If you listen to some of the sailors on the beaches here you think there is only one catamaran design in the whole wide world. I think you know about which design we are talking.

Than catamaran sailing started with the same design even though it really started with the Proud brother in the UK and the shearwater catamaran (quite succesful in its own right) somewhere very early 50's or later 40's. Of course that same only real design revolutionized catamaran design into what we know it to be today. That when the Tornado (still the best best today) was designed and build by Rodney Marsh, Reg White and Terry Pearce in 1966 and already entered olympic competition in 1972. I competed in a IRYU trail in 1966 with 17 other B-class catamarans from all over the world. Hobie inc started a year later in 1967 and thus after the launch of the Tornado as we know it. I think the "only catamaran in the world" was launch in 1970.

With respect to to Tiger design ; It entered production in 1995 (I beleive that was the prototype launch)

http://www.yachte.com.au/classes/hobie.asp

Read some more about the events leading to Tiger here :

http://f18-international.org/bboats.htm

http://f18-international.org/history.htm

Please Notice how : Alado F18 (1st), Mattia Flash (2nd), Dart Hawk (3rd) went before the birth of the Hobie Tiger. I remember the Diam to be 4th and the last one to go before the Tiger F18.

Tiger may have been the first in Aus, I don't know, but that is all.

Wouter