DJANGO 8S, DEHLER 30OD, MOJITO 888, POGO 30.

They have a lot in common with mini-racers, just a bit bigger and with a better cruising interior. The Django and the Mojito have in common the same NA, Pierre Rolland, a great NA that deserves to be better known:

Mojito, Pogo, Django and Dehler

His career as an architect started 33 years ago when he designed and built a mini racer to do the Mini-Transat that he had done two times on that boat. Then he designed the mini that won the Mini-Transat in 1993 and in 1995 the first production Pogo, a mini racer.

Pogo (Structures shipyard) built 140 of those, between 1995 and 2002, a great success and the beginning of what is today a well-known and successful medium-sized shipyard.

He continued his solo racing career on the Figaro class, for some years more, having done three "Solitaire du Figaro" and a  Figaro Transat (AG2R).

But having more success as a NA than as a top racer, he gets more involved in naval architecture and in 1999 he designs the first cruising Pogo, the 8.50 a boat that was even more successful than the Pogo mini racer, with 180 boats built.

Just for the fun of it, he did not stop racing the Mini-Transat, always in boats designed by himself, and his last participation, in 2009, was the best, finishing 2nd. Before that he had been 4th in 2003.

He designed also several voyage boats and on one of them, the Jaco 50, he made a year-long voyage with the family.

But most of his designs are either solo-racing boats or small ocean-going fast cruisers based on his mini-racer experience and that's the case with the Django 8s, the Mojito 888 or with any of the boats built by the two shipyards, all designed by him and also some other boats built by other shipyards (Bongo).

The Pogo 30 is designed by Finot-Conq. But Finot is already retired and even if the firm retains his name, it is Pascal Conq that is today the head of the design cabinet. Pascal Conq,  if compared with most NAs, has also a significant racing experience even if much smaller than the one of Rolland and not really in solo. He won several IRC races and the Tour de France, an important French crewed coastal race.

The Dehler 30 OD is designed by Judel/Vrolijk but the relevant name here is the other associate of the cabinet, Torsten Conradi, that has not less racing experience than Pascal Conq. but one also not related to solo racing.

He won with Karl Dehler, in 1986, the 3/4 ton world Championship on a Dehler and curiously Karl Dehler is the project manager of the Dehler 30 OD.

These boats have in common having been designed by very experienced NAs that are also sailors with big racing experience, sailors that like to sail and cruise fast, and all of them know a lot about what it takes to design a fast and safe boat even if a small one and in what regards this particular, none better than Pierre Rolland.

The building materials and techniques are very similar, all using vacuum infusion, sandwich hull and deck using a foam core and polyester resins, with vinylester on the first layer and a boat structure laminated to the hull, on the Dehler reinforced with some carbon.

All these boats are about designing the smallest, fastest and less expensive boat, able to cross oceans (they are all Class A) offering all that is needed for cruising, even if on a spartan way, but never undermining sailing speed and fun of sailing.

The Django 8S and the Dehler 30 OD are the newer ones, having been presented last year. However the Django 8s has the same hull used on the Django 7.70, the one used on a never-ending circumnavigation I talked about in a recent post.

The 7.70 hull was just extended on the transom by 0.70 m. The Pogo 30 has already some years, like the Mojito 888 but I would say that all these hulls are up-to-date.

https://interestingsailboats.blogspot.com/2020/04/a-never-ending-circumnavigation-on-25ft.html

Let's have a look at the boats' dimensions (meter, kg), starting by the Django 8s, then Dehler 30OD then Mojito 888 and Pogo 30: HL- 8.01; 9.14; 8.88; 9.14. LWL - 7.70; 8.97; 8.70; 9.10. Beam - 2.99; 3.28; 3.45; 3.70. Draft - 2.00; 2.20; 2.30/1.00; 1.95. B/D - 32.0%; 33.6%; 33.2%;33.8%. Displacement - 2000; 2800; 2850; 2800. Ballast - 649; 940; 890; 945. SA/D - 32.1/66.0: 33.9/66.1; 28.3/53.7: 30.7/64.5. D/L - 124.1; 109.9; 120.5: 105.3.

We have two boats more suitable for racing than cruising, but also able to cruise in a very spartan way, the Django 8S and the Dehler 30OD, and two more suitable for performance cruising, the Mojito 888 and the Pogo 30.

The Django is smaller than the Dehler but has an almost identical SA/D and I can only hope they race together to be able to compare results on the water. By the numbers the Dehler will be faster, not only because it is bigger but because it has 200L water ballast (for solo sailing) and a bigger B/D with a bigger draft.

Only time will tell if the superior knowledge in designing this type of boats will have any relevance on performance or if on the Dehler, Torsten Conradi got it right with much less experience with small racers' design.

Comparing to other small racer designs optimized for downwind sailing the hull of the Dehler seemed to me to have too little forward buoyancy.

