From the USA perspective.
This scares me. I re-read this several times. Regarding Hobie worldwide an the introduction of new product I glean this; development of the Tiger continues (applause here); Fox and FX One all carbon shelved and NOTHING else cooking. We know Hobie USA is content riding the successful sales of the rotomolding process boats. Now other European manufacturers are following suit? I expect Hobie to stand pat and do nothing.
My interpretation of this is the high performance fiberglass (or Kevlar, or carbon) catamaran becomes an increasingly more finite group. How can this do anything but drive costs up? Even for the Hobie 16? The entry level boat pool is aging and older boats are just that, old and worn out. The chances of an affordable, LIGHT WEIGHT, high performance, boat for the boomer and the young crowd, IMO, is dwindling. Even if I was not so enamered with racing I'd still want a light boat I can singlehand and move easily that is fast (A class or F16 or something new?).
So what boat will Hobie market to the single handed sailor?
They tried to end the H17, so that they would have enough spare parts to support the boat in future years and the FX 1 never really got started. The A cat project would have put them in the game with the fastest growing and geographically most widely accepted class.
Mark
WOULD have been great for me and others in "geographicly challenged" areas. The big fleets here are Hobie 20, and/or Hobie 16 (North) and/or singlehanded Hobie 17 (South). I'm spoiled with the speed of the 20, but I can't/won't afford/justify the price of a new A or 16 and suffer the depreciation just for a boat to play with (no fleets here), so I need churn.
This rotomolded "revolution" is the wrong kind of churn.
<img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />
It doesn't look good.
