Through the 1990s early IMOCA 60s and 21ft Mini 6.50s took the offshore racing world by storm.

Their wide, flat hull forms were closer to that of a fast saucer-shaped racing dinghy than almost any other offshore yacht.

At the same time, the fore-and-aft chord length of their keels was as short as possible, and the ballast was carried in a low-slung bulb that dramatically lowered the centre of gravity.

The result was incredibly stable and fast planing boats that could be handled offshore by just one person, with the twin rudders ensuring excellent control even when pushing hard in stronger winds.

This is the background to Pogo Structures, based near Benodet in south Brittany. Indeed, its Pogo 6.50 dominated the series division of the Mini fleet for many years, and founder Christian Bouroullec was a Mini Transat winner himself.

This might seem like an unlikely background for a range of dedicated cruising yachts.

However, Bouroullec was not afraid to rip up the rulebook for what constitutes a capable and safe cruiser, and its designs have become iconic over the past 25 years.

Pogos rarely change hands and hold their value very well. However, the first cruising Pogo, the 8.50 from 1999, represents a more affordable entry point into this exciting style of sailing, with prices today typically around £50,000/€60,000.

When creating the Pogo 8.50, designer Pierre Rolland retained the high-performance features his little Pogo 6.50 was already known for, including a lightweight hull, extremely wide beam, and twin rudders.

To this, he added a minimalist, yet functional and surprisingly spacious, six-berth interior with 1.87m (6ft 1in) headroom, double cabin and heads aft, plus an open plan forepeak and practical galley and chart table areas.

To maximise headroom, the cabin sole is lowered to the level of the hull, and you, therefore, have to step over the structural framework to move around the interior.

The Pogo 8.50 was an immediate success for a small boatyard, and more than 180 boats were produced over the following decade.

It also spawned a further half dozen models from 30-50ft, three of which – the Pogo 30, 36 and 44 – remain in production today.

Evolution of Pogo 8.50

New moulds for the Pogo 8.50 were produced in 2006 after 110 boats had been launched, allowing the deck layout to be further optimised for single-handed manoeuvres, including a new carbon bowsprit with a removable anchor roller.

At the same time, the yard switched to vacuum infusion construction, increasing the quality of layup and the stiffness of the structure.

This design is also one of the smallest boats to achieve RCD Category A (Ocean) status.

And anyone doubting the offshore abilities of a boat of this shape only has to look at its racing record, including victory in the solo division of the 2001 Transquadra (France – Madeira – Caribbean).

The boat’s upwind abilities were also proven in the 2005 OSTAR, from Plymouth to Newport Rhode Island, when Lionel Reigner (who would later skipper his own boat in the 2023 Ocean Globe Race) took line honours in the under 35ft Jester division.

Nevertheless, this is first and foremost a cruising boat – and one that is very capable – that will get you to your destination quickly.

Pogo 8.50 specifications

LOA: 8.50m/27ft 11in
LWL: 8.30m/27ft 3in
Beam: 3.60m/11ft 10in
Draught: 1.75m/5ft 9in
Displacement: 2,800kg/6,173lb
Ballast: 850kg/1,875lb
Contact: pogostructures.com

Alternatives to the Pogo 8.50

Given that the Pogo 8.50 holds its value so well, there’s also scope for slightly older but larger boats that offer both performance and accommodation volume within a similar budget, as well as some newer models.

Beneteau First 27.7

This is a near contemporary of the Pogo 8.50 and was built from 2002 to 2008. In my view, it’s one of the most underrated models in the range, but it failed to find the wide acclaim it deserved on the northern side of the Channel.

Yet it’s a boat with considerable appeal both to those moving up in size from dinghies and those wanting a proper offshore yacht that’s fun to sail and offered in a neat and easily looked-after package.

Although it’s a single rudder design, the 2.15m draught, with a heavy lead bulb on the bottom of the keel, helps to make it supremely stable.

It’s, therefore, reassuring for the most timid and inexperienced newcomers to sailing, while experts will relish being able to fly downwind under excellent control at speeds well into double figures.

I tested the first example to arrive in the UK, and it quickly became one of my favourite boats of the era.

Upwind, the boat is surprisingly quick and close-winded, while broad reaching with a big asymmetric spinnaker in 16-20 knots of breeze, we maintained a consistent 12-13 knots of boat speed with no hint of ever getting near the edge of control.

There was also a versatile lifting keel version, in which the keel can be electrically or hydraulically retracted to give a draught of just 0.6m.

This is ideal for both inexpensive drying moorings or exploring off the beaten track, without compromising upwind ability or control downwind in a good breeze.

