First all-electric HopYacht 30 Sailing Catamaran launched
by HopYacht 11 Nov 2022 16:41 UTC
HopYacht has launched its first all-electric compact catamaran - The HopYacht 30.
The first HopYacht 30 was launched at Boatica Cape Town on 28 October 2022.
She is designed by award-winning South African yacht designer, Anton du Toit of Du Toit Yacht Design.
The HopYacht 30 is a unique catamaran concept that responds to the growing demand for a yacht that is easy to sail, environmentally sensitive and has comfort as a top priority. She has been designed for a couple, or a couple with young children, to sail around places like the Mediterranean or Caribbean with ease, bay or island hopping.
With a beam of just 3.44m, the HopYacht 30 has been designed to fit into a 36'-38' mono-hull berth, avoiding the typical premium rate catamarans pay for mooring. She is easy to ship to new sailing destinations: the HopYacht 30 has demountable hulls and fits into two standard 40' containers. Reassembling at the new destination is straightforward.
This all-electric compact catamaran is powered by twin 6kW E-Propulsion pod drives, equivalent to 9.9hp engines but pollution and noise free. With an induction hob and an electric water heater, there are no fossil fuels on board.
HopYacht conducted extensive research that showed that a high percentage of holiday sailors choose to sail under headsail alone. There is less to worry about, and less experienced sailors find this easier in stronger winds. Consequently, the design brief was to keep the HopYacht 30 sail plan simple and easy to manage. With a single furling genoa, the mast is moved further aft to ensure good all-round performance. Not having a mainsail also means there is no risk of injury from a boom!
The spacious interior is all on one level. The forward cabin has an island queen-sized bed and a generous sized head. The HopYacht 30 provides a level of luxury and comfort usually only found on larger yachts. With wrap-around cockpit seating and sunbathing areas on the trampoline, there is space for everyone to enjoy relaxed holiday sailing.
South Africa is the second biggest catamaran building nation after France and is well-known for an excellent quality of boat building. The seas off the coast of South Africa can be notoriously rough, and South African boatbuilders are also renowned for building robust vessels that can withstand challenging seas.
The HopYacht 30 is a proudly South African design and build. Yacht Design firm Du Toit Yacht Design are based in Cape Town and have designed more catamaran tonnage and metres than any other yacht design firm in the Southern Hemisphere. Her mast is manufactured by Sparcraft Masts South Africa and her sails are manufactured by North Sails South Africa.
"It is hard to believe that just 14 months ago we were gathered around the table at Du Toit Yacht design looking at the conceptual drawings - and now the first boat has splashed", says Paul Tomes, co-founder of HopYacht.
Anton du Toit of Du Toit Yacht design comments, "The HopYacht is a unique design concept. So far, there has not been a catamaran that competes with it conceptually and the HopYacht definitely addresses a gap in the market. We are excited to see orders come in."
HopYacht has also launched an interesting shared ownership model, with ownership shared across six people. This model makes a lot of sense for a few couples or individuals who wish to share a holiday yacht based in the Mediterranean or Caribbean, for example.
The first HopYacht 30 is moving to her first charter base in Greece from March 2023.
Key specifications and dimensions of the HopYacht 30:
- LOA - 9.35 metres
- Max Beam - 3.44 metres
- Draft incl keel - 0.69675 metres
- Max freeboard - 1.37 metres
- Mast height - 10 metres
- Max air draft - 1.2 metres
- Air draft (without mast) - 2.57 metres
- Sail area - 29,5 sq metres
Read more at
www.hopyacht.co.za.