About APBY Catboats

Our Mission: Arey's Pond Boat Yard is dedicated to building beautifully crafted vessels in keeping with Cape Cod's proud heritage of fine boatbuilding. We are also committed to being a small, neighborhood boat yard that meets the needs of the local sailing community. It is our goal to deliver first class service to our customers while providing a supportive, rewarding work environment for our enployees.

How To Get Here: Take Route 6 [Mid-Cape Highway] to Exit 12, and turn right off the exit ramp onto Route 6A. At the first set of lights, turn right onto Eldredge Parkway. Take another right at the first set of lights onto Route 28. Take Route 28 for approximately two miles, and turn left onto Arey's Lane. When the road turns to dirt, you will see the boat yard.

The Story Of Our Catboats: Arey's Pond Cats are descended from traditional wooden catboats originally launched on Narragansett Bay two hundred years ago. True natives of Cape Cod, catboats have been sailed, worked hard, and well loved by fishermen and recreational sailors alike ever since the first one headed up into the wind and someone exclaimed, "She comes about quick as a cat!"
Catboats were initially designed as stable, large capacity workboats that handled easily and sailed well in both strong and light winds. Today, thanks to their distinctive and pleasing looks, seakindliness, and forgiving ways, they continue to enjoy a fiercely dedicated following of enthusiasts and new converts are constantly joining their forces.

In 1971, Arey's Pond Boat Yard developed a mold similar in shape to the hull of the classic wooden catboat, but with alterations to the sheer, bow, stem, and gaff rig. In addition, the yard created new layouts for the deck and cockpit. The result was a catboat whose low center of effort helps keep it flat on the water while making it swift to respond and easy to handle. It also combines the unbeatable beauty of a varnished wooden mast, boom, and trim with the minimal care requirements of a fiberglass hull. If you admire a traditional look but would rather not undertake the maintenance of a wooden hull, the Arey's Pond Cat is an excellent alternative.

The first Arey's Pond Cat was launched in 1972. Since then, the yard and Tony Davis, owner since 1990, have made many small but important modifications to the original mold, ensuring that Arey's Pond Cats will continue to provide wonderful sailing well into the twenty first century~ As the new millennium dawned, 198 14-footers and numerous smaller and larger sisters were doing just that.

Arey's Pond craftsmen build each vessel to the highest standards of small boat construction. The 12, 14, and 16 footers have fiberglass hulls. Prior to filling, the mold is cleaned and waxed. The gelcoat for the topsides of the color you choose is sprayed into the mold. Fiberglass cloth is then hand laid with vinylester resin to create a very stiff and strong hull. The hull, deck, seats, coaming, and centerboard are all molded from fiberglass, while the remaining parts of the boat are fashioned from carefully selected woods.

The trim is teak, and bronze hardware is bedded and backed up with extra strength padding. The spars are varnished spruce, and the sail is easily managed, lightweight Dacron fabricated by Thurston Sails of Bristol, Rhode Island, and Norm Cressey of Doyle Sailmakers, both of them acknowledged leaders in catboat sailmaking.

The 20 foot Cruising Cat and 20 foot Pleasant Bay Launch are built of wood, strip planked with southern cedar and then sheathed in epoxy and cloth.

We take pride in every one of our boats. As a small, custom facility, we build only about twelve boat a year, meaning we can give yours our personal attention from start to finish. It would be our pleasure to build an Arey's Pond Catboat for you.