Why PDQ?

[cruisingbluewater]

Hello, I am a new member to the PDQ forum and looking forward to everyone's comments. My wife and I recently sold our 43' Voyage Norseman sailing catamaran after 6 years of cruising Southern Cal, the Baja and the Sea of Cortez and points south. We decided to change our cruising grounds to either the Pacific NW or doing the great loop or both.

We have been looking a power cats, the usual suspects, Endeavour, PDQ, Maryland, etc. For us it seems it has come down to either the Endeavour or PDQ.

I would appreciate your candid comments regarding the PDQ 34 and why this over an Endeavour 36 if you have experience with both or know friends who have other power cats.

Has anyone ever trucked their mv/34 across the country?

Looking forward to the conversation and hope you don't get bothered by all my questions. I have always been a sailor and now coming over to the dark side.

Thanks so much

Capt. Stuart Kaplan
boatless in Arizona

[SecondWind]

One word: Quality

[duetto]

hi,

we faced the exact same decision 6 years ago. we found a 2003 pdq 34 and a 2003 endvr 36. same engine hours, same price, same condition. we chose the pdq for the following reasons: 1) i got off the endvr and told my wife, " i guess i can learn to love it, but boy is it butt ugly ". 2) we wanted to go 12+ knots and get good fuel economy 3) we were going to cruise the bahamas and florida and wanted a flybridge 4) we liked the more open "floor plan". by choosing the pdq we gave up the bigger galley. after 25,000 miles of cruising the east coast icw and the bahamas, living on the boat 7 months a year, we're glad we made the choice that we did.

[tex]

Capt. Stu: We am also boatless in the moment, but will soon return to Miami where we hope to continue our cruising life. I have been a faithful reader of the PDQ forum, but new to posting. Regarding the comparison between the FP Maryland 37, Endeavour 36, and PDQ 34, the value of these boats are different with the usage. If you like the sailboat feel, perhaps the design of the Endeavour would appeal to you, especially since it is fundamentally a sailboat design. It's got gobs of room, a big head, three staterooms, and wider "less economical" hulls. Twin 125s push it to 15-16 knots, but the bridge deck is pretty low, so it can sneeze a bit, especially when full of fuel and loaded to cruise. The engine compartments offer a bit more ease of maintenance, in my opinion. It is a single helm boat, and the feeling is a lot like sail. I have been aboard several. Big helm and cockpit area is light and breezy when open. Low clearance is great for sneaking under draw bridges. I think having a center-line berth over the bow tunnel is a good idea for anyone who would like to nap while underway (no engine beneath). The Galley down is a bit more spacey with the hull width. Deck access is great, visibility is superb. There's no forum that I know of, but Endeavour and Owner Bob Vincent are nice people, supportive too. Following pricing on the 36, one can see it is a less expensive boat. I found fit and finish to be good. A good deal on one is probably a good deal.

The Fontaine Pajot Maryland 37 is about the same in economy as the Endeavour, and while it claims to be a blue water boat, the people I know that have one tell me that it is not confidence-producing in rough conditions, and having chartered one in the Caribbean, I'd have to agree with that. It also may be a bit easier to move around in when in the hulls, but the berths are smaller. The Charter versions can have a head and berth in each hull, which is nice for privacy and frequent guests aboard. The huge area given to the lower helm is bewildering to me, as are many of the French designed style accents (like the round sinks). Cabinet space and storage is not in the class of either Endeavour or PDQ. The winding stairs up to a really good fly-bridge is, in my opinion, the best feature of the boat. Good deck and decent engine access. A very nice boat, but the asking prices look high to me. Maybe it was just the Charter boats, but I saw some pretty roughly finished glass in the maintenance areas, making me question quality. It's more stylish, as the French Boats usually are, but that style also makes them more sensitive to style breaks like fly-bridge canvas, enclosures, etc..

