Matt- Any idea where these came from?

Are the hulls stored upside down, outside at the Hobie factory before shipping?
The reason I ask is that when we unpacked my new TI at my dealer all the holes and crevices underneath the hull were full of some type of plant material. Does this look familiar?

The daggerboard slot was full of it. This is what was left after the trip home


I'm guessing it came from the US and not Australia?

That's bizarre! Our TI was in immaculate condition, without a speck of dust or a single scratch, when we took delivery last weekend. And I helped to unwrap it and assemble it, so I know nothing was there and cleaned up before I drove off with it.

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Mitch

2010 Tandem Island
2010 Revolution
Chesapeake Bay and Eastern Shore

My sailing blog
Our sailing videos

Stringy,
Looks to me like birch tree catkins. I don't think you have to worry about setting loose a new variety of plant species in Aus. with these. The birch has male and female catkins. With all the depris among the catkins in your TI, it looks like they are male catkins, and it is the male catkins which will fall from the tree this time of year. In nature, here in the West, the female catkin's seeds will ripen later this summer, then fall to the ground around Sept.
You can think of having these catkins in your boat as a christening and a very good omen. Birch trees are often found by water and your TI has possibly been listening, and yearning to get out there in that liquid for some time now. Your TI will be so happy to have been set free, she will give you care-free sails the rest of your life.
Happy Sailing Stringy!

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Fly'n C Lion

They are stored on racks outside between the mold area and assembly bays. They are upside down. I believe some hulls may have passed assembly and then went outside again at some time waiting for additional parts.

This looks like some type of pine... like mini pine cone looking things.

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Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)

On ya Stringy, now everyone will want mini pine cones with their new TI.....

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You got these for free??? I think somebody owes Hobie a few more $$$$. LOL.

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I'd rather be sailing,
Mark.

I didn't get any pine cones with my TI.

Hey Matt...

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Hobie Island Sailing since 2006

Have you tried smok'n them yet Stringy ?

These arn't really the photos I'm interested in ( although I bet customs would be ).
Come on mate, where are the TI centerfolds ?

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Don't take life too seriously................it ain't permanent.

At least you got a TI as well I just got pine cones

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To all those who didn't get the little pine cones with their TI -I'm sorry.
To those who didn't get a TI- I'm even sorrier.

Thanks Fly'n C Lion for clearing up the mystery and putting my mind at ease re quarantine and customs breaches.
And Matt, Thanks for confirming what I suspected and the expert botanical opinion!
I take it there is a Birch planted somewhere in Hobie's backyard?
I must plant one of those little cones myself.
I think I'll call it a TI-tree

Hmmmm-
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=4925+Oceanside+Blvd.,+Oceanside,+CA+92056&sll=33.274431,-117.186613&sspn=0.049514,0.107203&gl=us&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=4925+Oceanside+Blvd,+Oceanside,+San+Diego,+California+92056&ll=33.219217,-117.265274&spn=0,0.00335&t=h&z=19&layer=c&cbll=33.219221,-117.265372&panoid=NTZJ-9AFboTEeZgxvGwxkw&cbp=12,156.07,,0,-0.69

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Quarantine would freak if they knew organic material possibly containing plant viruses were shipped in without being sprayed.

I would keep quiet about it, a friend shipping his helicopter here had to have it doused in chemicals at the airport just because there was a few pieces of grass in the container.

You would think someone packing it would have to have seen that but done nothing to clean it up?

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Fair Skies, Max.

CGM, those surely look like pine trees to me!

Stringy, WARNING!!!! DO NOT, I REPEAT, DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE SMOKE THOSE THINGS WHICH ARRIVED WITH YOUR TI!!!
There have been known cases of people turning into Coneheads after smoking them!!!

://www.tvacres.com/aliens_coneheads.htm

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Fly'n C Lion

Hobie knew he was pining for his TI.....

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I would definitely burn all of that organic material, it could be a serious quarantine issue.

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