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Amel 54
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james Hosford
Does anyone have an opinion, experience with the fiberglass arch that some 54s? Was that a factory option? How strong is it? Good option for solar array?
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It was not a factory option although several Amel 54s have it. It was a product made available by a third party in La Rochelle at the time the 54 was in production. Although it has some nice features like solar panels that can be tilted, I find it very heavy on the eyes. The structure is quite big and not to my personal liking. I’m not sure about the weight but it may add considerable to the already overloaded tail of a 54, especially the ones with the electro-hydraulic passerelle (like ours). So for me it’s too bulky to like it.
There are plenty of other arches that look less intrusive (including ours). In my opinion an arch will never improve the aesthetics of a 54. It there because of practical reasons. The same applies to the Simpson Davids. Just my personal opinion. Regards, Arno Luijten SV Luna, A54-121 Rotterdam |
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and it is not grp but aluminium.
fair winds Robin Carré d‘As Amel 54 #54
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james Hosford
Thanks for the info, is it suitable for a pretty solar array? Or would you rather just have one fabricated out of stainless
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On Oct 28, 2022, at 5:42 AM, robin hutter via groups.io <robin6658@...> wrote:
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james Hosford
Thanks for all the info Arno. I see by looking at the pictures after you mentioned it that it looks bolted on. I would have been interested if it was designed and installed by Amel because of concerns about weight and structural integrity. If its not engineered by Amel then its not any better than any other arch out there. Arches will be a necessary evil because of the need for solar, but I agree it doesn't do anything for the appearance of the boat.
On Friday, October 28, 2022 at 04:15:22 AM CDT, Arno Luijten <arno.luijten@...> wrote:
It was not a factory option although several Amel 54s have it. It was a product made available by a third party in La Rochelle at the time the 54 was in production. Although it has some nice features like solar panels that can be tilted, I find it very heavy on the eyes. The structure is quite big and not to my personal liking. I’m not sure about the weight but it may add considerable to the already overloaded tail of a 54, especially the ones with the electro-hydraulic passerelle (like ours). So for me it’s too bulky to like it. There are plenty of other arches that look less intrusive (including ours). In my opinion an arch will never improve the aesthetics of a 54. It there because of practical reasons. The same applies to the Simpson Davids. Just my personal opinion. Regards, Arno Luijten SV Luna, A54-121 Rotterdam |
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Not saying anything about the aesthetics as for each to decide for him/herself but I like our arch as it’s made from aluminium and powder-coated in the color of the hull, making it less intrusive in my opinion. We don’t use the davids during sailing, only for storage at anchor. It was prefabricated by www.towerinabox.com
The weight is less then for a stainless arch, it’s also less shiny. As said before, and also by others, I like the 54 more with no arch, but the Amel 54 is a bit of an energy-hog so you need to get energy anyway you can… Cheers, Arno Luijten SV Luna A54-121 Rotterdam 
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I accept that an arch does not add to the aesthetics of any vessel but beauty lies in the eye of the beholder. Love my arch Nick Amelia AML54-019 Bodrum  On 28 Oct 2022, at 19:19, Arno Luijten <arno.luijten@...> wrote:
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