The look: Exciting with a wing rear and inverted bow, the construction with prepreg carbon sandwich is state of the art, the design with lots of fabric and upright moment is blatant. And a modern, thoroughly cosy interior with galley, shower room, cabins and everything that goes with it. The Shogun 43 is a weapon under sail, but does not appear to have any technical deficits in harbour.
First-class performance cruiser
The boat was created in co-operation between Vaxholm Composites, Marstrom Composite and the Rosättra shipyard, which manufactures the Linjett models. The team had already brought the highly acclaimed Shogun 50 onto the market, which was the result of a request from an experienced Swedish sailor who wanted a derivative of a ClubSwan 50, but with a lifting keel. The design comes from the father-son team of Hakan and Oskar Södergren, the senior being one of the grandees of Scandinavian boat design.
The result of the collaboration is more than just impressive. With a low weight of around six tonnes, a high ballast ratio of 42 percent on a 2.40 or 2.70 metre lever arm in combination with 119 square metres of cloth on the wind, the Shogun 43 is a racer on paper. Which the rocket is simply able to prove. Easily retrievable speed and good height upwind, yet stiff and easy to control even with a lot of layline thanks to the double sheets, which is just as much fun for active sailors as early planing and quickly achievable double-digit speeds.
The performance cruiser is also equipped with an outstandingly functional deck layout. The helmsman can steer sitting behind or in front of the wheel and easily change position, for example to work on the mainsheet in two-handed mode. The headsails are operated on the coachroof. There is a self-tacking jib track, tracks on the roof for narrow sheeting angles and tracks on deck. The bowsprit is easy to replace and there is a choice of two different length models.
Below deck, there are two identical aft cabins and an open forward cabin. The saloon is very bright thanks to the large hull windows and the many skylights, to which the veneer also contributes. The furniture is made of foam sandwich, with flax layers serving as outer layers. Structural parts are again laminated with carbon fibre.
All in all, a boat that, sharp as a tack, enriches the market. The number of units is likely to be limited, but it is already number three under construction. It will be exciting to see how the performance cruiser proves itself on the track, even if this use is not the initiators' main objective.
