Though the first few were plywood, an early customer insisted his be built with fiberglass and the design was changed to the cheaper material, helping to spur the growth of sailboats for "the masses".
The new company took over manufacturing of the Shark 24 along with numerous other new designs including the very popular C&C 27.
George Hinterhoeller died of a heart attack in Niagara-on-the-Lake on March 18, 1999, at age 71.
The largest number of any one design is the Shark, of which there are more than 2500 vessels primarily in the Great Lakes region and in Europe.
[4] George Hinterhoeller was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws by Brock University or his contributions to "sailing, yacht construction and job creation" at the Spring Convocation on 4 June 1982.