R.I.P. Hobie Alter

[Curt914]

Not as well known in general circles but Hobie Alter set the RC sailplane world on its side in the 1970's with a revolutionary sailplane design.
The Hobie Hawk, a highly prefabbed roughly 100 inch RC sailplane had a fiberglass fuselage and and a very distinctive and high performance elliptical wing.

Instantly recognizable and totally unique to the RC sailplane crowd, it was a hot rod for sure.

Curt

RIP Hobie Alter, thanks for everything!

[Don Plumley]

I learned to sail in my father in law's Hobie 16. He was/is an expert sailor - working with him jibe a Hobie in the canals in the Florida Keys under high winds was amazing. Here's his quote he sent me this morning:

Hobie Alter

A couple of the guys I raced with as a kid were among the first to buy the new Hobie Cat because they sailed almost five times faster than our old boats. The Hobie Surf Banger Regatta at Diamond Beach in Wildwood was the biggest Hobie event on the East Coast.

We invited Hobie to visit Wildwood to promote Diamond Beach for the National Championship but he arrived just after a March Northeaster and the beach was flooded up to the motel.

He wouldn’t believe us that there was a world class beach under the water and the championship was held in Hawaii.

When I moved to California a couple of years later, I raced with him and his friends.

[intakexhaust]

Just read this bit on Alter.

1962: He achieved success as a tandem surfer, placing second in the event at Makaha in 1962.

1964: Alter added to his personal notoriety by making the Guinness Book of World Records in 1964, surfing the wake of a motorboat 26 miles from Long Beach to Catalina Island.

Originally Posted by Baz

If memory serves....the (original) 12' and 14' models had a single sail and 16' included a jib as well....

Agree. And about these cat tramps, woo hoo baby getting them to turn! Fun times and makes we want to find one again. Prindels were hot. For awhile, neglected 16's could be had for $500 to $600 ready to tow home.

[BeyGon]

My first new board was an 8'10" Hobie I bought at his new shop on PCH in Dana Point, The next year I took it to Hawaii, it seemed too small, sold it and bought a
10' Balsa from Haleiwa Surf built by Mike Difenderfer, I used that in Hawaii and when I left for home traded it for a 9'2" Phil Edwards he made before he was hooked up with Hobie. Those were some great times and great surfboards. RIP all of them.

[gchappel]

Great memories.
Used to race the 14, 16 and 18' Hobie's 16' was my favorite.
Lived in Tampa on the bay- was out just about every day.
For some reason I kept my gloves and trapeze harness- still in the garage.
They certainly are not as popular as they used to be. We were at Marco Island last week and there were a couple of hobie's- all rentals.
Yes the 14' was a single sail, the larger boats had jibs. They did have a jib kit for the 14.
The 14 was sometimes a little difficult to tack in light winds, but just took a little practice.
Thanks Hobie, you opened the water to a lot of people. May the wind always be at your back.
Gary

[drcoastline]

It's not as big as it once was but Hobie cat sailing still has a halfway decent fleet around Southern New Jersey. Stone Harbor has a small fleet of maybe 30 Hobies on the beach. The city sells permits to leave your boat on the beach. On the Delaware bay side of Cape May there is the an active fleet called the Hobie fleet 443. They organize a race in Wildwood every year the Wildwood Classic Cup that draws a few thousand Hobie sailors. I bought my first Hobie a 17 at one of their events back in the late 80's. It was the year the boat came out. Hobie brought in a few hundred 17's for the Hobie Nationals. After the weekend they sold the boats off for half MSR.

Great times on that boat. I think the reason you don't see as many any more is the same reason we don't see a lot of things any more. We have gotten older and moved on. Some have made money and gotten into larger boats. I know for me I don't have the time to spend like I did. Unlike surfing where you check the surf make a decision and get an hour in, sailing of any kind is a commitment and the younger generations don't have an interest.

I think I was about 10 years old when I first attended sailing lessons at our yacht club. There were probably 50 kids that attended with me and the clubs in the surrounding towns each had about the same. I visited my old club a few years back thinking I might enroll my daughter. They had 7 kids and it was more a baby sitting service than sailing instruction. There wasn't a single boat in the water and everyone including the staff of two were sitting at a picnic table looking at their phones.

[jshape]

My friend and I had a Hobie 16 and a Hobie 18 that we trailered from Michigan to Hilton Head each summer in the early 80's. Kept them right on the beach and no one bothered them. Now that would be totally impossible due to increased buidling and restrictive beach access rules. Seems like all of the fun things are harder to do these days. RIP Hobie Alter - sailing these wonderful cats in the ocean is one of the best memories of my life.

[Baz]

In remembrance......

[intakexhaust]

^^^ Good thoughts.

In the Midwest and inland lakes, I would add the demise or popularity of wet sailing was due the advent of jetskis. Also, the cost of a new one was like a jetski.

[Baz]

[Baz]

[Baz]

[Sunroof]

Some of the great sail colors including the ever popular Tequila Sunrise on the Hobe 16.

[Rickysa]

The Tequila Sunrise was the pattern of our first '16...blue hulls tho

[Rickysa]

Here is the pic from Life Mag:

[URY914]

I hope he died a rich man.

[drcoastline]

Originally Posted by URY914

I hope he died a rich man.

Unless he gave it al away I am sure he did. Even then he died a rich man. He added so much to life.

[Baz]

Pretty well documented he was not comfortable with all the wealth that came with his success.

In the end that is what made him who he was.

A self made man who never forgot his roots and never stopped doing what he loved most.

That's the definition of being rich.....yup.

[porsche4life]

Reading about all these hobie cats makes me want one! Just wish I had the space to store it!