SeaHopper’s 30-second folding boat targets growing UK market

A six-foot boat that can be folded away and set up in around 30 seconds is finding a growing market in the UK, according to SeaHopper co-owner Vera de Ruiter.

The British company has been making folding boats for around 50 years, originally developing them as tenders for larger yachts. The boats are made from marine plywood and use flexible vinyl hinges, allowing them to fold into a compact package for transport and storage.

“Our boats fold,” says de Ruiter. “That’s the novelty.” Assembly is ridiculously simple (but full instructions can be found on the company’s website).

The folding system relies on vinyl hinges; de Ruiter compares the material to the vinyl used for track curtains. “It’s really durable.”

But it also lasts.

She says owners have approached the company at the show to talk about boats they had bought decades ago.

“We’ve had people walking past here today that have come in to say, ‘I’ve had mine for 40 years,’ and they’re still going,” she says.

The original design was as tenders for bigger yachts, but she points out that a sailing setup has been added “so they’re little boats in their own right.”

The boats can be folded for transportation in a car, or carried on a larger boat or campervan.

The smallest model is six feet long, with eight-foot and 10-foot boats also available. The range can be configured for rowing, sailing or motor use.

UK demand grows as US sales soften

De Ruiter and her husband bought the business two years ago and subsequently moved production from Devon to Rugby. As well as its physical location, its sales location has also changed.

“We used to do a lot of business with the US, which has gone down a little bit,” she says. “But our business in the UK has grown.”

European business has not followed the same pattern.

“Ever since we’ve had it [the business], there’s not really been much happening in Europe.”

The company is now looking to build on the UK market while continuing to sell into a range of different customer groups.

“We sell to people that have boats and want a tender,” says De Ruiter, “or something that they can use once they’re moored up somewhere.” But the boats are also being bought by customers using campervans, while some are purchased for younger family members.

“It’s a whole range of people. People that buy them for their grandchildren.”

A boat designed around storage

The compact format is central to SeaHopper’s proposition, particularly for owners who do not have space for a conventional tender or dinghy.

The smallest six-foot boat is available in rowing form for just under £3,000, with the price increasing for sailing versions.

Looking for another 5-10 boats at the show

SeaHopper has historically sold between five and 10 boats during the show, giving the new owners a clear target for the event.

For a company whose product began as a yacht tender half a century ago, the combination of folding storage, multiple propulsion options and a broader UK customer base is giving the concept another route into the market.