Design and Construction
The Pogo 2's hull is fiberglass in a sandwich layup, a construction method the period review noted as improving the cabin environment below anchor. Her ballast ratio sits at 43 percent, higher than 69 percent of comparable sailboat designs, with 948 pounds of lead on a 2,205-pound displacement and a length-to-beam ratio of 2.17. The DL-ratio of 101 places her among "light racers," and 85 percent of similar designs are categorized as heavier. Wetted surface runs about 236 square feet. The capsize screening figure of 3.00 to 3.03 means she would not be accepted to participate in ocean races, a useful boundary for understanding her intent as a coastal and short-course machine rather than a bluewater voyager.
Rig and Handling
She carries a fractional sloop rig with a mainsail of 269 square feet and a foresail of 129 square feet, giving an upwind sail area of 398 square feet and a spinnaker of 753 square feet. Sheet dimensions are practical and uniform: jib and genoa sheets run 21.3 feet at 3/8 inch diameter, the mainsheet is 53.3 feet, and the spinnaker sheet 46.9 feet, all at 3/8 inch. Performance scoring puts her in the Excellent band with an SBP score of 133, a GPH rating of 673, and an average speed of 5.3 knots against a hull speed of 5.7 knots. Her planing potential is rated 1.8, described as very high, and the sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 37.6 to 37.8 confirms a powerful rig for the weight. The draft of 5.25 to 5.55 feet dependent on load keeps her out of the thinnest shoals but within most marina entrance depths.
Accommodations
For a 21-foot hull the Pogo 2 is exceptionally roomy: comparisons show her more spacious than nearly all other designs of the type. That volume is won from the beamy 9.84-foot hull and the Mini-class rule envelope. The comfort ratio of 7.5 to 8.5 and a motion comfort ratio more comfortable than only 10 percent of similar designs tell the other half of the story — she is vast for her length but trades liveaboard softness for racing urgency, a calculation any buyer should understand before expecting cruising calm.
Known Issues
The sandwich hull and bulb keel are described plainly as built; the only quantified cautions are performance boundaries — the capsize screening that bars her from ocean racing and the comfort ratios that place her firmly at the sporty end of the spectrum.
The Verdict
The Pogo 2 is a focused light-displacement racer-cruiser that extracts remarkable interior volume from a 6.50-meter hull while keeping a very high planing potential and an Excellent performance score anchor. She is not a voyager by the numbers, but as a Mini-class derivative with Finot-Conq's hand and Pogo Structures' build, she rewards a sailor who wants space and speed in a trailerable footprint.
Pros
- More spacious than nearly all similar designs despite 21-foot length
- Very high planing potential (1.8) with SA/D near 38
- Bulb fin keel and fractional rig suited to light-racer performance
Cons
- Capsize screening bars entry to ocean races
- Motion comfort below 90 percent of comparable designs
- Draft near 5.5 feet limits shallow access
