Design and Construction
Alubat has built only aluminium since 1973, and the 490 is no exception — the hull, deck, coachroof and cockpit are 100 percent welded aluminium, using seawater-resistant 5083 plate in 10 mm on the floor, 8 mm above the waterline and 6 mm on the deck. The hull is built in a multi-buckling frame and the yacht can fall dry, standing securely on the base plate and the twin rudder blades without cradle or poppets. Above the waterline the standard insulation is sprayed cork with 50 mm foam over it. The centreboard is the heart of the marque: an integral aluminium canting keel, milled from solid block to a standardised NACA profile alongside the double rudder blades, and raised by the cockpit winch with no hydraulics. Ballast is internal and deep — just under six tonnes of lead blocks in aluminium boxes, cast low in the hull, with the 480 kg daggerboard itself adding retractable draught from 1.00 m up to 3.10 m down.
Rig and Handling
The 490 carries a two-reef aluminium Z-Spars rig as standard, with halyards, sheets and trim lines led aft through two channels to six Antal 62 winches on the coamings and companionway side. A furling genoa of 64 m² and 65 m² mainsail make up the 129 m² upwind inventory, and the yard fits a Dacron set from Incidence as basic equipment; a furling mast is not offered. Twin rudders set well aft yield low steering loads, and with the keel up the boat draws barely 39 inches. Test sailors found her balanced and able to work through waves well, and with a large genoa and optional square-top main she made around 6.5 knots at a 90-degree tacking angle upwind. The twin 57 hp Yanmar diesels, spaced about three metres apart in the hull, let her be manoeuvred as precisely as a catamaran, removing the need for a bow thruster.
Accommodations
The deck-saloon layout puts the central living area high, with large windows giving an almost unrestricted view out, and the dinette seats you with a panoramic seascape. The saloon table drops along its full length to become a vast sunbathing surface. An in-line galley runs the starboard side with long counters and ample stowage. Forward, the owner’s cabin has a side-built double and a large forepeak that serves as sail storage or workshop; aft, two quarter cabins each hold a large double, and the plans allow three or four cabins total. The pilothouse is the passage-making key: a watertight door seals it from the cockpit, two can stand watch inside with a 360-degree view, and the chart table with all electronics makes it an inside control station with remote autopilot and engine switching. The cockpit itself has a fixed doghouse forward that encloses, plus an aft double helm station.
Refits and Ownership
Owners shopping a new or near-new 490 will find the builder’s standard equipment already expedition-grade: twin shaft-drive diesels, six winches, Dacron sails, deep internal ballast and standard insulation. The option list centres on propulsion — Bellmarine 20 kW electric motors can replace the Yanmars — and on rig refinement such as the square-top main. Because the hull is aluminium and the keel retracts, routine ownership favours dry-land winter storage on the boat’s own feet and easy antifouling of a centreboard rather than a fixed fin.
The Verdict
The Ovni 490 is a serious aluminium expedition sloop that pairs a beaching-capable canting keel with a sealed pilothouse for two-person bluewater passagemaking. Its twin engines and twin rudders give unusual close-quarters control for a 50-footer, and the raised saloon with drop table is both a viewing lounge and a sun deck. The trade-off is complexity in the retracting keel and twin drivetrains, and a displacement of 17 to 21 tonnes that places her firmly in the loaded cruiser class rather than the light-displacement racer.
Pros
- All-welded aluminium hull with 10/8/6 mm plate and cork-plus-foam insulation
- Integral canting keel retracts to 1 m and twin rudders let her dry out on her own feet
- Sealed pilothouse with 360-degree watch and inside engine/autopilot control
- Twin 57 hp Yanmars for catamaran-like manoeuvring without a bow thruster
Cons
- Twin drivetrains and hydraulic-free canting keel add systems to maintain
- No furling-mast option; standard rig is fixed two-reef aluminium
- 17 to 21 t displacement limits light-air acceleration despite brisk sister-ship pace
