabin tops?
If so how much did it take to do that? Do you use the
Polytrol on other areas of you fiberglass? Finally, how
is your re-striping job holding up, and would you do
anything differently in hind-sight?

Thanks for the follow-up.

Gary Silver, s/v Liahona SM 2000 Hull # 335
Jolly Harbor, Antigua

Hi Howard:
We have had our SM2000 in the Caribbean for 4 years. It is a great
boat and I am very happy with it. My observations on ventilation
are as follows:

Forward Cabin: Excellent air flow from hatch under virtually all
conditions.* Excellent air conditioning. I have two Hella Fans to
augment airflow as needed and/or if the boat is closed up under
sail or due to insects or rain.

Forward Head: Excellent air flow from hatch under virtually all
conditions. Excellent air conditioning.

Saloon: Adequate, but not excellent air flow from hatch. Better
with Breeze Boosters. I also have two Hella fans near the saloon
forward bulkhead to help if winds are light. The single 9,000
BTU Climma AC is ok for the eating area only but inadequate
for the galley and nav station area.

Nav Station: Only a Hella fan mounted here makes it bearable.**

Galley: This is a real sweat box. The portlight isn't adequate
and the saloon AC doesn't get this far. I just finished installing
a 4th AC unit (10,000 Climma)*** for dedicated output to the galley
and nav station area in order to keep the 1st mate (wife) happy.
The Breeze Booster Port Ventilator helps. I have several of the
Breeze Boosters and Port Ventilators and they are the only ones
that I have found to work on the Amel (self erecting) see:

www.breezebooster.com/index.html

Quarter Berth: Inadequate ventilation. The single portlight doesn't
provide airflow and the port ventilator doesn't work because it is
located in the cockpit behind the dodger. I have directed an AC
vent from the new install to shoot AC air into the quarter berth.
I am contemplating installing a second portlight here to get
some airflow. There is a Hella fan here that makes it bearable.

Aft Cabin & Aft Head: Very marginal to inadequate airflow. Note
that the new Amel 54 has two aft hatches and a cabin top hatch.
The head portlight and small forward portlight are not adequate.
The AC is super and quickly cools the aft cabin. I have tried various
breeze boosters for the aft cabin with marginal results. We have
three Hella fans in the cabin and I installed an additional Hella
fan in the aft head that makes showering etc ok.

Typically at night in the Caribbean the wind and temp is ok with
normal boat ventilation. The worst time is in the afternoons. I
manage my battery charging so that I can run the ACs and charge
the batteries in the mid afternoon, or I just spend this time in
the water. This is the only boat I have ever owned so I can't compare
to others. We have the fresh air ventilation system for use when at
sea or if it is raining. It is a boon and a desirable option.

Notes:
* Fresh air ventilation system is barely adequate when boat is closed up.
** I think I orderd Hella fans as options when I bought the boat. I have
since added two more.
*** Joel says he gets four units on all his boats. I installed mine under
the galley sink, below the shelf, and tied it into the fresh air ventilation
system as well as running vents to the area of the nav station/guarter
berth and a vent that comes out into the galley from just to the port of
the dishwasher.


These are just my opinions. Hope this helps,

Gary Silver SM 2000, Hull # 335



but is--- In amelyachtowners@yahoogroups.com, "Howard Berger" <svresolute@...>
wrote:

There are saillike devices that can be put over deck hatches to force air into the boat. They actually work pretty good!

Those of you with late model Super Maramu 2000's will have a test switch
located left of the companionway steps to check if there is a grounding
fault. I have in the past had a fault when a leaking macerator pump seal
caused sea and earth ground to become connected.

I have again got a fault in the Masse - which means that sea and battery
ground are connected, but this time it is not the toilets that are causing
the trouble. It could be anywhere!

It started as an intermittent fault whilst sailing, then it went away for a
while, but now it is a permanent fault. I wonder if anyone else has had a
Masse - fault light appear where they traced the problem to? Any clues would
be helpful in what looks like a long and painful exercise in fault finding.
The fault remains with all circuit breakers tripped, but as the breakers
usually only break the positive wire, this is to be expected.

Ian Shepherd SM 399 'Crusader'

We're considering purchasing a Maramu (1984). Looking at the plans,
I'm struck by the lack of opening ports throughout the boat. As a
considerable amount of the time we plan to be out cruising will be in
the Tropics (both Caribbean and Pacific), the potential for a "hot"
boat below is a concern to me. The Caliber 40 in which we cruised the
Caribbean for more than a year has has a total of 10 opening ports (5
per side), plus larger hatches than are present on the Maramu, and
during the day it still got pretty hot below.

I'd appreciate any comments from current or former owners of the older
Maramu.

Best Regards,
Howard Berger

Hi
Bill,

My original AMEL Genoa, which I believe was 135%, had a foam luff retrofitted
by a previous owner. The sail worked well, but was very heavy. I
also have a 110% Genoa (also purchased by the previous owner), which I used
briefly in the Caribbean. I often found that the boat was underpowered
with this sail and I put up the original 135% Genoa in Trinidad, and it left up
for the rest of our circumnavigation. I have never used the 110
again. When I replaced our worn out old Genoa (Sails Specialty Ltd in
Auckland, New Zealand) I was told that the foam luff was not recommended as the
foam compresses over time and becomes less effective. Rather, a piece of
tapered line was used instead of foam (a feature I have since seen on many
other sails. They also eliminated the multiple layers of filler material
used in the clew (used to allow use of a pressed ring) by using a sewn in “D”
ring (reinforced with webbing). This
feature also reduced the weight of the new sail and allowed for a better
shape. I installed this new sail upon
arriving back in the Caribbean. It was cut the same size as the original
AMEL Genoa and is conventional Dacron of the same weight cloth. We have since
used this sail for a day reaching in steady 45 knots from the beam (reefed) and
for a rough three day beat up into the Gulf of Mexico from the Yucatan Channel
along with all the normally great Caribbean sailing with no problems (or
regrets). I find I can point closer to the wind with this new sail
(perhaps just a result of having a new sail) and sail much faster in light
wind. The reduced weight makes handling
this sail on deck much easier and of course, reduces weight aloft.



Steve Leeds

Yacht MACCABEE

AMEL Sharki #121



Circumnavigator's Yacht Service

Fort Lauderdale, Fl

http://bellsouthpwp2.net/l/e/leedss/

Craig,

You are absolutely right. We have never had a joker valve on our strum box, which, in our case, is nothing more than wire mesh. I will keep a lookout for a stum box with a joker valve.

Thanks,

Robin.
Belouga, Santorin 004.

Craig & Katherine <sangaris@aol.com> wrote:
Robin,
Your technique of using the manual pump to clear "muck" is a good
one that works well for me.
Priming used to be an issue, but that "joker" valve in the "strum"
box,(rubber thingy with three star points facing up, like the valve
in your toilet discharge line) is meant to keep the suction hose
filled with water, so no priming issue.
Sounds like your "joker" valve is missing or old and crusty - mine
was gone and I just happened to spot a new strum box that had the
joker included - voila! problem solved.
Cheers,
Craig Briggs - Santorin #68