I don't care whether he has Hobie, F-16, Mystere 4.3 or that weird inflatable "Skippy" thing on his website, but to exclusively promote one brand of catamaran for youths smells an awful lot like a sales pitch in the guise of a non-profit program.
After donating five boats you'd think there must be some kind of payoff for the company in the form of advertising and endorsments. I have no idea what an SL16 goes for so let's round it off to $50K for five boats. For that kinda money it's very reasonable to expect Art to push SL16s.
If the program is successful for the kids improving their skill levels and the manufacturer selling more boats, will Hobie and others be interested in donating next year? Sirena has done the marketing research for them. If Art's program works he may be in a position to take boats and other equipment as donations in exchange for endorsements. His program could become self substaining.
