My Hobie was made the year I graduated from high school, 1976 (attached). It's 27 years old in 2003. That must mean I'm getting up there age wise. It is the special edition "Flamer" model with the orange hulls and tramp, and it still has its original sails & hardware (except for one upper gudgeon and the stays). Yes, the two number 1's in 19857 have both fallen off.

I also have an inflatable 9 foot 'Laguna" brand portable cat that I bought (I think) 15 or so years ago. It inflates in a few minutes with a hair dryer and fully assembles in about 20 min.. It has a 12 foot, 3 section mast and breaks down into a 4 foot long duffle-bag weighing about 50 lbs. I haven't used it much since I got the Hobie, as it can not cut through surf or surface waves. Instead, it floats up and down each and every wave, and almost always gets capsized by surf waves when coming in to the beach. However, it can be righted with one hand, I can carry it down to the beach fully assembed (by balancing the underside of the tramp on my head), and it is great for tossing in the trunk for a quick weekend at a lake. I can get a pic of it if anyone wants to see what it looks like.

Mark Owens
1976 H16 sail # 19857