Either would be OK for the
Caribbean. What it may come down to is comfort on the
water at
anchor more than anything else, so, that is how nice are the sleeping arrangements, bathrooms and
galley. Outboards deliver very low amps for
battery charging, so if there is no
generator or decent
solar array then I would opt for the
diesel boat. Larger
water tanks would be preferable unless you have a
water maker.
Then there is
refrigeration systems to be powered as well. It is possible to get by without these little luxuries but not for me or my better half. Yes outboards are easy to
service and
parts for them in the islands may be easier to come by, presuming they are Yamahas. Outboards will struggle to push you against any bad
weather as they can cavitate in short sharp waves and whilst they may be the lower geared ones they just don't have the grunt of a
diesel. On the other hand you have the diesels inside the
cabin area and so odors can creep in unless well sealed and can be most unpleasant. Also lifting bedding etc to get at them is tedious. Outboards however use gasoline and to store that in large quantities is a
safety issue that needs addressing more so than diesel. There are other posts on this forum debating the merits of
outboard vs diesel.
We owned a similar style
boat to the PDQ for over 10 years and it was a great weekender or for say a month at a time. We also chartered a
Fountaine Pajot Tobago 35 and whilst similar in size the FP was a more comfortable boat albeit a bit slower and did not point as well.
I would get them surveyed and possibly invest in a non invasive moisture meter to run over the boats. Noted in a previous post is the fore stay attachment area, Other areas that get
rot are around hatches and windows, anywhere that fittings are attached and sealed with silicone such as
winch bases, stanchions, chain plates etc.The
Tobago had soft patches in the fibreglass
deck which seemed to have de-laminated from the core.
Any way the view of the sunset will be the same from either - so good luck.