Certainly an interesting boat--and interesting alternative to the PDQ--and perhaps the Glacier Bay and World Cats in this size. I suspect that the boats are very light--to allow the total of 120 hp to push them at 17 knots..and as weight is added (which happens to most cruising boats) that the performace may suffer. Consider that the comperable Glacier Bay and World cats use 250 to 300 hp outboards (and they are heavier) and can cruise at higher speeds.. If my calculations are correct--the 500 liters of fuel, is 132 gallons, and 1.5 liters per mile (0.4 gallons per mile), works out to about 1.5 miles a gallon. (PDQ claims 2.5 to 2.9 miles a gallon at cruising speeds of about 14 knots.) If the 1.5 miles a gallon is correct, the Coastal Cat 34 only has an extreme range of 200 miles--and safe range of a bit less. Considering this, I dont' see that the relitatively low alternator output of outboards is a problem. I did notice that the windows are tinted (presumably to keep the "green house" effect of the large slanted windshield and windows from heating the boat up.) I tinted the windows on one pilot house boat--but never again. The loss of night vision is not acceptable. Even with tinted windows, if this boat were to be used in many parts of the US, it would require substantial air conditioning--thus a generator, and the lack of outboard 12 volt power output then becomes moot. In the article on the 29 foot Prower delivary, there was an instance in 1 meter chop where the outboards were cavitating, and weight had to be shifted aft to "correct" this (putting the outboards deeper). In a displacement vessel, it might pay to use longer shaft engines: they can be either tilted up, or a jack plate used for shallow running if necessary. I am not sure that one can claim that the high speed diesels have a greater longivity than the newer 4 stroke outboards. There are documented cases of 4,000 to over 8,000 hours in commercial (charter boats/Coast Guard) operation from the 4 strokes. Many of the lighter high speed diesels are requiring repairs at less than this. In either case, the engines can easily outlast the length of time the average duration of ownership. I personally feel that in smaller light boats the outboard wins--but the 34 is getting close to the limit of size. (8,400 lbs drt weight [may not include engines] for the Coastal Cat vs 15,000 lbs for the PDQ 34.) Thank you for bringing this to our attention...it is a boat I might consider if I was looking at an "in the water" boat that size. 16 foot beam can occasionally be a problem (increased costs, as well as space) in finding slipage. Bob Austin