Hobie 14

Description

The Hobie 14 is the original beach catamaran that launched the entire multihull revolution when Hobie Alter introduced it in 1968 – still in production in 2025 and widely regarded as the most influential small sailboat of the 20th century. At 14 ft (4.27 m) LOA, 7 ft 8 in beam, and just 180–195 lbs. (depending on year), the Hobie 14 is built from rugged rotomolded polyethylene with a signature banana-shaped hull, fully battened 105 sq ft mainsail (later 115 sq ft Turbo) on an unstayed two-piece aluminum mast, kick-up rudder, and no jib or trapeze in the classic configuration. It rigs in minutes, launches off any beach, and is famous for flying a hull in 8 knots and hitting 20+ knots downwind with a single athletic sailor hiking hard on the trampoline. Over 50,000 have been built worldwide, making it the best-selling catamaran in history and the default training boat for generations of beach-cat racers who later moved up to the Hobie 16 or Formula 18s. Early boats (1968–1980) had the classic “teardrop” hulls and wooden tiller crossbar; post-1981 “Turbo” models added a small roller-furling jib (total 130 sq ft), aluminum crossbar, and slightly deeper hulls. The current 2025 model (“Hobie 14 LE”) includes modern mesh tramp, composite tiller, and optional jib kit.