Design and Construction
Alubat built the Ovni 32 with an aluminum hull and an iron centreboard keel rather than lead—a pragmatic choice for a lifting appendage exposed to grounding.
Her proportions are those of a heavy-displacement cruiser. A displacement-length ratio of 277 places her firmly among what reviewers categorize as “heavy cruisers.” A ballast ratio of 43 percent and a length-to-beam ratio of 3.09 describe a beamy, deeply loaded hull.
Wetted surface is about 333 square feet, while an immersion rate of 987 pounds per inch means she sits heavily and moves reluctantly in absolute terms, but rewards steady sail power. A capsize screening value of 1.95 and a motion comfort ratio of 24.9 point to a stable, reassuring platform rather than a lively racer.
Rig and Handling
The Ovni 32 has a masthead rig. Her specified sheets are generous for a boat of this size: a 25.6-meter mainsheet, 10.2-meter jib and genoa sheets, all 12 mm in diameter, and a 22.5-meter spinnaker sheet. Those lengths suggest a cockpit arranged for controlled, manual sail handling without making powered winches a necessity.
With the centreboard raised, draft is roughly 1.64 to 1.94 feet, depending on load. That lets her slip into shallow marinas that would stop a fixed-keel 34-footer. Lowering the board increases her grip and directional stability.
Calculated maximum speed is about 5.9 knots, while the theoretical maximum for the displacement hull is 6.8 knots. A sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 19.12 makes her modestly powered for her weight—enough to cruise, but 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. A 58-gallon water capacity and an 18-gallon diesel tank, paired with a 27-horsepower Yanmar single diesel, describe a self-sufficient cruising range suited to extended stays aboard.
For a cruising couple or small family, the centreboard arrangement expands the choice of anchorages. It makes the Ovni 32 a practical tool for reaching places that 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 won’t win a buoy race, but she can take her crew where fixed-keel boats cannot.
Pros
- Aluminum hull and iron centreboard provide grounding tolerance and shallow-water access
- Class B CE certification and a capsize screening value of 1.95 lend offshore credibility
- Heavy-displacement stability, with a 43 percent ballast ratio and a 24.9 motion comfort ratio
Cons
- Modest power for her weight limits light-air performance
- Fewer than 100 were built, so spares and survey familiarity are scarce
- A calculated maximum speed of 5.9 knots constrains passage planning
