Hobie Alter Interview 1 and 2 and 3 of 3

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http://forums.sailinganarchy.com/index.php?showtopic=83137&st=100&p=2126234&#entry2126234

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This whole article is going to be pretty legendary I think.
I'll just transpose it here:

[quote="Mr Clean"]

The Coolest Cat

Part one of our long-awaited Innerview with Hobie Cats founder Hobie Alter

SA: First off, we really want to thank you for taking the time to talk with us. We know you haven't weighed in much on sailing in recent years, so this is a pretty big deal to a lot of our readers.

HA: Well it’s good to keep in touch a little bit. (laughs)

SA: You’re 75 now, is that right?

HA: I am 75, yeah – it happens fast, believe me!

SA: And you live pretty far from the sea?

HA: We were in Idaho for a while - pretty far. And we were living in Palm Desert for the winter time on a golf course. But our main residence is in Orcas Island, near Seattle.

SA: What inspired us to get in touch with you was really the high gas prices a few months back combined with a nasty recession. The one guy in the history of sailing who was able to do something with a situation like the one we have now was you. You revolutionized sailing and created an entirely new movement – all at one of the toughest times in our nation's economic history.. So how did you capitalize on the economy in the seventies and keep Hobie growing, and to keep the Hobie Cat scene so strong?

HA: The recession and gas crisis was really a blessing in disguise. We were starting to do so well at that time, we couldn’t produce enough boats – so when things got tighter, it let us keep running well, delivering on time, filling all our orders. You don’t want to get into a business and fall way behind and have everybody demanding your product when you can't deliver it - because someone will come in and deliver it for you.

SA: Did you work to capitalize on or emphasize the gas crisis in your marketing – you know, “Sailing – it's free!â€

So what was the 25 foot catamaran? Did it ever go into production? I dont know, but it sounds kind of cool to me

This is great...can't wait 'til Monday

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Part 2 of 3, courtesy of Mr. Clean and sailinganarchy

[quote]The Coolest Cat

SA: There was something called the “Hobie Edictâ€

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[quote]
The Coolest Cat (part 3)

The final part of our Innerview with Hobie Alter – and a big thanks to all the Anarchists that contributed their questions and insights for this fascinating dude. Thanks also to Surf City Catamarans for hooking us up with Dan Mangus at the Hobie Cat Company, and to Dan for getting the big man on the phone for us. Doghouse wins the Hobie spray top for his question about the Worrell 1000, while John Williams and Dog both win swag for theirs, all prizes courtesy of Surf City Catamarans. PM him for your prizes.

The flood of emails we've received from this Innerview has been huge, and we'll do a follow-up interview with Dan from Hobie Cat to bring the story up to date sometime in the next few weeks.


HA: I'll tell you a story about a boat, though John Wake would know more about it...John was working for Dennis after he won the catamaran race for the next Cup, he was trying to do a double-keeled boat with a bulb stretched in between the two keels. Did Dennis tell you about any of this?

SA: Nope, nothing.

HA: Well, to test it, they decided to get a half-scale boat, so they took a couple of Hobie 33s, which John was very familiar with, they sawed them in half and stretched them to 37 or whatever was exactly half-scale for Dennis's boat. They left one stock, then put the new keel configuration in the other one. I think it worked fairly well, but they didn't have the time, or maybe it didn't work so well on the bigger boat.

SA: I never heard that one.

HA: Well I couldn't tell anyone - we were sworn to secrecy! That boat – there are a lot of stories – but one of those two boats, they put racks on it and trapezes, and were racing it in San Francisco, really a hot boat – and that's where the guy who was Rolex Yachtsman of the Year died – a wire snapped or something like that. And it was interesting that the incident was the first time that boat was ever called a Hobie 33.


SA: One of our Anarchists asks: “I have Hobie 14 # 242. What hull number did you stop doing the glass work? I only ask because I think you may have done mine.â€

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At some point in most people's life's, you begin to look back and wonder,
"did I make a difference, is the world, or at least one person's life better for my having been here."

For Hobie Alter, the answer is obvious.

The world IS a better place, there are many lives that were changed for the better because of his efforts.

That must be a pretty good feeling.

I had the opportunity/privilege/pleasure to sit and visit with him for a few minutes @ the 40th anniversary regatta, and he is an incredibly humble man.

Thanks to Jeremy for helping to arrange the interview posted above, and thanks to SA for posting and sharing the interview.

I enjoyed getting to know "the man" a little better.

Stephen

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I'm getting liquored up as we speak - anyone want to come over and call Hobie?

Good interview. I've wasted plenty O' company time reading this
Nice range of questions, plenty of old stories, and I especially liked the "who was the 1st girl to do it on a trampoline?"

Any bets on Mrs Alter ?????

Altho, quite honestly, I thought that question/answer could have been deleted from the print version.

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It just wouldn't be an SA interview without it though.

I'm on my way over right now

That was a pretty fun interview. It's amazing how much the Hobie Catamaran affected the entire sailing world.

Glad that one worked out:)

J

On my third Hobie Cat, the first one made me the sailor I am. So many fine hours on well made, great sailing craft. Thanks Hobie.