In the late 1960's surf-shop owner Hobie Alter and some friends designed and produced the HOBIE 14. Easy to drag down a beach, fun to sail, and costing only $1,000, it was an instant hit. In 1971 he followed this up with the HOBIE 16 which, to date is the largest class of catamaran in the world. With over 200,000 Hobie Cats sailing, Alter is the undisputed father of mass multi-hull sailing.\nIn 1981, he entered the mono-hull world with the HOBIE 33, a lightweight speedster that gained wide popularity.