Hobie Alter wurde am 31 Oktober 1933 in Ontario, California, USA geboren. Er war mit Susan verheiratet. Er starb am 29 März 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.
