Wayne Kong Yuk-shan, a branch officer at an Aeon office in the Central business district, says some 100 people, a number of them male, queued every day to apply for the pastel-pink card - and choose their free gift from a selection of Hello Kitty appliances. (These days, the giveaways are Kitty cup noodles and a cushion.) "Hong Kong people are very influenced by Japanese culture, so they like Kitty, " says Kong.
Once the fiberglass hull arrives in the Foley, Alabama, shop, Caribiana's craftsmen customize the details: cushion fabrics, engine type, rails, ropes, fishing-rod and cup holders, picnic tables, Bimini tops, bronze hardware, and of course all the hand-finished teak you can handle in the floorboards, rub rail, steering pedestal, and helm seat.