Cigale 16 Buyer's Guide
Shopping the brokerage market for a Cigale 16 means looking at a 54-foot aluminum cruiser from Alubat, designed by Marc Lombard as an update of a 1990s Finot hull. These are serious bluewater boats with a performance edge, and the used fleet reflects both private and ex-charter ownership. Knowing the common layouts, the gear typically carried, and the few structural points worth checking will help a buyer focus a survey.
Layouts on the Used Market
Owner three-cabin layouts are the more common on the used market, but both three- and four-cabin versions appear, and ex-charter examples are common. Below, the signature aft saloon sits behind the companionway around a large table hiding the Volvo auxiliary, with sea berths outboard and a full galley and nav station just forward. Forward staterooms are all customizable; the master has an offset Pullman and en suite head, with guest cabins and a shared head farther aft of it. Neither head has a dedicated shower, so liveaboard buyers should plan accordingly.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
Used Cigale 16s commonly carry a strong offshore inventory. For power and energy, heating, a watermaker, and a solar array on the aft arch are commonly fitted, while a hydrogenerator and lithium batteries appear as less frequent owner upgrades. For canvas and sail handling, a bimini, dodger, electric winches, spinnaker, gennaker, code zero, and asymmetric spinnaker are commonly seen, supporting short-handed or long-passage sailing. Navigation and safety gear commonly includes chartplotter, autopilot, radar, AIS, life raft, and EPIRB as an occasional upgrade. Comfort items like a swim platform, freezer, hot water, and dinghy davits are commonly fitted, and many boats have completed a transatlantic or carry circumnavigation rigging.
What to Inspect
The Cigale 16 is entirely welded 5083 H111 aluminum, and like her metallic sisterships she shares the need for regular preventive maintenance to forestall corrosion. Scantlings above the waterline are reduced to save weight, so surveyors should examine those lightly built structures carefully. The hull above the waterline is cork-insulated and bilge spaces are painted, but any undocumented repair or coating failure in these zones deserves scrutiny. The fixed high-aspect fin with lead bulb and the optional lifting keel should be checked for impact or electrolysis at the business end of the welded keel.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
Typical markets for the Cigale 16 are Spain and Antigua and Barbuda. For a buyer, the practical checklist is: confirm the layout (three-cabin most common, ex-charter frequent), verify aluminum maintenance history and insulation integrity, test the engine access through the saloon table, and confirm the presence of the commonly fitted offshore gear (solar, watermaker, autopilot, life raft) before negotiating.
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Cigale 16. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 4 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 26 | 1 | $450,000 | — |
| Apr 26 | 3 | $450,000 | 0.0% |
| May 26 | 2 | $454,491 | +1.0% |
| Jun 26 | 2 | $452,110 | -0.5% |
Where they're listed
Cigale 16 listings appear across 2 countries. Spain has the most listings with 5 (62.5%), followed by Antigua and Barbuda.
Country view
8 listings · 2 countries| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spain | $454,491 | 5 | 2 | 62.5% |
| Antigua and Barbuda | $450,000 | 3 | 0 | 37.5% |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
4 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seawind 1600 | 51.64' | $ 995,000 | 28 | 5 |
| Allures 45.9 | 48.39' | $ 576,855 | 13 | 1 |
| Alubat 16You are here | — | $ 452,246 | 8 | 2 |
| S/Y Custom Made Marc Lombardi Cigale 18 | 59.97' | $ 430,019 | 5 | 1 |