Design and Construction
The Ovni 56 is built entirely in aluminium, a choice that extends throughout the hull and reflects the marque’s approach to rugged voyaging boats. Its centreboard takes the form of a pivoting lifting keel. Retracted, it allows the boat to settle into about 0.80 to 0.90 meter of water, depending on load, opening up shallow and inland passages.
The hull has notably generous proportions. A length-to-beam ratio of 3.32 places the Ovni 56 among the roomier layouts in its class. Its immersion rate is roughly 445 kg per centimetre, describing how heavily the boat settles as payload increases.
With a ballast ratio of 41 percent, the design carries more concentrated low weight than 76 percent of comparable sailboats. The data associates that figure directly with a very high ability to resist heeling.
Rig, Performance, and Handling
The cutter rig gives the Ovni 56 a versatile offshore sail plan. Its listed running-rigging dimensions also indicate the scale of the boat: jib and genoa sheets are about 16.6 metres long and 16 mm in diameter; the mainsheet is 41.5 metres long; and the spinnaker sheet is 36.5 metres long. All use 16 mm line.
Under power, the boat may carry an 85 hp engine, from which a calculated maximum speed of about 7.6 knots is derived. Under sail, the theoretical maximum for a displacement hull of this length is 8.9 knots. The bottom has a wetted surface of about 78 square metres.
The capsize screening value is 2.00, which would exclude the boat from ocean-race acceptance. Its displacement-to-length ratio of 190 nevertheless places it among so-called moderate racers, while a sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 21.46 describes a reasonably powered cruiser.
Accommodations and Tankage
Below deck, the Ovni 56 has eight berths. That capacity suits family cruising or crewed passage-making rather than a minimalist couple’s coastal program.
Fresh-water capacity is 600 litres, or about 158 US gallons, supporting extended time away from shore without constant resupply. The beamy hull form reflected in the 3.32 length-to-beam ratio provides the room around those berths and tanks, making the interior a practical platform rather than a compromised afterthought. Overall, the boat is roomier than 82 percent of similar designs.
Verdict
The Ovni 56 is a distinctly capable aluminium voyager from Philippe Briand’s early-1990s Ovni work. SAS Alubat Chantier Naval built it around a pivoting lifting keel and a beamy, well-ballasted hull. Its cutter rig and substantial tankage suit long-range cruising, while its shallow draft extends its reach into waters closed to fixed-keel boats.
A capsize screening value of 2.00 keeps it out of sanctioned ocean racing, but this is a serious, stable cruising platform rather than a racer.
Pros
- Aluminium hull and pivoting lifting centreboard provide access to shallow and inland waters
- Roomier than 82 percent of similar designs, with eight berths and 600 litres of fresh water
- Ballast ratio of 41 percent provides very high resistance to heeling
Cons
- Capsize screening value of 2.00 excludes it from ocean-race participation
- Its moderate-racer displacement-to-length ratio suggests it’s no lightweight sprint canoe