8/12/2019 ST196 Boat Test Allures39 DK V6

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8/12/2019 ST196 Boat Test Allures39 DK V6

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ALLURES

sailingtoday.co.uk AUGUST AUGUST

Solidly built Her welded aluminium hull istremendously strong, yet farlighter than steel.

Bowsprit She has a really solid aluminium bowspritthat not only provides an excellent tackpoint for the gennaker, but also keeps thestowed anchor well forward of the stem

Control lines All the sail control lines are ledaft to the cockpit, including thecentreboard lifting line, which isoperated using one of the halyardwinches. The genoa and jib sheetcars share the same track

Spacious cockpit Her generous beam makes her cockpit very widthe large, solidly-mounted table has good handrarch keeps antennae, solar panels and wind genthe crew and a liferaft stows in a dedicated trans

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Tat said, Allures coats the inside othe hull with epoxy primer, so thissort o problem is most unlikely.

Lots up topHer cockpit is massive or a 40- ooterand eatures a large, well-anchoredtable with grab rails each end. Tereare also two excellent grab bars just

orward o the wheels, so theresalways something with which tosteady onesel during a tack.

Te helming position is good andthe orward view excellent. Te wellbehind the wheel is nicely scooped,providing ample support or thehelmsmans eet when heeled, withoutthe trip hazard o a oot-stop block.

win backstays allow un etteredaccess af to the transom plat orm,where there is a dedicated li eraflocker and two lazarette lockers oneo which was purpose-built on ourboat to house the dinghy outboard,the other with a s of canvas liner orstowing enders.

Another eature o the cockpit is thearch, which is designed to hold twolarge solar panels, a wind generatorand various antennae. It can alsosupport dinghy davits and has lightingon the underside.

She has a twin-spreader Sparcrafmast supported by chunky 1/19 wireshrouds, attached to the hull via astout rein orcing ring. Te mostpopular sail plan is the slutter rig amix o cutter and sloop with twin

urling oresails. Unlike a true cutter,this has a conventional genoa outerand jib on the inner. She has a rigidbowsprit or ying a gennaker orcruising chute; this also moves theanchor roller urther orward toprotect the stem during retrieval.

Te boat is well endowed withtop-quality winches, clutches, jammers and blocks, so hoisting,setting and trimming is easy. Temainsheet comes down to two xedpoints on the coachroo rom themiddle o the boom and leads to ahalyard winch. Tis might not t themodern idea o easy handling, butwith an autopilot, popping orward todump the main is simple enough.

Up to 9 knotsTe ully battened main was easilyhoisted, although we did have the helpo the boats only electric halyardwinch. On our test day we had a airlysteady 15 knot wind rom thenortheast as we tacked out oCherbourg harbour, which was ne

or our slightly overlapping genoa.Because youre unlikely to use bothheadsails together, both sheettravellers are on the same deck-mounted tracks. Te only real

Powerful performer The39.9isunquestionablyagood-lookingcraft withher sweetsheerand streamlinedcoachroof.Butshesnotjusta looker cleverunderwaterdesign meanssheofferspowerfulperformancewithacomfortable,stable motion

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We were soon powerinclose reach at a pretty co

knots in 18 knots o appLater, as the wind reshesettled at 8 knots plus. Shsailed hard on the wind abut pinching this tight slcouple o knots. She waquickest at between 50 the wind, when she tram just over 9 knots with 20wind over the deck.

She seemed as stiff askeel-ballasted yacht and a very com ortable and cmotion through the watesteering system wasnt exngertip light in these coneither was there an inoro weather helm. Her twconguration ensures sheher grip on the water andsuperbly downwind withcentreboard up, thanks tostub keel. On a broad reahappily nudged 7 knots, swept spreaders restrictemovement o the boom So, as with most moderndead downwind is a no-nrst rigging a preventer.

Lifting centreboarOne o her key selling pshoal draf centreboard. Scast iron ballast set in resaround the keel box. Te acentreboard is unballasteweighs 200kg. It is raiseplace using simple Dynewhich run up through thesupport post be ore beincoachroo winch.

Te accommodation lay versatile and or this reaAllures yachts are the sa

our or ve existing stanincluding one or two heaberth saloon conversion,will build a 3D prototyyou want on its CAD sys

She seemed as stiff as anormal keel-ballasted yacht

and had a comfortable,condent motion through

the water

downside to the slutter rig is that t helarge genoa inevitably gets caughtaround the inner orestay during atack or gybe. On the Allures, however,the gap between the two is largeenough to allow the sail to backlland go round without too much uss.

