Where is hobie alter now

No longer did a boat owner need to belong to a yacht club or own a slip to enjoy the water, the boats could be launched from the beach.

He was businessman early in the surfwear apparel industry, investing in Ocean Pacific. He also dabbled in real estate and kept a stable of racehorses.

A profile on Huntington Beach-based Surfline. When Alter retired, he designed and built a foot catamaran that he regularly took on ocean adventures to Alaska. He spent his later years on Orcas Island off the coast of Washington in summer months and Palm Desert during winter. A true legend and always a really great person. Kris Carlow, marketing director for Hobie Surfboards, said there were plans this year to have guest speakers talk about the old days and gatherings so people could showcase their vintage boards from decades ago.

The company put out a few pieces to mark the milestone, including 70th anniversary limited-edition apparel and a remake of the Phil Edwards nose-rider board, a replica of a board ridden in the first professional surf contest in , put on by Boogie Board inventor Tom Morey in Ventura. Many shapers today use computer assistance to mold boards, but Larson still hand shapes like his predecessors, a fading art that is becoming lost as more boards are needed to keep up with demand.

That was the first thing we learned as surfers. By Laylan Connelly lconnelly scng. Show Caption. The Hobie Cat website says that in keeping with tradition, a mass "paddle out" will be held in Alter's honor, as surfers will take to the water near his family's old home in Laguna Beach. A date for that event has yet to be announced.

Copyright NPR. Search Query Show Search. Support KPBS. Watch Live. Show Search Search Query. Hobie died Saturday at his Palm Desert home after a lengthy battle with cancer.

He was The man who revolutionized surfing with a cheap, lightweight, easily maneuverable board might have stayed out of the limelight for most of his life, but the boards and catamarans he created did not.