Hobie

The beach catamaran that changed multihull sailing for good.

Hobie owes its name to Hobart "Hobie" Alter, a Californian surfboard builder who wanted a small catamaran that suited surf culture. In 1968 the first Hobie class race was sailed with six Hobie 14s, and in 1970 the Hobie 16 went into production. More than 100,000 examples of that boat have since been built.

After a period under Coleman, the company was split into a North American and a European branch in 1989. In 2012 Hobie Cat Company brought the European business back under the same roof. For Europe, the sailing range consists of rotomoulded polyethylene catamarans such as the Wave, T1 and Getaway, glass-fibre catamarans such as the Hobie 14, 15 Club, 16, Dragoon and Max, the open group boat Ludic and the keel sports boat Open 5.70. In addition to sailing boats, Hobie also makes kayaks and paddleboards, among other things.

Facts & figures

• Founded by Hobart "Hobie" Alter (California, USA)
• First Hobie 14 class race in 1968, Hobie 16 in production since 1970
• Headquarters in Oceanside, California; European branch (Hobie Cat Europe) in France
• European branch bought back in 2012, once again a single brand worldwide
• Length of current European sailing range 3.1 - 5.7 m