Amel Yachts
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 | |
| Founded | 1965 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Henri Amel |
| Headquarters | La Rochelle, France |
| Products | Sailboats |
| Website | amel |
Chantiers Amel is a French shipyard founded by Henri Amel in 1965. Based in La Rochelle, Amel is known for its production of ocean-going sailboats.
Yacht designer Henri Amel founded Chantiers Amel in 1965.[1] During World War II, Amel noticed that the floating caissons used by invading Allied naval forces in France relied on polyester resin construction,[2] which he would ultimately adopt in the production of his boats.[3][4]
Amel's first boat, the Super Mistral Sport, was built in Marseille after he took over a failing shipyard. The boat itself was a success, but the business failed.[3] In 1963, Amel began building boats in the shipyard of another builder at La Rochelle. He split off on his own, founding Chantiers Amel in 1965. A fire burned his new shipyard to the ground in 1967, but it was rebuilt and a success by 1973.[3]
Amel was blind for an extended period of his career.[5]
At the time of his death in 2005, Amel donated 12,000 of his 13,000 shares in Chantier Amel to the company's employees.[4][6]
