Behind every OVNI and every CIGALE are, first and foremost, men and women, trades, skills and expertise that are handed down and refined over the years.
At Les Sables-d’Olonne, ALUBAT brings together on a single site all the trades required to build its sailing yachts. Across more than 10,000 m², of which 5,500 m² is under cover, the various stages of production are carried out and coordinated within the shipyard.
This control over the entire process is a deliberate choice. It enables us to maintain a global overview of each boat, and it facilitates communication between the different trades and ensures the seamless integration of every component.
Above all, it enables the shipyard to uphold and pass on its unique “savoir-faire”, which has been honed over more than fifty years.
Preparing a boat for heading offshore :
It all begins with a meeting
Even before the first sheet of aluminium is cut, your project begins with a meeting.
Together with ALUBAT’s sales team and management, you’ll discuss your sailing plans, your preferences, your habits and the voyage you’ve been dreaming of. These discussions will help define the model that will best suit your needs, with the equipment, layout and options that will make up your future boat.
These discussions draw in particular on the experience of Luc Jurien, director of ALUBAT and an experienced ocean-going sailor. His practical knowledge of sailing allows for informed discussions with owners and enables each choice to be considered in the context of the boat’s intended use. After all, choosing the right equipment or option means understanding how and where you will be sailing.
These discussions may also give rise to specific requests: a bespoke layout, a technical modification, an adaptation of the spaces, or equipment that goes beyond the standard configuration.
A project seen through to the very end
Once construction has begun, the relationship with the owner continues at every stage.
Throughout the build, the sales teams remain your main point of contact. They monitor the project, share photos of its progress, coordinate communication with the various departments and ensure that the choices made at the outset are adhered to throughout your boat’s construction.
And because it’s hard to have a boat take shape without wanting to see every stage for yourself, you’re welcome to visit the shipyard during construction if you wish.
You’ll then get to see your future yacht taking shape. From the aluminium structure to the initial fit-out and on to the installation of the equipment, each visit will allow you to see the boat taking form, as well as speak directly with the teams building it.
Launch
Day
Then comes the moment that everyone at the shipyard knows so well, and which never fails to stir emotions: launch day.
After months of work, the boat finally leaves the workshops to take to its natural element.
A dedicated team then takes over to step the mast and set up the rigging, before carrying out the final tasks required before the first sea trials.
Mast, rigging, sails, deck hardware, equipment: every component is checked, adjusted and fine-tuned with precision. Little by little, the boat reveals its true character as a sailing vessel and prepares for its first voyage.
The launch is a special moment in the life of the shipyard. For the men and women who have been involved in its construction, it marks the culmination of a collective effort and many months of attention to every detail. For you, the owner, it is an equally special moment: the moment when the boat imagined, designed and built for your project finally becomes a reality.
It is no longer just an OVNI or a CIGALE, but the start of a new story - that of your adventures to come.
When the boat leaves the shipyard to set sail, an adventure on land comes to an end, making way for the one you’ll now begin writing at sea.
Because building sailing boats for over fifty years does not mean simply replicating the same boats year after year. It means developing methods, tools and skills, while preserving what is essential: precision in craftsmanship, a passion for a job well done, and the high standards that go into every boat.
THE HANDOVER
Passing on the craft:
a living tradition
Techniques evolve, tools are refined, but certain skills can only be acquired through time and experience.
The welder’s steady hand, the carpenter’s keen eye, the precision of a fit, an intimate knowledge of a material, or the ability to identify - almost instinctively - the tiny detail that needs reworking are all skills that are built up over the years through practice.
At ALUBAT, different generations work side by side, and the most experienced share their knowledge with the younger staff, who in turn bring new practices and a fresh perspective to the trade.
This passing on of knowledge is essential. It keeps a craft alive that evolves over time without losing the high standards that give it its value.
People
at the heart of the build
The various stages of construction are carried out and coordinated at the Alubat shipyard, all on a single site. Having control over the entire process enables our teams to maintain a global view of each boat, to work in close collaboration and to ensure the seamless integration of every component.
It also helps to preserve a shared culture of boatbuilding.
Every member of the team contributes, in their own way, to the creation of a boat destined to take on the challenges of the sea, often thousands of miles from the shipyard.
This responsibility fosters a particularly high standard of excellence.
Our boats are designed for blue water sailors but must also be adaptable to every sailing project. Whether it’s a first coastal adventure, long passages or life sailing around the world: whatever the programme, they must offer the same level of care, reliability and safety.
Behind every boat are the hands, the vision, the experience and a shared passion.
