Gallant -
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5 Water Tight Compartments Gallant is incredibly safe, in effect she has five water tight compartments as follows:-
Starting at the bow, the forward bow lockers and anchor locker are separated from the rest of the boat by a water tight bulkhead. In effect you have a permanent forward crash zone.
The forward cabin and head can be isolated from the salon by a water tight bulkhead and door.
The engine compartment is isolated by watertight bulkheads (great for safety and no engine smells in the boat).
The aft cabin and head can be isolated by a watertight bulkhead and door (which thus isolates the rudder stock shaft seal).
The huge aft lazarette is isolated by a watertight bulkhead from the rest of the boat.
Isolated Bilge All showers and basins gravity drain (no sump pumps to go wrong & less power consumption) into the bilge in the engine compartment. The bilge is down in the keel and is very deep. It has the amazingly simple but reliable (and repairable) automatic bilge pump switch. There is an additional manual pump as backup (operable from cockpit). With the bilge being isolated this way there are no engine or bilge smells in the boat.
Years of Design Evolution Amel have evolved and refined the Super Maramu over many many years, consequently I do not believe there is a nut or bolt on the boat that isn't where it is for good, tried and tested reason.
Gallant has many systems which make living aboard a pleasure, yet all the systems are incredibly reliable and very easy to access for maintenance or repair.
Build quality and materials are outstanding.
All seat covers and bunk covers are removable for machine washing.
There's a lifting system for the dinghy and outboard.
A dedicated watertight life raft and grab bag locker means the life raft isn't stowed on deck where it would be vulnerable and exposed to the elements.
Engine room hoses and pipes are held in place with line not metal clamps (line doesn't fracture and is easily and cheaply replaced when it does break).
Amel anti-osmosis hull protection system below the water line
And so on and so on...
Sailing Performance
As an experienced Amel owning broker I know said to me "sailing
boats are a compromise but the Amel is the best compromise I have ever
seen". Gallant sails very well in all conditions; as an ex-racer I
wanted performance but also comfort and easy handling. When in the
Canaries we fouled our prop on some discarded fishing net and had a rewarding
time working our way back five miles into the Las Palmas anchorage in zephyrs of
wind (this with the boat fully provisioned for the Atlantic crossing).
Coming back across the Atlantic we were caught in heavy weather and Gallant just
shrugged it off, reefed down to a bit of Genoa and mizzen she happily kept going
and kept us as comfortable as one can be in rough conditions. At one point
we hove to under just a bit of main (no chaffing Genoa sheets as you get with a
backed Genoa) and we were comfortable for eight hours until the front we were
waiting for blew past. The 'pilot house' was a godsend, no sitting out on
watch in foulies.
Downwind the twin headsail arrangement is brilliant, there is no chafe and if a
squall threatens it is just a question of easing both sheets and roller furling
the two sails together on the forestay furler.
Over the past two years Gallant has been fastidiously maintained and cared for (I'm fussy that way). The best way to maintain a boat is to use her, we have lived aboard her the past two years so Gallant is in first calls condition. Detailed maintenance records are available for inspection; all systems have been maintained at 100%. Key items of note are:-
No groundings or major accidents.
B&G depth sounder sender/receiver - new 8/02
Full service on engine (incl' cam belt change) and generator at Amel's Mediterranean base in Hyres - 9/02
Genoa (Doyle 135%) - new 2/03
Ballooner (Doyle) - new 2/03
Fresh water pressure pump and accumulator tank - new 4/04
Air conditioner sea water pump - new 5/04
Hot water pressure accumulator tank - new 4/04
Hot water tank electric heater element and anode - new 5/03
House batteries - new 5/03
Water maker upgraded with Amel modified stainless steel membrane tube ends - 5/03
Bow thruster upgrade kit installed by Amel - 10/03
Bow thruster - new prop' fitted 10/03
Turbo charger on main Volvo engine stripped and fully decoked - 4/04
Galley refrigerator - new 1/04
Windsurfer (three sails plus booms and masts)
Aluminium AB 2.9m (9' 6") RIB with 10HP Johnson outboard (fits nicely on aft cabin top, much lighter than the glass fibre RIBS and even some equivalent soft bottom dinghies).
Pactor II modem and cabling for laptop (GPS cabling also in place). Enable email and weather fax via SSB and laptop (much cheaper service than sat' phone - about $200/yr)
406MHz EPIRB (new 2002)