Smarter storage means smoother sailing!

We've all got that friend who shows up with way too much gear. Even though the forecast says it'll be mild all weekend, they roll up to the dock with a sheepish grin and a huge sailing bag crammed with everything Helly Hansen had on sale during Black Friday. Just in case, they've also got a pair of full-length Dubarry sailing boots. And let's not forget the giant cooler bag packed with enough food and drinks to feed a small cruise ship crew!

As all this gear is loaded on board the clean uncluttered layout of your Hopyacht starts to take on the appearance of a garage sale.

But not for long ... despite being a 30' catamaran the HopYacht 30 has more storage space than you would first imagine.

Just when you thought you had it all sorted, "Hey, I hope it's cool, but I brought my paddle board along?" No worries! The Hopyacht's got plenty of space in both hulls for SUPs, inflatable kayaks, a couple of hydrofoil boards, and don't forget the fold-up barbecue. There's also room for water toys, a portable water-maker, and a couple of fold-up bikes.

Unlike conventional catamarans all the accommodation is on one level. The hulls are used for fresh, grey and back water tanks and very little else. So, with plenty of room for water toys ... you can be equipped to have a lot of fun when you've finished sailing for the day.

And how about the guest who arrives with a hard-shell suitcase? In a small yacht, even when you have unpacked a soft travel bag you still need space to store the empty luggage. The queen size berth in the forward cabin has a mattress that is hinged down the middle, making it easy to lift up each side separately, to access large storage lockers, big enough to fit unexpected baggage. 

Instead of wardrobes or bulky hanging lockers, how about soft dual purpose garment bags? These are designed so that you can pack the clothes you need on hangers at home, into these special breathable mesh travel bags. When you arrive on board, simply hang the garments bags on the special hooks provide on the bulkhead either side of the forward cabin door. There's even room for shoes with a separate zip for easy access. 

With the addition of two shelving units, large drawers beneath the bed, and saloon seating, along with a spacious overhead locker and storage in the saloon table, your HopYacht's clean, uncluttered living space is confidently restored.

While all your clothes are neatly packed away, you might still be dealing with a mountain of food and drinks. First off, we've got a 130-liter fridge freezer for all your perishables. Right next to it, there's a grocery cupboard and a pull-out 40L rubbish bin. 

Did we mention this is just a 30' yacht? 

In the galley unit, you'll find three large drawers for cooking utensils and extra food storage, plus a large cupboard under the induction hob, with a shelf for a coffee maker and a lower compartment for all the cleaning supplies you need to keep your HopYacht looking ship-shape, just in case unexpected guests drop by! 

With cockpit seating for 4-5 people and room for a few more on the bulwarks, it's amazing how folks seem to flock to a HopYacht when the drinks and snacks come out! Oh, and let's not forget the storage space inside the cockpit seat... there's tons of it!

And with the boat looking fabulous you'll want to look your best too. The HopYacht 30 has a proper bathroom not a wet head! The basin and vanity unit has room for toiletries cosmetics, sun screen, first aid kit all stowed neatly. 

Thanks to digital navigation, the saloon table, which was typically used for paper charts, can now accommodate all your gadgets and equipment. Plus, we've installed multiple USB ports throughout the boat, to ensure everything stays charged. We even included a 12V plug for the air pump to make to inflating your water toys a breath of fresh air!

Smarter storage in the HopYacht 30, cuts the clutter and makes life on board a lot more fun. If you'd like to explore owning your own HopYacht email hello@hopyacht.co.za today.

Exploring the HopYacht 30 design.

Why is the HopYacht 30 designed with a narrower beam compared to conventional catamarans?

A popular joke among sailors when they gather is, 'if two or more yachts are moving in the same direction, it's automatically a race!'

In reality, there is a different type of yacht race that often occurs in the Mediterranean and other cruising areas worldwide. This is a motor-sailing race, typically beginning around 3pm, with the main goal of securing a berth for the night, particularly in locations with many charter yachts!

In Turkey and Greece, with yachts typically moored 'stern to' the harbour wall, it's amazing to watch how yachties cooperate with each other, setting their cocktails down, to help squeeze yet another monohull in.

However, if you arrive later in the day with a wide-beam catamaran, you'll often find that there are no available spaces large enough. The alternative is to locate a sheltered bay and anchor for the night.

The advantage is that you might not be disturbed by noisy neighbours in the harbour, but you're less likely to have a restful night's sleep while anchored!

Having witnessed these scenarios during our sailing holidays, we questioned why a small catamaran couldn't have the same beam as a typical monohull and fit into the same berth or marina dock. What if this also meant being charged the same mooring fee as a monohull, avoiding the usual 75%-100% premium for a wide beam catamaran?

From the outset, the team at Du Toit Yacht Design believed that the overall concept was entirely feasible. Their main focus was on establishing the optimal length-to-beam ratio and ensuring this would allow for an efficient sail plan and sufficient living space.

In partnership with North Sails, the primary goal was to achieve comparable stability to a conventional wide-beam catamaran and the approach taken was to design a low-profile rig. The mast height for the HopYacht 30 measures 10 meters, nearly matching the boat's length of 9.35 meters. Typically, a cruising yacht features a mast that is 25-35% taller than its overall length.

