Those last two posts are so on point. Hobie wishes to control it all. They wish to dictate and control, giving them the edge when a replacement is needed. Its good for business but not so good for the sport. It should make no difference where replacement parts come from as long as they are approximate duplicates of the original. If Whirlwind builds me a standard sail whats the difference between it and a Hobie made sail, except for the cost? In fact Whirlwind is run by the same person who used to work in the Hobie loft. I just don't get it!
And god forbid the Hobie factory people ever admit they might have made a mistake, their **** doesn't stink and they walk on water!