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!

There's a lot of lifestyle in a HopYacht 30

During the initial design and build phase of our HopYacht 30, we often created mock ups on the factory floor to try and get a feel for the space available, It's a bit like building a new house and when the foundations go in, you stand back and look at the layout wondering how it's all going to feel when it's finished and the furniture is in place? Over this holiday season, it's the first time we've had the breathing space to fully appreciate the lifestyle HopYacht offers. The mock ups have paid off. For a compact catamaran we have many of the features that you'd only normally find on a much larger boat and the space really works!

'Takes off like a Tesla ... '

As we close off the first full year of HopYacht, we have been reflecting on the overall process of designing and building the first HopYacht 30. The conclusion? Bringing a totally new catamaran concept to market in just 14 months has been a rollercoaster ride for the team! Without a doubt it's also been a lot of fun! However, sprinkled in between the fun stuff, have been moments of frustration too.

HopYacht co-founder Paul Tomes, commented on how the seemingly obvious solution to overcome a build problem, often doesn’t work for a new design and this forces you to go looking for the not so obvious solution. Or what Paul likes to call ‘the second right answer’

‘This is when the real innovation happens and it is both challenging and exciting in the same breath,’ comments Paul.

'There have been times when we have questioned our sanity! Whilst we set out to provide a solution that would truly change the way people are able to sail, at times we wondered if we were perhaps pushing the boundaries a little too far?

On top of being all electric, one sail, demountable hulls, we've have added many other design features that are far from the norm. However, the feedback we received throughout this past year from our blog posts, social media and industry colleagues, has kept us resolved to stay on track. The positive response from visitors who stepped on board our first HopYacht at the Cape Town boat show, was also a real boost for us. Here a few of the comments that made the past year all the more worthwhile.

Firstly, we loved this comment from a North American client ...

‘When I first looked at the boat I wasn’t really sure if this is what I was looking for, but then I realised you didn’t design the boat for me, you designed it for my partner who’s never been that keen on sailing! It’s the perfect balance of comfort and fun sailing.'

From an experienced blue water sailor ...

‘I’ve owned much larger catamarans in the past and done enough offshore sailing now … this is the ideal boat for just my wife and I to enjoy more relaxed sailing bay to bay'.

It's interesting how different people view the boat differently. A young professional couple gave us this feedback ...

We were keen on your shared ownership boat, but having seen it now I think we’d like to own our own. The way you have designed the interior it’s kind of like a hotel room on water! I reckon we can also get it to earn its keep, by offering it on Air BnB!

On a recent test sail we had a fun quip from a client on the performance of our E-Propulsion electric pod drive motors …

‘This thing takes off like a Tesla!’

Perhaps a slight exaggeration, however compared to a traditional diesel engine, electric motors do have a lot more torque! To ensure the acceleration created isn’t an issue, the dual throttle control has a ‘dock mode’ button which reduces the power input. This means it’s harder to accidentally ‘over-cook’ things as you approach your mooring.

And finally, one of the comments we hear most often ...

‘This is really cute!’

At first it was difficult for us to take this onboard as positive feedback! When you’ve worked hard to create what you hope will be a game changing boat, ‘cute’ isn’t exactly the reaction we were hoping for. But it struck us that ‘cute’ is hugely positive, reinforcing that the HopYacht 30 is exceptionally easy to sail ... understandably traditional yacht terminology falls away! We can rest easy now knowing that we’ve achieved what we set out to do … well almost. We have a number of new features we will be adding in the new year. We think these will be pretty cool … but 'cute' is good too!

One of the exciting industry trends in 2022, has been the speed of change within the yacht building world, with growing recognition that solar power and electric propulsion is the way to go. One our clients summed this up beautifully …

'If you have room for a couple of decent sized solar panels on your boat, there is no rational reason to fit a diesel engine on any yacht!'

Music to our ears ... however I do expect at this point we might get a few raised eyebrows from die-hard diesel fans. It is clearly evident that there is a groundswell of support for electric motors on yachts now. Our clients either own electric cars or certainly try to rent one when they are travelling, so it's only natural that they expect the yachts they sail to help lower emissions as well!

As we head in to 2023 we are excited about the future of HopYacht. Boat 001 will be shipped to Greece in February. After re-commissioning the boat in Athens, we will sail her to Preveza in the Ionian Sea, via the Corinth Canal, ready for the start of the 2023 sailing season.

The construction of HopYacht 002 is already underway and 003 scheduled to commence early in the new year.

Hull 002 is a motor only version, incorporating a lot of new features. We will be sharing more details shortly!

Thank you everyone for all your feedback and support in 2022 and wishing you a wonderfully quiet fossil-fuel free yachting year in 2023.

PS. Boat 001 is being offered on a shared ownership basis and if you are currently dreaming of relaxed sailing holidays in Greece, we still have one share left.