Amels Yachts History & Heritage
The Amels family legacy began in 1918 in Makkum, in the North of Holland, where they initially crafted wooden fishing boats, steel tugboats, and coasters. The heritage of the AMELS brand lives on as part of the far larger and very impressive Damen shipbuilding dynasty.
The Damen shipbuilding dynasty itself was founded in 1927 by two brothers, Jan and Rien Damen, who started with a modest boatbuilding shed next to their family home on the Waal/Beneden Merwede River in the southwest of The Netherlands. Over the next four decades, Damen steadily grew, building small commercial vessels for the domestic market and earning a solid reputation.
In 1969, Kommer Damen, the son of the founder, revolutionized the business by introducing the concept of modular construction, a pioneering move in the boatbuilding and shipbuilding industries at that time. Standardized, well-proven designs allowed Damen to achieve rapid delivery times, reduce costs, ensure high build quality, and deliver reliable vessels that performed precisely as expected. By 1973, Damen had outgrown its original premises and relocated to a purpose-built shipyard in Gorinchem—a site it still occupies today. This innovative approach laid the foundation for Damen's continued success in the shipbuilding industry.
In 1991 the Damen family acquired Amels. The name Amels was retained, preserving the brand which was, by then, synonymous with luxury yacht building and is now also renowned for its high value, quality, and finish. The shipyard in Makkum remained operational for the following 14 years before they established a new home at the larger facilities in Vlissingen.
