Hobie Cat is a company that manufactures watercraft and other products as the Hobie Cat Company. "Hobie Cat" can also refer to specific products of the company, notably its sailing catamarans. Its fiberglass catamaran models range in nominal length between and . Rotomolded catamaran models range in length between and . Other sailing vessels in the Hobie Cat lineup include, monocats, dinghies, and trimarans, ranging in length between and . Its largest product was the Hobie 33, in length. The company's non-sailing product line includes surfboards, kayaks, stand-up paddle boards, pedalboards, eyeware, and e-bikes. It was founded in 1961 by Hobart (Hobie) Alter, who originally manufactured surfboards.
History In the late 1950s, Alter opened a surfboard shop, capitalizing on the popularity of surfing, at the time, relatively new. In 1961, after attending a boat show in Anaheim, California where he sold surfboards adjacent to Art Javes, designer of the Aqua Cat 12 catamaran, he decided to design a catamaran which would be easily beached, and made of fiberglass. The first production Hobie Cat was launched on July 4, 1968. It featured a structure similar to the Aqua Cat, but was slightly heavier, with asymmetrically-shaped hulls that did not rely on daggerboards.
In 1969, Hobie released the Hobie 16, their most popular catamaran, and the world's largest one-design catamaran class, with over 135,000 boats built. This was followed by many other similar beachcats in the 1970s and 80s as the popularity of sailing—and Hobie Cats, especially—exploded. Hobie introduced the Hobie 18 in 1976, the Hobie 17 in 1985, the Hobie 21 in 1987, the Hobie 18SX in 1989, the Hobie 17 Sport in 1990, the Hobie 20 in 1991, and the Hobie 21 Sport Cruiser in 1992.
In 1996, Hobie introduced the Pursuit kayak, the first of a new generation of boats built using rotomolded polyethylene. This production method is less expensive and time consuming than the fiberglass molds used in the original series of catamarans, and results in a very strong and durable hull, but one which is not as smooth or light as those produced using fiberglass. After perfecting the rotomolded technique on a series small kayaks the company offered their first rotomolded catamaran, the Hobie Wave in 1994. The largest of the rotomolded catamarans, the Hobie Getaway was launched in 2000, then the smallest, the Hobie Bravo was launched in 2001. Hobie also introduced their “mirage drive” on their kayaks in 1997, designed to quickly and efficiently propel the boats through the water, while still allowing shallow draft operation, as the drive “folds up” against the bottom of the hull when not in use. Hobie kayaks began to quickly outsell the catamarans in the 2000s, and became a significant focus of the company, with Hobie introducing fishing and sailing variants, along with SUPs (first introduced in 2005).
Hobie discontinued many of its catamaran designs starting in 2003, initially with the Hobie 17 & 18, then the Hobie 21SC, Hobie 14, Hobie 20 and Hobie Bravo, as the sailing market contracted and the boats were no longer selling enough to justify continued production. Sailboat sales lagged behind kayaks, thanks in part to the popularity of the mirage drive and Hobie’s rugged, high quality recreational and fishing-focused designs. Hobie continued to support all of the discontinued boats with parts and accessories, in many cases for decades after discontinuation. , the production line consists of the Hobie 16, Hobie Wave, Hobie Getaway, and Hobie Mirage Island, and Hobie Tandem Island, along with numerous kayak and SUP models.
Changes in ownership
Hobie Alter sold the Hobie Cat Company to the Coleman Company in 1975. In 1982, Coast Catamaran (The official name of the Hobie Cat Company at that time) bought dinghy company Vagabond and its line of dinghy designs from Ron Holder and produced a series of dinghies (Hobie Hawk, Hobie Holder 12, Hobie Holder 14, Hobie Holder 17 & Hobie Holder 20) and monohulls in the 1980s and 1990s, including a 33 foot keelboat (Hobie 33), all of which were quite successful, though they never reached the same popularity as their signature catamarans and were discontinued not long thereafter.
