Alubat will exhibit the OVNI 370 and OVNI 490 at the 2026 Grand Pavois in La Rochelle from September 22 to 27. The two aluminium centreboard sailing yachts represent different sizes and cruising programmes while sharing the French yard’s approach to shallow-draft and bluewater sailing.
The announcement is particularly relevant to buyers comparing aluminium cruisers for extended use because both models are designed around variable draft and robust construction. Alubat positions the pair as capable of everything from coastal cruising to longer passages and higher-latitude exploration.
Two OVNI sizes, one aluminium philosophy
The smaller OVNI 370 gives the range a more compact platform for couples and family cruising, while the OVNI 490 moves the concept into a larger long-range yacht. Both use aluminium construction and lifting centreboards to combine offshore capability with access to shallower anchorages and harbours.
That combination is one of the defining attractions of the OVNI concept because it lets an owner reduce draft without relying on a conventional fixed keel. For cruising itineraries that mix ocean passages with tidal areas or less-developed destinations, the operating flexibility can be as important as interior volume.
Grand Pavois gives buyers an in-water comparison
The La Rochelle show runs from September 22 to 27 and provides a practical setting for comparing yachts that are designed to travel well beyond the marina. Having both the 370 and 490 together gives prospective owners a clearer sense of how Alubat scales accommodation, deck handling and storage as the platform grows.
Boat-show specifications still need to be judged against an owner’s real cruising plan because added length brings more space but also higher loads, sail area and operating costs. Seeing both models in the same event should help buyers separate genuine requirements from the appeal of simply moving to the larger yacht.
Centreboards broaden the cruising envelope
A lifting centreboard changes how an aluminium cruising yacht can be used by allowing draft to be reduced when entering shallow water. It also supports a different approach to grounding and tidal cruising, provided the hull, steering and appendages are engineered for the intended operating environment.
Owners considering this type of yacht should still examine ballast arrangement, steering protection, upwind performance and the mechanical details of the centreboard system. The benefit is not that one design is automatically superior, but that the operating envelope can be very different from a deep fixed-keel cruiser.
The show follows continued OVNI development
Alubat has continued to develop the OVNI range around long-distance owner cruising rather than moving toward purely performance-led sailing. The 2026 Grand Pavois appearance reinforces that focus by presenting two current models that sit squarely within the sub-24-metre luxury-yacht market.
For Luxury Yacht Guide, the OVNI 370 and 490 also broaden the sailing-yacht mix beyond conventional composite cruisers. Aluminium construction, variable draft and expedition-oriented use make the range particularly relevant to buyers whose cruising plans include remote or shallow-water destinations.
