Design and Construction
The core of the 45.9 is a welded aluminum hull and transom paired with a fiberglass deck and coachroof built with a foam core, a hybrid arrangement the builder has long used to keep weight low while preserving metal-hull toughness. A watertight aluminum bulkhead at the bow and a copious sail locker fitted with a crash bulkhead give the layout real subdivision forward, and at rest the boat's weight is taken by the bow and a wide stub keel rather than the rudders, a detail that protects the twin blades when the centerboard is raised and the hull is nudged onto a beach. SAIL Magazine noted that if you hit anything weaker than granite with this boat, that object will likely fare worse than the vessel. Below the waterline the standard skeg-and-centerboard underbody can be swapped for a ballasted swing keel, and the Sport version carries a bulbous lifting keel that lowers the center of gravity while coming in nearly two tons lighter than the centerboarder.
Rig and Handling
The 45.9 works as a versatile double-headed sloop: a double-spreader, deck-stepped mast carries a Solent rig with two furling headsails, and an extended bowsprit forward handles off-wind sails and houses the ground tackle. A solid vang with a Walder boom brake tames the spar on a jibe, and the traveler sits just forward of a generous dodger while color-coded control lines run to winches and clutches on both sides of the coachroof. In a light sunset breeze off Annapolis, test sailors found the boat showed good directional stability and a pleasant helm, with a tacking angle slightly under 90 degrees and close to 5 knots made good through 7-knot puffs. The centerboard gives a real bite to windward when lowered yet lifts to open shallow anchorages other boats this size cannot enter, and Cruising World's reviewer ghosted along at better than 3 knots in 5-knot Chesapeake air. Under power, a 60 hp Volvo Penta D2-60 (a 75 hp diesel is optional) turned 7 knots at 2,000 rpm and 8 knots wide open, with pleasantly low noise below and on deck.
Accommodations
Franck Darnet styled a soft, contemporary interior offered in three layouts built around two or three cabins and one or two heads. The "Owner" arrangement places a straight-line galley to port where the cook can lean against the back of the centerline settee — actually the centerboard trunk — for security, though there is a small step-down from saloon to galley to note. To starboard a raised navigation station with seats fore and aft faces a large L-shaped settee whose drop-down table forms a giant double berth, and every version includes a luxurious forward stateroom. Rather than a third cabin aft, Allures fits a true technical area accessible from both the cockpit and a hatch in the port locker; the generator lives there and there is room for a washing machine, with bunk beds available as an alternative. A two-piece acrylic companionway slat disappears into the deck, and a walk-through transom leads to a built-in swimming platform.
Variants and Equipment
Beyond the standard centerboarder, the 45.9/S Sport version sheds nearly two tons and adds a carbon mast and Rod rig to further lighten the package, while the builder now fits North Sails and has shifted newer hulls from Volvo to Nanni engines. A nifty arch aft carries antennas, a wind generator, and solar panels while doubling as dinghy davits, and an optional self-launching Rocna anchor can be specified. Daily passage averages over 160 miles are quoted for the design, underlining its voyaging intent.
The Verdict
The Allures 45.9 is a thoughtfully evolved aluminum voyager that keeps the marque's shallow-draft, beachable character while delivering a quiet, well-insulated interior and a genuinely seaworthy subdivision of bulkheads. Its Solent rig and centerboard make it unusually flexible for both windward work and gunkholing, and the technical room is a rare concession to real cruising ownership. The step-down galley and the niche resale position of a French aluminum centerboarder are the only soft spots.
Pros
- Welded aluminum hull with bow watertight bulkhead and crash-bulkheaded sail locker
- Integral centerboard for windward bite and shallow anchoring; twin rudders unloaded at rest
- Solent double-headsail rig with bowsprit and tamed boom brake
- Dedicated technical room with generator space, accessible inboard and from cockpit
- Low engine noise and strong passage-making averages for a 45-footer
Cons
- Small step-down from saloon to port galley is an ergonomic caveat
- Aluminum centerboard cruiser remains a specialist resale segment
