Sailing the Allures 51.9 - a full tour of this new aluminium bluewater cruiser
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 9 ก.พ. 2025
- Allures builds alloy centreboard cruisers with fibreglass decks and superstructures - the ideal combination for cruising? Toby Hodges picks the right boat to sail on a squally day off the coast of La Rochelle
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Introducing the boat while in operation is the best!
I been sailing for 60 years. This is the best boat I have ever seen
@CyrusDM I gotta agree with you Cyrus. However the aluminum of this boat is a sticking point.
Brain fog or not, it was extremely clever of you to choose such a rainy stormy day to perfectly illustrate the advantage of the hard bimini option.
Excellent review, as always.
Thank you.
Thank you!
There didn't appear to be any sort of rain collection built in. Might be a nice addition to keep those water tanks full.
I just love the french approach to sailing
Thank you for introducing this brand to me.
Please get a test of the garcia 60 when it launches! It Would be amazing to see an in depth review of that fine ship
i second that.
Well I'll jump in and mention a Kraken review would interest.
Ohh, if one ain't been done already!
@@drewgibbons4799 go 2 channel “Sailing millennial falcon” 4 Kraken. They made video about.
Wow! Beautiful, rugged(looking)yacht. Toby hit this one outta the ballpark!
Thanks Toby for sharing. Great sailing. Stay safe and take care. Love from FIJI 🇫🇯.
Thanks, you too!
Thank you Toby, a brilliant boat in so many ways, and a completely professional video.
I love the aesthetic, the hard top, the davits and aft deck, the flush deck, and the sail plan with no less than three jib locations.
And I love the aluminium hull, the centreplate flexibility, and the cabin layout which is an optimal balance between stowage and cabins.
Really all round a lovely bluewater boat. Thank you.
Thanks Andrew!
Is Toby here and Dave Seal on Yachts for Sale channel doing an amazing job! I never get tired watching them! Thanks! Good in every video is knowing the starting price of each boat presented!
Thank you Toby and the Yachting World for the review. This channel is great for expanding the horizon. I had heard about Allures but would not really specifically search for their boats. It turns out they have interesting boats.
A pleasure, thank you
Once we get something in our heads it's hard to get it out. Terrific review nonetheless Toby. I'm happy to see you busy sailing.
Thanks William!
You failed to mention the B&M dish drip tray, this owner has got style!
Thanks Toby and Yachting World! I signed up for a paper subscription due to your latest video reviews
That's great news - thank you! Our full boat test reviews - and much much more - are in the print issue each month.
Toby, you are one of the best reviewers out there. Thanks for the review and test!
Thank you!
We fully agree!
What a lovely boat. Space was well utilized. Layout is clean and functional. Review was A+! In my dreams...maybe someday.
Looks great , it will be interesting to see how it ages as the owners go around the world. Thanks Toby for the video, lovely yacht.
what it means ? everything will age
@@xuchun5371 he's saying how well it holds up to age. some boats age better than others.
Beautiful boat Toby. Thanks for the review.
Stunning boat. Well done, great video.
Aluminum hull, good solid weight for sea kindliness, solid rear arch with davits and solar panels. 1,000L of of fuel, carbon pole, tight safe galley with induction cooker and large fridge space, well thought out storage, and what we're looking for next: an aft owners cabin (sleeping in the front across oceans is not our cup of tea).... and it turns out - a lifting keel! What's not to like, pretty much has it all for ocean crossings and going just about anywhere!
Just not sure about the electronics in the sail locker, a bit too reliant on the hatch keeping the sea out... and hope that Volvo is a bit more reliable then ours with the MDI issues sorted out...
Makes us wonder what next - an Earthcruiser expedition truck, the Seawind 1370, or this beauty!
Very nice review Toby!
That's quite a shortlist!
@@tobyhodgesUK LOL... guess after two ocean crossings and winding our ways through uncharted coral atolls we've settled on what we really need for Tranquilo II!
yes, the variable draft is a good option for "go anywhere nice" boats.
Seats in the showers would also be nice, for long passages.
The solar arch looks promising, yet only one panel?
Induction cook tops, are great - so I am sure the batteries and genset is up to the task.
How is Volvo Penta support? I hear they have issues too - I think you guys know first hand.
@@drx1xym154 yeah we'd flip the solar panel 90 degrees and add a second, that would give us what looks like around 500W. And add a Watt & Sea water turbine.
