Overview
The Ovni 39 is an aluminum masthead sloop designed by Philippe Briand and built by Alubat in France, built from 1987 to 1997. It belongs to the Ovni line of welded aluminum cruisers with a lifting keel or centerboard, a range John Neal rates 5 of 5 in his Boats to Consider for Ocean Cruising.
Design and Construction
The hull is 39.34 ft overall on a 32.35 ft waterline, with 12.96 ft of beam. Draft is 2.30 ft with the keel up and 7.22 ft down, so the boat can take the ground or enter shallow anchorages that a fixed deep keel would not. Displacement is 17,637 lb with 7,716 lb of ballast, a ballast ratio of 43.8 percent. The masthead sloop rig carries a reported 869 sq ft of sail. Listed power is a 40 hp diesel.
Buyers Notes
Neal describes Alubat as a builder of simple and innovative lifting-keel aluminum cruising boats, and rates the whole 36 to 58 foot range 5 of 5. That is a rating of the yard’s range, not a survey of this model. On an aluminum boat the usual checks apply: condition of the paint system, anodes and signs of stray-current corrosion, and the working order of the keel or board lifting gear.
