Hobie

Hobie Alter is the Godfather to most of the people working in the surf industry today. Going back to the 50s, Hobie was one of the leading innovators in surfboard materials, shaping, production, and surf retail. Hobie also branched out from surfing into other things: skateboards, catamarans, and clothing. The Hobie name and brand is one of the cornerstones of surfing, so it is only fitting that the Hobie label should affix itself to the leading innovator of the 21st Century: Surftech.

Hobie Alter was one of those lucky few guys who grew up in southern California during the Blissful Fifties and saw his hobby turn into an international phenomenon. He began making nine-foot balsa boards for his friends, working out of his father's garage in Laguna Beach. Hobie had vowed to never work east of PCH or wear hard soled shoes, and he worked hard to stick to that vow. Hobie was a craftsman who loved working with wood, but in 1958 he teamed up with Gordon "Grubby" Clark to experiment with foam and fiberglass to make lighter, faster, more responsive surfboards. Hobie was perfectly positioned to supply guns to the Indians when surfing boomed in the early 60s. The Hobie factory in Capo Beach cranked out as many as 250 surfboards a week. Through the years most of the biggest names in 60s surfing surfed (and shaped) for Team Hobie: Joey Cabell, Phil Edwards, Corky Carroll, Gary Propper, Peter Pan, Mickey Munoz, Linda Benson, Joyce Hoffman and Yancy Spencer among many, many others.
Hobie was also a leader in the skateboard world; in 1962 the Hobie skateboard team was terrorizing parking lots across the state. Hobie jumped into Surfwear in 1964 and by 1968 he was tinkering with a new catamaran that combined the new materials with super-fast hulls to bring ridiculous sailing speeds to the common man. By 1972 the Hobie Cat was the best-selling catamaran in the world and still is. Hobie was the first person to be inducted into Surfing's Hall of Fame and later was inducted into Yachting's Hall of Fame.
Whatever Hobie touches turns from plastic to gold. Hobie Alter is no stranger to high tech or sophisticated production ideas and he jumped into the Surftech arena in 1999. The first two boards were a 9' 6" classic shaped by Hobie Alter and a 9' 2" performance longboard shaped by Mark Johnson. Hobie is extending their Surftech line to include four new designs for 2003 to complement the existing line. We are excited to offer an 8' 6" Peter Pan Slug, a 9' 0" Pro surf Design, a 9' 6" Peter Pan Slug and a 9' 8" Henry Ford Model. The Hobie line has 6 distinct and original designs and truly offers something for every level of surfer, from the touring pro to the weekend warrior.
" When I shaped my 9'6" Surftech model in 1999, I tried to take what I had learned in the 60"s and combine it with modern day improvements in surfboard design. The board became the 9-6 Hobie Alter Model, it is a beautiful combination of design and technology, resulting in a fine surfboard. Hand-shaped polyester surfboards will always have their place in the custom surfboard market, we will continue to build polyester surfboards as well as work with Surftech to fulfill each surfer's individual desires."
  • 9'6" Alter Series 2 9'6" Alter Series 2
    N : 17 7/8
    M : 23
    T : 14
    Th : 2 7/8
    Fins
    Centre : N/A
    Side : N/A
    Board Review

    A classic shape with 50/50 rails, rolled vee bottom and smooth rocker flow will give you a taste of that classic 60's glide. More info