MOJITO VIRGIN 650 VERSUS OCEANIS 30.1 AND DJANGO 770

I talked about this sailboat when it was at the project stage, back in 2020, and failed to give any more information. It could have seemed that the Virgin Mojito 650 had not passed to the production stage, but that is not the case, and till April this year 6 boats have been launched, probably more at this time.

The Mojito 650 is the cruising version of the Maxi 650 racer,
the boat that won more times the Transat in the Series class.

For more information about this boat and its technical characteristics look here:

https://interestingsailboats.blogspot.com/2020/11/virgin-mojito-650.html 

I raised some reservations regarding safety stability because the boat is only certified as a Class C sailboat (inshore use) while there are older Mini racers certified as Class A sailboats. It turns out that the demands have changed and today to be certified as a Class B a boat needs to have at least 1500kg, and the mini-racers displace only about 900kg.

However, mini racers have to pass the stability substantial requirements that the class demands, namely "the boat lying at 90° must have a positive righting moment with a load of 55 Kg at the maximum air draft" and that is a high demand in what regards safety stability and implies a big AVS.

That's the case with the racing mini built by IDB (Maxi 650), the same shipyard that builds the Mojito. 

The Maxi 650 is the most successful racer in the Production class, with 50 sailboats already built and many victories in the Mini Transat. Even if its safety stability would allow it to be certified as a Class B, it can only be certified as a Class C (2 meters waves and 6 Beaufort) because it weighs only 900kgs, far away from the needed 1500kg for a Class B certification.

For a 900kg boat to be able to make 55kg of positive force at the point of the mast lying at 90º, a big safety stability is required as well as a big AVS, and if the 900kg of displacement means that the overall stability is not big, the big safety stability means that the dynamic stability is excellent.

Being the Mojito Virgin 650 derived from the racing boat and displacing only 1200kg they chose not to weigh the boat unnecessarily with 300kg more, just to certify it as a Class B sailboat.

Oceanis 30.1

On their site, they don't inform us about the ballast. I asked them but I did not receive any reply. Voile et Moteur magazine talks about 416kg on a swing keel (0.80m and 1.85m), not a bulbed one, even if slightly larger at the bottom. That gives a 34.7% ballast which is not exceptional for this type of keel and draft, but that is way more than the 21.2% of an Oceanis 30.1, with a swing keel, even if with more draft (1.20-2.30m). A bigger B/D is also important for more stiffness (sail power).

Not saying that the First Oceanis 30.1, which is certified as class B, is less seaworthy than this boat, but certainly has worse dynamic stability, much worse safety stability, and a higher AVS, while having a much bigger overall stability due to having a  displacement 3.4 times bigger. The Oceanis 30.1 has the same beam and a bigger hull length (6.50 to 8.66m).

Dynamic stability is very important to sailboat safety and is linked with the ability to dissipate the energy of a breaking wave while skidding (instead of converting it in a rolling movement) and the ability to righten itself up very quickly after a knockdown, not allowing the boat to be caught by the next wave still lying or deeply heeled, and without almost no positive stability.

Django 770

If we look at the sail area we will see that the 3.4 times heavier Oceanis 30.1 has a standard 39.5m2 sail area, and the Virgin Mojito 650 has 38m2. The difference in stiffness/sail power is huge, the polar speeds are quite impressive, all that showing clearly what the Mojito 650 is about. 

Why am I talking about these two very different cruising boats? Because the prices of a sailaway boat should not be that different and that counts a lot when choosing a cruising boat. 

Both, in standard condition, cost respectively 75500€ (Mojito) and 102200€ (Oceanis), without VAT at the shipyard, but the Oceanis comes with sails, a kitchen, a WC, and lights, and the Mojito comes with nothing but cushions, being all cruising equipment optional. In the end, if both boats were equipped the same way, I would not be surprised if the Mojito (that cannot have a separate WC, or a marine one) would be more expensive.

More about the Oceanis 30.1 here:

https://interestingsailboats.blogspot.com/2019/01/the-new-oceanis-301-versus-hanse-315.html

These boats represent, for a similar cost, opposite perspectives regarding cruising. The Mojito gives top priority to the sailing part of cruising and to sailing as a sport, while the Oceanis gives priority to the living aboard functionality, which is part of cruising in a sailboat.

You can make a virtual visit to the Mojito 650 here: 

https://www.idbmarine.fr/3D/Visite%20Mojito%20650.html

The Mojito sailing fun is without parallel for the cost and available interior space, but as a cruising boat, even a camping spartan one, the Mojito leaves much to be desired, and even if it offers a big cockpit locker for storage, it does not have an anchor locker to store the anchor, chain, and cable rod, and worse, it has not even a dedicated mooring cleat.

A racing Maxi 650 doing the Mini Transat:

Oceanis 30.1 interieur

As a fast pocket cruiser (even if not as fast) the Django 770 seems a much better proposition: it costs just 4,000 euros more but it has much more standard equipment, including sails, engine, kitchen, electricity and a chemical toilet (as an option can have a sea toilet). 

It offers also bigger seaworthiness, with a Class B standard certification, bigger overall stability (1750 kg displacement) for a not-very-different safety and dynamic stability, having several keel options, including a swing keel with 1.90m draft and 600kg ballast (34.3%B/D).

A Django 770 doing a circumnavigation:

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

But if you want to cruise, sailing in a boat with an almost racing performance, with about the same sensations, the  Mojito Virgin 650 offers the cheapest way to do it. It all depends on how important sailing pleasure is for you in comparison to living comfort.

On top Django 770, Directly above, Virgin Mojito 650

Top performance is never cheap, the boats have to be built with top materials and techniques, the same ones used in racing boats, to allow for a lighter but strong sailboat and the same happens with sail hardware.

A radical sailboat for radical cruisers and sometimes being radical about something is not a bad thing and makes us enjoy life with undiluted pleasure.

Today I am old and that affects my perspective but I remember all the joy I had cruising each year for a month in a boat about the size of that one, equally devoid of any interior, with a much smaller interior volume and much less standing height. There is a remarkable pleasure in living simply, keeping only the important things in mind, and for me, sailing and traveling, are the most important parts of cruising, and I love having fun while sailing.