Volvo Penta support was ok, once they accepted the MDI was the problem. Although it would have been nice for them to do a recall to a well known fault in the first place.
It was really our dealer that we were more disappointed with. They knew we were sailing across oceans, and it seems like they knew about the MDI issues because when we described the problem the MDI was the first thing they suspected. Yet not once did they suggest getting spares, which would have saved a lot of grief. Thankfully it didn't happen across the Atlantic or in the Marquesas!
Sailing Tranquilo has brought up a very valid point about Volvo Penta engines in ocean going boats….absolutely no point in fitting those engines if they stop after 200 hours with MDI problems….caveat emptor….
Small world! This video has just popped up in my feed and and I recognised the boat from Marigot Bay Marina where my RM 1270 is also currently docked!!!
I prefer this boat over the Explorer 52. The aft Master cabin is an essential requirement. The hardtop Bimini is also a superior fixture. Will be looking into this model when we move on final selection
thanks Toby, gorgeous SY, thank you for sharing....
From the water line up it seems quite perfect for bluewater cruising. However, neither the type of keel, its fixture (bolted on?) nor the rudder(s) were shown. As a guy who has come close to loosing friends in a boat that hit flotsam in the ocean very far from land and lost a rudder, I am inclined to listen to Dick Beaumont when it comes to bluewater sailing, rather than being seduced by onboard amenities, for I want to not only feel safe, but actually be safe in the middle of the ocean
It's a pivoting daggerboard. Doesn't have a keel. If you hit something, the daggerboard pivots up and out of the way. Minimising damage to the structure. Check for damage, replace the shearing pin, off you go again.
Hey Toby I'll quit my job to come work for you right now... What a fun life.
Great tour!
Always love to see boats go anywhere like this...
What a beauty she is! Would only swap the third cabin for a sauna, rsrs... A self tacking jib is always practical when single handling.
Nice boat. However, from experience of long ocean passages I wonder at the practicality of having the forward cabin berth where one's head is towards the bow. I found that sleeping the other way round in a forecabin was impossible in F5 or above due spending half the time in mid air, before rebounding of the mattress. I spend most of the time sleeping in the saloon. It seems like a lot of money for a cabin that can really only be used in harbour. My other concern is the apparent lack of ventilation in the aft cabin for sailing in the tropics, which I guess is where this boat will spend most of her time.
So many new boats rely on hatches for ventilation, which cannot be used if rain is likely, or on a good many passages.
A beautiful and practical cockpit area, both for foul and good weather. I just wonder why almost all modern yachts have the seating too low at the helm?
Beautiful yacht
Great, another to add to my list!
Can you try to get Toby a test sail on a Garcia explocat or the 60 once it launches?
Explocat = dreamboat
Rupert Holmes tested the Garcia Explocat for us - check out his full review here www.yachtingworld.com/reviews/boat-tests/garcia-explocat-52-review-a-go-anywhere-aluminium-catamaran
This is the 2nd French boat I'd seriously consider buying. Amals is the 1st. Really like their ketches.
That is a beautiful boat no doubt. Does the aluminum hull rely on a sacrificial anode or an IPCC system for corrosion resistance?
Lovley boat.
Could you tell more about the a-frame style main sheet setup?
If I considered and could afford a monohul, this is absolutely one of the all time favorites, and this time the price is shocking in a positive fashion: A base price below 700k Euro is rather cheap, when you consider, that the hull is high grade aluminium build by same shipyard as Garcia. I probably would still prefer Alubat, because of the lifting keels, ability to go into very shallow areas and even dry fall.
Hey Toby, nicely presented boat by you, an informative presentation as always. I would though like to hear, if not see ,much more of what is going on under the waterline. While the rig and sail handling is very important to me, I am equally interested in the hull shape, keel design, rudders, skegs etc For me, what is under the waterline is what makes a boat a comfortable and safe long distance blue water cruiser.
Thanks Paul, understood completely agree. When I can see a boat out the water/at a show/yard I will try and show this too - but not obviously practical when seeing or sailing them afloat
You could do an equally good review.
My God that boat is so beautiful. Thank you for the drone footage, always the best part! I have a question. I've seen ketch rigs, and I'm aware of the differences between a sloop and a cutter with the mast location and the 40% line. This boat with the 3 head sails up is magnificent, just stunning. Here's my question...why would a boat this size not be ketch rigged? What are the pros and cons to this design versus a ketch rig? Is this boat considered a cutter? Thank you.
is alluminium hull require less maintenance ?
