Design and Construction
Alubat built the Ovni 32 with an aluminum hull, and the centreboard keel itself is iron rather than lead — a pragmatic choice for a lifting appendage exposed to grounding. The boat's proportions tell the story of a heavy-displacement cruiser: a displacement-length ratio of 277 places her firmly among what reviewers categorize as "heavy cruisers," while a ballast ratio of 43 percent and a length-to-beam ratio of 3.09 describe a beamy, deeply loaded hull. The wetted surface runs about 333 square feet, and the immersion rate of 987 pounds per inch means she sits heavily and moves reluctantly in absolute terms, but rewards steady sail power. The capsize screening value of 1.95 and a motion comfort ratio of 24.9 frame a stable, reassuring platform rather than a lively racer.
Rig and Handling
The Ovni 32 is built with a masthead rig, and the specified sheet dimensions are generous for her size: a 25.6-meter mainsheet and 10.2-meter jib and genoa sheets, all of 12 mm diameter, with a 22.5-meter spinnaker sheet. Those lengths suggest a cockpit laid out for controlled, manual sail handling without powered winches as a necessity. The centreboard keel gives a draft of roughly 1.64 to 1.94 feet dependent on load when raised, letting her slide into shallow marinas that would stop a fixed-keel 34-footer shallow marinas as the draft is just about 1.64 - 1.94 ft dependent on the load. Downward, the board extends her grip and directional stability. Calculated max speed is about 5.9 knots, with a theoretical displacement-hull maximum of 6.8 knots, and a sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 19.12 marks her as modestly powered for her weight — enough to cruise, not to sprint.
Accommodations and Cruising Profile
The Ovni 32's heavy-cruiser character and Class B certification point to a boat intended for coastal and offshore passage work rather than harbor lounging. Her 58-gallon water capacity and 18-gallon diesel tank, paired with a 27-horsepower Yanmar single diesel, describe a self-sufficient range suited to extended stays aboard. The centreboard format expands the anchorages available to a cruising couple or small family. She is a tool for going places shallow-draft competitors cannot readily follow.
The Verdict
The Ovni 32 is a purpose-built aluminum centreboard cruiser that trades outright speed for access and stability. Briand's late-eighties design, produced in small numbers by Alubat, remains a coherent expression of the shallow-draft voyager: heavy, beamy, and certified for serious water. She will not win a buoy race, but she will take her crew where fixed keels cannot.
Pros
- Aluminum hull with iron centreboard for grounding tolerance and shallow access
- Class B CE certification and capsize screening of 1.95 for offshore credibility
- Heavy-displacement stability with 43 percent ballast ratio and 24.9 comfort ratio
Cons
- Modestly powered for her weight limits light-air performance
- Fewer than 100 built, so spares and survey familiarity are scarce
- 5.9-knot calculated max speed constrains passage planning
