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Aluminium
attraction
French-built Allures cruising yachts simply
bristle with clever features. Duncan Kent
reports on the newly launched 39.9
A
llures Yachting has
been building
aluminiumcruisers for
10 years and has so far
launched over 100
boats. Te 39.9 is its
latest design created by Berret
Racoupeau, afer taking the many
existing Allures owners experiences
and wishes into account.
Allures owns two other boatyards,
including Caen-based Garcia Yachting,
where its hulls are built. Garcia is
expert at alloy fabrication and its hulls
are phenomenally strong, yet
comparatively light. Once complete,
the bare, round-bilge aluminiumhulls
are delivered to the Allures yard in
Cherbourg, where they are burnished,
painted and insulated before ftting
out. Unlike her bigger sisters, the 39.9
has a GRP deck and superstructure,
giving less weight, more headroom
below and a smoother, warmer fnish.
Te interior joinery is outsourced,
but built to CADdrawings created by
Allures own layout team, so no further
sawing, planing or sanding is needed.
If any customparts are required, they
will be put through the same design
process and the drawings supplied.
Slutter rig
Amixture of cutter and
sloop, the Allures sail
plan has twoheadsails
for easeof sail handling:
an overlappinggenoa
is on the foremost stay
with a smaller working
jib on the inner. They
are not intended tobe
hoisted together
Allures crafsmen then put the whole
lot together, knowing exactly what fts
where and how, thanks to the precision
of the 3Ddesign images, which can be
rotated through every angle.
Te 39.9 is designed as a bluewater
cruising yacht, although some have
bought her for local sailing as well.
She can be quite heavily customised
especially in the starboard quarter,
which can be a cabin, technical room,
workshop, or a clever combination of
all three by using the workbench as a
berth and the space below for storage.
Teres also a large area behind the
engine, which will house a good size
generator, watermaker, extra fuel tank
or anything else for long periods
ofshore. Access to both areas is very
good. Aplethora of panels in the sole
gives excellent access to all areas of the
bilge for regular inspection and there
are no no-go areas hidden behind
mouldings where problems might
arise. Tis is particularly important
with an aluminiumhull, as a metallic
object dropped into the bilges can
cause serious corrosion problems.
On test
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ALLURES 39.9 Boat test
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Solidly built
Her welded aluminiumhull is
tremendously strong, yet far
lighter than steel.
Bowsprit
She has a really solid aluminiumbowsprit
that not only provides an excellent tack
point for the gennaker, but also keeps the
stowed anchor well forward of the stem
Control lines
All the sail control lines are led
aft to the cockpit, including the
centreboard lifting line, which is
operated using one of the halyard
winches. The genoa and jib sheet
cars share the same track
Spacious cockpit
Her generous beammakes her cockpit very wide, although
the large, solidly-mounted table has good handrails. The
arch keeps antennae, solar panels and wind gennie clear of
the crew and a liferaft stows in a dedicated transomlocker
1
Tat said, Allures coats the inside of
the hull with epoxy primer, so this
sort of problemis most unlikely.
Lots up top
Her cockpit is massive for a 40-footer
and features a large, well-anchored
table with grab rails each end. Tere
are also two excellent grab bars just
forward of the wheels, so theres
always something with which to
steady oneself during a tack.
Te helming position is good and
the forward view excellent. Te well
behind the wheel is nicely scooped,
providing ample support for the
helmsmans feet when heeled, without
the trip hazard of a foot-stop block.
Twin backstays allow unfettered
access af to the transomplatform,
where there is a dedicated liferaf
locker and two lazarette lockers one
of which was purpose-built on our
boat to house the dinghy outboard,
the other with a sof canvas liner for
stowing fenders.
Another feature of the cockpit is the
arch, which is designed to hold two
large solar panels, a wind generator
and various antennae. It can also
support dinghy davits and has lighting
on the underside.
She has a twin-spreader Sparcraf
mast supported by chunky 1/19 wire
shrouds, attached to the hull via a
stout reinforcing ring. Te most
popular sail plan is the slutter rig a
mix of cutter and sloop with twin
furling foresails. Unlike a true cutter,
this has a conventional genoa outer
and jib on the inner. She has a rigid
bowsprit for fying a gennaker or
cruising chute; this also moves the
anchor roller further forward to
protect the stemduring retrieval.
