Ovni Owners

[MacKay]

Hello,

I am looking for a boat to circumnavigate within the next 1.5-2 years departure date.

I am 90 percent sure id like an Ovni 435 although have found some interesting steel boats, in particular a radford 450 (unfortunately located in thailand).

I am just curious if there are any Ovni owners, in particular models with the lifting rudder, and what the inspection process looked like for you and if you hired a specialist for ultrasound and if you have any tips on common issues that you have run into with these boats. How is Ovni support, are there any parts that are sourced from Ovni only or are most parts commonplace (through hulls, shaft seal, etc.)


There are two of these boats currently for sale in N. America for similar prices, around 170 USD. Neither of them are insulated.

My plan is to move the boat to texas or georgia, refit and shake down before leaving. Both boats are powered by a Volvo which I would probably replace with a non turbo yanmar or pull and do the top end and water pump etc. Id also like to convert one of the aft cabins with a work shop bench with vice, sewing machine, kite storage, etc.

Thanks for any input!

[skipperpete]

I really like Ovni’s too and was considering buying one to use on the French canals but opted for a more robust and roomy Viksund to take the beating that a boat needs to take in the locks.
The reason that the Ovni’s had the MD22 is that it’s one of the few engines that is supplied as insulated earth (above ground) to avoid electrical leaks to the alloy hull. Yanmar don’t supply this option on the current production (non common rail )engines so you would need to convert to above ground so the protection panel would remain balanced. Not a difficult job but the alternator is hard to insulate. The senders are easy and a good solenoid is needed for the starter motor intermittent negative.
Pete.

[MacKay]

Originally Posted by skipperpete

The reason that the Ovni’s had the MD22 is that it’s one of the few engines that is supplied as insulated earth (above ground) to avoid electrical leaks to the alloy hull.
Pete.

Interesting, not something I would have thought of. I have lots of experience rebuilding top ends on motors but unfortunately electronics are not my strong suite so I appreciate the input! As far as I can tell the MD22 block is most likely a Kubota, im not sure if it uses piston sleeves or not, guess I will find out. Looks like the only major flaw is lack of service on Volvos end and the MDI box being susceptible to vibration/heat. Doing a rebuild would eliminate the hassle of installing new motor mounts and shaft as well.

[Schleprock]

Have you looked at the Ovni in Rio D? If so, curious on your thoughts?

[MacKay]

Originally Posted by Schleprock

Have you looked at the Ovni in Rio D? If so, curious on your thoughts?

I was going to look last year as I had some time but was not able to due to the plague. It remains on the market, I believe the french seller is somewhat stiff on price. That being said another 435 in the Caribbean for similar price with newer rigging, sails, boom etc has recently come to market.

Ideally I'd like to purchase no earlier than 1 year from now as I settle some things at home here and shop around for the cheapest place back state side to store it.

[Schleprock]

Yes, I went down last fall and made an offer of 150k, no survey, which was EXTREMELY generous after the boat had been sitting for a year and a half on the hard. Evidently, like you said, the owner is under the impression that when the restrictions from Wu Flu are lifted, there will be hoards of buyers lined up for that thing. Needless to say, sitting close to the equator for the last two years hasn’t done much for the resale value. The interior was in pretty rough shape and it will definitely be in need of a refit. I believe when it sits for the remainder of this year, it’s worth about 100k.

[Sailmonkey]

Originally Posted by Schleprock

Yes, I went down last fall and made an offer of 150k, no survey, which was EXTREMELY generous after the boat had been sitting for a year and a half on the hard. Evidently, like you said, the owner is under the impression that when the restrictions from Wu Flu are lifted, there will be hoards of buyers lined up for that thing. Needless to say, sitting close to the equator for the last two years hasn’t done much for the resale value. The interior was in pretty rough shape and it will definitely be in need of a refit. I believe when it sits for the remainder of this year, it’s worth about 100k.

I’ve been eyeballing that boat for over a year. The interior already looks pretty rough without the time in tropical storage accounted for.

