Hobie Alter had a great idea and started something wonderful. It has now gone a bit off course wether from need or not... It is now a problem. Even considering X class is damaging to the original concept. The concept of "you want to have some real fun? Join us and sail a Hobie at a HOBIE event". Not join us and sail... join us and sail a HOBIE. If they had allowed just any boat in the events early on... it would have been a total failure. Think about it.
I would imagine that perhaps one of the major factors leading to the huge Hobie following in the 70's was not due to Hobie marketing but due largely because there were not anywhere near the same proliferation of available catamaran designs that we have today. I am also guessing that Hobie had the greatest dealer network and distribution system. Perhaps Hobie made a mistake by allowing other manufacturer's boats play at their parties but think what might have happened had they not:
Every time NAHCA tries to make a stand and do something that the catamaran community disagrees with, another racing organization arises. If NAHCA had firmly not allowed other x-boats to participate, those x-boaters have to do something so they have somewhere to race. They would create their own organization. One might clearly surmise that if this exclusion policy had ever actually taken place, Hobie would not only be fighting to maintain market share with boat sales, but would be struggling to keep NAHCA alive. Think about it.
