Your response and insights are greatly appreciated. Thank you!

what what type of hull/keel does that boat of theirs have? doesnt the no keel design make it unstable?

It's all connected by many factors. A boat that's cheaper to build may be cheaper to buy, but more costly to maintain, etc. So pros and cons of both. That said, a boat that's better built to begin with is probably a better value long term, so I agree with your point. For these and many other reasons, Aluminum seems an ideal material for a boat.

Excellent point!

Hi - You can find all the pricing on our website at alubatamerica.com/ - choose the Ovni you want to see for a complete equipment list and pricing.

@@alubatamerica Thank you. The issue was that I went to the corporate site, not to Alubat America.

@@SuperSventizeMe no problem - let us know if you have any other questions. You can reach us at [email protected]

Indeed, and we have to take into account all those properties of aluminum before we even start on the design process. To do so, we anticipate how the aluminum plates will position themselves, helped by a collective 140 years experience in aluminum construction between all our architects, and 50 years for our shipyard. We don’t use the frames to force our shape of hull, we rather first design and optimize the hull itself, without any frame, in order to get the cleanest curves possible, taking into account the particularities of the material. The idea is that we could theoretically build the hull only with the plates, and still get the same shape. Then, and only then, we decide on where to put the frames, depending mostly on structural necessities. Finally, we use CNC to get the most precise shape possible, so we’re confident in the cleanliness and esthetics of the curves we designed. The thickness of the aluminum plates also tends to reduce the shrinking and other effects of the heat, and we tend to put every chance on our side : the chine is made by the edge of the upper plate, the welding line being a bit deported inwards, making for the cleanest chine possible visually, and giving us a little boost of structural integrity in this area. Finally, we actually want and strive for a bit of pulling during the assembly, as it provides some pre-stressing to our plates, increasing once again the solidity of our hulls, and giving it the exact form we designed.

I believe this is called "trying to teach your grandmother how to suck eggs".

Yes. The nice thing about aluminum-built boats is that the design is not restricted by molds as in other production fiberglass-built boats.

That's exactly what the chines do, and the boat tracks beautifully.

You can see photos, journals and videos of their travels on their website at www.voilierbulle.com/

Mi2 👍

🐬🐳🛸⛵️💨🌬️👍🍀👌👏👏👏⚓️🇨🇭

I have not seen a swing keel boat with a lock. Decades ago, I sailed on a C&C Mega 30, that had it's keel on a jack screw, which meant that wherever it was was a locked position. One couple did part of the Great Loop in a Tartan 37, with a swing keel, with good and bad results. They didn't have it all the way up where they were getting their mast taken down, for the trip through Chicago, and had to get the boat lifted to get the keel reconnected to it's bridal rope, (damned heavy). But later on in the thin water around Florida, the swing keel allowed them to go places, a fixed keel would have difficulty. That is what they are made for, Bahamas bound.👍👍

on Alubat Ovnis (and other European centerbord boats) you typically have two lines, one for getting the centerbord up, one for pulling in down and locking it in place. Letting the centerbord down is usually done while motoring out of the harbour or without any dynamic pressure (not sailing) by gravity. With those bigger aluminium yacht there's usually no need to block the centerboard in the "down position" with one exeption - super rough waves with massive bouncing. If you're cruising along or nearshore its a good idea to keep the centerboard unlocked. You don't use the "down" line. IF you have contact with anything drifting or you hit the seabed. That's the big benefit of a centerbord. Swing keel = massive weight and swing keel ads to weight stability and you mostly have hydraulic measures to move it (because of weight). Centerbord = just a big aluminium profile for sailing performance, weight stability is done with lead in the hull

Yes, first line is to lift the centreboard and the second line is designed for that so that you can lock it at whatever position you want