Te boat is well endowed with
top-quality winches, clutches,
jammers and blocks, so hoisting,
setting and trimming is easy. Te
mainsheet comes down to two fxed
points on the coachroof fromthe
middle of the boomand leads to a
halyard winch. Tis might not ft the
modern idea of easy handling, but
with an autopilot, popping forward to
dump the main is simple enough.
Up to 9 knots
Te fully battened main was easily
hoisted, although we did have the help
of the boats only electric halyard
winch. On our test day we had a fairly
steady 15 knot wind fromthe
northeast as we tacked out of
Cherbourg harbour, which was fne
for our slightly overlapping genoa.
Because youre unlikely to use both
headsails together, both sheet
travellers are on the same deck-
mounted tracks. Te only real
Powerful performer
The39.9isunquestionablya
good-lookingcraft withher sweet
sheer andstreamlinedcoachroof.
But shesnot just alooker clever
underwater designmeansshe
oferspowerful performancewith
acomfortable, stablemotion
2
1
We were soon powering along on a
close reach at a pretty constant 7.5
knots in 18 knots of apparent wind.
Later, as the wind freshened, the log
settled at 8 knots plus. She can be
sailed hard on the wind at up to 34,
but pinching this tight slows her by a
couple of knots. She was at her
quickest at between 50 and 80 of
the wind, when she tramped along at
just over 9 knots with 20 knots of
wind over the deck.
She seemed as stif as a normal
keel-ballasted yacht and certainly had
a very comfortable and confdent
motion through the water. Her Jefa
steering systemwasnt exactly
fngertip light in these conditions, but
neither was there an inordinate degree
of weather helm. Her twin rudder
confguration ensures she never loses
her grip on the water and she tracked
superbly downwind with the
centreboard up, thanks to a signifcant
stub keel. On a broad reach she
happily nudged 7 knots, although the
swept spreaders restricted the
movement of the boomand mainsail.
So, as with most modern rigs, running
dead downwind is a no-no without
frst rigging a preventer.
Lifting centreboard
One of her key selling points is her
shoal draf centreboard. She has 4t of
cast iron ballast set in resin in the bilge
around the keel box. Te alloy
centreboard is unballasted, although it
weighs 200kg. It is raised or locked in
place using simple Dyneema lines,
which run up through the mast
support post before being taken to a
coachroof winch.
Te accommodation layout is pretty
versatile and for this reason no two
Allures yachts are the same. Tere are
four or fve existing standard plans,
including one or two heads, double
berth saloon conversion, but Allures
will build a 3Dprototype of whatever
you want on its CADsystem.
She seemed as stif as a
normal keel-ballasted yacht
and had a comfortable,
confdent motion through
the water
downside to the slutter rig is that the
large genoa inevitably gets caught
around the inner forestay during a
tack or gybe. On the Allures, however,
the gap between the two is large
enough to allow the sail to backfll
and go round without too much fuss.
2
ALLURES 39.9 Boat test
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Impressive stowage
An essential ingredient for an
good ofshore cruising yacht
is plenty of easily-accessed
stowage for odds and ends.
The numerous trays all around
the chart table are great for
plotting kit, handhelds etc
1
Our test boat, hull no.3, had a small
ensuite heads in the forecabin with a
loo and basin, but no shower. Te
alternative is a roomier cabin with more
stowage. Either way the berth is a good
size, as is the one af, which gives a
generous double without poking the
inboard berth under the cockpit sole.
Te main heads is a very roomy
compartment with separate shower
stall and removable bar for hanging
wet oilies. Although there is a small
opening port in the heads, there was
no vent or hatch in the shower on our
boat, but Imsure one could be added
without too much difculty.
Headroom and views
Headroomis good throughout the
boat, but not excessive, so lofier
owners may want to drop the sole in a
few critical places. Tere is no
standing headroomin the workshop/
tech room, though there is a small
2
Lifting centreboard
The centreboard mechanismts veryneatlyand
unnoticeablyintothe saloon table. Inside the table
is a stowage bin, beneath which is a removable
see-through acrylic inspection window. Side and
end panels ofer further access for maintenance
2
L-shaped galley
Her L-shaped galleyofers good
support tothe cookas well as
plentyof worksurface, stowage,
a decent size cooker and a large
drawer-type fridge/freezer
1
inboard port for air and a portlight in
the topsides for natural light.
