Solaris vs PDQ

[snort]

What's available in my neck of the woods is a 36' Solaris Sunstar and a 32 PDQ. Both are between 10 and 20 years old. The hull shape looks similar on both designs, but bridgedeck clearance looks better on the PDQ. Is the Solaris a much more solidly constructed boat in comparison with the PDQ, or will both hold their own in potentially rough seas?

[henryv]

The quality of the PDQ boats is very high - they are solid, well designed boats. You can gets lots of info at www.pdq36.com

[Southern Star]

The Solaris Sunstar 36 was built to Lloyd's offshore specs from a design by Eric Lerouge (very similar to the Manta ) and should prove to be a capable offshore vessel. Although the bridgedeck clearance may be a bit less, the Lerouge 'shape' for the bridgedeck aids immensely in reducing the actual underbody impact. Having said that, you should obviously sail both and make your own determination.

One notable difference is that the Solaris has standing headroom in the saloon whereas the PDQ 32 requires one to open the large companionway sliding hatch for the same. I quite like the setup on the PDQ although I must say, I think it would be a bit of a nuisance for longer offshore passages/liveaboard purposes during inclement weather.

The Solaris will likely have inboard diesels as apposed to outboard motors, and you can make your own determination as to which you would prefer for a cruising cat.
One knock on the Solaris is the extensive use of glued on vinyl headliners/carpeting which will likely need to be replaced.

Which would I prefer for offshore sailing? All else being equal (condition, inventory etc.), I would prefer the Solaris over the PDQ 32. However, as a nearshore/Bahamas cruiser, the PDQ 32 would be an excellent choice.

Brad

[KatKokomo]

The PDQ is an excelent cruising cat for the Caribbean and Island hopping.
Check out www.justcatamarans.net and look at the listed PDQ 36. This is a great deal.

Peter
S/V Kokomo
Quasar 50

[gramos]

Originally Posted by snort

What's available in my neck of the woods is a 36' Solaris Sunstar and a 32 PDQ. Both are between 10 and 20 years old. The hull shape looks similar on both designs, but bridgedeck clearance looks better on the PDQ. Is the Solaris a much more solidly constructed boat in comparison with the PDQ, or will both hold their own in potentially rough seas?

look carefully at the bridgedeck clearance of the Solaris Sunrise , I have seen them actually IN the water !slap, slap , slap ... The Sunstar is much higher mine is 650mm. gramos

[Southern Star]

Gramos, you are absolutely correct - I was confusing the Lerouge designed Sunstar (your boat) with the Sunsrise. I would absolutely prefer the PDQ 32 to a Solaris Sunrise 36.

Brad