From: "Lewis, Kevin" <KLewis@aamva.org> My wife Cynthia and I live in Mitchellville, MD (about 20 minutes South of Annapolis)and are preparing for retirement, hopefully in the next 5 to 7 years. We have been talking about the cruising lifestyle ever since we chartered a catamaran in the Grenadines 2 years ago. The two weeks we spent on the cat were wonderful, even if it did rain the entire second week. Fortunately, everyone on board got along very well with everyone else so the week of rain really didn't dampen (no pun intended) anyone's spirits. Well, ever since that vacation, we have been talking about buying a power cat and spending some retirement years simply cruising the Caribbean and perhaps even doing the Great Circle. We've attended the recent boat shows in Miami and Annapolis and looked at numerous power cat models (Fountain Pajot, Endeavour, Manta, PDQ, Afri-Cat, Prowler, Bear Cat, etc.)in an effort to determine what is available and what our budget will allow. We've just done some preliminary research but have developed an early list of requirements. We are not looking for a power cat that would be put into charter service so 4 or 5 cabins is definitely out. We are looking for a good size master cabin with a walk-around bunk and decent storage and 1 or maybe 2 other cabins for friends, 2 heads, a good-size and nicely equiped galley, water maker, generator, solar power, dive compressor, decent cruising range, washer/dryer, and a nice salon where one does not have to sit around the dining table all the time. We don't spend our time at home sitting around the kitchen table so why would we want to do that while cruising? The salon would definitely have a nice sofa and perhaps an easy chair to relax in while at anchor or in a marina. Of all the power cats we've looked at so far, the Endeavour 40 and 44 models seem to be our early favorites. They offer an island bed in the master cabin, good size heads, nice galley, and enough amenities and living space for us to be very comfortable. More importantly, the prices for the Endeavors are in the ball park as far as the budget is concerned. We've enjoyed reading all the posts in the archives and look forward to learning even more from the members here. Kevin Lewis --- Welcome aboard, Kevin, and best wishes for a happy conclusion to your search for the perfect boat for you and yours. It's out there, I'm sure. --Georgs -- Georgs Kolesnikovs Power Catamaran World http://www.powercatamaranworld.com