HopYacht - where the idea started.

Paul Tomes (founder of HopYacht) began sailing in his early teens in Northern Ireland, racing dinghies and keelboats in the Irish Sea. Paul is a past Commodore of Hout Bay Yacht Club, in Cape Town, South Africa and still actively races Hunter 19s at the club.

Over the years Paul and his wife Mary-Clare have chartered yachts in Greece, Croatia, Turkey and Australia. It was after a trip in 2019, chartering in Southern Turkey, they decided to host a presentation at HBYC, to introduce other club members to bareboat yacht charter.

The presentation was well attended and during the Q&A session afterwards, what emerged was how many couples would love to charter a yacht, but didn't feel confidence especially if only one of the couple was a proficient sailor. Even if both were reasonably proficient sailors, they were still anxious about sailing short-handed.

Reflecting back on many of their trips, Paul also realised that for many people chartering is much more about the quality of the holiday experience, than it is about pure sailing. Comfort and value for money were features hard to find in typical small charter yachts, especially if sailing just as a couple. Charter yachts are by nature designed to pack people in. So you end up having to charter a 4-6 berth yacht for just two people, and even then it is still cramped! It was against this backdrop, that Paul sketched the first ideas for the HopYacht. Paul claims he started by drawing a full size double bed and then drew the boat around it! Throughout all the subsequent design meetings, he would make the point that just because Hopyacht is a small catamaran, doesn't mean it can't have the same comfort as a hotel room!

HopYacht and Dutoit Yacht Design, team up to create unique new slimline catamaran.

After 18 months of extensive research, HopYacht (Pty) Ltd is about to start the build of a unique new catamaran in Cape Town.

The HopYacht 30 responds to a demand in the Mediterranean charter market for a yacht that combines simplicity, comfort and eco- sensitivity, as top priorities.

Paul Tomes, founder of HopYacht, believes there is a world of difference between a sailing holiday and holiday sailing. “Traditional monohulls are great for thoroughbred sailors, where a sailing holiday is simply an extension of a lifetime passion. Holiday sailing requires a very different design approach, to ensure that sailors and non sailors will happily co-exist onboard”.

In recent years, the sale of large catamaran sales for the charter market has increased significantly. Stability and extra living space are especially appealing to non-sailors. However, a gap has emerged in the market for couples and families with young children, where a smaller more manageable catamaran design would make short-handed sailing a lot easier and more manageable in busy marinas.

HopYacht commissioned the team at Dutoit Yacht Design to bridge this gap, with a compact catamaran that would be exceptionally easy to handle and still provide much of the luxury and comfort found in a larger yacht. The brief also included electric motors, solar power and self contained waste water.

The result is the HopYacht 30. A slimline catamaran, with the same beam as many of the more recent 34-36 foot monohull designs. This results in charterers having a better chance of finding a suitable berth in a marina, and at a lower cost..

Johan Huiseman at DTYD commented that initially it was quite challenge to change their mindset from designing larger catamarans, to visualise a much smaller yacht that would optimism the space available and ensure the final result combines simplicity with elegance.

Johan started his career in the car industry and with the HopYacht project he adopted the same kind of approach and design philosophy used by prestige car companies, to design smaller compact versions of their top-end models.

The HopYacht 30 is currently the only sea-going sailing catamaran of it's kind where the cockpit, saloon and cabin areas are all on one level. Paul Tomes points out “You often hear people talk about sixty being the new forty! Our research confirmed that European holidaymakers in their 60s, 70s and 80s, have both the time and disposable income to embrace holiday sailing. One level makes life on board so much easier for everyone at all ages.”

The first HopYachts are scheduled to be launched in Turkey and Greece mid 2022.

In the next few weeks the HopYacht design and build story will unfold online. You can follow this at hopyacht.co.za More information on Dutoit Yacht Design at dtyd.co.za