So perfect. Just three wishes: It’s too bad you couldn’t inclose the hard dodger area during the rain. Would love to see a protected watch area in the hard dodger like the Boreal dog house. Third, the inside back facing nav desk just doesn’t cut it. I’d like to see a Diesel heater In that spot. If Allures can help solve these issues, I’m flying to France.
Probably worth asking the questions to them Chris!
from what I saw, it looked like the "bimini" was rolled up over the helms... the hard and sturdy dodger looked great!
Why the helms not under covered cockpit area?
Enjoyed the video, just wondering what the control line that runs up the port side and terminates just behind the two flush hatches on the foredeck is for? Can be seen around 7:22 on the video.
Nice boat, like the interior design where they located systems and items, also will never understand why they dont put the helm under the hardtop like the Amel.
bc it is not Amel , lol
What a boat! And this will have the centreboard ability to dry out like the others in the range right?
Which edition of the print magazine will the full review be in Toby?
Not for another couple of months/issues at least yet I'm afraid - will let you know once scheduled!
@@tobyhodgesUK any update on which physical edition this will be in? or have I missed it?!
Beautiful yacht. How does the washing machine fit in that tiny space?
Wow this is such a Beautiful yacht that i would love to see in Person. I love Garcia but the layout of this is more to my liking. That being said the garcia 60 is coming soon right. cool video Toby. cheers from the Brit in California.
Did I miss reference to the centerboard design or has Allures added fixed keel models to the lineup? I didn’t see the large central box in the saloon usually reserved for housing the mechanicals for raising/lowering the centerboard.
This 52' one may be so tall, that the whole shebang fits under the raised saloon floor. It's definitely a centreboard.
The current Allures (And Garcia) yachts are all deceptively tall. Without that giant wart of a bimini, when you stand in the cockpit, the commanding view is that of a low, sleek "performance" cruiser like an X or even a Swan. You can see everything from an almost bird's eye vantage. Also, when stepping down the companionway, you climb down almost as far you did in old school v-shaped fullkeelers. Difference being, on the Allures, both effects are results of the cockpit sole being so high up above the water. That's why a bimini has to be so tall to provide protection similar to what more typical, lower cockpit sole yachts does without looking so awkward.
What rudder and keel type does it have Toby?
A nice presentation and definitely the right day to test a “blue water / offshore cruiser” but what I don’t like are the hand rails under the Bimini and the cockpit. These flat rails are not really firm, rounded ones are much smoother for the hand to grab, especially in really heavy weather conditions. I would clasp my hands preferably on round ones, maybe even protected by foam or rubber than blank flat metal rails. The boat itself is not my taste but seems to be made for the purpose.
Also the interior design is not my style at all, not practical and the layout is way to insecure with all the different levels and steps under deck… nice for coastal cruises maybe but I wouldn’t cross an ocean with this one… all the hard corners in the furniture, when getting tossed around on a rough sea… lots of potential to get injured or at least hurt
Beautiful ship.
How dose this yacht conspire with the Garcia exploration 52?
Needs too come in a shoal draft model?
"A bar, it's a french boat" ;-)
english boats have two bars i guess ;)
First, Wow, what a boat. Second, I wondering what one would hold on to when passing aft from the dodger area to the helms in a big seaway. I didn't see anything that would "come to hand" as one moved aft, and that could be bad, quite bad indeed.
when you own the boat you know what to add on to stay safe.
@@cpgeorge4442 I quite agree, and I've put in a handhold or two on my own boat, but, geez, this is the very definition of long distance boat- a nasty seaway or three is only to be expected. There's not much up high along the headliner. And that's a lot less simple to add on later.
No handrails inside anymore? Glad to see rounded corners anyway.
gorgeous
Im hyper critical about boat design and prefer modern cat layouts. Notwithstanding that is one of if not the best monohull designs ive seen overall and what a galley!
what would be the minimum number of people needed to sail it? could it be done solo?
Hi there
Which music was been played in the background when you stepped in the saloon.
Great yacht. Here comes the BUT. I have viewed quite a few of these test sails, but have never seen what is under the hull. Is it a skegg type rudder system or twin rudder? what type of keel? Are there any bow thrusters etc.
I believe it has a twin rudder setup and also a bowthruster. Additionally it has a centerboard setup with integrated ballast in the hull.
Anyone know the thickness of the aluminum plating is?
