Aquarius Sail Owners

Thought I would introduce myself. I have been speaking with Tom Haberman and just put a deposit on an ARC 17. I was pretty much between Nacra, Hobie and ARC. In the end what sold me on the ARC was the excellent communication from Tom as well as the build quality.

This is my first sailboat but I have been involved in kayak and surf ski for some time. I was impressed with the fact that Aquarius uses epoxy resin as opposed to vinyl ester. Also like the fact that they do NOT use rivets. Not to mention self tacking jib. As a new sailor I believe simpler is better. No need (IMO) to have more lines on the trampoline. I will have plenty to deal with aside from jib lines (sheets?).

As the ARC is not mass produced I would hope this means more attention to detail and better customer service.

It looks like I will not be getting my 17 until after the summer but that is fine. Sure I could have picked up a Hobie or Nacra this week but in the end I think I made the right choice.

Oh yes, Tom, as I mentioned if for some reason an order on a 17 is cancelled i'll be happy to take that boat. Let's see that is the 5th time I made that offer.

Of course now I cannot sleep thinking about trailers, galvanized vs aluminum . Also mulling over various accessories like covers, "Cat Trax' etc.

Most of my sailing will be on a couple of large lakes in Central Florida so I do have an extended season, almost year round save a couple of cold months. I plan on an occasional beach launch near St. Augustine.

So that pretty much sums up where I am at. if anybody has opinions or suggestions about trailers, sailboxes or other items feel free to let me know your thoughts.

Jay K.

Welcome to the club! I think you made a wide choice too! I've had a NACRA 500 and an older SC17 and liked them both. If I were to buy new I would go with the same choice you did.

If you're buying a brand new boat I would think covers would be a no brainer, a tramp cover at a minimum. I keep both of my cats covered. If you plan on doing any beach sailing cat trax are a must. You can get them from Aquarius I'm sure or you can get them from Florida SailCraft in Florida.

You have made a wise choice Jay K. !

The ARC17 may be simplest 'performance' beach cat available. Once you get a routine down for stepping the mast, you will be off the beach and sailing way sooner than the Nacra's (too much fine tuning required) or Hobies. As well as having a clean and simple trampoline to pilot from, the arches on your feet will thank you for investing in a rounded-hull beach cat that will allow you to trap-out all day long. And when conditions get snotty, they will still be on the beach while your Bill Roberts' cad-designed hulls will simply laugh over and through the chop.

I just bought another 2-pack Tarp at Sam's Club http://www.samsclub.com/sams/industrial ... navAction= to cover my ARC21. I zip-tie both together (effective 16x24) and Always keep her covered in our hot Texas sun. Did the same with both SC17's I previously owned. Best investment/insurance you can make to keep her looking good and lasting many many years. One tarp set lasts about 9-12 months.

And of course, a good set of Cat-Trax are a must!

Write or call if you have any questions.

Have Fun and be Safe!

franklin

Welcome! I made the trip here via my first sailboat, a Hobie 14 in 1978, then a Hobie 16 in 1981, then a SuperCat 17 in 1985. I bought the 14 having never even sailed...since then I have sailed all the Great Lakes, won a catamaran regatta, suffered humiliating defeats at cat regattas, and sailed the Atlantic Ocean twice (on a mono-hull..).

Take some time and read through this forum - I think everything you need to know (and lots you don't) is here. Read some now, come back in a few months and read it again, and read more on rainy days when you don't sail. You will never stop learning here at this forum.

Remember that your other best resource is Tom Haberman. I've known Tom since 1985 and he is an expert sailor and honest man - and I'm not sure we can say that about too many sailors!

You'll also learn from Bill Roberts, like I did when I posted a picture and story about triple trapezing, pyramid-style. It was my best online spanking yet.

Welcome again. Tom

Hello Jay,
If your in central fl, a great place to go is lake Monroe. It's a pretty good size lake with a nice ramp and plenty of room to set up, depending on what day of the week you go. The ramp is nice but I would still use a set of cat trax, they're so much easier, but maybe that's just my opinion.
Welcome, good luck, and above all, have fun.

John

DrJay....

Welcome to a very small corner of the beachcat sailing world. I started on the H14T and found my first SC15 sitting on the road side in North Carolina. We now have a good sized and very active pride of SC's now in the Mid Atlantic area. 3 SC15, 3 SC19 and one modified SC20. All of us are on here and post. As all the previous posts say you have made a wise choice and you will not be let down by any of the folks here. Tom, Matt and Bill are all good folks and quality of service unmatched. Enjoy the water and again....WELCOME !!!!