Builder Alubat

There are not many brands in the world that are so connected to a particular type of boat. If you ever hear of an aluminium sailing yacht, it is likely to be a boat from the French shipyard Alubat.

History

The Alubat shipyard was founded on the Atlantic coast of France, in the town of Le Sables d'Olonne in 1973. The concept of the shipyard was simple and innovative at the same time. With the majority of privately oriented shipyards keen to experiment with fibreglass, Alubat planned to build only aluminium boats. The prototype of the first model of the future successful OVNI range - OVNI 25 - appeared in 1974. It was a keel boat - there were still 4 years left till the appearance of the yacht with a lifting keel. It was only in 1978 that OVNI 28 guided the development of the Alubat shipyard along the path that brought it success in the future.

The French shipyard did not return to keel yachts until 1994, when the CIGALES range was introduced along with OVNI, characterized by a more chic finish. Since the shipyard's launch, very famous designers such as Marc Lombard and Philippe Briand have been working on all projects.

Having successfully overcome the change of centuries, Alubat, using a lot of manual labor, faced the first problems in the crisis of 2008. It took several years before the shipyard returned to normal operation in 2016, having overcome a period of change of ownership, litigation and staff cuts. The shipyard owes its salvation to a group of businessmen, many of whom are loyal owners of Alubat yachts. This is how the shipyard has managed to preserve not only production and technology, but also its philosophy of quality and reliability for long distance cruising.

Model range

Now Alubat offers potential customers a wide enough selection of models, divided into several lines, for such specific vessels. Firstly, it is the most famous range of OVNI Lifting Keel yachts, which now includes five models from 11.5 to 15 meters in length. Following the market trends, the traditional OVNI yachts have been further developed and are now in the special EVOLUTION range, which includes two models: OVNI 46 Evolution (14m) and OVNI 52 Evolution (15.5m).

Another traditional range of models - CIGALE - has also been updated. These keel yachts are now available in lengths from 14 to 22 metres.

For those planning serious and long range voyages, Alubat has a unique offer. The Alubat 58 quech, designed by Philippe Briand, is available in two versions: a lifting ballast keel and a stationary keel. In addition, the customer can choose the configuration of the interior space.

In 2016 the first ever aluminium sailing catamaran OVNICAT 48 designed by the French studio Mortain & Mavrikios Yacht Design was presented. This catamaran will feature aluminum for hulls and platform construction, fiberglass for the cockpit and superstructure.

Features .

Alubat yachts are definitely a niche product for a client who knows what he wants. Over four decades, Alubat has proven its worth in long distance sailing, especially in harsh seas and extreme latitudes. On the other hand, one should not expect these boats to exhibit outstanding speed, and the behaviour of a yacht with a lifting keel on sharp courses may surprise the first person to stand behind the Alubat steering wheel.But the shipyard's specialists are not trying to sell a cat in a bag«. On the contrary, close interaction with the future client helps the customer to build and get the yacht he wanted... And to go on it in the long-term round the world.

Production

The Alubat shipyard is located on the Atlantic coast of France, in a town familiar to any yachtsman - Le Sables d'Olon. After the restructuring and the change of ownership, the yard employs 30 people and produces 15 boats per year. The shipyard has built 1300 hulls in total during its existence.