New to the forum

[sailors3]

Being new to this forum I don't know what has been discussed but...my wife and I are considering purchasing a catamaran for living aboard and long term cruising (Bahamas, Caribbean) and are curious about the various makes etc. We have been to boat shows the last couple of years and are drawn to the Manta 42 and the PDQ Antares 42. Any owners out there? Any good things or bad to say? Any owners of other brands that can make a good argument for or against the above? We are not new to sailing but are new to catamarans and are trying to learn what we can. Any comments will be greatly appreciated.

[delmarrey]

Hi Sailors3,
Check out these sites below. This will get you into the mainstream of Cats.
I've read that the Mantas are solid but slow for Cats. Also the PDQ's have recieved good ratings as well as the Antares. But see for yourself....................

http://www.cruisincats.com/AboutCats.htm

http://www.hypermax.com/multihullsmag/

http://www.2hulls.com/

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[Steve Rust]

In my opinion while both of these are quality built boats they suffer from a problem common to many catamarns. They are too HEAVY. It depends on what your priorities are. Are you are more concerned with having 2 or 3 heads and 3 or 4 queensize beths, a huge bridedeck cabin, and taking it all along with you? Or do you value performance? These cats while very comfy will barely if at all be able to outsail a modern performance monohull. I am not knocking these boats, they make great cruisers but just don't expect sparkling performance from them especially in light air. If this is not a major concern then these boats or any of the other charter industry derivative cats would be a good choice. If you are coming from a monohull it will be like Dorothy stepping into Oz. Coming from the trimaran end of the spectrum the performance of these "charter cats" does not impress me but I do envy the space and creature comforts.
If you value performance check out the Atlantic series by Chris White, the Outreamer line built in France, or designs by the Australians like Tony Grainger, Ken Schionning, and Lock Crowther.
Reguardless of which way you go a few things you should look for are a high bridgedeck clearance (at least 24 iches) and clean lines in the tunnel. The hulls on some cats flare out just above the waterline in the tunnel. Aside from increasing interior space all it does is hurt performance and make the boat noisier underway and at anchor due to wave action.

[Harriet]

My husband and I just sold our PDQ 36 after living aboard for a year, and have a Manta 42 on order. We were very pleased with many aspects of our PDQ, but when we wanted to go larger, we didn't even consider the Antares. The freeboard on that boat is simply enormous, there is a lot of wasted space inside, and it basically reminds us of a model home that is more show than substance. Having said that, I am aware that there was an Antares in Hopetown last winter that won a number of local club races.
For the money, however, I would (and did) find Manta gave more substance for the buck. We also spent a lot of time in Annapolis this summer/fall, and our first hand look at the customer service and warranty work done by Manta and its agents at Chesapeake Catamaran Center is outstanding. Please feel free to contact me if you would like more information on Manta. I would also recommend that you charter the cats you are considering - living aboard for a week will tell you more than any boat show salesman can!