Our Fleet
To ensure the comfort of our guests, CRAB has its own fleet of adapted watercraft.
Our Fleet
Our fleet is comprised of six Beneteau First 22A’s, a Gemini Freestyle 399 Power Catamaran and a Martin 16 with a “Sip & Puff” steering system.
CRAB’s Beneteau First 22A’s (A for Adaptive) have been custom modified for guests. The F22A is designed specifically for mobility-impaired sailors and features two chairs mounted directly in the cockpit. The boats also have a 691-pound swing keel, which makes them exceptionally stable.
The Gemini Freestyle 399 Power Catamaran provides opportunity for guests in wheelchairs (who do not want to leave their chairs) to go fishing or cruising on the bay. The adaptive catamaran can accommodate up to five wheelchair guests, plus family members or friends, the opportunity to learn powerboating skills and earn a Maryland Boating Certificate. Additional recreational activities planned for the future include crabbing and wakeboarding.
Beneteau 22As
Adapted Seating and Steering
CRAB’s Beneteau First 22A’s (A for Adaptive) have been custom modified for guests. The F22A is designed specifically for mobility-impaired sailors and features two chairs mounted directly in the cockpit. The boats also have a 691-pound swing keel, which makes them exceptionally stable.
Gemini Freestyle 399
The Gemini was adapted in 2023 to host up to five guests in wheelchairs and is the only boat in the CRAB fleet that is able to accommodate people who prefer not to leave their wheelchairs. To sail in one of CRAB’s six Beneteau 22A (A for Adaptive) sailboats, guests are required to leave their wheelchairs on the dock.
Martin 16
With Sip/Puff Steering
The Martin 16 allows children and adults with physical disabilities to go sailing with just their breath! Even people on respirators can sail the Martin 16 independently.
The Martin 16 is the perfect boat for sailing programs for people with physical disabilities. It is currently used in adapted sailing programs around the world for recreational sailing, learn-to-sail programs and racing.
Boarding Our Boats
Guests with paraplegia or limb difference are routinely able to sail and boat with CRAB. CRAB trained skippers and crew use several boarding methods and will work with you to determine what process is best.
CRAB’s 22A’s and its Martin 16 require sailors to leave their wheelchairs on the dock and use a transfer box or a Hoyer lift to board.
A transfer box is a metal box with a hinged extension that unfolds and can be positioned like a slide into the boat. There is a stainless steel handrail on the side to provide guests stability. A guest in a wheelchair can stop next to the transfer box and, with assistance, shift to the transfer box then gently slide into the boat next to the cockpit seat. After transferring to the seat, guests are secured by a four-point shoulder harness and belt. The process is reversed for disembarking.
A Hoyer hydraulic lift that is used to lift a guest from their wheelchair in a hammock-like sling may also be used. The sling is raised by a hydraulic pump and then the arm of the lift is swung over the boat’s cockpit seats and lowered to allow a person to safely and comfortably board the boat.
A newly acquired Gemini Freestyle 399 Power Catamaran that will be available for guests in wheelchairs (who do not want to leave their chairs) to go fishing or cruising on the Bay. Catamarans are widely used by boaters with disabilities and those who do not have a disability because of their stable platform. This stability will allow wheelchair users to roll across an access bridge from the dock and directly onto the boat.
All CRAB guests are provided assistance to board our fleet because boats can shift and move. Safety is CRAB’s number one priority.