Given that the boat was designed with high performance and impeccable handling as key priorities, it’s no surprise that there are others of a similar length with much larger and better-appointed accommodation.

However, all the essentials are there – full standing headroom, a double aft cabin, separate heads, saloon with two sea berths, galley, navigation station and an open plan forepeak with two more berths.

Beneteau First 27.7 specifications

LOA: 8.30m/27ft 3in
LWL: 8.29m/27.20ft
Beam: 3.10m/10ft 2in
Draught: 0.62m to 2.15m/1ft 1in to 7ft 2in
Displacement: 2,500kg/5,510lb
Ballast: 870kg/1918lb
Contact: beneteau.com

Seascape 27/Beneteau First 27

This Sam Manuard design is a more recent model than the 27.7 and was originally launched as the Seascape 27.

It sported distinct chines in the aft sections and twin rudders, plus a double-spreader backstayless carbon rig, with a square-top mainsail.

At the same time weight was kept very low – at 1,200kg displacement, it is less than half that of the First 27.7 and just 43% of the displacement for the Pogo 8.50.

Yet ballast ratio is almost 50%, with the lead concentrated in a bulb at the bottom of the lifting keel.

I sailed the prototype boat in Slovenia back in February 2013, in northerly winds varying from 12-22 knots.

Close-hauled with three people on board, we maintained an impressive speed for a boat of this size, averaging 6.3-6.5 knots and pointing high.

Despite the gusty conditions the helm was beautifully balanced and could be left for short periods with the boat remaining on course.

But this yacht is all about reaching and downwind performance. Popping the kite up, the boat leapt to its feet and in 18 knots of true breeze and a true wind angle of 135°, our speed consistently hovered around 13-15 knots.

Yet this was not a white-knuckle ride – the boat felt like she was on rails, far from the edge of control and always responsive to the helm.

In this respect, the boat handles more like a fast dinghy when planing, and bearing away in the strong puffs it accelerated quickly with speeds up to 17.5 knots achieved in a similarly effortless manner.

Given more time and a bit of planning, we could have enjoyed a spectacular 250-mile downwind cruise through the Croatian islands to Dubrovnik, then put the boat on a road trailer for the return leg upwind.

A notable aspect of this boat is that the beam is very moderate at just 2.5m (8ft 4in).

This was chosen to enable it to be legally towed more or less anywhere in Europe or the UK.

When combined with the low freeboard this means the interior volume is significantly smaller than the other boats in this selection.

Accommodation therefore certainly can’t be described as spacious and there’s no standing headroom, though everything is well thought out.

The saloon has long settees/quarter berths on each side of a folding table, while the forecabin houses a double berth. The area between the two has space for a separate sea toilet and further stowage.

To keep weight down the original version had a 9.8hp outboard motor fitted in a well under the cockpit floor, and is easy to pivot out of the water and stow when not in use.

Following Seascape’s partial integration into the Beneteau group, a simplified model called the Beneteau First 27 was launched three years ago.

Changes include a shorter aluminium mast with pinhead mainsail, fixed fin keel with torpedo bulb and 30cm less draught, plus an inboard diesel engine.

There are also benches in the forward part of the cockpit, while the interior is brighter, more spacious and more civilised.

These changes reduce sail area by a little under 20% upwind and 13% downwind, while increasing displacement by 300kg.

However, this version of the boat still sails well and remains beautifully responsive both to accurate sail trim and even crew weight distribution even in very light airs.

The original version also remains available and has been renamed the First 27SE (Seascape Edition).

Beneteau First 27 specifications

Hull length: 7.99m/26ft 2in
Beam: 2.54m/8ft 4in
Draught: 1.70m/5ft 7in
Displacement: 1,700kg/3,850lb
Ballast: 610kg/1,345lb
Contact: beneteau.com

Whitbread/Mount Gay 30

The advent of the Whitbread 60 class for the 1993/4 Whitbread Round the World race represented a step change in yacht design and lifted the event to become a professional-only challenge sailed in yachts capable of maintaining planing speeds for extended periods, even while deep in the Southern Ocean.

This 30-footer was conceived as a smaller version and quickly gained momentum in the wider racing community as an impressively fast offshore-capable boat.

A change of class sponsor after the first couple of years saw the boat renamed the Mount Gay 30.

As with the Whitbread 60s, a box rule gave designers a lot of freedom to explore their own ideas within certain fixed parameters such as overall length, beam, draught and minimum displacement.

Despite their small size, they proved to be phenomenally quick boats by the standards of the day.

