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Hobie Cat Company Acquires Hobie Cat Europe

Posted By: mbounds

Hobie Cat Company Acquires Hobie Cat Europe - 09/10/12 07:41 PM

Hobie Cat Company Announces Acquisition of Hobie Cat Europe

Oceanside, California, (DATE) - Effective September 1, 2012, the Hobie Cat Company, based out of Oceanside, California acquired Hobie Cat’s business in Europe. The agreement will give the sailboat and kayak company worldwide trademark rights and make the operation Hobie Cat’s business in Europe directly under the control of Hobie Cat Company. Together with Hobie Cat Australasia, a subsidiary for the past twelve years, the joining of international forces will unify the brand image, accelerate market expansion, focus the product offerings and enhance Hobie’s strong position in the global sailing, kayaking and fishing markets. The announcement was made by Hobie Cat Company president, Doug Skidmore.

Terms of the purchase are not disclosed, but the agreement is enthusiastically sanctioned by both entities. "It has been a dream of ours for many years to reunite Hobie Cat brands worldwide. This acquisition creates tremendous opportunities to build on the successes that Hobie Cat Company, Hobie Cat Europe and Hobie Cat Australasia have all achieved individually in their own markets,” stated Doug. “It will take a lot of hard work and late nights to coordinate efforts, but the benefit to the Hobie Cat brand, our company and our loyal customers will be significant and long lasting.”

In 1968, Hobie icon and founder Hobie Alter started the Hobie Cat Company. In December 1975, the Coleman Company purchased the worldwide company. In January 1989, the company was divided between U.S. based Hobie Cat Company and Hobie Cat Europe and sold to two separate private ownership groups. In 1995, Hobie Cat Company was sold to the current private ownership group. The two companies have operated independently for the past 23 years, cooperating on many projects and events but remaining separate entities. Still, the situation has been complicated with both companies sharing worldwide distribution rights. The new agreement is designed to unify these rights under one roof and unify the Hobie Cat companies worldwide.

Besides the economic advantages of reuniting the Hobie family, the acquisition will leverage the momentum that Hobie currently enjoys in the marketplace. The research and development team can now think globally when designing new products and entering new market segments. The sales and marketing departments of each division will be able to share ideas on how best to service their dealer networks and bring a consistent message to Hobie consumers worldwide. Hobie Kayaks Europe (the distributor of Hobie Mirage Kayaks in Europe for Hobie Cat Company) will now have a local base of support that will enable coordinated supply, marketing and promotional efforts in the region. This coordination will help further expand the sales of the popular pedal driven kayaks throughout Europe. Existing organizations like the International Hobie Class Association (sailboat racing) will now have a unified base of support to help organize future events. New undertakings like the Hobie Island Club and the Second Annual Hobie Kayak Fishing World Championship will be encouraged to grow globally. The talent synergies in the now international organization will position the brand for further growth while respecting the unique needs of each individual country.

Since 1950, Hobie has been in the business of shaping a unique lifestyle based around fun, water, and quality products. From their headquarters in Oceanside, California, Hobie Cat Company manufactures, distributes, and markets an impressive collection of eco-sensitive watercraft worldwide. These include an ever-expanding line of recreation and racing sailboats, pedal-driven and paddle sit-on-top recreation and fishing kayaks, inflatable kayaks, fishing boats, plus a complementary array of parts and accessories.
Posted By: Jake

Re: Hobie Cat Company Acquires Hobie Cat Europe - 09/10/12 08:18 PM

That sounds like a great move. Congrats Hobie. It will be nice to see a coordinated world-wide effort.
Posted By: Mark Schneider

Re: Hobie Cat Company Acquires Hobie Cat Europe - 09/10/12 08:26 PM

Matt

That sounds promising in that the cat racing world could use a bit of a jolt That leaves Performance, AHPC and Hobie (unified) as the major builders/marketing wizards .... Perhaps they could drive a forward looking agenda working together??

God knows... that if we can't make all of the AC action pay off for our niche of the sport now.... The future will be dim.
Posted By: Team_Cat_Fever

Re: Hobie Cat Company Acquires Hobie Cat Europe - 09/10/12 08:46 PM

Congrats to Hobie.
Nacra did the opposite(sold to Eu.) and it certainly didn't help Americans.
Posted By: Karl_Brogger

Re: Hobie Cat Company Acquires Hobie Cat Europe - 09/10/12 10:18 PM

I had heard HCE was for sale. Good move on Hobie US's side. Should make everything better for sailors here.
Posted By: brucat

Re: Hobie Cat Company Acquires Hobie Cat Europe - 09/11/12 01:58 AM

Wow. Just, wow.