This ticked off almost all of my wish list items... only missing the inside helm station.
Yeah, I'd like to see an Amel type helm.
You'll find it on a Garcia Exploration 45 or 52, for example.
Not necessary nowadays. You wear a fob on a lanyard and can steer from that anywhere on the boat.
just awesome the amount of head sails ... the genua carbon pole is worth more than my boat 🤣
Beautiful
It was almost an Amel alternative but that unprotected aft helm which is so common.
So.. is it that above 15 meters in length an aluminum boat will weigh less?
Hello, my 2 buddies and I are planning a 360’s sailing adventure in a few years. Can we borrow this boat when it’s our turn? We’ll take good care of her.
You could have discussed the keel system, and shown how it is operated.
I agree, that is one of the great features of this yacht. I will give you a access to quiet anchorages where other yachts cannot go, as well as shallow tidal waters.
Nice apartment! How does she sail?
Looks great to me - solid boat, variable draft - 4.5 to 9.6' - looks well balanced.
@@drx1xym154 I agree! I wish these boat reviews focused more on the boaty aspects of boats.
@@Fuhugawagah like ... the absolute need for secure handholds in all positions in the main saloon when heeled over in a boisterous seaway - looked like there were none overhead and a LONG way between them at lower points.
It's an Allures. No doubt very good. For a spacious centerboarder (it's not a Swan upwind, nor a Pogo downwind, nor sea-lion-like, narrow, low-freeboard Koopmans in a gale). The very similar Garcia cousins sails well enough for Jimmy Cornell, despite weighing plenty more and having more windage. Like almost all individually balasted boats, they are also comfortable and forgiving in the rough. Which is not necessarily the case for Pogos and Swan types.
@@neilquigley1030 Overhead handholds in wide open spaces are a bit of a double edged sword. In modern, auditorium like "open" layouts, you really want to stay low, if things are moving a lot. Not be swinging like a pendulum from a pull-up bar. Never mind the marketing necessity of basketball player headroom everywhere these days. Despite at least one of the crew often being sized more like a jockey. If you look at the galley, one area where crawling around when it's rough is truly impractical, it looks _very_ well sized and designed for bracing oneself. The Frenchies know their ocean crossing boats by now.
Furling mainsail, oh dear. I hope there is an option for a full batten mainsail instead ;)
Another nice looking boat with a needless double helm.
Some modern boat designs annoys me.
How else would you see anything at all when that 15 feet wide wall of bimini glass is all fogged over? Once monohull transoms, cabintrunks and cockpits get so wide that getting from the centerline to the windward railing near qualifies as a bouldering exercise, twin wheels become almost a necessity. Of course, you wouldn't be the only one annoyed that modern designs have made transoms this wide to begin with......
What would you choose between this boat and a swan 48 ?
Yes please
I think I missed the conclusion where you find this boat to be ideal cruiser for any kind of seas… i see a wide weight influenced performance hull…or am I wrong about this?
What's the pro's and cons of aluminium, fibreglass and carbon fibre hulls?
In short:
- aluminium is more impact resistant and you don’t have to paint it which saves on maintenance, but more expensive and less suitable for smaller boats due to weight plus round shapes are difficult to create. Easy to repair for professionals who know how to weld aluminium.
- fiberglass: easy to create any shape, cheaper and lighter than aluminium, but less impact resistant, water ingression could lead to osmosis and delamination. Very easy to repair, even for amateurs. Needs a gellcoat and/or painting. More maintenance than aluminium.
- carbon fibre: expensive, therefore usually combined with fiber glass. very light, much stronger than plain fiberglass, but still less impact resistant than aluminium. Needs painting/gellcoat maintenance.
@@giovannialtamore Thanks for that very clear list.
What is aluminium?
@@lisaoakley8032 What US people call *aluminum*, the rest of the world calls aluminium.
Very nice vessel. Well done to the design and build team. Oyster should take note of the interior work.
I prefer the Boreal!
Personally I would ditch the sails, sheets, winches, engine and gen set and install a full length 10KwHr solar array roof with 100KwHr battery. Then sail around the Meddy with unlimited power for propulsion, cooking, water making, air con, etc, and also enjoy moving around in a vertical orientation. Lovely.
Show this boat in Golf the Gascogne at 30-35 knots of wind.
Toby, do you own a yacht?? If so, what kind??
