HopYacht 30, the sailing catamaran (9m), mainsailless and full-electric

A catamaran decidedly out of the chorus is born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida: we are talking about HopYacht 30, a 30.76-foot multihull, a vessel then, with a single sail, very narrow, full of “different” solutions.

Hopyacht 30 – The catamaran outside the choir

The design is conceived in South Africa by the Du Toit studio and is truly ingenious as a catamaran; first of all, HopYacht has completely eliminated fuel pollution, because the catamaran is powered by a 9.9-horsepower electric motor, powered by two 14.4-kWh batteries that are recharged by numerous solar panels placed on any horizontal surface of the boat.

These panels also power all the utilities on board: the kitchen with induction stoves, hot water boiler, and anything else that needs power.

Simplicity first

Another genius of HopYacht 30 is the fact that it can be disassembled and stored in a 40′ container to be easily transported anywhere you want, and this is also due to the absence of a boom: that’s right, this boat sails with only the genoa on the bow. The U.S. shipyard’s idea is to provide the market with a boat that is very easy to drive and that eliminates any kind of stress on board, because the target audience is a couple, with one child at most.

In fact, the layout of the 30-foot American is very straightforward, with a single deck that includes a very well thought-out aft space with a fold-down C-shaped sofa, galley cabinet, and command station to starboard, a dinette with sofa and bathroom, and, forward, a room with a queen-size double bed.

The maximum beam is 3.5 meters, and there is no lack of the classic bow net, the characteristic sunbathing area suspended over the water typical of catamarans. The HopYacht shipyard wanted to create a boat that was not too big but had all kinds of amenities on board, including an energy-efficient air conditioning system to cool the environment on hot summer days.

With Hopyacht 30 you can “E-sail”

Another noteworthy concept that HopYacht wants to communicate is that on their catamaran you can e-sail; just as on e-bikes the electric motor has changed the way of pedaling, so it happens on this 30-footer: when sailing, the aid of 25 percent power from the thruster increases the boat’s speed by about a knot, and all without draining the batteries, because the panels are able to make up for the energy consumption.

HopYacht would like to open up a new way of sailing, e-sailing; this less-than-ten-meter catamaran of theirs is the ideal boat for those who want to approach this philosophy and take medium-short cruises, without having too many worries, in total autonomy.

HopYacht 30 – Data Sheet

Length: 9.35 m
Width: 3.44 m
Draught: 0.8 m
Displacement: 3100 kg
Sail area: 30 square meters
Engine power: 9.9 hp
Water tank capacity: 220 l
Category: C

• Learn more about the HopYacht 30

Federico Lanfranchi