A revisited Belouga
Her green hull stands out among the cruising catamarans and gleaming white-hulled monohulls lined up on the pontoons of the Grand Pavois 2022. The AP Yachting shipyard, founded in 2022 by Antoine Potier, took over the construction of the neoclassical Solenn and Arcachon one-design yachts, previously built by Franck Roy, before its liquidation in 2019. Antoine was also the workshop manager in the past. But it is on a base of Belouga, the mythical dinghy designed by Eugene Cornu, that Antoine built this first unit.
Antony states: "It's a personal project that will eventually become a series."
The first transportable mass production
Designed in 1943 by Eugène Cornu, the Beluga was manufactured in nearly 1000 units. With a length of 6.75m and a displacement of about 800 kg, it is a fast and transportable sailing boat.
Several versions were launched by different yards, which offered it in wood, polyester and even aluminum.
After recovering an old polyester hull from Beluga, Antoine redesigned a deck plan combining modernity and aesthetics. After removing part of the old deck, Antoine made several tests in cardboard and plywood, in order to redesign a scale model.
The manufacturer details: "Taking the aesthetic codes of the Solenn 32, I integrated a new roof with slightly wider side decks, and a simplified deck plan."
The whole is sublimated by finishes in teak and varnished mahogany, the specialty of the shipyard located in Aubigny-Les Clouzeaux, in the Vendée.
A sloop with a fast horn and an electric motorization
The rig of the Beluga proposed by AP Yachting is that of a horn sloop, whose spars are made of aluminum and covered with a handmade lacquer, imitating wood. Only the spike is made of carbon, in order to facilitate the maneuvers.
This Beluga will be offered with an electric motorization, located in the well at the level of the rear peak. This perfect integration of the motorization will preserve the pure lines of this Beluga revisited with talent.