Te cabin sole is raised in the galley,
af head and navigation areas, but
then drops around 8in (20cm) in the
saloon and forecabin. While its great
to have a panoramic view fromthe
galley and chart table, its a shame the
seating area doesnt share the view.
Te raised cabin sole takes a little
getting used to, but enables the fuel,
water, batteries and ballast to be kept
low in the hull and close to the centre
of the yacht. Tis is very important for
a sailing yacht that has no ballast keel.
It goes without saying that thought
must be given to any weighty kit
carried on board particularly above
decks or up the mast. Tis is one
reason the yard doesnt favour in-mast
furling. Standard is a full battened,
slab-reefed mainsail with lazyjacks
and zip bag, although a few owners
have chosen to ft a furling boom.
Te 39.9 is a beamy boat for sure,
but this doesnt just provide bags of
interior volume for an airy and bright
accommodation, it also does a fne job
of increasing her overall stability and
her resistance to initial heel.
ALLURES 39.9 Boat test
DUNCANS VERDICT
Ima bigfan of aluminiumboats,
not just for their strength and
resilience tootsam, but also
because the hulls are usually
strongenough without additional
support frombulkheads. This
then ofers much more exibility
tothe layout below.
Allures hullsareverywell made
andtheprecisionof theweldingis
topnotch. I likethedetaileddesign
processandthewayeachyacht
hasitsownteamof craftsmen
whotakemoreprideintheir work
thanthoseonaproductionchain.
Theexperienceof naval
architect Olivier Racoupeau
shines throughinher exhilarating
performanceunder sail, andyet
sheremains averypractical
cruiser that will takeyousafely
andcomfortablytodistant shores.
The Allures 39.9is close tomy
ideal cruisingyacht and not badly
priced when compared tosimilar
GRPoferings.
SAILING ABILITY: HHHHH
COMFORT: HHHHH
BLUEWATER: HHHHH
PRICE FROM c260,000
LOA: 41ft 6in (12.7m)
LWL: 36ft 10in (11.2m)
Beam: 13ft 7in (4.2m)
Draught options:
1.1m-2.8m(3ft 6in-9ft)
Displacement: 10,300kg (22,700lb)
Ballast: 4,200kg (9,260lb)
Sail Area: 881sqft (82m)
Fuel: 350lt (77gal)
Water: 330lt (73gal)
Berths: 4, 6 or 8 inc saloon
Engine: 55hp Volvo D2-55 with Saildrive
Designer: Berret-Racoupeau Yacht Design
Builder: Allures Yachting
+33 (0)2 33 43 22 20, www.allures.fr
UK agent: Williams &Smithells
01329 827053, williamsandsmithells.co.uk
SPECIFICATION
PERFORMANCE
Speed Weight
Speed Weight
Speed Weight
Speed Weight
Speed Weight
Speed Weight
Displ/LWL ratio: 218
Sail area/Displ ratio: 16.95
For a fuller explanation of stability
and performance gures see
www.sailingtoday.co.uk
OVNI 395
FROM 225,000
Easilyrecognised bytheir hard chine
construction, French yard Alubats Ovni 395
is more of a production boat (see pp22-31). It
shares the variable draught, but uses hydraulics
tolift the keel and rudder. Designed for ofshore
cruising, the Ovni 395is avaialble with twoor
three double cabins.
UK dealer: www.northseamaritime.com
BAVARIA VISION 42
FROM 156,000
The Farr-designed Vision 42 has been
created for ofshore cruising and ease of
handling. It has a raised coachroof for extra
light and volume, and is well equipped for
long-termsailing. Features include an ofset
companionway for extra cockpit seating and a
large, drop-down transomplatform.
UK dealer: www.clippermarine.co.uk
OCEANIS 41
FROM 177,400
The new Oceanis 41 is beamier than ever,
which gives her improved formstability and
added stifness under sail. The extra width
also makes roomfor a generous, light and airy
interior that has been designed specically for
luxurious family cruising.
Check the website www.beneteau.comfor
your nearest UK dealer
I F THE ALLURES 39. 9 S NOT RI GHT FOR YOU. . .