Mike
Posted By: ThunderMuffin

Re: Hobie Cat Company Acquires Hobie Cat Europe - 09/11/12 03:34 AM

Does this mean that the wildcat will come in plastic now? :-P
Posted By: Angelo190471

Re: Hobie Cat Company Acquires Hobie Cat Europe - 09/12/12 12:46 AM

Originally Posted by Undecided
Does this mean that the wildcat will come in plastic now? :-P


lol i hope not
Posted By: catandahalf

Re: Hobie Cat Company Acquires Hobie Cat Europe - 09/12/12 03:12 AM

Maybe 'Hobie World' will join the light weight - high performance builders in a couple years. That would put some pressure on the other name brands for sure since the Hobie marketing infrastructure appears long lasting and well loved by a global tribe of dedicated followers.

May this mean the best is yet to come for catamaran sailors in the USA.

Posted By: Anonymous

Re: Hobie Cat Company Acquires Hobie Cat Europe - 09/12/12 12:54 PM

cool, thanks for the update
Posted By: pitchpoledave

Re: Hobie Cat Company Acquires Hobie Cat Europe - 09/12/12 01:05 PM

Plastic boats for everyone!
Posted By: carlbohannon

Re: Hobie Cat Company Acquires Hobie Cat Europe - 09/12/12 01:49 PM

Congratulations on undoing the Coleman years. That era was so messed up, the Ice Chest giveaways were from Igloo.
Posted By: mmiller

Re: Hobie Cat Company Acquires Hobie Cat Europe - 09/12/12 03:34 PM

Originally Posted by catandahalf
Maybe 'Hobie World' will join the light weight - high performance builders in a couple years.


Join them in what? We already are deep into it with products like the Wild Cat and Hobie 16 I'd think.

This unification of the company world-wide will allow us to maintain a range of high performance to recreational products that we have been successful with. Expect to see F18, Hobie 16 and a full range of our popular molded products continue. Do not expect to see a push further into High performance, technical and expensive cats. Somehow "catandahalf" thinks high performance is the key to success? The business performance of all of the other cat companies does not support that logic at all. If the market place changes... we would go there.
Posted By: waterbug_wpb

Re: Hobie Cat Company Acquires Hobie Cat Europe - 09/12/12 05:29 PM

Originally Posted by mmiller
Do not expect to see a push further into High performance, technical and expensive cats.


+1 and totally understandable from a marketing standpoint. Beachcat racers are indeed a small minority in the big picture.
Posted By: H17cat

Re: Hobie Cat Company Acquires Hobie Cat Europe - 09/12/12 06:37 PM

Originally Posted by waterbug_wpb
Originally Posted by mmiller
Do not expect to see a push further into High performance, technical and expensive cats.


+1 and totally understandable from a marketing standpoint.

Beachcat racers are indeed a small minority in the big picture.


Agree, Hobie Cat would have been long gone, had they not moved into the kayaks and rotomold boats.
Posted By: Karl_Brogger

Re: Hobie Cat Company Acquires Hobie Cat Europe - 09/12/12 08:28 PM

Don't care. They should still build an F16.

Hell, lop a few inches off the FXone, skinny it up a bit, and put a better rig on it they'd have it. But not a real good two up boat.
Posted By: carlbohannon

Re: Hobie Cat Company Acquires Hobie Cat Europe - 09/13/12 01:29 PM

Matt

A couple of questions I heard last night.

Have they sorted out how this will impact the comp-tip?

What about bringing the smaller European to the US, like the Dragon?
Posted By: mmiller

Re: Hobie Cat Company Acquires Hobie Cat Europe - 09/13/12 02:50 PM

CompTip for North America is unchanged. Does not change elsewhere in the World.

In the coming year we will be going through the extensive line of cats offered by Hobie Cat Europe and selecting boats to continue with. We would have to have a good fit and differential from other models to bring additional models here.
Posted By: hobie1616

Re: Hobie Cat Company Acquires Hobie Cat Europe - 09/13/12 03:45 PM

Originally Posted by mmiller
In the coming year we will be going through the extensive line of cats offered by Hobie Cat Europe and selecting boats to continue with.

