Hello,  I am new to this site and forum but having spent a couple of days
reading the archives; it is obvious there is a wealth of information and
advise which may help me in our pursuit for our retirement power catamaran.

My wife and I are looking for a catamaran which will safely and comfortably
cruise in PNW to Alaska, through the Panama Canal, ICW & Great Loop, Caribbean
and Bahamas as well as afford the opportunity to take us (via DockWise) to
Europe and the Med.

We are also contemplating a full time live aboard cruising life style so we
have been looking in the 40 to 45 range.... although I have not yet convinced
my wife of the full time option so we may be looking also down to a 34' cat if
we choose to also hold onto a land based dwelling.

The archives appear to be have somewhat more feedback on North American built
products?

We want a safe, reliable, well built product which has customer/warranty
support as well as retaining value when it comes time to sell (as there will
always be a time when we all sell!).  We also want to have decent fuel
consumption so we may be able to afford to cruise as much as we are planning!

We need a walk around (3 sided) queen in the master; there will only be the
two of us with occasional guests.  Good head/shower, nice galley and salon;
but most important dual helm stations, one inside and one on a flybridge.

We have researched the following products which have what we would appear to
offer some interest in meeting our requirements.

1. 45' Voyageur from Pacific Coast Boats:  I like the design and reported
   specs/performance but overall height and beam may cause some concerns and/or
   problems - price is at high end of our budget (lists at 650K plus options).

2. PDQ 41:  the new boat is interesting to say the least and has a great
   following, rave reviews on PDQ from customers as well as good resale value.
   Feedback from PDQ owners who are upgrading the to the 41 would be of
   interest.... priced in the 500K region and would appear to preliminarily (none
   afloat as of yet) meet our requirements.

3. Endeavor Cats:  have not stepped aboard one as of yet; not sure what size
   would meet our requirements.

4. Lagoon 44:  interesting layout, large master but built for warm weather
   cruising vs PNW and Alaska - that being more outdoor space than inside living.
   Wide beam....

5. Cumberland (FP) 44:  nice but expensive and not sure if it meets the total
   requirements.

Is the 40 to 45' size the right length or will a smaller boat meet criteria
for less initial cost as well as future operating, mooring and maintenance
costs.

I realize this is a lot of info.....  as this is my first kick at the forum I
hope this works.....

thank you

Craig & Jan Tomash
Kelowna, B.C., Canada

Craig,  sounds like you are in for a lot of fun.

A quick thought.  There has been some discussion on speed, efficiency, and cost and how they often aren't related to length.  A shorter boat may not be cheaper in the long run.  As an extreme example look at the Globetrotter
http://www.tennantdesign.co.nz/boatdesigns/129/Globetrotter.htm
which has the interior of a 35-40 footer, but 50' hulls.  The long narrow hulls give great efficiency, but without the weight, huge engines, and voluminous interior their are many cost efficiencies.  Similarly, some of the planning cats aren't that efficient if you plan on cruising in the 10-20knot range, they are made to get someone 50-100 miles offshore quickly for fishing and back in the same day.

Just a thought,

Mark

Craig Tomash tomash@shaw.ca wrote: Hello,  I am new to this site and forum but having spent a couple of days
reading the archives; it is obvious there is a wealth of information and
advise which may help me in our pursuit for our retirement power catamaran.

My wife and I are looking for a catamaran which will safely and comfortably
cruise in PNW to Alaska, through the Panama Canal, ICW & Great Loop, Caribbean
and Bahamas as well as afford the opportunity to take us (via DockWise) to
Europe and the Med.

We are also contemplating a full time live aboard cruising life style so we
have been looking in the 40 to 45 range.... although I have not yet convinced
my wife of the full time option so we may be looking also down to a 34' cat if
we choose to also hold onto a land based dwelling.

The archives appear to be have somewhat more feedback on North American built
products?

We want a safe, reliable, well built product which has customer/warranty
support as well as retaining value when it comes time to sell (as there will
always be a time when we all sell!).  We also want to have decent fuel
consumption so we may be able to afford to cruise as much as we are planning!

We need a walk around (3 sided) queen in the master; there will only be the
two of us with occasional guests.  Good head/shower, nice galley and salon;
but most important dual helm stations, one inside and one on a flybridge.

We have researched the following products which have what we would appear to
offer some interest in meeting our requirements.

1. 45' Voyageur from Pacific Coast Boats:  I like the design and reported
   specs/performance but overall height and beam may cause some concerns and/or
   problems - price is at high end of our budget (lists at 650K plus options).

2. PDQ 41:  the new boat is interesting to say the least and has a great
   following, rave reviews on PDQ from customers as well as good resale value.
   Feedback from PDQ owners who are upgrading the to the 41 would be of
   interest.... priced in the 500K region and would appear to preliminarily (none
   afloat as of yet) meet our requirements.

3. Endeavor Cats:  have not stepped aboard one as of yet; not sure what size
   would meet our requirements.

4. Lagoon 44:  interesting layout, large master but built for warm weather
   cruising vs PNW and Alaska - that being more outdoor space than inside living.
   Wide beam....

5. Cumberland (FP) 44:  nice but expensive and not sure if it meets the total
   requirements.

Is the 40 to 45' size the right length or will a smaller boat meet criteria
for less initial cost as well as future operating, mooring and maintenance
costs.

I realize this is a lot of info.....  as this is my first kick at the forum I
hope this works.....

thank you

Craig & Jan Tomash
Kelowna, B.C., Canada

Power-Catamaran Mailing List

Thanks for the replies to date....  we are looking at a full displacement
catamaran which will provide us with a better cruising range and efficiency.

I have contacted a few of the Cat builders (ie. Zeta and MotorCat) inquiring
if they will are interested in or have designs for a boat in the 35 to 45'
range.

The design we like so far, as mentioned is the 45' Voyageur which can be
seen at:

http://www.trawlercatmarine.com/islandhop43.html

the plans are for the 43' but the builder/designer have reconfigured her as
a 45'.

I have been speaking with Graham Pfister who is an excellent resource; a
very knowledgeable experienced sea Captain.

Also, the PDQ 41 can be seen at: http://www.pdqyachts.com/power/pdq41.htm

two different boats entirely.....  as you can tell we are still in research
mode.... looking for al the help we can.

regards

Craig