Hobie Alter was born on October 31, 1933 in Ontario, California, USA. He was married to Susan. He died on March 29, 2014 in Palm Desert, California, USA.
In 1950, he made his own balsa surfboard in the family garage at Laguna Beach, and sold it. It was the beginning of a multimillion-dollar sports empire that his sons, Hobie and Jeff, still operate.
In 2011, he was one of the first inductees into the National Sailing Hall of Fame in Annapolis, Maryland.
He was a surfer, surfboard innovator, and inventor of the Hobie Cat catamaran. He also created the Hobie Hawk, a radio-controlled model plane; and the Float Cat, a small fishing platform that can be paddled or pedaled on the water.