Dick Tuschick was kind enough to allow me a sleep-over and sea-trial of his own 34 PDQ a year or so ago. My stiff old frame had a bit of trial with the hull steps, but nothing that one doesn't get used to with practice. Both berths are "real" queens, and the placement of the hatches and ports helped lighten the area quite a bit. One's comfort is a matter of selecting the best market regular queen for you. The economy from the leaner hulls and lesser HP speaks for itself. There is still good space in the head and excellent separate shower, and there are storage cubbies and hatches everywhere. The feel of the boat was that it took a lot less to push it, and it does. Vibes and noise were about the same as the others, but the new 4 blade props have reportedly cut quite a bit off that too. The position and comfort of the inner Helm is well designed for the kind of weather that would drive you inside. Access is terrific anywhere above the hulls, and only a bit tight while in them. The fly-bridge, especially on later models is great for a boat this size, and makes it a really versatile climate boat. Bridge deck is high enough to avoid a lot of sneezing, and guys like Sno Dog don't seem to be afraid to climb big waves in it, although the boat is light, and its good to remember that when going "outside". It's likely that in big water, you'd break yourself before breaking the boat. Like the Endeavour, engine access is under the berths, and you can read about the hard to access items right here on the forum, but the installations were well planned. Fit and finish seems higher. My opinion is that based on performance, quality, versatility, resale and owner support, its the best risk-investment available in a Power-cats here in the US right now. If there were a better one, I probably wouldn't be a member of this forum. I am not an expert, but I'm also not an owner (yet), so I thought you might want the opinion of someone who has studied the boats, but doesn't have to convince you that he made the right choice in buying one. My two cents. Good luck with your search.

[Tanah-Keeta]

Hi Stuart,
My wife and I were sailors for 35 years. Our last sailboat was a PDQ 36. We were impressed with the quality and fit of that boat. We bought it new and the factory folks were great... Too bad that they are gone now. We finally got tired of pulling strings and missing bridges and decided to go to the dark side.

After my experience with a cat, I knew we wanted a powercat. It came down to Endeavor or PDQ. My wife wanted the Endeavor based on it's wonderful back porch.... the helm station and screened in area. This was similar to our 36 and it is nice. She also liked the interior room with the bed across the bow rather than in the back over the engines. Even she had to admit that it was not a pretty boat though and my concerns were with hull shape and efficiency. The Endeavor is a sailboat modified for power. The mast step is still in the deck mold. I have friends that have Endeavors and they cruise at 8-10 kts primarily due to fuel burn. They can go 15 or better but the fuel burn is greater. They do love their boats however.

My criteria was to cruise at 15 kts reasonably which turns out to be about 5-6 gal per hour total for both engines. Folks ask me why you want to go that fast... my answer is that I can!!! Its great to go 3 sailboat days in a day or outrun a storm, etc.

I have friends that are on this forum that encouraged us to give the PDQ a serious look. They live in Michigan and run from there to the Exumas yearly and back. Larry and Sharon on Lead Free Too are a great couple and are role models for anyone wanting to go cruising. Larry had polio as a child but still can control and maintain his 34 much better than I can. The wide decks and layout make it a great boat.

I'm sure by now you have figured out that I bought a PDQ. My wife loves the "piano bar" that she has claimed as her own. The 34 has great space for the cruising couple and occasional guests. It is very maneurverable (sp?) and handles weather well. I have had some rough crossings to the Bahamas...cats and dogs throwing up...but that was my poor judgement for going when I should have stayed. It does not like 4-8 ft confused seas.

If you decide to go with PDQ, I am sure you can great advice from the forum on all the levels of build..75 HP, 100 HP and 110 HP. The forum is another reason for buying a PDQ.

[Ross Bowling]

S-

I picked ours up at the factory in October 2007. Took her on her bottom to Fla. ad shipped her via Yacht path to Ensenada. I found that she was to wide to truck at 16' 10". I was hell bent on getting a Nordic Tug until I stepped aboard a PDQ at the Annapolis Power Boat Show in 2006. It was "game over" at that point. We cruise the San Francisco Bay and Delta with ease, cruising between 15-20 knots and burning 4.5 - 5 GPH. We have the 110's. We were in 8-10' rollers on Lake Ontario and the boat handled the seas far better than the Crew.

Good Luck, You can find Chronicle's of Henry Clew's trips on the "Sno Dog Log" and of our travels, including the Blogs of our trip down the East Coast to Florida at rossbowling.com

[cruisingbluewater]

Thank you all for your comments.

I would like to give a hi five to Duetto, as that was the name of our boat that we just sold...there must me some connection here.

Then reading Ross's comments, he did about the same as I did with our sail boat. We purchased it in Annapolis, the down the ditch to Ft. Lauderdale and Yachtpath to Ensenada.

As I get closer I am sure I will have many more questions.

Thanks again

Stuart