Major surgery on product line.
Posted By: srm

Re: Hobie Cat Company Acquires Hobie Cat Europe - 09/13/12 04:11 PM

Originally Posted by hobie1616
Originally Posted by mmiller
In the coming year we will be going through the extensive line of cats offered by Hobie Cat Europe and selecting boats to continue with.

Major surgery on product line.



My interpretation of this- Reduce product line in Europe, no change to US product line. So probably very little impact on US. Maybe a little easier to get replacement Tiger/Wildcat/FX-1 parts and H16 pylon sleeves. That's really all I'd expect. I see this as likely bringing HCE more in line with what Hobie USA is doing, not vice-versa.

sm
Posted By: brucat

Re: Hobie Cat Company Acquires Hobie Cat Europe - 09/13/12 07:08 PM

Well I think the real question is, how many of those other designs are actually being sold for a profit anywhere? Doesn't take a rocket surgeon to understand why they haven't been imported to the US before now...

It is unfortunate that the high performance market isn't large enough to interest Hobie Cat.

Mike
Posted By: Mark Schneider

Re: Hobie Cat Company Acquires Hobie Cat Europe - 09/13/12 08:00 PM

Mike

The only high performance niche that they don't have a boat for is the F16.... (None of the major builders bother with A class)

What would be the rational for building a boat that competes with your already successful racing class of Hobie 16 sloops in North America??? .... It's not like the F16 racing scene has exploded.

Perhaps the unified corporate structure will cut some costs out of the other boats (including the wildcat) and make them profitable in North America....
Posted By: catandahalf

Re: Hobie Cat Company Acquires Hobie Cat Europe - 09/13/12 08:21 PM

Mr. Miller,

I was looking at it from the "all fun for sailors" side, not the profit making side. I did express admiration for the Hobie marketing approach, and trust me, our local Hobie dealer has put a lot more food on the table with the yaks and recently, the sups, but there is not a Hobie Cat product that can compete with his stable of NACRAS.

When I was in France I saw some of the Euro boats. One guy in Entebbe was bragging about the one piece spinnaker halyard and tack system on one of their rentals. Randy had that on his NACRA 6.0 NA a couple years or more earlier, and if I remember correctly, on low batteries, the guy even said the design was Smyth's.

In our region of the USA, youth, yacht club (opti, 420, Laser etc) sailors are converting to the F 16 by high school. Let's consider the impact which the AC will have through 2013. The youth sailors coming out of yacht club sailing programs will be attracted to the high performance discipline and many of them already have Olympic lights on their Christmas tree.
Posted By: Jake

Re: Hobie Cat Company Acquires Hobie Cat Europe - 09/13/12 08:42 PM

here we go...Hobie has their eye on a completely different ball than Nacra, AHPC, Falcon, etc. Right, wrong, or different, it is an apples to oranges comparison of companies. Do we have to rehash all this again?
Posted By: Karl_Brogger

Re: Hobie Cat Company Acquires Hobie Cat Europe - 09/13/12 09:01 PM

No, its just a bummer is all. Easily bigger than the others combined in gross revenue, just the least likely to cater to us.
Posted By: waterbug_wpb

Re: Hobie Cat Company Acquires Hobie Cat Europe - 09/13/12 09:06 PM

if we weren't such cheap=azzes maybe they'd be interested
Posted By: Karl_Brogger

Re: Hobie Cat Company Acquires Hobie Cat Europe - 09/13/12 09:29 PM

True, cat sailors are wicked cheap.
Posted By: pitchpoledave

Re: Hobie Cat Company Acquires Hobie Cat Europe - 09/13/12 10:57 PM

anyone know about the new Hobie 20 footer? I have been hearing rumours of it it for a while now..
Posted By: Jeff Peterson

Re: Hobie Cat Company Acquires Hobie Cat Europe - 09/14/12 04:27 AM

I'll admit I'm cheep, cheep, cheap! My Hobie 16s were purchased used. And the only Hobie products I buy are those infernal rudder cams!!! --The more I think about it, they have made a fortune off me because of those rudder cams!!!!!!
Posted By: brucat

Re: Hobie Cat Company Acquires Hobie Cat Europe - 09/14/12 12:22 PM

Mark, Jay made my actual point.

Looking back at the past decade or more, all high performance R&D has come out of HCE, because the market is there for it. Hopefully the new regime continues to attract the buyers in Europe, so we can see more develoment and new designs. We obviously can't count on the US market to tell us what the rest of the world will buy.

