Amels 272

• LOA: 83 m (272 ft)
• Beam: 14.54 m
• Gross tonnage: approx 2,827 GT
• Decks: 6
• Exterior design: Tim Heywood
• Interior design: Winch Design
• Owner's deck: approx 43 m long, approx 300 sq m
• Delivered: 1 hull (HERE COMES THE SUN, 2017)

The flagship of the classics

The 272 stood at the top of the classic Limited Editions as the largest and most ambitious platform in the feet-named range. At 83 metres and around 2,827 GT it offered custom-flagship scale on the semi-custom formula. Spread across six decks, it gave owners the space and amenities of a fully bespoke build. It represented the ceiling of what the classic programme could deliver. Nothing else in the feet-named range came close to its scale.

Rarity defines it. A single hull was completed, the widely praised HERE COMES THE SUN, delivered in 2017. That exclusivity sets the 272 apart even within the Amels catalogue. As the flagship, it showed how far the platform thinking could be pushed. A single hull of this size is a rarity even among the world's largest custom yachts, let alone a semi-custom one.

Heywood's largest Amels

Tim Heywood drew the 272 as the grandest expression of his work for the yard. The long bow and low, extended superstructure give the 83-metre hull a sense of calm authority. The scale supports a run of expansive exterior decks from bow to stern. It reads as a flagship without resorting to visual excess. Heywood treated the flagship with the same restraint he brought to the smaller boats.

The exterior features are sized to match the length. A sun deck of around 26 metres carries an eight-person spa pool, and a beach club of roughly 87 square metres opens the stern to the sea. A helipad rated for a 3,000-kilogram maximum take-off weight sits within the layout. The deck spaces give guests an unusually wide choice. The amenities sit comfortably within the length rather than crowding it.

A single 83-metre hull, HERE COMES THE SUN, made the Amels 272 the flagship of the classics.

Three hundred square metres for the owner

Winch Design created the interior around natural tones and materials, a relaxed and warm counterpoint to the yacht's scale. Interior volume of around 2,827 GT spreads across six decks. The centrepiece is a dedicated owner's deck running some 43 metres and offering around 300 square metres of private space. The yacht accommodates 12 guests across ten cabins. Winch resisted the urge to fill the volume with grandeur for its own sake.

The owner's domain rivals the private accommodation of far larger custom yachts. Guest and social spaces below benefit from the generous proportions of the platform. Crew accommodation supports a team of around 25 plus captain, in keeping with a flagship of this size. The interior delivers on the promise the exterior sets up. Few yachts of any kind, custom or semi-custom, give an owner this much dedicated private room.

Range and pace to match

The 272 rides on a displacement steel hull with an aluminium superstructure, engineered for long ocean passages. Top speed reaches about 17.5 knots, brisk for a yacht of this volume. The machinery follows the proven-component philosophy of the range at a larger scale. It was built to carry a full owner's programme across oceans. The pace is genuinely unusual for a full-displacement yacht of this tonnage and volume.

At a 15-knot cruise the range extends to roughly 5,500 nautical miles, the longest legs in the classic range. That reach opens genuine transoceanic itineraries without anxious fuel planning. The beam of around 14.5 metres adds stability and interior width in equal measure. The engineering matches the flagship ambition of the design. The long reach puts much of the world within realistic itinerary planning for a full cruising season.

Who buys a 272

The 272 was built for an owner who wanted custom-flagship scale on the Limited Editions platform. Its single-hull status makes it one of the rarest yachts in the Amels story. The vast owner's deck suits a buyer who places private space at the centre of the brief. This is a boat for serious, wide-ranging ownership. The brief plainly centred on the owner's private world above all else, and the layout reflects that priority throughout.

On the rare occasion an 83-metre Amels of this kind reaches the market, it commands attention as a known and admired quantity. HERE COMES THE SUN has built a strong reputation in service and on charter. The scale and amenities place it among the most complete semi-custom yachts ever built. As the classic flagship, the 272 remains a landmark for the yard. It stands as the high point of the classic Limited Editions story.

Design

• Exterior: Tim Heywood
• Interior: Winch Design
• Naval architecture: Amels / Damen Yachting (in-house)

Who it is for: An owner wanting custom-flagship scale, a vast owner's deck and transoceanic range on the semi-custom Limited Editions platform.