From 470 to skiff
The genesis of the EPOH project dates back to the family holidays. Yannick d'Armancourt assiduously practiced sailing there in 470 and when the dinghy was declared out of order, the idea was born to develop a new boat"both fast and modern while keeping the playful and convivial side of our legendary dinghies".
The objective is to reconcile speed and planning with safety and initiation for less athletic or more novice family members. The solution of the monohull stabilized by skids is chosen to make a safe skiff. Hydrodynamic engineer, graduate of Centrale Nantes, he tests different hull shapes on specialized software, in order to validate their performance in all conditions. A prototype is finally built and gives complete satisfaction.
The story could have ended there, but contacted at the end of summer 2009 by Les Glénans, in search of a skiff more accessible than the 29 er Yannick d'Armancourt sees this as confirmation of the relevance of the concept. He therefore launched the EPOH company and benefited from the support of the Kaïros nursery at Roland Jourdain, which followed him until the launch of EPOH number 0 in 2015.
Ready for the series
Now out of its nursery, EPOH is launched into the big bath. Moulds have been built for series production. The company has set up shop in Concarneau, where it assembles composite parts made by a French subcontractor. The company works mainly with the network of VSEs and local SMEs.
Business Development
Two markets are targeted by the young company, individuals and sailing schools. The interest of the Glénans school when designing the product suggests that the concept may be of interest to sail schools. The Sextant tests should allow EPOH to take the temperature there.
Returns on the private individual market are positive, reflecting the interest generated in La Rochelle. EPOH is also attractive abroad; the fifth unit was shipped to Hungary in early September.
EPOH will be present at the winter fairs, a matter to follow.