Designer Simon Rogers’ Sticky Fingers, for instance, took line honours on every leg of the 1994 Round Britain and Ireland race, despite being the smallest boat in the fleet. He also smashed the record for the first leg by 11 hours, which was previously held by the 80ft Ocean Leopard.

On the downside, interiors are very basic, and accommodation volume is limited. Nevertheless, Rogers sailed round Britain with four people on board, and there is ample space for camping-style cruising.

Whitbread/Mount Gay 30 specifications

Hull length: 9.0m/29ft 6in
LWL: 8.00m/26ft 3in
Beam: 3.30m/10ft 9in
Draught: 1.950m/6ft 5in
Displacement: 2,274kg/5,000lb

Corsair F27

Normally, it would be odd to compare a trimaran with monohulls, but it’s appropriate in this instance as, like the Pogo 8.50, the F27 was designed to combine blistering performance with accommodation suitable for cruising.

It was another revolutionary design when it was launched in the mid-1980s, with a level of design sophistication that was rarely seen at the time, and remains a very sought-after model.

Performance is staggering compared to conventional monohulls and intrinsically high stability means 20 knots of boat speed is possible when racing.

Speeds of 12-15 knots on a reach or broad reach give a more relaxed pace for cruising.

At the same time, the cockpit is surprisingly deep, giving a feeling of safety, while the trampolines between the amas and central hull give plenty of deck space in port and in calmer conditions under way.

A key element of the success of this boat also lies in designer Ian Farrier’s ingenious patented folding system.

This allows the beam to be reduced to only 2.57m (8ft 5in) for towing on land and to fit a standard marina berth. Folding can be carried out quickly by one person, with very little effort required.

Displacement of just under 1,200kg translates to a typical all-up towing weight of just under two tonnes for an empty boat, which is just within the limit of many larger family cars.

Accommodation is, of course, limited by the volume in the central hull, but includes an occasional single berth forward, with a toilet also forward of the main bulkhead.

The narrow saloon has a settee on each side, plus a small galley. There’s also an aft cabin, with a double berth under the cockpit.

The mattress for this is rather narrow, but the shape of the hull sections here gives a surprising amount of extra knee and elbow room on each side.

Headroom is limited to 1.55m (5ft 1in), but the wide ‘pop top’ companionway hatch increases this to 1.9m (6ft 3in) at the aft end of the saloon and galley.

Overnight accommodation for children or teenagers could also be enhanced with the addition of tents on the trampolines.

Corsair F27 specifications

LOA: 8.25m/27ft 1in
LWL: 8.00m/26ft 3in
Beam: 5.82m/19ft 1in
Beam: folded 2.57m/8ft 5in
Draught: 0.36m/1ft 3in
Displacement: 1,180kg/2,600lb
Contact: corsairmarine.com

J/105

This was as much of a trendsetter in the early 1990s as the Pogo 8.50 a decade later.

Light displacement allied to a high ballast ratio and a low centre-of-gravity bulb keel translates to excellent stability and performance across a wide range of conditions, with planing speeds of 15 knots plus possible in stronger winds.

The J/105 remains a distinctive design thanks to its relatively narrow beam, low freeboard and long retractable bowsprit from which big asymmetric spinnakers are set.

This was a radical departure from the norm back in 1991, yet has now been widely accepted, and a key element in making the boat easy to sail short-handed at that time (though it’s worth noting the skills required to gybe a symmetric spinnaker single-handed in up to 18-20 knots of breeze on a boat this size are now far more refined and widely shared than a few decades ago).

Today the big wheel dates the J/105’s deck layout and also has the potential to get in the way of single-handed manoeuvres.

That led Golden Globe Race competitor Simon Curwen to rip out the wheel of the J/105 Voador he owned for many years before buying his Biscay 36 Clara for the round-the-world race.

Low freeboard limits headroom below decks to only 1.7m (5ft 5in), while the long cockpit further restricts volume, but there’s still space for two settees/quarter berths, a small galley and a chart table next to the main bulkhead.

Forward of this is a full-width heads area and a double berth in the forepeak.

J/105 specifications

LOA: 10.5m/34ft 6in
LWL: 8.99m/29ft 5in
Beam: 3.35m/11ft 0in
Draught: 1.98m/6ft 6in
Displacement: 3,515kg/7,750lb
Ballast: 1,542kg/3,400lb
Contact: jboats.com

Beneteau First Class Europe

Pogo and J-Boats were not the only boatbuilders that produced very lightweight boats many years ago.

Back in the early 1980s, Beneteau’s 34ft First Class 10, for instance, had a displacement/length ratio of just 110, putting it at the faster end of the lightweight spectrum.