8/12/2019 ST196 Boat Test Allures39 DK V6

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ALLURES

sailingtoday.co.uk AUGUST AUGUST

Impressive stowageAn essential ingredient for angood offshore cruising yachtis plenty of easily-accessedstowage for odds and ends.The numerous trays all aroundthe chart table are great forplotting kit, handhelds etc

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Our test boat, hull no.3, had a smallensuite heads in the orecabin with aloo and basin, but no shower. Tealternative is a roomier cabin with morestowage. Either way the berth is a goodsize, as is the one af, which gives agenerous double without poking theinboard berth under the cockpit sole.

Te main heads is a very roomycompartment with separate showerstall and removable bar or hangingwet oilies. Although there is a smallopening port in the heads, there wasno vent or hatch in the shower on ourboat, but Im sure one could be addedwithout too much difficulty.

Headroom and viewsHeadroom is good throughout theboat, but not excessive, so lofierowners may want to drop the sole in a

ew critical places. Tere is nostanding headroom in the workshop/tech room, though there is a small

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Lifting centreboard The centreboard mechanism ts very neatly andunnoticeably into the saloon table. Inside the tableis a stowage bin, beneath which is a removablesee-through acrylic inspection window. Side andend panels offer further access for maintenance

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L-shaped galley Her L-shaped galley offers goodsupport to the cook as well asplenty of work surface, stowage,a decent size cooker and a largedrawer-type fridge/freezer

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inboard port or air and a portlight inthe topsides or natural light.

Te cabin sole is raised in the galley,af head and navigation areas, butthen drops around 8in (20cm) in thesaloon and orecabin. While its greatto have a panoramic view rom thegalley and chart table, its a shame theseating area doesnt share the view.

Te raised cabin sole takes a littlegetting used to, but enables the uel,water, batteries and ballast to be keptlow in the hull and close to the centreo the yacht. Tis is very important ora sailing yacht that has no ballast keel.It goes without saying that thoughtmust be given to any weighty kitcarried on board particularly abovedecks or up the mast. Tis is onereason the yard doesnt avour in-mast

urling. Standard is a ull battened,slab-ree ed mainsail with lazyjacksand zip bag, although a ew ownershave chosen to t a urling boom.

Te 39.9 is a beamy boat or sure,but this doesnt just provide bags ointerior volume or an airy and brightaccommodation, it also does a ne jobo increasing her overall stability andher resistance to initial heel.

ALLURES

DUNCANS VERDICT

Im a big fan of aluminium boats,not just for their strength andresilience to otsam, but alsobecause the hulls are usuallystrong enough without additionalsupport from bulkheads. Thisthen offers much more exibilityto the layout below.

Allureshullsareverywellmadeandtheprecisionof theweldingistopnotch.I likethedetaileddesignprocessandthewayeachyachthasitsownteamofcraftsmenwhotakemorepridein theirworkthanthoseon aproductionchain.

The experience of navalarchitect Olivier Racoupeaushines through in her exhilaratingperformance under sail, and yetshe remains a very practicalcruiser that will take you safelyand comfortably to distant shores.

The Allures 39.9 is close to myideal cruising yacht and not badlypriced when compared to similarGRP offerings.

SAILING ABILITY: H H H H HCOMFORT: H H H H H

BLUEWATER: H H H HH

PRICE FROM c ,

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 saloonEngine: 55hp Volvo D2-55 with SaildriveDesigner: Berret-Racoupeau Yacht DesignBuilder: Allures Yachting+33 (0)2 33 43 22 20, www.allures.frUK agent: Williams & Smithells01329 827053, williamsandsmithells.co.uk

SPECIFICATION

PERFORMANCE

We i gh t S pe e d

Displ/LWL ratio: 218Sail area/Displ ratio: 16.95

For a fuller explanation of stabilityand performance gures seewww.sailingtoday.co.uk

OVNI FROM ,

Easily recognised by their hard chineconstruction, French yard Alubats Ovni 395

is more of a production boat (see pp22-31). Itshares the variable draught, but uses hydraulicsto lift the keel and rudder. Designed for offshore

cruising, the Ovni 395 is avaialble with two orthree double cabins.

UK dealer: www.northseamaritime.com

BAVARIA VISION FROM ,

The Farr-designed Vision 42 has beencreated for offshore cruising and ease of

handling. It has a raised coachroof for extralight and volume, and is well equipped for

long-term sailing. Features include an offsetcompanionway for extra cockpit seating and a

large, drop-down transom platform.UK dealer: www.clippermarine.co.uk

OCEANIS FROM ,

The new Oceanis 41 is beamiwhich gives her improved formadded stiffness under sail. The

also makes room for a generous,interior that has been designed s

luxurious family cruiCheck the website www.beneteau.c

your nearest UK dealer

IF THE ALLURES . S NOT RIGHT FOR YOU...