But I have seen videos of the Dehler sailing and the way the boat sails looks well to me, with the bow well out of the water, a thing that is particularly important in small fast sailing boats. Maybe I was wrong, even if looking at the designs it is clear that the Dehler has finer entries and less buoyancy there.

They all have a two rudder set up but the Dehler is comparatively beamier (length-beam ratio 2.7 to 2.6) but different in what regards transom design.

On both cases, beam is brought all the way back but the one of the Django is typical of a solo racer hull, with low hard chines limiting heeling, while the one of the Dehler is a more rounded one, also with chines but higher on the hull, allowing more heel before bringing added stability.

First two Mojiti then the Pogo

The Django will be easier to sail, with less heel, rolling less downwind and making the job of an autopilot easier especially at high speed.

The Dehler needs more control but will be faster upwind, not only due to the water ballast but also due to a bigger B/D that will be put at good use especially with the boat heeled, and that is certainly one of the reasons why the Dehler is designed to sail with more heel than the Django.

 Probably the Dehler performance in the very light winds will be just a little bit better, even if it is beamier, but that is hard to tell.

Both boats have already been tested and in both the test-sailors said very well about the sailing performance, both were reported to sail at around 12kt downwind with a F5 and both were noted for good performance upwind.

Surprisingly on the Django they have said that the boat apparently could point as well as a Sunfast 3300, a JPK10.30 or a J 99, that were sailing at the same time, a thing that seems to be hard to believe, but indicates a very good upwind performance for the type of hull.

https://www.voileetmoteur.com/essai/voiliers/essai-du-django-8s-un-django-dechaine/89774
https://www.yacht.de/yachten_jollen/testberichte/dehler-30-od-ein-racer--auch-zum-cruisen/a123385.html

Regarding cruising, both boats have a very naked interior but one that has everything needed for a couple to cruise in a spartan and sportive way.

I really hate the head of the Dehler is in the middle of the boat, protected by a folding screen. The smaller Django offers a better solution having it on one of the back "cabins" that functions also as storage space.

The Django offers two layouts, one for cruising another for racing but I think that the racing version has a better layout, even for cruising. If they want to make it better for cruising they can separate the back cabin with a door and add a small basin for washing hands and with that they will maintain the nice and big open space.

The Dehler comes initially with an electric motor, a solution that could be nice for a boat used for sailing from a marina and returning to it at the end of the day, but a lousy solution in what regards cruising, especially if it is done extensively. They seem to have understood that quickly and they have replaced it for a 9.9 HP diesel engine, but maintained the solution of a stealth propeller, one that can be brought up and disappear inside the hull, leaving a flat hull.

Above and below, Django. Last, Dehler 30 OD

That's a very nice feature and certainly more efficient than a saildrive in what regards drag, but the 9.9hp is just a very small engine for that boat and the smaller and lighter Django 8S offers a 14hp saildrive that will provide much better performance for cruising, especially against a strong current or against some waves, when there is no wind.

The Django, in what regards cruising, offers a huge advantage, the choice of three different types of keels, one similar to the one of the Dehler, with a torpedo but also two other options, a twin keel with two torpedos and a swing keel.

If the twin keel can have advantages in what regards reduced draft and putting the boat on dry, some performance especially upwind will be lost and the boat will become heavier due to the needed bigger ballast (about 200kg more) but with a swing keel, the weight can be the same as well as the RM at the cost of just a slight increase in drag.

The price of the two boats is about 110 000 €, on the shipyard, without taxes, both including carbon masts but while a full extras Django will cost 144 000€, I have heard about an incomparably higher price for a Dehler 30 OD fully equipped.

So if you are interested in these boats the best is to ask the shipyards about the prices of extras and compare the cost of the two boats with the equipment you want to have.

The Pogo 30 and the Mojito 888 have an upwind SA/D  a bit lower than the Django and the Dehler and are also beamier boats. While the other two have a length to beam ratio of  2.6 and 2.7 these two have both 2.5 (the smaller the number the beamier the boat). Besides being beamier the transom design is more similar to the one of the Django, being less rounded than the Dehler, having both a bigger similarity with a mini racer's hull.

The transom design of the Pogo, if we exclude beam, is not very different from the Django one,  but on the Mojito the hull has two well-marked chines instead of one. The intention is not to lose the big initial stability at low angles of heel that will prevent the boat to roll downwind, allowing also more heel upwind and that's when the second chine will work, at a considerable heel angle.

Obviously, this is not intended to allow for maximum pure performance, but it is an exchange between more easiness and control versus just a bit more drag.

That superior easiness will allow a solo medium sailor to go faster with that hull than if on the stern design a more performant and more difficult to control option was used, like for instance a design similar to the one used on the Dehler stern, maintaining the upper chine and rounding the hull.

The designer of the Django and the Mojito is the same, so it is very interesting to see how he changed criteria in what regards the design of these two hulls: the Django more pointed to pure all-around performance (less beamy, only one chine) and the Mojito with two chines to give, on a beamier hull, a better upwind performance that is a bit compromised by the big beam and that without losing much initial stability.

