brian

[brianmccartney]

Next May I will be looking to buy a used 34"-36" cat. For the first two years it will be summer NC. winter Bahamas. Following that I will move East as far as the Windwards/Leewards so an offshore cruiser should work. I will be living on the boat by myself and single handed most of the time so a well done owner's set up will probably be best below and with all lines and controls led back. All that said, what are the best cats to begin researching? So far the Prilivege, PDQ, and Gemini keep coming up. In the 34' options I'm not interested in the two outboard gas models. What am I missing?

[Khagan1227]

Welcome to the forum Brian.

I think you mean you are interested in 34' cats not 34" - 36". Not a multi-hull guy so I can't answer your question.

[brianmccartney]

yep, 34' to 36' would be better

[MattMcD]

Brian,
Just curious but why no outboards?

[brianmccartney]

I prefer diesel, but could be talked out of that. The Seawind is an attractive craft however with gas, few available on the east coast, seems pricy, it appears that other cats might be a better value. That's what I'm trying to get feedback on.

[Cheechako]

On a smaller cat like that a couple quality 4 stroke outboards could be pretty nice. They make some 8hp and a little larger high thrust versions (12" prop!), that are pretty nice with power tilt etc. Having said that, a diesel is hard to beat, especially if you need to power a big alternator etc. I would want two diesels rather than one of the wierd mid boat setups a few sold. You could consider a TPI built Lagoon 37 if you can go a little bigger than your 34. Great boats and dual diesels. OTOH, if you get a smaller boat and it needs engines, two new 4 stroke kickers wont cost and arm and a leg.... add a Honda 2000i and some solar panels and you are READY!

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by brianmccartney

I prefer diesel, but could be talked out of that. The Seawind is an attractive craft however with gas, few available on the east coast, seems pricy, it appears that other cats might be a better value. That's what I'm trying to get feedback on.

Know a couple of SeaWind owners and they really like them (also see forum posts -- lots of happy Seawind owners out there). Have discussed the outboard propulsion with them. Works fine for propulsion, sometimes minor cavitation issues in rough water. Lifting the OB's really reduces drag and helps performance under sail. The biggest downside is lack of charging capacity. Not many OB's out there which will accommodate big honking high output alternations often found on cruising boats.

Diesel is certainly a much safer fuel.