Jill Nickerson and Robbie Daniel of Fun in the Sun, Clearwater, Florida, are now the North American distributors for AHPC of Australia. They just received their first container, which included eight Capricorn F-18's and two A-Class cats.
More information will be in the July-August issue of
Catamaran Sailor
magazine.
You can contact Jill at 727-734-0799 or funinthesun@juno.com
(And, yes, they will be advertising with us.)
Okay, I just got a full press release from Fun in the Sun, as follows:
Fun in the Sun will be the North American Distributor for the high speed line of Catamaran Sailboats that include the exciting Capricorn F18, the Boyer A-Cat and new Tool, the Taipan and Taipan F16. Boats will be stocked in the US and made available to individuals and dealers around North America without having to deal with importation complications and delays.
Although the A-Cat is well known and proven around the US, the Capricorn hit the shores running, finishing 1st and 2nd at the Summer Sizzler event in Daytona Beach on June 24th and 25th.
Robbie Daniel, one of the top US Olympic Tornado sailors, who finished first in Daytona said “This is the closest feel to the Olympic Tornado that I have felt. The boat is a rocket ship.”
Olli Jason, who finished second in Daytona said “he could not believe the difference in the Capricorn and his Tiger. The boat is so responsive and acts like a much lighter boat.”
Capricorn has also been kicking the dust up in Europe and finished 1st corrected at the amazing Round de Texel .
With 8 initial Capricorns hitting the US last week, there are only 4 left to be sold and a second container planned to ship shortly.
The boats are shipped complete and with lots of extras that most manufactures charge for such as rudder and dagger board covers. John Williams of Florida noted that the boat was so complete; it even came with grease in the bolt holes!
Jill Nickerson, of Fun in the Sun, said “dealerships are available in the US and Canada and we have aggressive summer pricing set up for dealers and individual with immediate delivery. For more information on the AHCP line of boats, contact Jill Nickerson at 727-734-0799 or funinthesun@juno.com or visit the AHPC web site www.ahpc.com.au
Obviously, this is a self-serving public relations message, but I know our forum users are sophisticated enough to recognize that. I just think it is good to have expansion and diversification within the F-18 fleets and A-Class fleets and maybe the F-16 class, as well.
Will they support the F16 crowd? There are a good ammount of Taipans around.
This will only make FL sailing even better! This is awesome news!!!
Yes, they will. See the F-16 forum, where I mention that specifically. I know it has been a problem for the Taipan owners in the past, not having a local contact for boats, parts, etc.
This probably is not inside knowledge, but had not heard anyone talking about it. Goodall told me that they will be premiering the Capricorn F16 late this year. I emailed him to ask him if I could post this quote in may, he never responded so I guess it is not a big deal. Here is what he said:
“The boat is scheduled for completion in December.
Performance: Faster than the Taipan F16. It will be an all round better boat.
Price: Less than the current Taipan F16.”
Well, in the past 5 years we have seen 4 different official importers for AHPC products in the USA and the F16 class tried to work with all of them. Experiences were far from stellar in any respect and that is as far as I allow myself to go.
This has always been a problem for us in the USA, some even arranged the import of their own boats. Finally we were succesful at establishing a local F16 builder and that solved our US problems.
Still, it is a real pitty that the US Taipan sales were noticeably hampered by these events of the past. The boat deserved alot better. Crews in awe about the capricorn rig should note that the little Taipan already featured this rig as far as 18 years ago ! It is therefor my deepest wish that Jill and Robbie do not overlook the 16 foot line in favour of the more flashy A-cats and now Capricorn F18's.
20 Blade F16's sold in the first year of local production says a thing or two about the potential in the 16 foot segment. With the right promotion it won't underdo for the A-cat and F18 sales.
Wouter
I say bring it on and hope them the best of luck. The more options for obtaining boats, parts, etc - the better off the sailors will be. Very well made boats....
Because I'm too lazy to look on the F16 forum, I ask here... Does the Blade share the same wingmast shape that the Taipan and Cap F16 do?
Yes Jay, I believe the Blade uses the the exact same mast as the Taipan 4.9. The 4.9 was built just a couple inches narrower, long before there was an F16 rule, so I expect they will optimize the 4.9 hulls with the F16 measurements, and the update the sail plan with a self tacking jib, etc. OR, are they going to build completely new hulls, shaped like the Capricorn's? <img src=
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based on a scaled down version of the F18 Cap
That is a yes.
Wouter
The mods to the Taipan 4.9 result in the Taipan F16 of which a few were sold to Europe.
The Capricorn F16 will be a complete new design. All the way from the bottom up, although I'm sure that the best points of the Taipan will find their way into the Cap F16 anyway. The mast section is one of these.
Wouter
Wouter, I don't think they have any bias against the F16 market. They are basically looking to fill a container at a time and if there is any kind of expressed interest they will bring F16s along with the Caps and A cats.
I am really impressed with how AHPC has accommodated all our little special requests with the first shipment and the thought that goes into every detail with the boats I've seen. Because of that I think it will make it easier for Jill to provide better service to her customers.
I think she is also looking to setup a few dealerships across the country to help localize some of the support.
I am very happy with our new baby (Capricorn). It is just a joy to sail. For me it's the next best thing to sailing a Tornado.
Olli Jason