I am a corsair f28 cruiser doing coastal trips in the Sea of Cortez in Mexico. My wife and I do 2 week jaunts and enjoy the performance of our boat with shallow draft etc. We are going to sell out everything and want to buy a performance cat that we can live on. We do not mind giving up luxury for performance and like the idea of simple retractable lightweight gas engines. We however wonder why someone has not done circumnavigation. I see mention that the pdq 36 is not a blue water boat. people have sailed regularily on prout 32 etc. Is the boat too lightweight or just a stigma the boat has acquired due to liability issues? Corsair trimarans have been sailed on long range passages and I do not believe they are nearly as safe or sea kindly as a pdq 36. The alternative cats dont have the light air performance and many are condomarans. Should I just give up performance for a heavier bigger boat?
Carl Carlson
Phoenix AZ
pdq 36 seaworthiness
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carl carlson
- deckhand
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Sat Oct 13, 2007 8:09 pm
- Location: Sea of Cortez
Carl,
I think the two issues here are comfort and safety when planning such an adventure. Do you think you would be happy living aboard the boat (spacewise) for a 2 or 3 yr circumnavigation with all the spares, clothes, provisions, etc aboard?
I believe safety would be utmost in planning such an adventure. I think the 36 is a very seaworthy boat but one should be prepared for the worst (parachute sea anchor, drogues, storm sails, SSB radio, etc.) and hope for the best.
I think the 36 is capable of such an undertaking if well equipped and conservatively sailed. Perhaps some of the liveaboards could better comment on this
Chet White
Allezcat 36010
I think the two issues here are comfort and safety when planning such an adventure. Do you think you would be happy living aboard the boat (spacewise) for a 2 or 3 yr circumnavigation with all the spares, clothes, provisions, etc aboard?
I believe safety would be utmost in planning such an adventure. I think the 36 is a very seaworthy boat but one should be prepared for the worst (parachute sea anchor, drogues, storm sails, SSB radio, etc.) and hope for the best.
I think the 36 is capable of such an undertaking if well equipped and conservatively sailed. Perhaps some of the liveaboards could better comment on this
Chet White
Allezcat 36010
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Ed Ellis
- admiral
- Posts: 168
- Joined: Mon May 17, 2004 10:48 pm
- Location: Soldier Creek / Perdido Bay, AL
Carl,
Aside from the safety equipment noted in the previous reply, you should strongly consider a RO watermaker. The PDQ 36 has relatively generuous storage space, but the more weight you load onto a catamaran (e.g., jerry jugs of water), the slower it goes. The watermaker allows you to carry much less water at any one time.
The PDQ 36 has one large locker than runs the width of the cockpit, two large lockers in the bows, a coffin berth aft in the port hull, and two staterooms forward. Each of the staterooms contain a regular gueen size mattress. When cruising, my wife and I live in the starboard stateroom because it's nearest the head. We tend to load the port stateroom up with junk. You will be seriously tempted to put lots of provisions in the extra stateroom and bow lockers, but you should avoid putting too much weight there because it will overload the bows. The aft bunk room is also on the same side as the extra stateroom, so you will will be tempted to load that room up with provisions as well. Plus all of the storage cabinets for the galley are in the port hull. The net result, if you are not careful, is a seriously unbalanced boat, what with all the provisions on the port side because that's where much of the available space is.
BTW, with cats, it's best to put as much weaight as possible in the middle of the boat rather than bows and sterns.
Many cruisiers, including myself, tend to put far too many provisons on a boat rather than keeping a more limited supply and reprovising frequently at ports of call. The net result is that we tend to haul all that extra food all over the Carribean, and end up taking it home and giving it to Goodwill!
One more thought to consider... Unlike provisons which can be easily replaced, it's critical to take AMPLE spare parts for engines and other critical gear. Spare parts are typically HARD to find when cruising. Ample = weight -- LOTS of it because spare parts are mostly metal objects & tools. The best place to store these heavy objects is in the lockers under the couch in the main saloon so they will be in the middle of the boat.
Ed
Aside from the safety equipment noted in the previous reply, you should strongly consider a RO watermaker. The PDQ 36 has relatively generuous storage space, but the more weight you load onto a catamaran (e.g., jerry jugs of water), the slower it goes. The watermaker allows you to carry much less water at any one time.
The PDQ 36 has one large locker than runs the width of the cockpit, two large lockers in the bows, a coffin berth aft in the port hull, and two staterooms forward. Each of the staterooms contain a regular gueen size mattress. When cruising, my wife and I live in the starboard stateroom because it's nearest the head. We tend to load the port stateroom up with junk. You will be seriously tempted to put lots of provisions in the extra stateroom and bow lockers, but you should avoid putting too much weight there because it will overload the bows. The aft bunk room is also on the same side as the extra stateroom, so you will will be tempted to load that room up with provisions as well. Plus all of the storage cabinets for the galley are in the port hull. The net result, if you are not careful, is a seriously unbalanced boat, what with all the provisions on the port side because that's where much of the available space is.
BTW, with cats, it's best to put as much weaight as possible in the middle of the boat rather than bows and sterns.
Many cruisiers, including myself, tend to put far too many provisons on a boat rather than keeping a more limited supply and reprovising frequently at ports of call. The net result is that we tend to haul all that extra food all over the Carribean, and end up taking it home and giving it to Goodwill!
One more thought to consider... Unlike provisons which can be easily replaced, it's critical to take AMPLE spare parts for engines and other critical gear. Spare parts are typically HARD to find when cruising. Ample = weight -- LOTS of it because spare parts are mostly metal objects & tools. The best place to store these heavy objects is in the lockers under the couch in the main saloon so they will be in the middle of the boat.
Ed
Ed & Linda Ellis
Tranquility
Tranquility
pdq 36 seaworthiness
Carl,
I do not know of anyone who has circumnavigated in a 36 or a 32, but I do know of at least 2 PDQ44's that are on their way around. I'm not sure why people don't take them around, but I would stack my PDQ 36 (36041) against our old Prout Snow Goose any day of the week.
Everything about the 36 is light years ahead of our old Goose. The construction, the performance, the space and the sail handling are all much better on the PDQ.
We've had our 36 for 8 years now and in that time we've put 34,000 miles on her. Our longest passage to date was a 750 mile run from Eleuthera, Bahamas to the Chesapeake Bay. Even with less than stellar weather, I never felt in danger in our 36. This includes running down hill in 40 knots of wind under a scrap of head sail and 12 to 15 foot seas. I won't lie and say we enjoyed it, but the boat held up fine.
As for me, I have no desire to be at sea for 20 to 30 days at a time, so I guess we'll stick to the Carribean.
Hope this helps, contact me directly if you have any questions.
Regards,
Tom
I do not know of anyone who has circumnavigated in a 36 or a 32, but I do know of at least 2 PDQ44's that are on their way around. I'm not sure why people don't take them around, but I would stack my PDQ 36 (36041) against our old Prout Snow Goose any day of the week.
Everything about the 36 is light years ahead of our old Goose. The construction, the performance, the space and the sail handling are all much better on the PDQ.
We've had our 36 for 8 years now and in that time we've put 34,000 miles on her. Our longest passage to date was a 750 mile run from Eleuthera, Bahamas to the Chesapeake Bay. Even with less than stellar weather, I never felt in danger in our 36. This includes running down hill in 40 knots of wind under a scrap of head sail and 12 to 15 foot seas. I won't lie and say we enjoyed it, but the boat held up fine.
As for me, I have no desire to be at sea for 20 to 30 days at a time, so I guess we'll stick to the Carribean.
Hope this helps, contact me directly if you have any questions.
Regards,
Tom