Mike
Posted By: mmiller

Re: Hobie Cat Company Acquires Hobie Cat Europe - 09/14/12 04:38 PM

Originally Posted by srm
Maybe a little easier to get ... and H16 pylon sleeves.


Fyi... we have the sleeves in stock. F99301710 $29.99

They are 18" long. These came in with foam plugs glued in each end.
Posted By: TeamChums

Re: Hobie Cat Company Acquires Hobie Cat Europe - 09/14/12 07:38 PM

Quote
True, cat sailors are wicked cheap.


How can anyone say that when we pay over 20K for a new boat with no motor? 4K for a set of sails that will last only 2 years if you're careful?
That statement makes no ****ing sense at all.
Posted By: Karl_Brogger

Re: Hobie Cat Company Acquires Hobie Cat Europe - 09/14/12 07:51 PM

Because most don't.
Posted By: Team_Cat_Fever

Re: Hobie Cat Company Acquires Hobie Cat Europe - 09/14/12 11:14 PM

Originally Posted by TeamChums
Quote
True, cat sailors are wicked cheap.


How can anyone say that when we pay over 20K for a new boat with no motor? 4K for a set of sails that will last only 2 years if you're careful?
That statement makes no ****ing sense at all.


Amen Brotha. I was thinking the same thing.
Posted By: mmiller

Re: Hobie Cat Company Acquires Hobie Cat Europe - 09/14/12 11:46 PM

Ya gotta look outside your (extremely) small group of friends. There are not that many spending big bucks on cats or we wouldn't be having his conversation. Look at the fleets that are active at any one time. Same guys move from fleet to fleet. It's not a big pool of buyers.
Posted By: Team_Cat_Fever

Re: Hobie Cat Company Acquires Hobie Cat Europe - 09/15/12 12:16 AM

I'm not questioning your marketing, the race market is break even at best, suicide at worst. The comment was directed at Karl and Lee ,not the thread in general.
I was just saying the racers I know including myself are anything but cheap more like mugging victims and that is the circle I know.
Posted By: brucat

Re: Hobie Cat Company Acquires Hobie Cat Europe - 09/15/12 01:07 AM

F18 sailors spend money, there just aren't enough of them, and they are the biggest racing group behind Hobie 16s, who hate spending money.

Just my observations over the years...

Mike
Posted By: Team_Cat_Fever

Re: Hobie Cat Company Acquires Hobie Cat Europe - 09/15/12 01:14 AM

And A cat guys spend the most. I have an F-18, A cat and a Hobie 16 so I'm doomed. Hard to keep up.
Posted By: _flatlander_

Re: Hobie Cat Company Acquires Hobie Cat Europe - 09/15/12 01:21 AM

and what's the odds Hobie NA will sell more than fifty Hobie 16's in 2012? extremely small market indeed
Posted By: Team_Cat_Fever

Re: Hobie Cat Company Acquires Hobie Cat Europe - 09/15/12 01:46 AM

People keep wanting them to be more performance oriented, but it's pretty obvious where the money comes from. SUPs and Kayaks are the moneymakers. I'd doubt that if they hadn't diversified into stuff besides cats, they'd still be solvent.
Posted By: catman

Re: Hobie Cat Company Acquires Hobie Cat Europe - 09/15/12 01:12 PM

Originally Posted by _flatlander_
and what's the odds Hobie NA will sell more than fifty Hobie 16's in 2012? extremely small market indeed


I have people that come in looking for something. Everyone of them say the same thing. "Used to have a H-16 but don't want another."

They don't want plastic either.
Posted By: sail7seas

Re: Hobie Cat Company Acquires Hobie Cat Europe - 09/15/12 01:34 PM

What do you get AFTER a Hobie Wave amd remain singlehand, and do not want a H16, with a LOW price tag? (real old Acat?)
Doublehand, perhaps a Hobie 16 Tatoo? http://www.catsailor.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=234040#Post234040
Posted By: mbounds

Re: Hobie Cat Company Acquires Hobie Cat Europe - 09/15/12 01:48 PM

Originally Posted by sail7seas
What do you get AFTER a Hobie Wave amd remain singlehand, and do not want a H16, with a LOW price tag?

