PaulR
Active member
hope ovnis continue to be built as always been impressed by their boats also wish all the best for northsea maritime who are the uk agents and always seem genuine and helpful and are exhibiting at soton show
Alubat shipyard (Ovni, Cigale..) into receivership/administration
- Thread starter Roberto
- Start date
Sandy
Well-known member
We all have our dream boat and given the opportunity I think we would all jump at being able to buy a new boat or is that the engineer in me talking
I hope this is not going to impact the yard that I want to build my dream boat at, the delivery time is pretty long at the moment!
Sandy
Well-known member
Northsea have had a double whammy over the last few years, firstly Feeling going and now thankfully back in production lets hope Ovins come back as well.
Hanami 2
New member
Hi,
I think your translation works well and you define correctly what is happening.
ALUBAT that doesn't sub-contract any of their activities (lot of fixed costs then, most of them being employement related) got into financial troubles with orders reducing dramatically and two big ones being cancelled during summer.
An 'administrator' will be appointed to manage the 2 months but the name isn't known at this point in time.
Nevertheless, they carry on with a Cigale 18 that is now in her 'painting phase' http://marc-hanami.blogspot.fr/2013/09/cigale-18-laventure-continue.htmland they will attend the La Rochelle Grand-Pavois boat show latter this months (you must have guts to do that).
But ALUBAT is not the only one facing the same issue: ALU MARINE, based in Nantes, is in the same situation since last week.
The so called 'crisis', in France, his taking its toll and it starts looking pretty bad even if some say the recovery is just ... across the corner.
Marc.
Twister_Ken
Well-known member
Ovnis, yeah. A good buy for someone who knows what they want, but for the unenlightened punter a no-no.
Why?
Those unfinished topsides.
Look odd when new, look decidedly shabby after a year or two, look disgraceful after a decade. The missus would never go for it!
There must be some way of painting the things bright shiny white, just like every other boat in the marina.
Seriously, I wonder how much Ovni restricted its market by offering any colour you like as long as it's aluminium grey.
Why?
Those unfinished topsides.
Look odd when new, look decidedly shabby after a year or two, look disgraceful after a decade. The missus would never go for it!
There must be some way of painting the things bright shiny white, just like every other boat in the marina.
Seriously, I wonder how much Ovni restricted its market by offering any colour you like as long as it's aluminium grey.
Keen_Ed
Active member
Sandy
Well-known member
When in France this year every tin boat, as my wife calls them, bar one was aluminium grey. The one with the blue hull just looked silly.
Reading some of the other forums that specialise in this sort of boat the paint job can be done but at a cost for no benefit.
Would you spend €15k to €20k on paint or sails.
Hanami 2
New member
Hi,
I am new to this forum (and french but ... nobody is perfect) and I think your translation is OK and your description spot on.
ALUBAT experienced a very bad time when orders went down in 2012 as they don't subcontract their activities (too specific) and have very few people working on 'short term contracts' (intérim ones in french) and this carries a lot of constraints and fixed costs. You can't transfer the risks to someone else ...
The 'coup de grace' went during the summer when 2 big contracts (one for a large sail boat and a 'working' one) were cancelled at the last minute.
ALUBAT is not the only one suffering: ALU MARINE, an other shipyard specialised in building aluminium boats has been put in 'redressement judiciaire' last week.
The so called 'crisis' is taking a heavy toll, it is tough and it is not finished, even if some supposed to be pundits claim the recovery is ... just across the corner.
At this point in time the person that will be in charge of the 2 months period you mention has not been identified and whatthe strategy will be during thos to months is unknown, ievn if one may guess.
Nevertheless, ALUBAT keeps building a Cigale 18 (60 footer, looks like a Venée Globe IMOCA) for which the contract has been signed and that has entered her painting phase. See http://marc-hanami.blogspot.fr/2013/09/the-cigale-18-building-keeps-going.html. My english may not be perfect in this posting but should be manageable.
Additionaly ALUBAT will be at the La Rochelle Grand Pavois boat show latter this month with a 445 and a 395. Both are recent boats lended by their owners. It takes guts for a company in such a bad financial situation to attend a show and we hope existing OVNIsts will welcome them with warm encouragements and that some clients will have the guts to place provisional orders, even with all the legal belts and braces to secure them.
Marc
Twister_Ken
Well-known member
I'd buy a white boat that didn't tarnish in the first place. And my point is that I suspect the majority of yacht buyers would do the same. So Ovni was restricting itself to only a minority portion of the market it could have addressed. Thus it was restricting its sales potential.
Twister_Ken
Well-known member
Am I the only one who thinks that looks dreadful?
Melleman
New member
TangaraToo
RIP
The Allures otoh looks very smart. Ali hull/composite deck.
http://www.allures.fr/site/voilier.php?id=9
http://www.allures.fr/site/voilier.php?id=9
Koeketiene
Well-known member
AntarcticPilot
Well-known member
I declare an interest!
My wife works for a company that does engineering coatings on light alloys (www.keronite.co.uk). These are available in black or white, and are extremely hard wearing (tougher than anodization, by a large factor) and corrosion resistant. Lots of other engineering benefits; used amongst others in aerospace, high performance sailing and also for cosmetic effect on some consumer appliances where a hard wearing, smooth surface is desirable.
The bad news is that it is applied by an electrochemical process, so it couldn't be applied to a finished boat, unless you invested in a tank big enough to fit the entire hull.
Sandy
Well-known member
We all have different ideals of what a boat should be and over the last two years I have changed my mind on alumimium. If I ever have the cash to buy a new boat I shall be lifting the telephone and calling a small yard in France.
About 5% of the boats we past over the summer in French waters were aluminium grey and there is even one moored downstream of us.
Hanami 2
New member
True, they are good boats, different because using different technologies and Allures does a lot of sub-contracting apparently (hull, deck, carpentry/cabinet making) and this may reduce the risk of being put in a difficult position when the order book content fluctuates significantly.
Having Alu and composite has pro and cons, as usual some people prefer one some the other. Taste and colors ...
It is worth mentioning that Allure bought Garcia some years ago which increase their presence in the Aluminium boat market.
Boreal and Meta are other competitors ...
Roberto
Well-known member
Sandy
Well-known member
Yes... had a tour of one of their 47s this summer and it ticks all my boxes.
Hanami 2
New member
Yes, that's a BOREAL and it seems to be in Britany.
Aluminium, shines, no aft arch, a pilot house and no transom, if you get this the diagnosis is done.
Twister_Ken
Well-known member
Also available in white, judging by the pix.