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Alubat OVNI 490vsContest 49CS

Contest 49CS is the heaviest at 46,077 lb, 10% more than OVNI 490. OVNI 490 draws the least water, 3.3 ft — 4.4 ft less than Contest 49CS. OVNI 490 has the lowest air draft, 71.5 ft; Contest 49CS stands 9.2 ft taller.

Anyone with the link sees this comparison.

Key differences

Worked out from the published figures below — arithmetic, not opinion.

At a glance

Dark icons are the standard layout; faded ones are what the larger layout adds.

Length : beam is length divided by beam — the higher it is, the slimmer the hull. Multihulls read low by nature.

Model
OVNI-490-plan

Alubat

OVNI 490
Contest Yachts Contest 49CS

Contest Yachts

Contest 49CS
Overview
BrandAlubatContest Yachts
ModelOVNI 490Contest 49CS
GenerationUnknownUnknown
Hull typeSailing MonohullSailing Monohull
PropulsionSailSail
Production statusIn productionIn production
Production start yearUnknownUnknown
Production end yearUnknownUnknown
DesignerMortain/Mavrikios and CBAUnknown
Dimensions
LOA52.3 ft52.8 ft
Hull length48.9 ft49.9 ft
Beam15.7 ft16.1 ft
Draft3.3 ft–10.2 ft7.7 ft
Displacement41,888 lb46,077 lb
Accommodation
Cabins33
HeadsUnknownUnknown
BerthsUnknownUnknown
Performance & Rig
Main sail700 ft²786 ft²
Jib689 ft²Unknown
GenoaUnknown646 ft²
Upwind sail area1,389 ft²Unknown
Downwind sail areaUnknownUnknown
Engine power50 hp110 hp
Engine count21
Materials
Hull materialAluminiumUnknown
Deck materialUnknownUnknown
Mast materialUnknownUnknown
Keel typelifting centreboardUnknown
Rudder typeUnknownUnknown
Sources

Figures read fromalubat.com/the-range/ovni-490/· Specificationsread 9/13/2026

Figures read fromcontestyachts.com/model/49csread 9/13/2026

Size, to scale

Each boat's published length and beam seen from above, and its mast height and draft from the side, all drawn on one scale.

From above — length × beam
0 ft10 ft20 ft30 ft40 ft50 ftContest 49CS: 52.8 ft × 16.1 ftOVNI 490: 52.3 ft × 15.7 ftContest 49CS52.8 ft × 16.1 ftOVNI 49052.3 ft × 15.7 ft

Outlines are schematic; the dimensions are the builder's.

From the side — height above and depth below the water
WaterlinePerson, 5.9 ftOVNI 490: 71.5 ft / 10.2 ft71.5 ft10.2 ftOVNI 490Contest 49CS: 80.7 ft / 7.7 ft80.7 ft7.7 ftContest 49CS

Speed, power & tanks

What the builders publish about how fast, how strong and how far — each figure on one scale for every boat.

Tanks

One scale per liquid across every boat: a tank twice the height holds twice as much.

  • OVNI 490

    Fuel264 gal
    Water159 gal

  • Contest 49CS

    Fuel185 gal
    Water185 gal

How they sail, in numbers

Classic yacht-design ratios worked out from each builder's published figures. They compare boats; they don't grade them.

Sail area / displacement

How much sail the boat carries for its weight — its power in light air.

ModestCruiserPerformanceRacing162024OVNI 490: 18.4Contest 49CS: 17.8
  • OVNI 49018.4· Cruiser
  • Contest 49CS17.8· Cruiser
How it is worked out

sail area (ft²) ÷ (displacement as ft³ of seawater)^⅔

OVNI 490: published upwind sail area

Contest 49CS: mainsail + genoa, added up

Displacement / length

How heavy the boat is for its waterline length. Lower is lighter and quicker; higher is steadier and roomier.

UltralightLightModerateHeavyVery heavy100180270350OVNI 490: 194Contest 49CS: 191
  • OVNI 490194· Moderate
  • Contest 49CS191· Moderate
How it is worked out

displacement (long tons) ÷ (0.01 × waterline length in ft)³

Ballast ratio

The share of the weight carried in the keel — a rough guide to stiffness, though how deep that weight sits matters as much.

LowModerateHigh3040
  • OVNI 490not published: ballast
  • Contest 49CSnot published: ballast
How it is worked out

ballast ÷ displacement × 100

Comfort ratio

Ted Brewer's measure of how gently a boat moves in a seaway. Higher means a slower, easier motion.

LightCoastalModerate offshoreHeavy offshoreVery heavy20304050OVNI 490: 34.2Contest 49CS: 35.6
  • OVNI 49034.2· Moderate offshore
  • Contest 49CS35.6· Moderate offshore
How it is worked out

displacement (lb) ÷ (0.65 × (0.7 × LWL + 0.3 × LOA) × beam^1.333), lengths in ft

Capsize screening

A guide from the inquiry after the 1979 Fastnet race: below 2 was taken as suited to ocean passages. It ignores hull shape and where the ballast sits.

Below 22 and above2OVNI 490: 1.81Contest 49CS: 1.79
  • OVNI 4901.81· Below 2
  • Contest 49CS1.79· Below 2
How it is worked out

beam (ft) ÷ (displacement as ft³ of seawater)^⅓

Hull speed

Roughly the speed a displacement hull reaches before it has to climb its own bow wave.

  • OVNI 4909.1 kn
  • Contest 49CS9.2 kn
How it is worked out

1.34 × √(waterline length in ft), in knots

Most builders publish a light displacement. The ratios were defined on a loaded boat, so every boat here reads a little lighter than a surveyor's figure would — all alike, which keeps them comparable.

Worth adding to this comparison

The boats most like the ones above, by hull form, size and use.