Pogo Structures co-founded Class 40. The Shipyard in Brittany was a trendsetter right from the start. Almost 50 of its first boat, the original Pogo 40 launched in 2005, were built. An unrivalled success that was underpinned by many sporting achievements - including victory in the Route du Rhum in 2006. The S2 also enjoyed international success, most recently in 2012 with first place in the Québec-St. Malo race against strong competition.
Now another model change is imminent.
Last week, the wooden positive core for the future mould of the Pogo 40 S3 was planed and sanded at the shipyard in Combrit, near the idyllic harbour town of Sainte Marine. The design was created by Finot-Conq the long-standing house designers.
The boat is radically reduced and optimised. Much is reminiscent of the current designs of the Open 60: extremely low freeboard and strongly drawn-in waterline aft, pronounced deck step with drawn-in flanks, hard chine edges, massive stem for maximum buoyancy in the bow area. Only the superstructure remained almost unchanged compared to the S2.
Pogo is thus taking up the developments that Jörg Riechers' "Mare", among others, already realised last year and which also characterise other Class 40 designs such as Farr's.
However, the S3 remains comparatively inexpensive. While fully developed designs cost up to 600,000 euros, Structures charges just half that amount for the basic version of the new ship: 297,500 euros.
It is an attempt to keep the class attractive for the so-called "owner/drivers", amateurs without sponsorship budgets, who make up the majority of the starters anyway and have felt increasingly marginalised by professional sailors in recent years.
Head of Sales Charly Fehrnbach emphasised the dual concept to YACHT online: "The new Pogo can be an entry-level boat in the Class 40, but as a semi-custom it can also be specified as a winning boat." He put the increase in performance compared to the previous version at 15 per cent. Build number 1 is due to take to the water in September/October.
