ARC appearances in last 5 years - 20
Manufacturer's ranking - 8th
To see one of these modest-looking 52ft cruisers in any number anywhere outside the company's home port of La Rochelle on the west coast of France is a novelty. Indeed, the only place you're likely to spot the white hulls and beige decks in a group is at the company's own marina just a stone's throw from the yard where they're built.
However, these are no stay-at-home boats. Spread liberally throughout every corner of the world, the Super Maramu is one of the most successful bluewater cruisers around.
A large part of the model's success has been the company's dogged determination to stick to a well tried and tested formula and to supply absolutely everything from the rigs, sails, electronics and mechanical systems, right down to the portable vacuum cleaner as part of the overall package. In production boatbuilding, there is no more comprehensive standard specification list.
Furthermore, the Super Maramu is bristling with clever labour-saving systems which make handling her easy for a crew of two. The twin-pole system for booming out a pair of headsails as well as the arrangements for stowing the poles is just one example. There's not a scrap of woodwork on deck and teak decks are not an option.
Under the skin she's a well-built boat comprising a solid laminate hull made up largely of woven rovings. Bulkheads and lockers are all laminated into the hull and her cast iron winged keel is bolted to a deep moulded stub that also acts as the 1000lt water tank.
When it comes to her performance under sail, on the face of it her modest top speed provides little to write home about, yet it's the ease with which she can be sailed, along with her forgiving nature that helps to maintain high averages on passage, qualities that are at the heart of long distance sailing. Little wonder then that she's such a popular boat in this event, yet so rarely seen in any numbers away from home. www.amel.fr
ARC appearances in last 5 years - 20