ovnis

[Taiko]

i find myself quite taken by the ovnis.financialy between a early 385 or a late 39.
how do the two boats compair design-wise,also as to sailing ability.does the aluminium age over time? is there any thing i should llok out for?
thanks,

[tdw]

Have a look at the Interesting Sailboats thread. We've discussed Ovni a fair bit over there.
http://www.sailnet.com/forums/boat-r...sailboats.html

[Faster]

We've seen lots of them in the Caribbean chain - very popular there.

[noelex77]

Ovni make excellent cruising yachts. I consider aluminium to be the best material to use when building this type of yacht.
The only concern some people have is their low AVS which is a consequence of their unballasted retractable keel. This topic has been debated at great length if you do a search.
The aluminium does not age and unlike fibreglass there is no water absorption into the material. Aluminium also elimates problems of delamination, wet core, keel bolts etc
However poor construction (very unlikely with an Ovni), electric wiring problems or even unsuitable antifouling can cause problems.
Get yourself a good surveyor, who is familiar with aluminium.
It is also helpful, to become knowledgeable about the material yourself, professionals with little experience with aluminium can sometimes try to do things very wrong.

[sailingdog]

this is overly simplistic. Aluminum is not a panacea as boat building materials go. It has serious problems with galvanic corrosion, which can be far worse than any problems with GRP hulls.

Also, ovnis don't have retractable keels—they have centerboards, which are not the same thing at all.

Originally Posted by noelex77

Ovni make excellent cruising yachts. I consider aluminium to be the best material to use when building this type of yacht.
The only concern some people have is their low AVS which is a consequence of their unballasted retractable keel. This topic has been debated at great length if you do a search.
The aluminium does not age and unlike fibreglass there is no water absorption into the material. Aluminium also elimates problems of delamination, wet core, keel bolts etc
However poor construction (very unlikely with an Ovni), electric wiring problems or even unsuitable antifouling can cause problems.
Get yourself a good surveyor, who is familiar with aluminium.
It is also helpful, to become knowledgeable about the material yourself, professionals with little experience with aluminium can sometimes try to do things very wrong.

[PCP]

Originally Posted by noelex77

Ovni make excellent cruising yachts. I consider aluminium to be the best material to use when building this type of yacht.
The only concern some people have is their low AVS which is a consequence of their unballasted retractable keel. This topic has been debated at great length if you do a search.

They make OVNIS since the 70's and they have no corrosion problems. They have learned how to prevent that (quality of aluminium and electric wiring). I don't know of reports about any capsized boat, but if you can buy a 435. That is probably its best boat among the used ones. The boat was built in considerable numbers and is probably one of the boats that have made more circumnavigations (I know a guy that as done it in one, not once, but three times ).

If you can find an Allures 40 (also an aluminum centerboard) at the right price (and that is very difficult) it can be a better choice. Allures are a bit more expensive and their deck is made with composite material (only the hull is aluminum) that permits a lighter and faster boat with a substantially better AVS.

Regards

Paulo

[noelex77]

Originally Posted by sailingdog

t

Also, ovnis don't have retractable keels—they have centerboards, which are not the same thing at all.

I think “not the same thing at all” is a bit harsh. Ovni describe their yachts (on their English website) as
a lifting keel yacht. See
Home
but I accept the term centerboard is probably more accurate.

Why do these posts often degenerate into criticism of minor and generally irrelevant points?

[PCP]

Just a bad translation (it is a French boat and a French site). In French they called it correctly "a deriveur integral" that should be translated as "a centerboard", not lifting keel.

Alubat - des bateaux en aluminium Ă* vos mesures

There is a big diference:

A keel has ballast a center board is just that, a board, it has no ballast at all. All the ballast on the OVNIS is on the bottom of the boat.

There are lots of lifting keel boats: The Pogo 10.50 and 12.50, the Southerlies, the Opium 39, the Atlantic and so on.

Regards

Paulo

[noelex77]

Originally Posted by PCP

A keel has ballast a center board is just that, a board, it has no ballast at all. All the ballast on the OVNIS is on the bottom of the boat.


Regards

Paulo

I did try conceding, but sometimes that is not enough.
.
I am afraid if you do want to be pedantic as the Ovnis keel/centerboard is not neutrally or positively buoyant. It sinks. The above definition implies therefore it must be keel not a centreboard as it has some (albeit only a small amount) of ballast.

Honestly I really don’t mind what you call it.

[Faster]

Originally Posted by noelex77

Honestly I really don’t mind what you call it.

Agreed, call it what you like.. but I've always thought that a centerboard (ballasted or not) pivoted on a pin, and considered a "lifting keel" to be more like a daggerboard in that it was vertically slid up into the hull by various means.

Which would put the Ovnis, Southerlies, etc in the centerboard category, with the newer sport boats like the Melges into the lifting keel set.

Is that a fair distinction?