The St. Johns River, the longest river in the state, originates in Brevard county southwest of Melbourne, then meanders north some 300 miles to meet the Atlantic Ocean at Jacksonville. Florida’s history has ebbed and flowed among its waters, making a home for the Timucua and Seminole tribes. It has been the subject of Harriet Beecher Stowe’s letter’s home, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings’ books and William Bartram’s journals. It is a natural resource and primary community bellwether of the First Coast. One could say that if downtown Jacksonville is the heart of metropolitan North Florida, the St. Johns River is the blood that keeps it beating.
It is the opinion of more than a few residents of the area that currently, however, the river is underutilized, and frankly, underappreciated.
Mark Green, owner of Wet Cat APB is looking to change that. Not only is he interested in making the river fun and approachable, he wants to make the river accessible for everyone, and not just the people that live on it.
“I was living in such close proximity to the St Johns River,” Green said. “I have a boat and have a lot of fun (on it) but I started looking at all the rental companies and it was a 400- or 500-dollar venture to get out on the water for a few hours.”
Wet Cat APB rents a variety of “adventure performance” boats for customers to explore and discover the beauty of the St. Johns River. In addition to providing affordable boat rentals, Wet Cat has a few exclusive rental options for a truly unique aquatic expedition.
Currently, the rental company offers the country’s only Aquanami Jet-Powered Kayak, featured in both single and two-seater designs, which go up to 30 mph.
“We have a rice creek that's about a mile north of us,” Green said. “You get out on it, go down there explore and you can see gators and manatees and all kinds of wildlife.”
The company also offers pontoon boats and CraigCat Outboard boats, which Green refers to as their “flagship” rental. “It's kind of a cross between a jet ski and an airboat with a 25 or 30 horse power motor on it,” Green said. “It’s very quick and goes up to 30 mph and when you hit a corner, it kind of slides across the water like an airboat so you can have a ton of fun with it.” Both rentals come priced affordably, with 1-hour rentals at $75 and up to four hours for $140. Green said, in fact, most of his customer aren’t tourists but locals looking to expand their fun on the St. Johns River.
“I get people that pull up on one of their boats and hop on one of my CraigCats because it's such a unique experience,” he said.
Wet Cat APB is now located at the Crystal Cove Riverfront Resort in Palatka. For more information visit www.wetcatboats.com.
