Wow ... this feels almost like it's an apartment on water!

A comment we often hear from people when they step on board our HopYacht 30.

As yachties, we weren’t initially sure this was actually a compliment? Our immediate reaction was to think about the months of design time we poured into creating the unique one sail rig, getting the layout to be totally functional and making single-handed sailing a breeze. Was this really like being on an apartment on water? And no mention of it being all electric!

However, a week ago, we spent time at La Grande Motte Boat show in the South of France. It’s a popular show and like everyone else attending, we frantically scrolled through all the online platforms to book accommodation.

We found what we thought would be a great little apartment. However, 'little' turned out to be a little more petite than we expected. Just 24 square metres of living space and that's if you include the balcony!

On the bright side, it was well designed and delightfully uncluttered. After a few days, we both agreed if you’re well organised, 24 sq metres is really all the space you need.

Over coffee and croissants one morning (from our new favourite Boulangerie), Mary-Clare commented that "we always refer to HopYacht as being 9.35 metres long and 3.44 metres wide, however, we never talk about the boat in square metres?" HopYacht has approximately thirty square metres of living space if you deduct a bit for the curvature of the hulls! Eight square metres more than our apartment!

So perhaps our clients have a point? HopYacht is like having an apartment on water. And in many ways even better! This is an apartment where you can wake up at a new address every day. An apartment that sails, generates its own electricity and can move quietly away from noisey neighbours.

One of the stumbling blocks in our small land based apartment was where to put suitcases?

HopYacht has a ton of space under the queen sized bed, or they can be neatly tucked away in one of the hulls, right along side the folding bikes, SUPs, tender and outboard motor! If we had tried to get all these toys into our apartment, we would have needed to rent a garage as well!

Tomorrow, our first HopYacht arrives onboard ship in Pireaus, Greece and over the next two weeks we’ll be living onboard, whilst we get the boat ready for its first season of sailing in the Mediterranean. We are both looking forward to experiencing our 'apartment on water’ … and of course doing a bit of sailing as well!

Paul.

See you at La Grande Motte?

Voting closes on 9 April 2023 for the Multihull of the year awards and the winners will be announced on 12 April 2023 - The opening day of La Grande Motte Boat Show. If you happen to be at the show and would like to meet Paul and Mary-Clare Tomes from HopYacht, you can reach them on WhatsApp +27 882 6594 or email hello@hopyacht.co.za. If you haven't had a chance to vote, here's the link https://www.multihulls-world.com/106/the-multihulls/votes/votes. To complete the voting process click the picture of your favourite yacht in all four categories. Hope to see you at La Grande Motte.

Seven things we didn't expect to love so much about electric propulsion!

Co-founders of HopYacht, Paul and Mary-Clare Tomes, talk about why the decision to equip their new HopYacht 30 with twin E-Propulsion 6kW electric motors has been so positive.

1. Dock mode

Because electric motors have significant torque, a single push of the dock mode button, de-sensitises the throttles so that you can't accidentally 'over-cook' things. Dock mode is a bit like being able to adjust the speed your computer mouse tracks across the screen ... giving you better control when you need it most.

2. Always on standby

This is one of the most significant advantages of electric propulsion we discovered during our initial test sails. When you need power to quickly get out of trouble there's typically very little time to turn a key, pull the starter, and wait for a diesel engine to get up to speed. Electric motors give you instant power on demand.

3. Pushing through a tack.

Whether it's a lack of wind, adverse sea conditions, or just a lapse in concentration, every now and again we are all guilty of stalling our boat in a tack. With electric propulsion on demand, a quick burst of power on the leeward motor and our HopYacht sorts itself out very quickly.

Sailing single-handed, power-assisted tacking is an absolute joy, giving you more time to focus on loading the new sheet onto the winch.

4. Pushing through the swell

Sailing in light winds and a lumpy sea often results in not enough boat speed to drive efficiently and comfortably through the swell. Adding just a touch of electric propulsion to increase speed, helps the bows cut through the waves. Of course, you can do this with diesel engines, however, you pay a heavy price with noise and fumes adding to the overall discomfort.

5. E-Sailing!

E-bikes have transformed cycling, so how about E-Sailing? Let's imagine under full sail, with the prevailing wind and sea state you are managing around 4 knots. By adding as little as 300 watts of power, we have found we can add another knot of boat speed. This means just 5% of the motor capacity adds 25% more speed.

This could be quite significant if you are trying to beat the tide or you have a hot date!

On a marginally sunny day with just 300 watts of power from each motor, HopYacht's solar panels still create a net positive input. This means you can e-sail all day and arrive at your destination with full capacity in the batteries.

6. So far it's all been free!

Our first Hopyacht has been in the water now for over 4 months and our shore power cable has yet to be unwrapped!

Typically we use the motors for +/- 15 minutes to get clear of the marina, sail, or e-sail throughout the day, and later if the wind dies, perhaps an hour or so of motoring to get back home. We rarely use more than 10 -15% of the battery capacity. With 1 600 watts of solar input, the batteries are topped up very quickly.

And best of all, so far we estimate we have saved over 100 litres of diesel. Fuel free means pollution free ... happy days!

7. Going green means your guests don't go green!

So many of the guests we have onboard HopYacht (especially non-sailors), talk about how the fumes from a diesel motor trigger nausea and sea sickness.

With whisper-quiet electric propulsion you are saving the planet and saving your guests ... one sail at a time!