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Lundy · 29-08-2007, 10:13

This is probubly going to be a stupid post however I will post it anyway.

I do not know much about the quality of the different Cat company brands and how they relate to each other but am trying to learn and am wondering what other's think of each one in a comparison I know a little about.

What I am wondering is if you could related the cat brands to car brands. Confusing I know so I will give some examples and remember these are just examples. Since I don't know too much about the cat company's yet the examples may not be even close to true. That is why I need your help.

Broadblue is like Honda. Very dependable and little maintenence

Manta is like Toyota. Very dependable with little maintence, however plain on the inside

Lagoon is like General motors. Dependable, very comfortable inside
however more frequent maintence needed

PDQ is like BMW. Well put together, very comfortable however more
expensive

??? is like Hyundai. Cheap and will get you from point A to point B in calm
weather however will not last the long run.

Gunboat is like Porche. Expensive and very fast.

Once again, if this post makes no sense to anyone. I'm sorry and feel free to skip over it however I am just trying to get a better understanding of the Catamaran Companys out there. I know everyone's opinions vary however I thought that there would still be a basic staple each company is known for.

Jeannius · 29-08-2007, 13:12

Privilege... Jaguar, Mercedes (high quality, comfortable, quicker than you might think)

jdoe71 · 29-08-2007, 13:44

<< ??? is like Hyundai. Cheap and will get you from point A to point B in calm weather however will not last the long run.>>

Them's fightin' words!
Just kidding. Might have been true 20 years ago, but not now. I have one and it's been the most reliable car I've ever owned (touching wood as I say that) in 40 years of owning cars. Not fancy, but very good, reliable and cheap transportation, gets me everywhere in all weather from hottest summer days to blizzards. I also see them by the droves in the Caribbean were they beat the crap out of them and they just keep on going.
So what cat matches reliable, cheap, kinda plain but really good value?

ireaney · 29-08-2007, 13:51

Outremer - like Lotus - fast, great handling, pedigree, distinct style and mid range pricing, a bit basic but well fitted out

libellula · 30-08-2007, 12:42

any confirmation on the comparisons of broadblue, manta and pdq for offshore work

philip van praag · 31-08-2007, 06:32

when we bought our Privilege it was described by the agent as the bently of the cat world 2 years later i still agree.
i would place the broadblue as a ford (this is a uk point of view)

libellula · 31-08-2007, 07:36

I am looking forward to seeing a Priviledge at Annapolis. Even the Broadblue US distributor had good things to say about the Priviledge. My wife and I are considering a catamaran for our circumnavigation. Any thoughts with reards to that?

Tropic Cat · 02-09-2007, 05:36

Catamaran circumnavigations aren't unusual these days. If you wander through some of the multihull threads on here you'll find posts from folks who have recently completed circumnavigations.

Mustang Sally · 02-09-2007, 05:40

You guys are kidding, right?

Harriet · 02-09-2007, 06:51

There are at least a half dozen Mantas in the Caribbean right now, all of which started out in the U.S. I've yet to see any Broadblues or PDQs, although I am sure they are quite capable of making the trip.

libellula · 02-09-2007, 10:40

Mustang,
We are talking about a full fledge circumnavigation and would like to hear your opinion of that.

Intentional Drifter · 02-09-2007, 13:06

The prevailing lore is that Prouts have completed more circumnavigations than any other catamaran. I don't know the source for that bit of lore -- probably just the fact that the brand has been around for a long time and they built many boats. However, one detailed log of a circumnav on a Prout 45 can be found at: New Home

I've emailed back and forth with Joe Dorr, the owner, about his impressions of the Prout for such a purpose. He said he had no regrets about his choice of boat and if he were to do it again, he'd go with a Prout 45/46, again. While the Prouts have a reputation for being rather slow boats (though strong and seakindly), if you look through his logs you will see a fair number of 200+ nm days. If that is "slow", I'll take it and be glad I don't know what is meant by "fast"! (Being a rather chicken sailor.)

Along similar lines, Charles Kantner has been quite complimentary of the big 50' Quasar as being an excellent bluewater cruiser. It has some downsides, particularly when put up against some of the "modern" boats, but if you're looking for something to do the trip and maybe you want to watch your money, there are several Quasars out there for relatively cheap.

ID

Tropic Cat · 03-09-2007, 03:59

Hmmm.... good point. The only man that I know who has circumnavigated in a catamaran did it in a Prout. He lives in the same town as me and is beginning to get the itch again.