She’s a centerboard cruiser with a broad sailing range. With the board raised, draft is only 3 feet 6 inches, opening up shallow anchorages and opportunities for beach exploration. Lowering the centerboard increases draft to 9 feet 10 inches for offshore windward work.
Design and Construction
Allures Yachting, part of the Grand Large Yachting group alongside Outremer and Garcia, built the 45 with a hybrid structure. Garcia meticulously crafts the aluminum shell in Cherbourg, and the builder describes the finished hulls as incredibly fair. The hull incorporates the side decks, stringers, collision bulkhead, and tankage as structural elements.
Each boat is drawn in CAD for its owner, allowing customization and providing a detailed schematic. Once the interior is complete, the composite coach roof and cockpit are attached to the aluminum hull. Reinforcements for the chainplates and other high-stress areas are welded or bolted in place.
At the bow, a stout double roller is seamlessly integrated into the hull. Behind it, a full-depth locker—deep enough to stand in—provides space for ground tackle and sail storage.
Rig, Sailing, and Handling
The Allures 45 carries a 62-foot, double-spreader fractional rig. The sail plan includes a full-batten mainsail, a slightly overlapping genoa, and a cutter staysail that sheets to its own fairlead car on the genoa track. A bowsprit supports a gennaker, and the boat can also fly a symmetrical spinnaker.
Control lines, sheets, and halyards run aft through deck channels to the cockpit. The centerboard line leads to an electric winch to port of the companionway; the same winch also hoists the mainsail. A well-conceived lazy-jack system helps manage the main. Together, these features make short-handed sailing realistic.
Writing in Cruising Compass, the tester found the boat surprisingly close-winded at 40 degrees off the true wind and effortless at 5.5 knots in about 10 knots of breeze. The twin rudders bit firmly when the boat was spun in close quarters.
Standard power comes from a Volvo Penta D2-55. Under power, the boat made just under five knots at 1,400 rpm, more than six knots at 2,000 rpm, and eight knots at the maximum 3,000 rpm. A 75 hp diesel is also available, and a bow thruster is fitted.
Accommodations and Stowage
Franck Darnet’s modern, Euro-style interior is offered in three layouts. All have a portside linear galley, with a head and shower aft of it. The galley includes a double sink, a three-burner stove, and two large pullout stainless-steel refrigerators.
One arrangement places a centerline queen berth forward and a double cabin aft to starboard. To port is a workroom with full access to the engine and generator. That workroom can instead become a fourth cabin, while the V-berth can be arranged with two passage berths plus a double. An en-suite head can also be added forward.
Cat-eye windows and overhead hatches bring plenty of light into the saloon. The raised navigation station seats two people facing each other, while a sturdy cockpit table supports life outdoors.
Stowage is generous. Transom lockers off the scoop stern hold a life raft, outboard, and dive gear, while a voluminous starboard lazarette takes fenders and lines.
Equipment, Capacity, and Cruising Range
A robust stern arch carries dinghy davits, antennas, and a solar panel, with provision for a wind generator. Additional solar panels can be integrated into the deck between the cockpit and mast.
Optional equipment includes a genset, extra refrigeration, and a watermaker. Diesel and water capacities are both 145 gallons. With an SA/Disp ratio of 19.69 and a displacement-to-length ratio of 174.82, the Allures 45 is a lightly loaded cruiser designed for extended range.
Verdict
The Allures 45 is a thoughtfully engineered aluminum centerboard cruiser that balances shallow-water access with offshore capability. Its customizable, CAD-designed hull surrounds a bright and flexible Darnet interior, while the led-aft controls and electric winch make short-handed sailing practical. The Garcia-built shell also inspires confidence for high-latitude cruising.
Pros
- Versatile draft: 3 feet 6 inches with the board raised and 9 feet 10 inches with it lowered
- Fair, Garcia-built aluminum hull with structural tankage and a collision bulkhead
- Led-aft rigging and an electric winch simplify short-handed handling
- Three adaptable layouts, a bow locker deep enough to stand in, and generous stowage
Cons
- Centerboard machinery adds complexity compared with fixed-keel contemporaries
- The composite deck joint on the aluminum hull requires disciplined maintenance vigilance
