Golden anniversary of a legend

Fifty years ago, Hobie Alter designed his first sailboat – the Hobie 14. He wanted a simple boat that he and his friends could sail off the beach when there wasn’t enough waves to surf.

Hobie was also the inventor of the fiberglass surfboard, and legend is that the Hobie 14 was designed with a drawing in the sand. What followed was a phenomenon that lead to the birth of an international company and worldwide racing on many boat designs that would follow.

In recent years, the Hobie 14 has enjoyed a resurgence internationally and in the USA. New Hobie 14s are still manufactured in France and distributed worldwide through the Hobie Cat Co. dealer network.

To celebrate the 50th anniversary Hobie 14 North American Championships, 33 competitors gathered for 11 races on May 16-18 in Brewerton NY. Jim Sajdak and Matt Bounds finished tied on points, with Sajdak getting the title on countback. Details.