Hobie 17. Best boat Hobie's ever made. Good ones sell for less than $4K.
Posted By: Karl_Brogger

Re: Hobie Cat Company Acquires Hobie Cat Europe - 09/15/12 06:31 PM

Matt, remind me to punch you in the seeds next weekend.
Thanks.
Posted By: Tony_F18

Re: Hobie Cat Company Acquires Hobie Cat Europe - 09/15/12 06:40 PM

Originally Posted by mbounds
Originally Posted by sail7seas
What do you get AFTER a Hobie Wave amd remain singlehand, and do not want a H16, with a LOW price tag?

Hobie 17. Best boat Hobie's ever made. Good ones sell for less than $4K.

I cant tell if you are joking or serious.
Its a singlehander which weights a ton and is almost impossible to right unless you weight 200kgs.
Posted By: mbounds

Re: Hobie Cat Company Acquires Hobie Cat Europe - 09/15/12 07:46 PM

Originally Posted by Karl_Brogger
Matt, remind me to punch you in the seeds next weekend.
Thanks.

Obvious troll is obvious.

200 kgs? Um, no. I weigh 175 lbs (<80 kgs) and I have no trouble righting mine. Then again, my mast doesn't leak.
Posted By: H17cat

Re: Hobie Cat Company Acquires Hobie Cat Europe - 09/15/12 08:14 PM

Originally Posted by mbounds
Originally Posted by sail7seas
What do you get AFTER a Hobie Wave amd remain singlehand, and do not want a H16, with a LOW price tag?

Hobie 17. Best boat Hobie's ever made. Good ones sell for less than $4K.


Agree, got my last one for $1,800 with trailer. 2000 Sport in great shape.
Posted By: Jake

Re: Hobie Cat Company Acquires Hobie Cat Europe - 09/16/12 01:12 AM

Originally Posted by mbounds
Originally Posted by sail7seas
What do you get AFTER a Hobie Wave amd remain singlehand, and do not want a H16, with a LOW price tag?

Hobie 17. Best boat Hobie's ever made. Good ones sell for less than $4K.


Ummm...nah....that boat is happier sitting in irons than any boat I've ever sailed. You should really try an A.
Posted By: hobie1616

Re: Hobie Cat Company Acquires Hobie Cat Europe - 09/16/12 03:33 AM

Originally Posted by Jake
Ummm...nah....that boat is happier sitting in irons than any boat I've ever sailed.

Word.
Posted By: H17cat

Re: Hobie Cat Company Acquires Hobie Cat Europe - 09/16/12 04:27 AM

Different boats for different folks. We have had three H-17's in our family, with three generations of Tarleton's racing them. Probably the best cat to sail in high winds. But what do we know, only been sailing them since 1986.
Posted By: mbounds

Re: Hobie Cat Company Acquires Hobie Cat Europe - 09/16/12 01:20 PM

Originally Posted by Jake
Originally Posted by mbounds
Originally Posted by sail7seas
What do you get AFTER a Hobie Wave amd remain singlehand, and do not want a H16, with a LOW price tag?

Hobie 17. Best boat Hobie's ever made. Good ones sell for less than $4K.


Ummm...nah....that boat is happier sitting in irons than any boat I've ever sailed. You should really try an A.

You obivously never sailed a Hobie 14 in any kind of a breeze. It's like mud wrestling with a pig. You both get dirty and the pig has fun.

On the Hobie 17:
Quote
We choose to sail Hobie 17s. We choose to sail Hobie 17s in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win.


Famous speech I've heard before.
Posted By: Jake

Re: Hobie Cat Company Acquires Hobie Cat Europe - 09/16/12 01:22 PM

Originally Posted by H17cat
Different boats for different folks. We have had three H-17's in our family, with three generations of Tarleton's racing them. Probably the best cat to sail in high winds. But what do we know, only been sailing them since 1986.


My H17 experience was limited to light to moderate breeze in a couple of regattas...so I can't speak for how it is to sail in breeze.
Posted By: fredsmith

Re: Hobie Cat Company Acquires Hobie Cat Europe - 09/16/12 01:30 PM

Matt-

If you have never sailed an A Class you can take mine for a spin,you may change your mind.

Fred Smith CAN31- A Class
Posted By: Karl_Brogger

Re: Hobie Cat Company Acquires Hobie Cat Europe - 09/16/12 02:27 PM

Fred, set something down on your kitchen table. Anything. Now I want you to move it using only your mind. Let me know how that goes, then you can work up to easier things like changing Matt's mind about the H17.
Posted By: pgp

Re: Hobie Cat Company Acquires Hobie Cat Europe - 09/16/12 03:20 PM

Almost anything performs better dw than a H17
Posted By: Team_Cat_Fever

Re: Hobie Cat Company Acquires Hobie Cat Europe - 09/16/12 03:35 PM

Originally Posted by mbounds
Originally Posted by sail7seas
What do you get AFTER a Hobie Wave amd remain singlehand, and do not want a H16, with a LOW price tag?