Probably that option will give it also a better light wind performance compared with a hull with the same beam with only a relatively low chine, like the one on the Pogo 30.

If the Pogo is not probably a match to the Django or the Dehler upwind, things change in what regards downwind sailing and here the SA/D is very similar and the Pogo should be as fast as the Django or the Dehler, easier to control and solo sail.

In what compares interior comfort for cruising, both the Mojito and the Pogo offer a lot more than the two other boats, with more interior storage and better galley.  The Mojito offers also an all-around view, and quite incredibly, a dinghy garage for a small 3 person dinghy. The Pogo offers a very nice and well sorted out interior, the better finished one, with lots of cabinets.

The Mojito and the Pogo have 13 and 14 hp engines, about the same as the Django but much more powerful than the 9.9hp engine of the Dehler.

Regarding tankage the Dehler is the one that offers less (25L diesel, 40L water) then the Django (40L diesel, 55L water), the Mojito (30L diesel, 100L water) and the bigger tankage is offered by the Pogo (40L diesel, 145L water). For extensive cruising or for a crossing there is always the possibility to install an extra water tank on any of the boats.

The Pogo 30 and the Django 888 have been sail tested several times and I never heard anything negative regarding the way they sail and, in a generic way, they have always deserved very positive reviews and evaluations. Here are some of the tests:

https://www.yachtingworld.com/reviews/boat-tests/pogo-30-on-test
https://www.yacht.de/multimedia/galerie/pogo-30-im-grossen-yacht-test/a80813.html
https://voilesetvoiliers.ouest-france.fr/essai/pogo-30-le-digne-successeur-du-8-50-f7f702cf-f22d-9b4f-8d02-06fc7c95dbdd
http://www.velablog.it/barche/pogo-30-il-perche-di-una-scelta-e-la-prova-in-mare-di-marco-giudici
https://www.sailingtoday.co.uk/videos/melango-88-8-review-test/
https://voilesetvoiliers.ouest-france.fr/essai/mojito-888-randonneur-panoramique-b5fcbfac-abe6-f74d-a5de-516e9ff2fcba

Django, Dehler, Pogo

The Mojito costs 110 690€ but this price includes a swing keel, which is an expensive option on the Pogo. The Pogo costs 98 700€, with a fixed torpedo keel, prices on the shipyard, no extras, no taxes.

 It is worth saying that almost all the Pogos are sold with a Swing keel and that will make it more expensive than the Mojito. The Pogo and the Mojito come standard with aluminum spars while the other two come standard with a carbon rig.

The standard price of all these boats is very similar but we all know that a boat fully equipped costs much more and the final price can be different from boat to boat. It is especially higher when the boat is seriously equipped for racing.

I  have visited again the Pogo 30 at the last Dusselford boatshow and I have to say it looks better than ever and it is from all Pogos the one I like more.

Of course, I do not mean that between a Pogo 12.50 and a 30 I would not have a 12.50 instead.  I am just saying that taking into account their size, I find the Pogo 30 comparatively a more interesting boat.

 And it is also, compared with all the others I mentioned here, the best-finished one and the one that has a nicer interior design.

For what they have told me at the boat show a Pogo with carbon spars, a swing keel (1.05/2.50m), fully equipped will cost about 160 000 euros without taxes.

But the Mojito 888 offers that incredible dinghy garage and a dinghy on a very small boat is always a big problem. If you have it over the deck, forward to the mast, it will make it very difficult to go forward and dangerous in heavy weather, if you tow it then the drag is big and it takes speed from the boat, not to mention that a small boat looks particularly ugly with a dinghy over the deck.

The dinghy that the Mojito carries is not big but it will be enough for two (it can carry three with some care) and for a couple, the garage is just a great idea that can make sailing a lot more enjoyable and the boat much better looking.

On the Mojito interior, light and the all-around view are great but I don't like the design neither the finish, that even if practical I don't find nice or cozy.  But it may be just me that gives too much importance to details and design. It is certainly a practical one and if the ones that buy this boat don't have objections about it you may well have the same opinion as them and then that dinghy garage can make all the difference.

Even if the slower of the four, I would like to make clear that the Mojito is a very fast boat for its size, with a huge SA/D upwind and downwind and that it is a boat that will give a lot of fun sailing, as any on the four mentioned here.

But one thing is cruising, other racing and in what regards that the Dehler 30OD, from these four, is probably the best option,  even better than the smaller Django, in what pure performance is concerned performance. In IRC or ORC racing, between the two, only time will tell.

The Django is smaller, does not have water ballasts, it has less draft and less RM and it will have certainly a considerably lower rating but even if the Django looks great the Dehler looks even better and it is not difficult to fall in love with that boat: it looks soo cute and so fast that it is hard to resist.