In 1989, the Hobie Cat Company was split between Hobie Cat Company (North America) and Hobie Cat Europe and sold separately, the latter of which began operating independently and designing and producing its own catamarans. The two companies shared worldwide production & distribution rights to the Hobie Cat designs, but otherwise operated as separate entities. Hobie Cat Europe went on to introduce many race oriented catamaran designs and has been the impetus behind most of the “modernization” of Hobie’s production line, with most of Hobie North America’s designs remaining fixed since the 1980s & 90s or moving towards rotomolded boats, SUPs and kayaks, which Hobie focused on heavily in the 2000s. Hobie Europe is responsible for all of Hobie’s Formula 18 and Formula 20 boat designs, as well as several other race and youth sailing boats. Most of Hobie Europe’s production line was not made available in the US, except to owners willing to pay to have them imported. Notable exceptions included the Hobie Tiger and Hobie Wildcat, which were eventually offered in the US to compete with F18 offerings from Nacra, as the popularity of F18 racing in the US grew. Hobie Europe also built their own variant of the Hobie 18 which featured pivoting/retractable centerboards instead of daggerboards. Hobie Europe also spawned a further subdivision, Hobie Australasia, in 2000.
In 1995, The Hobie Cat Company (North America) was sold again to a new private owner.
The Hobie Cat Company purchased back Hobie Europe and its subsidiary Hobie Australasia in 2012, combining the three into one company again. Hobie Europe found itself struggling under the weight of a wide range of boat models, compared to the relatively few offerings of Hobie North America (which had discontinued much of its catamaran production at that time and consolidated production around the Hobie 16, rotomolded boats and kayaks).
The Hobie Cat Company was sold in March 2021 to venture capitalists, including Maynard Industries. In November 2022, Hobie entered an agreement with Starting Line Sailing to produce Hobie 16s in Bristol, RI, after production had lagged significantly due in part to supply chain and logistics issues during the COVID-19 pandemic. On December 12, 2023, that arrangement was terminated, and production was moved to Mexico.
On September 24, 2025, The Hobie Cat Company was sold to Bass Pro, with production moved again to Lebanon, Missouri.
Watercraft Hobie has made a large variety of catamarans and dinghies since the company’s inception, beginning with the Hobie 14 and later the Hobie 16. They’re most famous for their fiberglass catamarans, though the company has made significant numbers of rotomolded boats beginning in the 1990s and 2000s. While the company briefly produced dinghies and monohulls in the 1980s as well, they never reached anywhere near the same popularity as their catamarans and were discontinued after a handful of years.
Fiberglass catamarans Model Length overall Beam Draft Weight Mast Height Sail Area Max Capacity Intended Crew Production Years Boats built MFG Description Hobie 14 14' 0” 7' 8" 8" 22' 3" 118 ft² 353 lbs (1-2) 1 1968-2004 46,000 USA one sail single-handed cat Hobie 16 16' 7" 7' 11" 10" 26' 6" 218 ft² 800 lbs (1-4) 2 1969–present 135,000 USA double-handed main & jib cat Hobie 3.5 14' 0” 6’ 0” 8” 18’ 0” 90 ft² 140 lbs 1 1975-1979 750 USA kid friendly 14' cat Hobie 18/18SX 18' 0” 8' 0” (w/o wings) 10" - 2' 6" 28' 1" (29’ 6” SX) 240 ft² (220 ft² SX) 800+ lbs (2-4) 2 1976-2003 18,000 USA beachcat w/sym. hulls & daggers. SX adds taller mast & wings Hobie 17 (SE or Sport) 17' 0” 8' 0” (w/o wings) 5" - 1' 6" 27' 7" 168 ft² 400 lbs (1-2) 1 1985-2003 ~6,200 USA solo boat with wings & mainsail, Sport - adds jib Hobie 21SE 21' 0” 9' 6" (14' 0” w/wings) 11" - 3' 1" 33' 0” 300 ft² + asym spin 2 - 3 2 1988-1990 900 USA Sym. hull cat w/wings & spin Hobie 21SC 21' 0” 8' 6" (w/o wings) 11" - 3' 1" 29' 0” 222 ft² + RF reacher 2 - 4 2 1988-2003 ~250 USA Sym. hull cat w/forward tramp, wings, furling main, cubby & cooler Hobie Miracle 20 19' 6" 8' 6" 5" - 2' 9" 31' 0” 250 ft² 2 2 1991-2007 USA sym. hull cat Hobie Club 15 (EU) 16' 4" 7' 5" ? 23' 7" 163 ft² 705 lbs (1-3) 2 1992- Europe European sailing school & resort boat Hobie TriFoiler 22' 0” 19' 0” ? ( 2 ) 18' 0” 215 ft² 2 1994-1999 180 USA Sailing hydrofoil, Trimaran Hobie Tiger (EU) 18' 0” 8' 6" 7" - 3' 9" 29' 6" 220 ft² + asym spin 529 lbs (1-2) 2 1995-~2009 1,100 Europe F18 class Hobie Fox (EU) 20' 0” 8' 6" ? 31' 2" 146 ft² + asym spin 2 2 2000-~2007 Europe Formula 20 class Hobie Dragoon (EU) 12' 10" 7’ 1” 10" 21’ 0” 125 ft² + 95 sf asym spin 529 lbs (1-3) 1-2 2001- 800 Europe kids-oriented race boat Hobie FX-One (EU) 17' 0” 8' 3" 6" - 3' 9" 27' 9" 172 ft² + asym spin 353 lbs (1-2) 2 2002-~2009 Europe race boat Hobie Max (EU) 16' 1” 8' 2" 4" 192 ft² + 200 sf asym spin 2 2007-? Europe ISAF youth catamaran (proposed) Hobie Pacific (EU) 18' 0” 8' 6" ? 29' 6" 211 ft² 529 lbs (2-3) 2 Europe F18 class Hobie Pearl (EU) 18' 0” 8' 5" (w/o wings) 29’ 6” 228 ft² + 168 sf RF spin 529 lbs 2 2008–present Europe sym. hulls w/centerboards & wings Hobie Wildcat (EU) 18' 0” 8' 6" 7" - 3' 9" 29' 6" 454 ft² w/asym spin 529 lbs (2-3) 2 2009–present 332 Europe F18 class
Hobie 14
The Hobie 14 was the original catamaran designed by Hobie Alter in 1968. The 14 was originally designed to be sailed from the beach through the surf and back, with features to make sailing on and off the beach easier, such as the iconic "banana" shaped hull profile, kick-up rudders and asymmetric hulls. It's a unirig design with a single sail, designed to be sailed solo or "singlehanded." Hobie later introduced the Hobie 14 "Turbo" or the "turbo" conversion kit, which added a roller furling jib, trapeze and dolphin striker. No longer manufactured by Hobie North America, the Hobie 14 was discontinued in North America in 2004, but is still produced in limited numbers by Hobie Europe and Hobie Brazil.
The Hobie 14 is very sensitive to weight placement fore and aft as a result of the banana hull shape. In rough water, strong winds or weight placed too far forward, the leeward bow is somewhat prone to "dig in," resulting in what is known as a "pitchpole."
The Hobie 14 has a D-PN of 86.4 with the Turbo version faster at 83.1.
Hobie 16
Hobie introduced the Hobie 16 in 1969, and it went on to become the most popular catamaran ever built, both for recreational sailing and as a one-design racer. It was developed to be a bigger, more stable upgrade to the Hobie 14, designed for a crew of two. The boat is long, wide, has a mast tall, and weighs . As with the 14, it is intended to be sailed from the beach through the surf, and to be surfed back in on the waves to the beach, with many of the same features and similar asymmetric "banana" hulls. Both jib and main sails are fully battened and total . A double trapeze system comes standard on the Hobie 16. The Hobie 16 is still in production around the world.
Hobie 18