Hobie 17. Best boat Hobie's ever made. Good ones sell for less than $4K.


In Matt's defense he said "Best boat Hobie's ever made." Hobie has never made an A cat. Now if the question was "What's the best singlehanded cat out there?", I think hands down the answer would be "A cat".
You can also pick them up (decent ones like Boyer Mk3 and Mk4s) for 4-5k used.
Posted By: hobiephil

Re: Hobie Cat Company Acquires Hobie Cat Europe - 09/16/12 07:14 PM

Originally Posted by pgp
Almost anything performs better dw than a H17

Which is why you mount a spinnaker on one and have a blast.
Posted By: fredsmith

Re: Hobie Cat Company Acquires Hobie Cat Europe - 09/16/12 11:04 PM

Karl-

One can only try.

Fred
Posted By: catandahalf

Re: Hobie Cat Company Acquires Hobie Cat Europe - 09/17/12 01:56 AM

One thing you might not wanna try is to sit down with Matt and Billy Whitehurst in a discussion regarding the opportunities for performance that live aboard the H 17. Good Gosh, Whitehurst uses running backs!
Posted By: pgp

Re: Hobie Cat Company Acquires Hobie Cat Europe - 09/17/12 01:59 AM

Class legal?
Posted By: catandahalf

Re: Hobie Cat Company Acquires Hobie Cat Europe - 09/17/12 02:01 AM

In the Round the Island Race you rung what ya brung.
Posted By: pgp

Re: Hobie Cat Company Acquires Hobie Cat Europe - 09/17/12 01:26 PM

I'll take that as a no.
Posted By: waterbug_wpb

Re: Hobie Cat Company Acquires Hobie Cat Europe - 09/17/12 01:28 PM

Originally Posted by Team_Cat_Fever
I was just saying the racers I know including myself are anything but cheap more like mugging victims and that is the circle I know.


I venture a guess that if more folks spent money on equipment like your circle, the overall pricing would go down?

I personally don't recall ever having bought a new boat, although I have purchased new equipment (sails, trampolines, cordage) for them regularly. So I wouldn't quite make it to your "circle of trust"...

Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever purchased a brand-new car, home or other capital item either..
Posted By: waterbug_wpb

Re: Hobie Cat Company Acquires Hobie Cat Europe - 09/17/12 01:33 PM

Originally Posted by Team_Cat_Fever
You can also pick them up (decent ones like Boyer Mk3 and Mk4s) for 4-5k used.


But are they considered competitive? Or would I be purchasing them strictly for pleasure sailing. To be honest, I have contemplated one for a while (good price, would fit in garage, great singlehanding), but I have grown quite accustomed to spin reaching...
Posted By: Team_Cat_Fever

Re: Hobie Cat Company Acquires Hobie Cat Europe - 09/17/12 03:08 PM

Originally Posted by waterbug_wpb
Originally Posted by Team_Cat_Fever
You can also pick them up (decent ones like Boyer Mk3 and Mk4s) for 4-5k used.


But are they considered competitive? Or would I be purchasing them strictly for pleasure sailing. To be honest, I have contemplated one for a while (good price, would fit in garage, great singlehanding), but I have grown quite accustomed to spin reaching...


They are still competitive on a club and local level, not Worlds material necessarily( but that's all of sailing). Jake sails a Boyer MkIV and is competitive. I did better, at the Admiral's cups that I did on my MKIV, than I have done since I got rid of it. There could be other reasons besides the boat, but...
Posted By: waterbug_wpb

Re: Hobie Cat Company Acquires Hobie Cat Europe - 09/17/12 04:25 PM

well, that's pretty much what I'd use it for anyway out here on the Gulf, although chop may be problematic?

I know the A class has a bit of a bad rap when it comes to boats/masts being "fragile", but how bad is it really? I'm not (or at least try) going to crash into docks, but will the mast handle the occasional flip?
Posted By: Team_Cat_Fever

Re: Hobie Cat Company Acquires Hobie Cat Europe - 09/17/12 04:39 PM

Originally Posted by waterbug_wpb
well, that's pretty much what I'd use it for anyway out here on the Gulf, although chop may be problematic?

