Check out this excellent January 5th 2023 article By Kurt Hoehne at Sailish.com on the recent agreement for Hobie Cat boats and parts!
A New Hobie and ILCA Builder for the Future of Sailing
We’ve all seen the handwringing. We’ve all heard the pontificating. I’m one of those. We’ve all read the varying opinions as to why participation in sailing and racing is struggling.
“Big-boat” fleets are shrinking. Dinghy fleets are often on life support or only come together for Nationals, Worlds or Regionals. The US Sailing Championships do not have the prestige they used to. It’s great to see kids out there, but it seems they’re generally not carrying the love for racing into adulthood. Maybe they are, they just can’t afford the time or money.
What we haven’t heard or seen that much of are fully successful solutions. One might just have arrived with Starting Line Sailing (SLS) venturing into new ground as a builder of ILCA dinghies (yes, Lasers to many of us) and Hobie Cat. Two of the most successful boats at introducing sailing to the masses will now be produced by one of the most dynamic sailing groups around.
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Hobie Division 4 