Prof G Hoppe

The first HYSUCAT TM Hydrofoil System was invented in the late 1970's and developed since then by Naval Architect and emeritus Professor Karl-Günter Hoppe at the Fluid Mechanics and Marine Division of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Stellenbosch and past Director (1997): Institute for Thermodynamics and Mechanics (ITM).
Academic Qualifications:
  • Dipl-Ing. ( Germany - T.U. Berlin) (1963)
  • Dr-Ing. ( Germany - T.U. Berlin) (1968)
Fields of Interest:
  • Marine Engineering and Naval Architecture
  • Hydrodynamics
  • Model test techniques
  • Fluid Mechanics
Current Research:
  • Naval Architecture
  • Hydrodynamics
  • Marine Propulsion
  • Fluid Mechanics
  • Ship Hull Optimization
  • HYSUCAT Developments
Professor Karl-Günter Hoppe attended high school (Shadow-Schule) in Berlin and finalised his Abitur (German Matric) in March 1956.

Professor Hoppe studied Naval Architecture at the Technical University Berlin (Charlottenburg) and obtained the degree "Diplom-Ingenieur" in 1963. He then joined the "Versuchsanstalt für Wasserbau und Schiffbau, Berlin" for industrial research in ship hydrodynamics and design, specialising in high speed craft model testing (towing tank) and propeller design development (including Contra-Rotating propellers). Dynamic Ship Stability research formed the basis for his PhD studies at the TU-Berlin, where he was awarded the degree "Doktor-Ingenieur" in 1968.

Professor Hoppe then joined the Shipyard ACB-Nantes (today A.C. de Bretagne) in France for a year as design engineer for Reversible Pitch Propellers.

From 1968 to 1970 Professor Hoppe worked as Research Officer for the CSIR in Pretoria and later in Stellenbosch on the Richard Bay Harbour Development project.

Professor Hoppe thereafter held the position of Senior Lecturer in the EC Development Aid Programme in Zaire and worked in Kinshasa and Matadi as adviser and teacher to the Transport Organisation OTRACO (shipyard, harbour, river navigation).

From 1973 Prof. Hoppe was employed by the University of Stellenbosch, initially as Senior Lecturer in Fluid Mechanics and Marine Engineering at the Mechanical Engineering Department.

Continued research lead to the HYSUCAT development for which the 1983 Shell Design Award was awarded for the first time to a South African University.

Professor Hoppe is author of 16 publications and over 35 technical reports and inventor/owner of 8 international patents. In October 1992 the SATS-Award was awarded to him for the publication "The HYSUCAT Development" (S.A. Mechanical Engineer, October 1992).

Professor Hoppe has been registered as Professional Engineer with SACPE since 1970 (no. 704070) and has been a Fellow of SAIMENA since 1976 (no. 76062). Professor Hoppe retired as professor of Mechanical Engineering at Stellenbosch University in 1999.

At present Professor Hoppe is technical advisor to STEALTH yachts which builds a variety of high performance catamarans based on the unique hull shape and hydrofoil system conceptualized, designed and perfected by Professor Hoppe over the past 30 years.