I know the A class has a bit of a bad rap when it comes to boats/masts being "fragile", but how bad is it really? I'm not (or at least try) going to crash into docks, but will the mast handle the occasional flip?


Yes. The boats are alot tougher than you'd expect. Message me or start a new thread and I can give you some examples. Don't want to hi-jack this thread anymore than I already have.
Posted By: Jake

Re: Hobie Cat Company Acquires Hobie Cat Europe - 09/18/12 03:51 AM

Originally Posted by waterbug_wpb
well, that's pretty much what I'd use it for anyway out here on the Gulf, although chop may be problematic?

I know the A class has a bit of a bad rap when it comes to boats/masts being "fragile", but how bad is it really? I'm not (or at least try) going to crash into docks, but will the mast handle the occasional flip?


I have a 13 year old boat that was and is still 6 pounds overweight. I still get good results with (split 2 races with Harper last weekend). It's all original and I fear no wind with it. Do stupid things, get stupid results. You do need to be more diligent with releasing the downhaul downwind but its still a durable boat.
Posted By: waterbug_wpb

Re: Hobie Cat Company Acquires Hobie Cat Europe - 09/18/12 03:21 PM

Too bad I couldn't put the old I-18/I20 mast on there. Would probably sink the boat.

I mean, crap, I hit a friggin bridge with it and it only scraped the paint. Kirk hit a BIGGER bridge with his and still sailed on...
Posted By: Karl_Brogger

Re: Hobie Cat Company Acquires Hobie Cat Europe - 09/18/12 03:47 PM

Yeah, but other than being tough the I20 mast has nothing going for it.
Posted By: David Ingram

Re: Hobie Cat Company Acquires Hobie Cat Europe - 09/18/12 04:24 PM

Originally Posted by waterbug_wpb
To be honest, I have contemplated one for a while (good price, would fit in garage, great singlehanding)


You contemplating buying a boat is like Timbo being more inclined to attend a regatta! And that's what they call a twofer b!tches. Silver fleet has made me mean.
Posted By: waterbug_wpb

Re: Hobie Cat Company Acquires Hobie Cat Europe - 09/18/12 05:36 PM

Hey, I finally got mommy to give up the credit cards. Now the mortgage company has stopped calling and the bank isn't charging overdraft fees... So I'm one step closer...

And I got the kitchen pass revoked for Wildcat ("does this dress make me look fat?" is a frigin trick question!) but did get it for Hiram's, so I guess I'll have to postpone my chirrosis for another month.
Posted By: brucat

Re: Hobie Cat Company Acquires Hobie Cat Europe - 09/18/12 08:01 PM

"It's not the dress that makes you look fat: it's the FAT that makes you look fat!" - Al Bundy

Use at own risk...

Mike
Posted By: Karl_Brogger

Re: Hobie Cat Company Acquires Hobie Cat Europe - 09/18/12 08:03 PM

Don't get married. Way easier.
Posted By: waterbug_wpb

Re: Hobie Cat Company Acquires Hobie Cat Europe - 09/18/12 08:22 PM

At least it's not as expensive as owning horses (timbo)
Posted By: samc99us

Re: Hobie Cat Company Acquires Hobie Cat Europe - 09/18/12 08:34 PM

Originally Posted by Team_Cat_Fever
Originally Posted by waterbug_wpb
Originally Posted by Team_Cat_Fever
You can also pick them up (decent ones like Boyer Mk3 and Mk4s) for 4-5k used.


But are they considered competitive? Or would I be purchasing them strictly for pleasure sailing. To be honest, I have contemplated one for a while (good price, would fit in garage, great singlehanding), but I have grown quite accustomed to spin reaching...


They are still competitive on a club and local level, not Worlds material necessarily( but that's all of sailing). Jake sails a Boyer MkIV and is competitive. I did better, at the Admiral's cups that I did on my MKIV, than I have done since I got rid of it. There could be other reasons besides the boat, but...


We (quick N20) regularly get beaten round the course by a great sailor on his Boyer MkV when the wind is light. Its a rocket ship upwind.
Posted By: Lockenfisch

Re: Hobie Cat Company Acquires Hobie Cat Europe - 09/20/12 06:49 AM

Hobie should start concentrate on building boats thatz fit into classes instead of selling boats with strange weights, dimensions and or looks such as icat, fx-one, 15 and others.

Terminate the icat and make it an A-Cat. Stop the fx-one and do a F16 for example. Maybe Hobie even has the power to build an affordable "A" ?
Posted By: Timbo

Re: Hobie Cat Company Acquires Hobie Cat Europe - 09/20/12 12:52 PM

Originally Posted by waterbug_wpb
At least it's not as expensive as owning horses (timbo)




YET...
Posted By: Timbo

Re: Hobie Cat Company Acquires Hobie Cat Europe - 09/20/12 12:55 PM

Originally Posted by David Ingram
Originally Posted by waterbug_wpb
To be honest, I have contemplated one for a while (good price, would fit in garage, great singlehanding)


You contemplating buying a boat is like Timbo being more inclined to attend a regatta! And that's what they call a twofer b!tches. Silver fleet has made me mean.



Now I'm contemplating buying a boat, to let Jay sail it at Wildcat, with one of my horses as crew.

;^)
Posted By: Timbo

Re: Hobie Cat Company Acquires Hobie Cat Europe - 09/20/12 01:26 PM

Originally Posted by Karl_Brogger
Don't get married. Way easier.


Have you met my friend, Sam?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuA0Xm2cy1s&feature=related
Posted By: Team_Cat_Fever

Re: Hobie Cat Company Acquires Hobie Cat Europe - 09/20/12 01:59 PM

Originally Posted by Timbo
Originally Posted by Karl_Brogger
Don't get married. Way easier.


Have you met my friend, Sam?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuA0Xm2cy1s&feature=related


I actually got to meet him before he died. He is still the funniest S.O.B. , to me.
Posted By: brucat

Re: Hobie Cat Company Acquires Hobie Cat Europe - 09/20/12 04:14 PM

Originally Posted by Lockenfisch
Hobie should start concentrate on building boats thatz fit into classes instead of selling boats with strange weights, dimensions and or looks such as icat, fx-one, 15 and others.

Terminate the icat and make it an A-Cat. Stop the fx-one and do a F16 for example. Maybe Hobie even has the power to build an affordable "A" ?


This is an interesting point.

Matt, can you chime in here? Have the Tiger and Wildcat convinced you that building to a formula rule is a better path to success than strict one-designs? I know that you have focused on recreational markets, but when considering racing designs, is it time to look at building an A-Cat or F16 design? Or, are you so large that you really need the economies of scale and have no interest in the niche racing market?

Mike
Posted By: Karl_Brogger

Re: Hobie Cat Company Acquires Hobie Cat Europe - 09/20/12 04:32 PM

I'm curious how many of any model they need to produce to make it work. Would the Wildcat get dropped if they only sell, say, fifty a year?
Posted By: waterbug_wpb

Re: Hobie Cat Company Acquires Hobie Cat Europe - 09/20/12 07:14 PM

Originally Posted by Timbo
Originally Posted by Karl_Brogger
Don't get married. Way easier.


Have you met my friend, Sam?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuA0Xm2cy1s&feature=related


He was hilarious, as is my friend, Bob

Posted By: mmiller

Re: Hobie Cat Company Acquires Hobie Cat Europe - 09/21/12 05:56 PM

Originally Posted by brucat


This is an interesting point.

Matt, can you chime in here? Have the Tiger and Wildcat convinced you that building to a formula rule is a better path to success than strict one-designs? I know that you have focused on recreational markets, but when considering racing designs, is it time to look at building an A-Cat or F16 design? Or, are you so large that you really need the economies of scale and have no interest in the niche racing market?

Mike


It's going to take us awhile to figure this out. I can say that we are not looking to build something that is not going to sell. A cats would be one of those in my opinion. They are a constantly moving target and very difficult to rationalize. I'd say we are likely to build boats that appeal to the wider market to get things moving again in Europe... first.
Posted By: waynemarlow

Re: Hobie Cat Company Acquires Hobie Cat Europe - 09/21/12 08:54 PM

I'd wager a pint that the F16 market is probably the biggest growing market in Europe, it would be nice to see a Hobie entrant. Certainly the FX1 was a great looking and well built product, unfortunately it just wasn't designed to fit one weight group or the other, trying to fit both groups just didn't work.
Posted By: F-18 5150

Re: Hobie Cat Company Acquires Hobie Cat Europe - 09/21/12 08:59 PM

A new F-18 maybe? Maybe some more flotation up front in the wildcat and the beam a little further back.
Posted By: brucat

Re: Hobie Cat Company Acquires Hobie Cat Europe - 09/22/12 01:47 PM

Thanks Matt.

Mike
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