Looks like the anonymous Hobie hater in the "rubber room" (the Old Forum) has revealed himself. And YES a Hobie 16 can hold 40 people before it sinks. And for a while, the U.S. Navy was using Hobie 16s as a nuclear launch platform, because of their excellent stability in high winds.

(Ah, remembering the good old days when the old forum was the only forum.)