Cruising to lower Caribbean on power cat?

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Pete Weis
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Cruising to lower Caribbean on power cat?

Post by Pete Weis »

Seems like the one issue of the PDQ power cats vs the PDQ sail cats would be the vulnerability of the large windows as opposed to the much smaller ports when it comes to seaworthiness issues traveling to the lower caribbean.

On the other hand the much greater speed of the power cats allows for better usage of short weather windows.

What about the availability of good diesel fuel and diesel fuel prices in the lower Caribbean?

Has anyone on this board done the run south through the Bahamas to the Turks & Caicos to the northern coast of the DR and then across the Moana Straits?

Are there other issues with the seaworthiness of PDQ power cats as opposed to the PDQ sail cats?

Thanks,

Pete Weis
DickTuschick
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Re: Cruising to lower Caribbean on power cat?

Post by DickTuschick »

Hi Pete,
Since my wife and I have about 20,000 miles of cruising on a PDQ 34 I thought I would add my two cents worth......
First and most important the PDQ 34 was never designed to be an open ocean/ blue water cruising yacht. However, considering her small size and light displacement she does remarkably well. PDQ 34's have ventured throughout the Caribbean and as far south as Colombia in Central America.Taking any 34' vessel thru those areas is an adventure and if you really watch the weather it can be an enjoyable and comfortable experience. There is currently a PDQ 34 in Japan and one in Hawaii so they have seen a lot of different sea conditions. The PDQ 34 was designed to be a great Costal cruiser and has proved herself over and over again in that capacity. The reality is that the boat will take far more demanding sea conditions than the Captain and crew will enjoy, so it comes back to how comfortable/enjoyable a cruise do you want on any given day. With a cruising speed of 15 knts and a good calm weather forecast for eight hours you can put almost 120 miles under the keels with little risk of a "bad day". Having said that, we have crossed the gulf stream in 10'/12' quartering seas and had no issues and then been caught in the Chesapeake in 5' to 6' chop on the nose and had a horrible time getting to a safe port. Once again, it is only a 34' boat and some conditions will make her very uncomfortable. The range on the PDQ 34 at slow speeds is over 700 miles and at high speeds over 350 miles so island hopping is never an issue. Bottom line...the PDQ 34 is one of the best SMALL cruising yachts ever designed.
deising
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Re: Cruising to lower Caribbean on power cat?

Post by deising »

Dick, with far less experience on a PDQ 34 than you, I can still concur with your detailed reply.

I do question one thing, however. How do you figure a 700 mile range (I assume nautical miles) for slow speed operation? From the 4,000 plus mile cruise we just completed, I have a very close estimate of 4nm per gallon at 7.5-8 knots using both engines. Considering that perhaps 30 gals of fuel is not transferable from the forward tank due to the level of the fuel transfer pick-up piping, that would leave approximately 150 gallons of fuel usable for propulsion. That would indicate a 600 nm range with no reserve.

Do you have different estimates for fuel consumption or usable fuel?
Duane Ising
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Punta Gorda, FL
2006 PDQ MV 34 - hull 91, 75HP, 3-blade
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Root
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Re: Cruising to lower Caribbean on power cat?

Post by Root »

In the end, regardless of the vessel, it is the skill and seamanship of the skipper that makes for a safe passage. Using nautical miles per gallon as criteria for distance traveled is fool hardy. Always use gallons per hour consumed as a true and documentable measurable of fuel consumption rate. Sea state, wind, current, fog, weather in general and throttle management make a huge difference in whether one travels 2 miles or twenty in the same time interval. Ray
deising
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Re: Cruising to lower Caribbean on power cat?

Post by deising »

Ray, you are correct about mpg vs gph, BUT how does one ever know how many hours one will be underway? If conditions are favorable, perhaps it is a 10 hour passage. Into a nasty head sea, perhaps it is a 15 hour passage. Whether you work in mpg or gph, you as the Captain must always make the appropriate allowances.
Duane Ising
m/v Diva Di
Punta Gorda, FL
2006 PDQ MV 34 - hull 91, 75HP, 3-blade
DickTuschick
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Re: Cruising to lower Caribbean on power cat?