Yet it had an accommodation plan that could rival cruisers of its day in most respects other than a lack of full-standing headroom.

In 1989, the 35ft First Class Europe moved the goalposts still further, with a DLR (displacement/length ratio) of 75, making it a significantly lighter boat than the J/105, despite a wider beam, higher freeboard and almost 6ft headroom.

It was aimed firmly at fully crewed racing, but a moderate draught by today’s standards combined with light ballast means they can be quite tender without a big crew on the windward rail.

Swapping the big genoa for a smaller non-overlapping jib and adding an effective system for quick mainsail reefing will help tame the rig when short-handed.

The saloon was fitted out with settees on each side, plus a large galley and navigation area. The area forward of the main bulkhead is stripped out apart from a sea toilet to minimise weight forward and give space for sail stowage.

Aft of the saloon on each side are two folding pipe cots that make secure sea berths.

Beneteau First Class Europe specifications

LOA: 11.03m/36ft 2in
LWL: 10.46m/34ft 4in
Beam: 3.37m/11ft 1in
Draught: 1.90m/6ft 3in
Displacement: 3,100kg/6,830lb
Ballast: 950kg/2,090lb
Contact: beneteau.com

Jeanneau One Design 35

This design from 1991 was originally conceived as a one-design offshore racer for the then-popular fully crewed Tour de France à la Voile.

It has since proved to be a capable and quick offshore boat, with many now used for long-distance short-handed sailing.

A number, for instance, have successfully competed in events including the AZAB (Azores and Back) Race, Rolex Fastnet Race and others.

The builder’s quoted displacement of 3,500kg is, in reality, closer to 4,000kg, making this a somewhat heavier boat than the First Class Europe, though still light by most standards.

It also benefits from more than one-third more ballast, while the keel bulb is at a slightly greater depth.

This was also one of the first boats to be set up with water ballast.

Below decks, there’s a semi-open plan layout, including a V-berth forward, a straight settee to port in the saloon and an L-shaped one opposite, plus an L-shaped galley, navigation station and large quarter berths on each side aft.

More examples of the JOD 35 appear to have been sold in the UK than the other French-built designs in this selection, so they tend to be easier to find on the second-hand market.

Jeanneau One Design 35 specifications

Hull length: 10.60m/34ft 9in
LWL: 9.05m/29ft 8in
Beam: 3.5m/11ft 6in
Draught: 2.0m/6ft 6in
Displacement: 3,500kg/7,716lb
Ballast: 1,300kg/2,866lb
Contact: jeanneau.com

Beneteau Figaro 1

The first one design class used in the Solitaire du Figaro dates from 1991 and was conceived for short-handed sailing from the outset.

It was used in the event for more than a decade before being replaced by the Figaro 2.

Unlike the later Figaros, this is a single rudder design, but one of the first to use water ballast.

Given the long Figaro legs, it’s a boat that’s well-proven offshore, even if it no longer satisfies the requirements for longer Category 1 offshore races such as the AZAB.

Below decks is, at best, spartan. There’s a small galley and chart table at the foot of the companionway, with pipecots under the side deck aft on each side.

The saloon area has a decent settee on each side, but the engine is under the table, which takes up a lot of room, even if it makes access for maintenance wonderfully straightforward.

The area forward of the main bulkhead houses a sea toilet but is otherwise open.

Beneteau Figaro 1 specifications

LOA: 9.14m/29.99ft
LWL: 8.40m/27.56ft
Hull length: 9.15m/30ft 0in
Beam: 3.23m/10ft 7in
Draught: 1.80m/5ft 11in
Displacement: 2,720kg/6,000lb
Ballast: 900kg/1,984lb
Contact: beneteau.com

---

Want to read more boat review articles?

---

Want to read more practical articles?

A subscription to Practical Boat Owner magazine costs around 40% less than the cover price.

Print and digital editions are available through Magazines Direct – where you can also find the latest deals.

PBO is packed with information to help you get the most from boat ownership – whether sail or power.

• • • • Take your DIY skills to the next level with trusted advice on boat maintenance and repairs
      • Impartial in-depth gear reviews
      • Practical cruising tips for making the most of your time afloat

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter” alt=”” width=”143″ height=”200″ />

A subscription to Practical Boat Owner magazine costs around 40% less than the cover price.

Print and digital editions are available through Magazines Direct – where you can also find the latest deals.

PBO is packed with information to help you get the most from boat ownership – whether sail or power.

• • • • Take your DIY skills to the next level with trusted advice on boat maintenance and repairs
      • Impartial, in-depth gear reviews
      • Practical cruising tips for making the most of your time afloat

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter