Hi Charlie aboard svmalaika ...<br><br>I was
wondering where M. DeHaro is located. In the US or
France?<br><br>Although we have a skilled cabinet maker here in Columbia,
SC producing funiture quality pieces ... getting him
to work on our boat is difficult. He did custom mill
for us 3/8" ash tongue and groove which we have
installed in our main cabin ceiling. It is gorgeous! Now we
wait for more tongue/groove which all he has left to
do for us to spray vanish on it before we install
it. <br><br>Just to let you and the other Amel owners
know the older Amels vinyl lining had foam insulation
and through the years the foam disintegrated allowing
the vinyl to fall off. There has been no success
regluing back on so we resorted to covering it up because
even trying to remove it is difficult as Amel
installed the vinyl BEFORE installing many wood
pieces.<br><br>Joel has been of great help to us giving us
information concering our refurbishing of our 41 <br>Sharki.
So he informs us when we inquire of how other Amels
owner have dealt with improvements.<br><br>Getting back
to our friend the cabinetmaker ... a personal friend
... he stays incredibly busy with his custom
woodworking shop. His work would rival anything Amel does. He
is a master craftsman of wood.<br><br>So I was
wondering about seeking another woodworker for some pieces
I am interested. Sometimes there is only so much
one can ask of a friend who will take no payment for
his work. <br><br>I do like the idea of the storage
space beneath the steps. Are you able to provide a
digital pic for me to see? If so, I would like to
see.<br><br>I would also like to communicate with M. DeHaro has
I have some questions concerning the finish on the
Amels. Maybe he can enlighten me. Our 15 year old boat
is in need of some varnish repair and my woodworking
friend says not to touch the finish as there is no way
to duplicate what Amel has done.<br><br>I look
forward to hearing from you!<br><br>Delores<br>s/v
Stargazer

Dolores - s/v Stargazer Hi. Unfortunately M.
DeHaro lives and works in France (La Rochelle, near the
Amel yard) and only speaks French. I can give you his
phone number if you wish. I think your best bet for
advice on varnish work would be to contact Amel, either
directly to M. Selo, After Sales Deptartment or via Joel
Potter.<br>Your woodworking friend is probably right that it is
best not to touch Amel's varnish work. When we sold
our last boat (1982 Maramu) she was 19 years old with
40,000 blue water miles and her varnish looked new. But,
as you've experienced, her headliner was falling
down!<br>Now, get the refurbishing done and sail. That's what
Amel boats are built for.<br>Fair winds,<br>
Charlie<br> S/V Malaika II

Delores,<br>Sorry, I neglected to answer your
query about the storage spaces under the steps. I can't
easily up load a digital pic from here since we're using
a slow GSM cell phone connection. Let me briefly
describe them.<br>I've seen two options. Small drawers
hung under each step, shallow enogh to leave plenty of
room for our foot on the lower step or, as we have
done, a removable board across the step set back far
enough so the step is useable, behind which you can
store items and they will be immediately accessible. We
have 10cm (4in.) high boards that slide into grooves
mounted on either side. I store my tool bag under the
bottom step, the other two we use for daily kitchen
items like aluminum foil... Quite convenient.<br>Hope
this helps.<br>Charlie<br>S/V Malaika II