Can Hobie help please?

I placed an order for a pair of Dune tandem amas from my local Hobie agent in the U..K. back in March 2011 they in turn placed the order with Hobie Europe at that time for the earliest delivery possible but I Have not as yet received them and have now been told we must wait another eight weeks minimum. I am aware of the logistics in shipping from the USA to Holland and then to the U.K.... I am also aware a full load of product is needed to make the transportation across the Atlantic economic but I think eight months in total to my dealer in the U.K. is nuts. I absolutely love my Hobie, and my local U.K. dealer in Cornwall has been superb but Hobie Europe or USA has left me so disappointed. Can any one at the Hobie Mother ship help?

Hi Cross
So sorry it is such a misery to get your order after all this time.
For example, 2 weeks ago in Canada (West coast) I walked into my dealer and jokingly said to him that I want the TI he had on the floor and another for my 'off days'.
He said: "would tonight be soon enough to deliver them both to you?"
He was serious.
You're not obviously the only person caught up in this 'wait until the container is full idea'.
If that seems to be the case, then maybe a better method should be found.
To my knowledge Australia gets regular shipments.

Obviously a better system needs to be worked out for our Euro Hobie friends....before their friendship is gone..

And that would be a very sad loss to the entire Worldwide Hobie Island Community.

Regards
Trinomite

_________________
Always looking for ways to make good things 'Gooder'

Indeed we do. When I worked at the Hobie Aus factory it seemed we were forever unloading containers of kayaks and I believe it's even busier these days. The Hobie dealership I work for has something like 8 dune TI's in stock right now. Time to move to Australia!

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Kayak Fishing Specialist: SLH
https://slhobie.com.au

Thanks for that Josh
I was just thinking...
I've travelled Europe extensively years ago and I swear there is not a lot of water lacking in Europe and in the old Yugoslavia.

Let's start
1) the entire low countries have extensive canals that would be ideally suited for the Hobie Islands.
2) The Canal systems of England and Scotland would be amazing as you don't even need to camp. B&B it all the way.

http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/f ... kirkwheel/

3) The Rhine can be dangerous as can the Danube. Yet there are the rivers and canals of France.
4) Many lakes in Bavaria would make an ideal Alpine Lake experience same as the Lakes of Italy and Switzerland covered by numerous fairy tale cottage B&Bs.
4a) Hungary has the Balaton a very large inland lake swarming with 'Tokay' wineries and great winds (in a very shallow lake, btw)

http://www.ohb.hu/city/balaton/

(Note: If you are a fan of the old Dragon 27' sailboat, The Balaton has many restored examples that sail this lake on a regular basis)

5) A lot of the Adriatic Coast can be explored on a daysailer basis as can the French Southern Coast.
6) So can a lot of the coasts of the old Yugoslavia and Turkey)

http://www.nytimes.com/1981/02/01/trave ... coast.html

7) Greece is a bit of a stretch yet the extensive ferries there can haul cartopped boats
8 ) Then we get into the Baltics. My God an incredible archipelago just waiting for daysailer exploration near Sweden and Denmark, all the way up into Lithuania.

http://wn.com/Kayaking_around_the_%C3%85land_Islands

9) For the more experienced, Norway has as much to offer as the West Coast of Canada or Alaska.

WFT are you doing Hobie? You have an incredible chance to make a mark in Europe and almost as far as Asia Minor and possibly beyond.

Come on Hobie Marketing Dudes! Think beyond the box and market this amazing product and make it available to millions of potential European clients.

(Unless of course you'd rather create your own market vacuum by difficult European delivery times; eventually giving the business away to a 'sure-as-hell' offshore 'knockoff' coming in the near future?)

Best Regards
Trinomite

_________________
Always looking for ways to make good things 'Gooder'

Have your dealer contact Hobie Kayaks Europe to follow up. They get regular shipments via container as well. I have no way to help from here in the US.

hobie-kayak.com

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