I’m discouraged that APS is no longer an outlet for sailboat hardware and rigging. They had a very knowledgeable staff and were a great resource for most things relating to sailboat racing. They were also one of the last bastions of supply for one design parts, especially smaller keelboat classes such as Etchells, J-24, J-80, and Sonars. Someone may eventually come along and fill the gaps in the supply chain, but how and when is TBD.
I will say that there’s no shortage of places to buy line and would encourage former APS customers to look at Defender, R&W Rope, Landfall Navigation, or heaven forbid, your local rigger to supply you with the ropes you need for your C&C. I think too many folks gravitate towards the “cheapest” option for buying cordage rather than the “best” option, all of which includes getting the right rope for the application rather than what’s on sale. And as Josh discovered, the “sale price” of 20% off doesn’t amount to much if the regular price is already 20-25% higher than the local sailboat rigger would sell it to you. I’ll miss making my annual pilgrimage to APS during the Annapolis Boat Show as I always enjoyed checking out the wide selection of cordage and hardware on hand at the store. I do think its cool that Fawcetts is stepping up to service the performance sailors in Nap Town. They’ve always been a high quality outlet for marine goods, but never much on servicing the racers in the past. Chuck Gilchrest S/V Half Magic 1983 35 Landfall Padanaram, MA From: CnC-List <cnc-list-boun...@cnc-list.com> On Behalf Of Josh Muckley via CnC-List Sent: Monday, September 16, 2019 2:48 PM To: C&C List <cnc-list@cnc-list.com> Cc: Josh Muckley <muckl...@gmail.com> Subject: Stus-List Sad day, APS no longer carrying rope or hardware! So I'm in the market for new jib sheets and my goto Annapolis Performance Sailing at APDLTD.COM <http://APDLTD.COM> keeps throwing 404 errors. I call them up a describe the problem hoping that they can simply make the order over the phone. The associate tells me that they no longer carry cordage of any type! She goes on to tell me that they also no longer sell ANY hardware and no longer perform rigging services! I ask, what do you carry? and she says, apparel/accessories only. I was completely dumbfounded since they had seemingly had such a large presence in the sailing community, both locally and on the internet. I expressed my disappointment and wished them luck with the new business model. Upon hanging up, I called Fawcett's which has a very limited internet presence but phenomenal staff and selection. Joe was extremely helpful, he ordered a spool of cordage just for me, and had the 100' I needed cut, whipped and shipped at a better price than that of West Marine Pro (which gave ~20% discount). The price comparison was close and I will have to wait 2 weeks for them to get the spool but I'm not in a big rush and keeping the local business is valuable to me. Josh Muckley S/V Sea Hawk 1989 C&C 37+ Solomons, MD
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