The Yacht
Arcadia is a custom built 48' Aquila power catamaran. She has a beam of 23.5 feet and a draft of 3.5 feet. She is powered by twin 370 horsepower Volvo Penta turbo charged diesel engines. Custom modifications were made to Arcadia to give her the capability of carrying a 17.8 Hells'bay professional flats skiff across the stern. She also carry's a 13' AB Navigo hard bottom inflatable as a tender and two tandem, sit on top kayaks.
Arcadia has all the comforts of home with four private cabins, each with it's own private bathroom. The vessel has central air and heat throughout with thermostatic controls located in each cabin and in the main salon.
Each private cabin can accommodate two guests. The beds in each cabin can be configured as queen size or as twins depending on preference. Plenty of cabinet storage is available in each cabin for clothing and gear.
Hot and cold freshwater showers in each cabin allow plenty of room for bathing. Cabinets with ample lighting and mirrors are located over the vanity in each of the four private baths.
Arcadia has a full galley on the main deck which includes a two burner induction cook top, a Kenyon electric grill and griddle and a microwave oven. There is a freezer and two refrigerators in the galley area as well as an ice machine. A coffee maker, toaster and blender round out the galley equipment. The galley cabinets are well stocked with all the pots and pans needed to prepare an excellent meal and there is more than adequate tableware and utensils for cooking and serving for a full compliment of guests and crew.
In addition to the dinning area on the main deck there is a large dinning table and seating area on the bridge deck. The bridge deck is very popular with guests because it has a 360 degree view around the boat. It's an excellent area for watching the sunset while enjoying cocktails and a good meal at the end of a great day on the water.
Also located on the bridge deck is a Kenyon electric barbecue with food prep area and sink, perfect for cooking steaks, fish or burgers for lunch or dinner.
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With Arcadia's 48' length and ampel 23 1/2' beam there is no shortage of seating and lounging areas around the boat. The large sun pad on the forward bridge deck is very popular while underway and for those who prefer less sun the covered forward seating area on the main deck is very roomy and comfortable. Seats located at the rail on both the port and starboard bow are great areas for viewing sea life when cruising the shallow's and for enjoying the curious and playful dolphins that frequently join us while underway. They seem to really enjoy Arcadia and love to ride her bow wave, sometimes for a mile or two.
Custom modifications become most evident at Arcadia's stern where guests can enjoy an expansive swim platform that also doubles as a lift platform for hauling and transporting a Hell's Bay 17.8 Professional flats skiff. The Hell's bay boat company manufactures some of the finest technical poling skiffs on the market today. This skiff can be provided for guests interested in doing some quality light tackle or fly fishing on the pristine shallow water flats of Biscayne bay or any location we happen to be at, along with an experienced local fishing guide to operate the boat and put you on fish. Tarpon, Bonefish, Permit and a variety of other species are available year round. The custom hydraulic lift platform lowers to a submerged depth of 8 inches for deploying the skiff or for guests to use as swimming or lounging area. The platform has removable hardware that supports the skiff if it is requested for a trip. Once the support hardware is removed, custom teak wood panels fill the voids where the support hardware was, creating a smooth surface and making a large deck area that can be raised or lowered to any level based on preference.
The stern deck and platform make an excellent area for conversation, fishing or simply lounging both day and night. After dark, Arcadia's ten individual Lumitec LED underwater lights come on and illuminate the area around the stern of the boat. The lights can be adjusted to any color preference imaginable however we prefer to use white, green or blue based on water conditions because those colors tend to attract the most marine life. The Sea becomes a whole new world after dark and you never know what interesting creatures you may view swimming in the glow of the lights.
A Fusion sound system is located in the main salon with speakers located throughout the main deck and bridge deck. There are no speakers located in the cabins for the privacy of our guests.
Five ice chests are distributed evenly around the boat on the main and bridge deck keeping cold drinks close at hand. There is also a large 12 volt Frigid Rigid freezer chest on the bridge for storing extra ice, food or bait.
Arcadia has state of the art satellite, navigation and communication equipment including TV, telephone and internet for global communications and for when occasionally out of cellular range.
The helm has a Raymarine GPS plotter with Navionics cartography. A bottom machine/fishfinder using a dual frequency transducer for optimum performance in both shallow and deep water. There is also a separate depth sounder and AIS system. A Raymarine auto pilot and color radar are included in Arcadia's electronics suite making it a complete system for safely navigating to most any destination available.
The vessel meets or exceeds USCG safety requirements and in addition to the four watercraft she carries onboard there is a ten person Winslow life raft located on the bridge deck in the event of an extreme emergency.
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Aquila Boats innovative boat designs have won numerous awards. The 48 Aquila that is Arcadia is a solid and safe boat, capable of both inshore and offshore cruising and for making crossings to the Bahamas. The Aquila 48 is the flagship of the MarineMax charter fleet in the BVI and everyone of those Aquila 48's were sailed from Florida to Tortola for delivery. I'd say that qualifies the Aquila 48' as a seaworthy vessel.