Bye Bye Hobie 17

I just looked at the new edition of Hotline, looks like the 17 is once again no longer going to be produced. I guess it makes sense if the company is losing money.

I just hope that they don't get rid of the molds like they did with the 14 so that if in the future there is a call for more 17's they can be produced.

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Nacra 5.2 "Elsies"
Hobie 14T, "Blazin" I guess I am keeping her!

why'd they stop making the 14's anyway? i was really disappointed to learn they weren't produced anymore; i wanted a boat that was closer to the spirit Hobie Alter had in mind when he started making them. i'm more of a surfer than a sailor, i'd like to see hobie make a fast, single hand craft that isn't too fragile for the open ocean and preserves a surfer's solitary way of interacting with the water without a lot of complicated, expensive equipment.

...and please don't insult me by bringing up those plastic boats Hobie loves to crank out. i remember, when i was lifeguarding, we had some ocean kayaks made of the same stuff. they were only about 5 or 6 years old, and the plastic had become so brittle after that much time in the sun that you could put your fist through them.

sorry about hijacking this thread--if you want, i can move it to the 14 forums...

Please, don't diss the plastic boats so fast. While they may take a beating on the sunny shores of California and Florida, a fiberglass boat would not last very long on the rocky shores I enjoy.

There are different boats for different situations. The important thing is that they get us on the water. I love my plastic Getaway just as much as I used to love my H16. Yes it's a different boat, but I'm no longer 20 (I hope to keep sailing for many years) and my plastic boats get me to places where I wouldn't want to take a fiberglass hull.

Hobie has made some mistakes, but they have also made some of the greatest single-handed cats around. Without them there wouldn't be so many people sailing today.

Let's keep telling them what we look for in our boats, and hope that they can keep making cats and kayaks for all of us.

here is, in my opinion, the really important distinction that you're overlooking: however likely a fiberglass hull is to sustain damage in certain parts of the country, you can fix it. while fiberglass boats may not be designed to last forever, there are many people on this forum sailing 30 year old boats that have had holes punched through them and since been fixed.

plastic boats are disposable.

the same shift towards disposable equipment happened in the surfing world. boards used to be made from foam that was more dense, with thick wooden stringers, and several layers of 10 oz cloth; they weighed about 40lbs, and could be maintained for decades. as an example, i surf a board that was made in the early sixties. now, boards are made from lightweight foam, thin stringers (that are more for looks than structural support), and, sometimes as little as one layer of 4 or 6 oz cloth. they weigh about 4lbs, and if you get more than one season of use out of them, you are a lucky man.

personally, i would rather sacrifice the marginal differences in performance that are often used to justify more expensive, more often replaced equipment. give me stuff that was made to last any day.

I havn't sold a new 17 in about 8 years....but let me tell you, I've sold a bunch of FX ONEs!!!!

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Sail Revolution
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Hobie still makes a great classic single hander... the H16.

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Nick

Current Boat
In the market
Previous boats owned
'74 Pearson 30
'84 H16
'82 H18 Magnum
St. Louis, MO

The 16 was not made for single handing but a few of my friends have proven to me that it is a a great single handed boat. But the 14 is nice when the wind is really blowing. I don't fear anything on it! Winds up to....who knows, that thing is small and my weight will hold it down. That was the only way I could compete with my buddies on their 16's was wait for huge wind.

I just don't feel like the Fx is a boat for the masses, I would kill for one, but I don't think it will replace the 17.

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Nacra 5.2 "Elsies"
Hobie 14T, "Blazin" I guess I am keeping her!

The 16 is a great single hander, until it pitchpoles. Without a bag or stay extenders your done. The FX is a sweet boat, not a beach boat. If you want to single hand and go fast then the F16 platform is it. Hobie isn't on board with this class yet. I'm looking at moving over in '08. Wave piercing hulls with large volume, carbon pole, squaretop main and chute. Around 300lbs. Can be rigged and righted solo. Can be raced solo or double. I am looking at several designs currently. The 14, 17 and 18 were all good boats in their day. Look for the 20 to go next. Hobie USA will then be plastics and the 16. Lets not forget the Tiger, FX and Fox are all Europe boats, Hobie USA had nothing to do with them. Hobie USA is simply an importer of these boats, not a manufacturer.

ncmbm,

Check the F16 class rules, minimum boat weight is 236 lbs, 2-up and 229 lbs, 1-up (w/o jib). I think the Blades are weighing around 240-245.

Where are "all" these FX1's? There were two that raced in Wichita (Cheney) in '05 and then poofed (from racing anyway). The H17 is still racing strong in these parts. Funny you'd mention the 20 being next, that's the biggest fleet here.

Aren't the H16 hulls made in AU now anyway? All the other parts/sails in CA?

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hobiejohn at earthlink dot net
Fleet 297

This is exactly what i'm talking about. And, for the record, i will build a fiberglass boat, if i can't find one for sale, before i buy a plastic throwaway.


also, from everything i've read about hobie and the original designs and inspirations, the whole point was to make boats strong enough for open water. what happened to that? no offense to the lake sailors, of course...

...I've had an FX launching off the beach here in SC for almost 3 years now. Infact I don't even have a trailer for it right now, I just keep it on the beach wheels. I think if you are going to single hand more than not the FX is the sweetest thing going. It's light enough to drag up the beach yourself. Cut's through waves like nothing I've ever sailed. And going upwind with the spin acting like a big jib is incredible!! I have extensive time on the boat and can't say enough good things about it... except there is no class racing here yet.

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Sail Revolution
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To say somehow that "Hobie" will be H16 and plastic... is not really the true picture.

Business these days requires international cooperation.

Hobie Cat is an international business. We have two facilities within the Hobie Cat USA ownership, Hobie Cat in Oceanside and Hobie Cat Australasia down in Australia. We also are partners with Hobie Cat France. We trade product.

All of our fiberglass production for the two "US" facilities is being done in Australia now. We just don't have room to do it all here any longer. Australia has also shown to be a fabulous fiberglass production facility run by Steve Fields.

We produce all of the metal work, sails and trampolines in the USA. They ship us hulls and we ship them metal, sails and tramps. We produce all of the Plastic boats in the USA. These get shipped to Australia and to Hobie Cat France too.

Hobie Cat France has been concentrating on high performance, so we get the FX One and Tiger from them. They have seen the light though and are producing more recreational and plastic product of their own now than before.

It boils down to sales volume. There has to be enough sales to support production. That is not happening for the 17 any longer... anywhere in the World. France stopped production years ago. We can no longer buy raw materials for such low production volumes. This is the second time we have cancelled production on the 17 and I suspect... the final time. Hull molds are not the biggest issue... extrusions for crossbars is. They are specific to the 17.

Hobie 14s left shortly after introduction of the Wave. We have sold thousands of Waves and have had very little interest in Hobie 14s since. Even when offering to import from France. No, they do not sell.

F16? That is still a very custom oriented class. Anyone can build them, but few are built. Doesn't seem like a good fit for us at this time. We are still selling lots of H16s and introduction of another 16 can only hurt those sales and the class.

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

Does Hobie have any research going in the F16 field? I mean what happens if that class takes off and it takes Hobie five or so years to respond?

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Nacra 5.2 "Elsies"
Hobie 14T, "Blazin" I guess I am keeping her!

Reading between the lines...the answer to your first question is no, the answer to your second question is they're betting F16 will never reach the status of H16, and even if it does...see answer to your first question.

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hobiejohn at earthlink dot net
Fleet 297

how long have the plastic boats been around, anyway?