chevy43 wrote:
Where do all those new boats come from and how are they paid for?
Hobie provides 60 brand new Hobie 16s for each Worlds event. These were built in our Australian facility. Metal and tramps were built in the USA. The masts came from our facility in France. It's a Hobie World economy!
4 x 40-foot containers of boats were shipped from Australia to the event. We also shipped a 53 footer from the Oceanside factory with event gear.
Sailors pay for entries into each even and also pay liability insurance and a damage deposit. The Hobie Class Association kicks back for chartering the boats and sponsors also kick in to offset the devaluation of the boats so we can discount after the event. Pretty sure all the boats were sold. Some delivered at the event. We disassembled and boxed the rest with some to Mexico, France, and the balance back to California for re-distribution.