Post by DickTuschick »

Hi Duane,
To answer your question, I guess it is in the definition of "slow speed". Fuel consumption on the 100's drops drastically if you slow down just a little. My "slow speed" on Heron is about 6.5 knts. At that speed we burn about 1.35 gph or get about 4.7 mpg. I assume that there are about 150 gal of usable fuel in the boat and that gives us the 700 mile range. We have kept detail statistics over long periods and found some interesting statistics. There are two "sweet spots" of performance on the 34 with the 100hp engines ( I suspect a similar but lower curve with the 75's) As you analyze the increase in boat speed per 100 rpm you find a relative steady rise up to 6.7 knts, but then after that the incremental speed per 100 rpm drops off significantly until you hit about 11knts and then it jumps 30%. All of this is due to the hulls "squatting" until they finally get up into a more planing attitude. Starting at about 6.7 kits they squat more and more until they finally jump up at 11 knots. The actual performance that any one boat will deliver is very much related to how he boat is loaded in total but also where the weight is loaded. Experience has indicated that more weight forward can be quite beneficial. Following that logic we should try to carry as light a dinghy and motor as possible if we are concerned about performance.
Lastly, we often run at "slow speed" on one engine. We only do this in very calm weather/sea conditions but then we get a rage of 1100 miles, getting about 7.6 mpg.
Hope this helps anyone concerned about getting the most efficiency out of the boat.
Gusto
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Re: Cruising to lower Caribbean on power cat?

Post by Gusto »

Hi Dick,
You mentioned 2 sweet spots with one at 6.5 knots. At what speed/rpm do you find the 2nd sweet spot? Also at what rpm do you run on one engine?
Bob MacNeill
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Re: Cruising to lower Caribbean on power cat?

Post by rhumbline2 »

I refueled Rhumbline in Isla Mujeres, Mexico early June of 2013 after crossing the Gulf of Mexico from Key West a few days prior. The fuel tanks were completely full when I left Key West and it took 115 gallons of diesel to top them off in Mexico. A direct Rhumbline course from Key West to Isla Mujeres is 333 miles according to Captain Freya Rauscher's excellent cruising guide: To Belize and Mexico's Caribbean Coast. The trip took approximately 44 hours of running at 7.5 knots. The sea state was dead calm for about one third of the trip and then became squally and gray for the rest of the trip with seas on the beam mostly. I did not cruise a rhumbline course but instead followed Captain Rauscher's suggestion of powering on a more due easterly course along the outer Florida Keys and then heading to Isla Mujeres to avoid the main axis of the Gulf Stream Current.

I bought the boat with the intention of cruising her to Belize. I was shopping catamaran sailboats, but found I couldn't afford one with the accommodations and amenities I wanted. The prior owners of Rhumbline had cruised her to Belize and Guatemala and back to Florida, so it was easy for me to choose Rhumbline for my desired cruise. I do miss sailing though. My dream boat would have a sailing dingy to launch once I got settled in a lovely anchorage.

The boat stays in storage in Rio Dulce, Guatemala during the hurricane season and cruises Guatemala and Belize during the winter months. It is a great boat for the area. The 2.5 foot draft, fly bridge and fast cruise speed make her the envy of many of the cruisers down here.

For my piece of mind, I added two 38' x 27' x 7" aluminum auxiliary fuel tanks on the deck on each side of the cabin. They each hold 30 gallons. I have never needed the extra fuel, however, it's nice to know its there sometimes.

I agree with Dick and many of the others on this forum. The PDQ 34 Passage Maker is one of the best little cruising boats around.

James Mills
Rhumbline
MV-27 with 75hp motors and 3 blade props
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