[MacKay]

I think the owner is incorrect. Americans seem to be terrified of aluminum boats and are willing to pay high prices for ancient over built fiberglass. Yuck.

Did you happen to take any pictures?

You say refit, what off the bat did you have in mind. Sails, rigging, bottom paint?

I think an offer of 100.000 by this fall sounds like a good plan for me. This Radford 450 I'm very interested in, with another sellers survey in hand, seems like a very tempting alternative. Moving it from SE Asia to AK will be difficult but if it saves me 50 grand I can't not do it, that's allot of cruising time for me.

[Schleprock]

I think I have some....somewhere, I will try and find them and send them to you.
If those pictures are current and accurate, that Redford is not even in the same universe as the Ovni. That is a very nice looking boot, I’m not familiar with how it sails compared to the Ovni. I was looking for aluminum for high(and low) latitude sailing. That Redford seems like an absolute steal...and it’s steel....lol.

The Ovni is going to need new running rigging and the sails were ok, but, they have been rolled up and baking going on three years now. The thing that really suffers is the interior wood that hasn’t been maintained and treated.

Originally Posted by MacKay

I think the owner is incorrect. Americans seem to be terrified of aluminum boats and are willing to pay high prices for ancient over built fiberglass. Yuck.

Did you happen to take any pictures?

You say refit, what off the bat did you have in mind. Sails, rigging, bottom paint?

I think an offer of 100.000 by this fall sounds like a good plan for me. This Radford 450 I'm very interested in, with another sellers survey in hand, seems like a very tempting alternative. Moving it from SE Asia to AK will be difficult but if it saves me 50 grand I can't not do it, that's allot of cruising time for me.

[double u]

Ovnis @work:
https://www.seenomaden.at/
https://blog.alrisha.at/blog/
https://www.epicvoyage.at/s-y-seven-seas/

[NevilleCat]

If you wanted a Radford in aluminium there's one for sale in Sydney at the moment.
https://www.boatsales.com.au/boats/d...SSE-AD-7235427

[MacKay]

Originally Posted by Schleprock

that Redford is not even in the same universe as the Ovni. That is a very nice looking boot, I’m not familiar with how it sails compared to the Ovni. I was looking for aluminum for high(and low) latitude sailing. That Redford seems like an absolute steal...and it’s steel....lol.

Photos are two years old.

At 15.9 US tons the Radford is a tank and without a bow thruster I am already dreading backing it in. The Radford is a great price, I can store it in Langkawi for around 450 USD a month on the hard, shake it down and refit it this winter from December to March, come back stateside and work until December of 2022 before departing . Downside is that I would most likely skip the S. Pacific and head west from Malaysia (am i crazy?).

The Ovni is very appealing as it can be beached, however the interior fit seems rather chincy. Is that particle board I see on the engine hatch? Gross. The Radford has huge coolers, dual pilot berths with lee cloths, large aft cabin, dual head and maximum payload is a whopping 5159 lbs. I plan on doing long passages as I love them and little extended stays in expensive slips. After typing this I feel that maybe the Radford is a good choice.

[double u]

"...The Ovni is very appealing as it can be beached..."
in the case of the Ovnis a practically useless feature:
1. if drying out to avoid haulout: big portion of bottom cannot be reached, neither rudder nor centerboard can be lowered (both require frequent & frequently expensive maintenance!)
2. drying out as "anchorage": the beach is the place with the most mozzies, nonos, sandflies,...

the shallow draft comes in handy from time to time, but not nearly as often as imagined
"uninsulated": a nightmare to live on

[BCG]

Hi Mackay,

I have also looked at the Radford online and really like it, slight concerns as to the builder, I couldn't find any details and suspect it was home built, you may have had more luck in tracing the builder?
Unfortunately I am not ready to purchase yet :-(.


Another vessel that has caught my eye is the steel "Dudley Dix 43" in Spain. It is much newer (2016) and I would imagine closer to GA? Naturally it is more expensive being 11 years younger.

https://www.williamsandsmithells.com...print=1&full=1

Just wondered what your thoughts on it were, I have only seen it online and have no connections with the boat or owner. I am just window shopping.