The range of Ovni sailboats previously included a 365 and a 395 (36 and 39 feet). These two models had their glory days with 130 produced for the 395 and 70 for the 365. But the new homologation standards no longer allowed the 365 to sail in category A without expensive customization (carbon mast among others). In addition, the shipyard has inaugurated a new range in 2019, highlighted by the UFO 400 . It was time to offer a little brother to this new design that would replace the 365 and 395.
The 370 in the line of the Ovni 400
The Ovni 400 with its panoramic deckhouse is popular. The shipyard, helped by the architects Mortain-Mavrikios and CBA (Jean-Pierre Brouns), has therefore designed a smaller boat (37 feet) with a similar line and approved in category A.
The Ovni 370 is a full aluminum dinghy. It has (like the 400) very vertical sides, but its deck tonture gives it a more slender silhouette. On the deck, the deckhouse with vertical windows, reminds the silhouette of the big brother and offers light and panoramic vision inside.
A saloon deck square
In terms of layout, this blue water yacht designed for a small crew (couple or family with a child) offers an owner's cabin in the bow and a double cabin in the port side. The starboard equivalent is occupied by a technical and storage hold.
It is on the saloon that the shipyard has mainly worked listening to the remarks of the visitors/customers of the Ovni 400. They imagined a raised saloon so that once seated, one could enjoy the incredible almost panoramic view offered by the portholes of the deckhouse.
Thus the shipyard offers the Ovni 370 in 2 versions. A "classic" version with the saloon at traditional height centered in the middle of the boat (the table covering the daggerboard well) and a "deck saloon" version in which the saloon is moved to starboard and raised to offer a view to the outside once seated around the table. This version seems to have unanimous approval since the first 8 units ordered from Alubat are all in this configuration!
Simple and practical
To facilitate sailing with a reduced crew and limit maintenance, the shipyard has deliberately sought to simplify the boat's systems as much as possible. For example, the daggerboard, a NACA profile, remains light so as not to require a hydraulic jack and can be raised using simple ropes that return to the piano winches (the draft then drops from 3.08 m to 0.98 m). Similarly, the boat is devoid of lining, revealing projected cork, sanded and painted with an eco-responsible paint. This finish serves as both insulation and decoration. We will also note the waxed cupboard at the foot of the starboard companionway (so rare on sailboats nowadays) and the numerous stowages (notably under the floor of the saloon) proving the capacity to embark its stuff for a long trip.
For navigation, the cockpit is very pleasant with a double helm station. The winches on the piano allow you to control the whole boat. As an option, it is possible to install two additional winches on the coamings, then within reach of the helmsman. Under sail, the boat is lively with a very precise steering thanks to its two rudders.
Visible at Pavois 2021
This 2021 novelty, which made its first tacks at the beginning of September, will be presented for the first time to the visitors of the Grand Pavois in La Rochelle (from September 28 to October 3, 2021). A unit to discover..
