Hobie Factory Tour

I recently had an opportunity to visit the Hobie Factory in Oceanside, Ca while I was in nearby San Diego for a family reunion.

I got a chance to meet the some of the nice people who design, engineer, manage, and build Hobie Mirage kayaks.

Here are some pics I took during my factory tour....

Pic 1:  Entrance to Hobie headquarters
Pic 2:  Colored polyethelene plastic pellets are loaded in the mold.
Pic 3:  The rotomold is heated and turned like a giant rotisserie.
Pic 4,5,& 6:  When it's done, it's cooled, removed from the mold and taken to the work area where hatches, fittings, and rudders are installed.
Pic 7 & 8:  Mirage drives are built in-house
Pic 8, 9, & 10:  Photos of complete drives, rudders, and hulls ready to come together.

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Cool report, thanks, Chuck.

What do they use those dry bags for, (I see some on the floor, and some on a hull)?

What is their rate of production, (how many yaks per day/week/whatever)?

                         

Nice tour  Thanks for the report and pictures ChuckE.

Cool pics Chuck. Thanks for posting. Awesome to be able to see something that we put our cash into made right here in the USA. It still does exist. Reminds me of the "Made in America" show. Very cool indeed.

Z

   
Thanks for news from the mothership

Cool report, thanks, Chuck.

What do they use those dry bags for, (I see some on the floor, and some on a hull)?

What is their rate of production, (how many yaks per day/week/whatever)?

Good questions.  I'll see if I can find out for you and report it here.

I love seeing how stuff is made.  I love kayaks.  That looks like a blast!

What do they use those dry bags for, (I see some on the floor, and some on a hull)?

I'll take a stab in the dark and guess. They look like they're filled w/ sand. It looks like the yaks come out of the roto molds and are put in fiberglass forms to cool. You can see what I'm guessing are weights in the Prangler in the 2nd photo. Could be something about keeping the hull from warping when it's still soft. 

Z

Never thought I would say this to anything but a woman but....NICE RACK!!!!!
Would be great to have a couple extra mirage drive units laying around.

how do you score a tour through Hobie's factory?  is this something you can just walk up to their office and have a tour?  thanks for sharing the pictures, it was very interesting!  (I have a Hobie Pro Angler and a Hobie Outback).

how do you score a tour through Hobie's factory?  is this something you can just walk up to their office and have a tour?  thanks for sharing the pictures, it was very interesting!  (I have a Hobie Pro Angler and a Hobie Outback).

I was lucky.  The guys there are busy as hell.  I'm sure it helped that Hobie is my sponsor and that I assist the regional rep with local shows and demo events.

Everyone that i know has Hobies. I'm still saving up for mine what model do you think is the best?

Hobie   yea!!!!!