The HopYacht 30 has a unique single-sail configuration. The mast is set further aft, allowing the genoa to extend back and serve as both mainsail and jib. Consequently, with a 10m mast, the sail's centre-of-effort remains low and upwind performance is preserved.

By integrating a distinctive sail plan with Du Toit's hull design expertise, the final product precisely met the HopYacht design brief—a remarkably stable and user-friendly catamaran, with a beam similar to that of a standard family monohull, allowing it to fit into a typical berth.

The HopYacht 30 has CE certification as a Category C yacht, meaning it is suited for coastal cruising in winds up to 27 knots and significant waves up to 2 metres.

HopYacht 30 Dimensions

L.O.A. - 9.35m

Beam. - 3.44m

Mast Height: 10m

Sail area: 29.5 sqm

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Hotel Room On Water?

In a number of our blog articles over the past few years, we’ve mentioned how visitors (especially at boat shows), often talk about our HopYacht 30 as being like 'an apartment on water' or 'a compact condo that just happens to have a sail!'

Initially this feedback took us by surprise, however the more we got to know our clients the more we realised that our HopYacht 30 can be enjoyed on so many levels. Who says you have to leave the mooring to enjoy a yachtie lifestyle?

Having a yacht that delivers relaxed sailing, blended with the comfort of a compact apartment, is a superb way to optimise the lifestyle your yacht offers. For the number crunchers this could read as 'a better return on investment!' By adopting this mind set, our design and build teams have been continually able to refine what the HopYacht 30 offers.

The 2025 model has a number of new features.

Firstly, it's crucial that we never lose of the overall sailing experience. For keen sailors we now offer better downwind performance (especially in light winds), with the option of a cruising asymmetric spinnaker (complete with a snuffer) or a furling code 65 asymmetric. Both designed by North Sails and both still offering easy-going sailing.

And for everyone else?

We have worked hard to create features that you could perhaps liken to designing a compact easy to manage, apartment on water.

Great outdoor living space is an essential part of most luxury apartment layouts. Our equivalent to having a patio, is our cockpit area with a couch designed as a day bed and equipped with a gas lift pedestal, to quickly convert into a 4-seater table, with wrap around seating.

And if weather becomes a little inclement, your 'on the water patio' can be fully enclosed, with drop down awnings. A mesh layer keeps the bugs out, still allowing a flow of fresh air. A second see-through layer keeps the rain out.

The helm station can also now be fully enclosed incorportating the bimini. This makes sailing in bad weather much more enjoyable, and for your apartment on water, this is also like having the elegance of a built in skylight, when you close up the cockpit.

A 130L fridge freezer is right where you need in the cockpit, the only downside is that it's so accessible it's not going to be as easy to achieve your step goal each day!

Moving into the saloon (or coffee bar as we like to call it), we've re-designed the saloon table. Traditionally, this is where you would store navigation charts, however with digital charts now the norm, we've re-purposed this space for ‘his and her’ cosmetics and provided a make-up mirror built into the lid.

The bathroom on our HopYacht is already on a par with larger luxury yachts, however we now have a new mould for the vanity unit and this incorporates better storage, and creates more space beside your electric flush throne!

We already had good standing headroom in the shower, however some of our clients are seriously tall, so we’ve managed increase the height to 1.92m. The bi-fold glass door also makes you feel more at home too!

Many land based apartments have inherently small bedrooms and three-quarter or standard double beds are common place. Whilst the HopYacht 30 is a compact yacht, we were determined not to compromise on comfort. From the outset we designed the forward cabin to have a bespoke queen-size island bed. Add to this a superyacht quality mattress, and now with the option of 500 thread count fitted sheets and mattress protector, a good night's rest is guaranteed!

Our overhead ventilation hatches have built in bug screens, and for warmer climates we offer a 5000 BTU air conditioner.

An essential key feature for any Airbnb type property these days is block out bedroom curtains. Many guests now insist on this. On our 2025 HopYacht, we’ve got you covered, with block out window shades on the inside and the option of sun shade blinds on the outside. Stopping the sun dead in its tracks, is often the difference between needing an AC or not.

And finally if you’re lucky, your land based apartment will have a balcony, and if you're even luckier a reasonable view.

Great views are easy to find on a yacht. To take full advantage the HopYacht 30 has a trampoline area at the bow. This becomes the ultimate sun loving balcony. With two lounger cushions, built in cool box and changeable scenery ... what more can you ask for?

So perhaps we are unashamedly an apartment on water, with added advantage of whisper quiet wind driven or electric propulsion.

In 2025, one of our objectives to is partner with waterside hotel groups to offer the HopYacht 30 as a unique hotel room on water. If more people could enjoy the unique lifestyle on a yacht that becomes a hotel room on water, for many this could be the adventure of a life-time!

Perhaps you could help us to achieve this?

The video below pitches this opportunity. If you happen to know someone in the hotel industry that is a progressive thinker, looking for a new competitive edge for their hotel group, we’d really appreciate you sending them the video, and an introduction! :-)

The video is available at this link. https://youtu.be/wTZWubO0k78?si=wzq9LUuQ2TCzI_7C

If you would like more information on how to customise your own HopYacht, we would love to hear from you. Please contact us at hello@hopyacht.co.za.

Here's to happy sailing and an even happier lifestyle on the water in 2025!

Paul and Mary-Clare Tomes

Founders of HopYacht