XFC 14

The Extra Fast Cat. Modern performance racing meets traditional elegance.

Arey’s Pond will be introducing a new version of the APBY 14 design in 2021. Our prototype has been sailing this summer in many races and day sails. We are tweaking the design to find the right balance for a fun family boat and a performance racing boat to continue the long tradition of Arey’s Pond catboat sailing.

In 1973, under the second owners of the yard, the manager at the time, Merv Hammet, molded a wooden hull based on a 14′ Edson Schock design called Hortense. Instead of making her a Marconi rig as Edson had done, Merv designed her with a roomy cockpit and gaff rig. In 1984, the original version of the AP 14 was re-designed and changes were made to the combination hull/deck mold. In 1995, it was decided by the third owner of Arey’s Pond Boat Yard, Tony Davis, that the 1984 mold was due for a redesign. The goal was to give the boat a sleeker look and faster feel, especially in light air. The transom was lifted to reduce drag and the forward waterline was hollowed for better windward performance.

In 2019, one of the AP Cat owners who was enjoying the weekend racing programs in Pleasant Bay in his AP Racing 14, approached Tony to ask him to design a new version of the AP 14′ Cat. What he wanted was the fastest 14′ cat ever designed using the traditional catboat formula of 2:1 beam to length, with a centerboard and gaff rig. Bill Nash and Tony Davis, the design team at Arey’s Pond, came up with this newest version of the AP Cat 14. She is proving to be very fast, stable, and will plane off at times while on a broad reach.

Design Features

• Molded coaming for a comfortable seat, easy maintenance, and shedding water.
• Newly-designed rudder for improved speed and reduced weather helm.
• Lowered centerboard trunk for easy moving from port to starboard for crew.
• Newly-designed two-part carbon mast for easier trailer-sailing.
• Flattened design entry allowing the hollow to be removed for drier boat to windward.