I’ll take it 👍
Nice review Toby! It's interesting that it comes from the same yard as Garcia, it would seem to be competing directly against the Garcia 52 as a "go anywhere" boat and there's quite a lot of similarities in the design - do you know how they see them as being aimed differently?
Hi Tom, thanks for your interest. Let's say Garcia Yachts sailing boats are a bit more radical, with numerous design choices or building approaches that make these differences consistent when sailing in remote areas such as Arctic or Antarctic oceans. A matter of boat usage (and sailor's mind) let's say!
@@alluresyachting Thanks!
@@alluresyachting what’s the difference in price between this lovely boat and the GE52?
Nice boat, I would love a blue water cruiser to leave the politicians behind. Unfortunately the funds are not there, small boats for me. Lucky you in La Rochelle, one of my favourite small boat destinations while I dream of Pacific atolls. Great video and a pleasant change from 15 minutes of looking in lockers and drawers. Not you I should add.
some guys... crazy guys got to the pacific atolls in those tiny cabin sailboats ... 22ft sailboats I think ... I think size doesn't matter much ... comfort does tho 🤣
Still not convinced by the hull ports as a safe long term option every hatch port will leak eventually
beauty beauty
There is a reason one does not see flush hatches afloat. Gosh, whatever could that reason be? Maybe if I stand here under the open hatch long enough that reason will occur to me...
Oh! Didn't take long at all!
Beautiful boat and love the hard bimini, but Amel has the superior design for go anywhere, all- weather, around the world sailing.
Only missing the shallow draft / lifting Keel option, and the security of aluminium?
Anywhere not including many parts of the Bahamas and other places with frequent shallows...... :) Low, and variable, draft is a really big plus, in some of the sweetest cruising grounds around. It's hard to argue the Amel's pilot house not looking a bit better integrated than this massive bimini, though.....
How many lockers can you open?
I prefer to see how it feels walking through the yacht. Would love to love to see that rather than drawers. But the wives want to see the drawers. Men listen to their wives when deciding yacht.
Alleyway man,😉
Try Amel 60 ... Simple ☝️😎
I know some prefer monohulls, but the hard top bimini just makes me think that mono's are really struggling to compete with multihulls, especially with people who are new to sailing and planning ocean voyages.
You're right. Let's mention this hard top bimini is optional on Allures 51.9. But the ability to cross oceans is not!
@Allures Yachting What am I right about? that monohulls can't compete with multihulls?
@@vokstar That's it - in a way I mean!
@@alluresyachting So you are saying, don't buy a mono buy a multi? This is one weird sales pitch...
@@vokstar More likely, he's saying: "you don't have to get a multi, to get multi like accommodation and social spaces....." As well as, in Allures' case, multi like shallow draft.
I'm sure Allures is well aware that multis are already almost the default option for newer buyers in the "circumnavigation" market this Amel sized, and priced, cruiser is targeting.
Let me have this guy's job. I promise to remember the length of vessel I'm on. 🥴
Nice. But for me the original Garcia DNA from the explorer family stays at the top.
Nice boat, but railing not really for heavy dutie
Just about the perfect bluewater...except I just can't get beyond that immense greenhouse of a dodger. You could land jetliners from in there.
An interesting vid. My impression, why wouldn't you choose the Amel 50 instead, because in my view you still get the hard Bimini, but a superior design and a better feel for a world cruiser.
Amel makes a great boat, to be sure, but one is committed to steering the vessel under the bimini, seated. Sorta like driving. I'd rather a vessel with a more traditional steering setup; I like weather while sailing - except the extreme stuff, you know. And even then, it's a challenge.
@@cannabiscupjudge that's another amel advantage. Under the bim with full control and instruments there too, just what you want really.
@@charlie.charles Some may prefer an aluminium hull and centreboard/shoal draught perhaps
@@tobyhodgesUK the is very true, but I think that's a compromise i could deal with, for a world cruiser.
Twin helms in the sun and wind and the hard dodger in a storm..lovely.
Dude. U dA man
I just saw a Cabo Rico 56 today. It kills this boat as far as aesthetics, and my guess is that the Cabo will trounce the Allures in rough conditions as well. I do like the spacious cockpit(Mediterranean?), but do not like the exposed helms. Why do manufacturers feel the need to separate the helmsman from the rest of the crew on a 50ft pleasure boat?
All of that electrical equipment in the engine room…. Doesn’t make sense to me. They should be separate because gas fumes and sparks don’t mix.