Hull, Deck, and Construction
The 45.9's construction brief answers a question that divides the offshore community: aluminum hull or fiberglass? Allures splits the difference in an elegant way. The hull and transom are welded aluminum while the deck and coachroof are fiberglass with a foam core, insulated below with foam and neoprene for sound and thermal management. Compared with all-metal builds, this arrangement meaningfully reduces temperature fluctuations and condensation when outside conditions change, makes more complex curved shapes possible topside, and — practically speaking — feels more comfortable underfoot. The aluminum hull itself carries an aluminium watertight bulkhead at the bow, a feature that positions the 45.9 squarely in serious offshore territory.
What aluminum gives a boat like this is worth dwelling on. The material deforms rather than shatters; hit something weaker than granite with an Allures 45.9 and that object will likely fare worse than the boat. The result is a hull with sufficient structural integrity that it does not rely on the deck for the "shoebox" stiffening effect fiberglass boats depend on. For sailors heading to remote coasts far from boatyards, that peace of mind is considerable.
Rig and Sail Plan
The rig is a versatile double-headed sloop with an anchor bowsprit that allows a large asymmetric spinnaker or gennaker to be set in light conditions. Both headsails — jib and staysail — are on furlers, giving the crew tremendous flexibility to trim sail area to conditions without going forward. Control lines are well thought out: sheets run easily to crew positions, and large line-tail compartments are located in the right places. A singlehander can tend all controls without heroics; two-up sailing is notably easy. A solid vang with a Walder boom brake tames the main when gybing. The traveler sits forward of the dodger, and color-coded sheets lead to winches and clutches distributed across the coachroof, keeping the cockpit uncluttered.
Sail handling philosophy follows a sensible offshore progression. Owners typically transition from jib to staysail in the high teens of wind, then take the first reef as the breeze climbs above that threshold — a conservative, manageable routine. In light air, the big asymmetric off the bowsprit transforms the boat's light-air performance entirely. The 45.9/S Sport variant substitutes a bulbous lifting keel for the standard centerboard, adding a carbon mast and rod rig to save roughly two metric tons, sharpening upwind bite without surrendering access to shallow anchorages.
The Centerboard Advantage
The integral centerboard is the design feature that most sets the Allures 45.9 apart from conventionally keeled bluewater cruisers of similar size. With the board raised, draft falls to just over three and a half feet, opening lagoons, tidal creeks, and remote beaches that would strand a fixed-keel boat. At rest, weight is taken by the bow and a wide stub keel rather than the rudders, so the boat sits firmly without stressing its appendages — an important distinction from some other beachable cruisers.
Offshore, the board earns its keep in a different way. When sailing downwind with the centerboard up, drag is reduced and the center of buoyancy shifts aft, making the boat particularly smooth; in breaking waves, combined with twin rudders, the boat glides rather than snagging, allowing controlled runs at high speed even under autopilot. Upwind, dropping the board provides meaningful lateral resistance. The net effect is a boat that genuinely adapts to conditions rather than compromising in all of them.
Accommodations and Interior Layout
Allures offers the 45.9 in three layout variants — essentially a choice between two or three cabins and one or two heads. The standout feature of the standard Owner two-cabin arrangement is a dedicated technical room aft to port, a genuine workspace for tools and equipment that keeps oily, messy maintenance gear away from the living areas. The generator lives there too, with room for a washing machine if desired. Serious long-distance couples will readily trade a seldom-used guest cabin for this practical space.
The main saloon achieves a neat trick: it doesn't look like an expedition boat but rather a contemporary cruising yacht with warm, high-quality materials assembled under the eye of interior designer Franck Darnet. The side galley runs along the port side, and a long amidships settee — whose back doubles as a leaning post for the cook at sea, since it sits atop the centerboard trunk — mitigates the usual at-sea penalty of a side galley. A small step between the saloon and galley sole is the one ergonomic catch that will surprise visitors until they learn the boat. To starboard, a raised chart table with two seats fore and aft of it preserves a feature increasingly rare on modern production boats. The forward owner's cabin is particularly spacious and well-appointed by offshore standards. The hull sides are foam-insulated, keeping the living spaces quiet and condensation-free even in cold-water passages.
Performance Under Sail and Power
Independent sail trials conducted in light conditions confirmed that the 45.9 showed good directional stability and a pleasant helm feel, holding course steadily enough that leaving the wheel momentarily to tend a line was never a concern. Even in winds hovering around five knots, the boat ghosted along at better than three knots — respectable behavior for a heavily laden bluewater cruiser. The tacking angle in light, shifty air came in slightly under ninety degrees; the jib sometimes needs walking through the slot between the two forestays in marginal breeze, though this is unnecessary in proper sailing conditions.
Under power, the 60-horsepower Volvo Penta behaves predictably: a cruise setting of 2,000 rpm produces 7 knots through the water, while wide-open 3,000 rpm yields 8 knots, with low noise levels on deck and below. The turning circle measures just one boatlength in both directions — reassuring in close-quarters maneuvering. For extended offshore passages, 625 liters of diesel combined with a 420-liter freshwater tank and a watermaker give the boat the autonomy for long ocean legs far from resupply. Daily offshore averages in real conditions regularly exceed 160 nautical miles, meaningfully shortening passage times between destinations.
Deck Ergonomics and Known Limitations
The cockpit is genuinely well designed: an ergonomic piloting and maneuvering area with winches within easy reach, separated from a dedicated relaxation area. A two-piece acrylic companionway slat disappears into the deck when not in use. The walk-through transom leads to an integrated swimming and boarding platform. A technical area is accessible from both inside and the cockpit — useful for storing sails, scuba tanks, and maintenance gear without cluttering the living space.
The principal ergonomic critique from independent reviewers concerns the foredeck: with the boat's sleek lines, there are few grab points once you move forward of the mast, a characteristic common to the design genre but worth noting for sailors who regularly work the foredeck in a seaway. It may not bother agile, experienced offshore crews but deserves consideration for mixed-experience partnerships. The small galley step remains the most frequently cited belowdecks surprise.
The Verdict
The Allures 45.9 is a coherent, purpose-built bluewater cruiser that makes defensible engineering choices at every turn rather than splitting compromises. The aluminum hull delivers genuine indestructibility in remote waters; the composite deck corrects the material's worst thermal and acoustic liabilities; the centerboard grants access to anchorages simply unavailable to comparable fixed-keel boats; and the interior punches well above its utilitarian exterior impression. It is not a fast coastal racer, and it is not inexpensive to own or maintain. But for the couple planning extended passages — crossing oceans, threading shallow Pacific atolls, or working the remote Patagonian channels — few production boats in its size range are so completely thought through.
Pros
- Aluminum hull with composite deck eliminates the worst of all-metal thermal and acoustic drawbacks
- Centerboard delivers genuine shallow-draft access (under four feet) without sacrificing offshore seakeeping
- Twin rudders and centerboard combination enables controlled high-speed downwind runs
- Technical room is a serious, highly practical offshore amenity
- Well-centralized sail controls designed for shorthanded or solo operation
- Outstanding range autonomy: large fuel and water tankage, watermaker provision
- Raised navigation station, a feature increasingly rare on production cruisers
Cons
- Few foredeck handholds forward of the mast — a real consideration in a seaway
- Galley step-down from saloon is an adjustment hazard until crew learns the boat
- Limited North American dealer/service network relative to mainstream production brands
