I guess y'all don't know that Hobie USA's big market is to resorts and rental operations who want the plastic 'things.' Resorts buy large numbers at once and buy somewhat frequently what with the destruction rate of such hard-used boats. Hobie is merely answering to their market.


Engineers running the biz? Absolutely, obviously, not in our case here. Hobie is demonstrating what happens when MBAs run the whole show. First: the outing of X-boats from regattas, now: the discontinuation of classes. If engineers have their preferred choices, they would be producing what they think are the kewlest highest-tech products at the most efficient production price possible. They would care less what happened at regattas, for that has nothing to do with design and production. No decent engineer wants to touch marketing with a 20-foot pole, and that's why they're 'bad' at it.