Soon to be looking for a Cat.

[Doghouse]

Well SWMBO has approved that we can start looking at a replacement boat. Not a new boat but a replacement.

One we looked a is a Maine Cat 30. Not bad, but don't know if I like the open cockpit.

We want to keep it reasonable, and are not looking to get in the 40' class.

What are good cats to look for, and what are ones to run away from?

I saw an ad for an Island Packet cat, but have never heard of them.

Any education you can give would be appreciated.

Tnx
John

[Intentional Drifter]

Nice cats in the 30 to 35 foot range (my opinion, of course):

PDQ
Catalac
Seawind
MaineCat
Gemini
Older Lagoon 35/37

I'd stay away from Wildcats/CharterCat (same company).

The Island Packet Cat was an unusual boat, not what I think of as a conventional cat, in the Polynesian paradigm. Regardless, I've heard good things from the folks who bought one, albeit that is a small group. Comfortable, well-built, but performing more like a slow monohull, with lots of bridgedeck slap/pounding.

ID

[Doghouse]

Thanks, you just saved me a 9 hour drive. I was thinking about driving up and looking at it. We are not yet ready to go for serious offshore runs for weeks at a time, but are trying to find a nice used cat for long weekends or a week away.

The hard part is finding them. Any suggestions on east coast / mid atlantic dealers?

[henryv]

I started with a similar short list but the final short list for me became the PDQ32 or PDQ36 based on quality, sailing ability, and layout. I ended up with the 32 and have never regretted my choice.

I did go on a test sail of the Tomcat 32 as well. It has some interesting features but we did not like it as well as the PDQs.

[Intentional Drifter]

I'm not sure I'm a good person to ask about dealers. I've dealt with/talked with, a number of them and haven't been impressed. Oh, a number are impressive, at first, but then seem to quickly disappoint.

Of course, even this statement is probably unfair. Companies and offices vary, and individual brokers within those offices vary, too. Probably the best thing would be to develop your own list of qualities you're looking for, both in a boat and a broker, and start interviewing different ones.

There's a fair number of brokerages that have offices on the E. Coast/Mid-Atlantic and specialize in cats. Catamarans.com, MultihullCompany.com are two. But, don't take this as a recommendation, just information.

ID

[Talbot]

Dont forget the smaller Prouts:

Quest 31 and 33
Event 34
Snowgoose 35 and 37

[sandy daugherty]

MaineCat 30 is a plus plus! The early hull numbers are still over $100,000, meaning they hold their value extremely well.
The Packet Cat was a mistake. It should be marketed as a motor sailor, because of its weight and low bridgedeck clearance. Since the center pod is almost always in the water, you might even call it a trimaran. That said, it is like all Island Packets built to last FOREVER. The quality of workmanship is superb, and the hardware is massive and first class.

At the opposite end of the spectrum is the Gemini range; the oldest boats sell for less than $50G, and were built to be the most boat you could put in the water for a given dollar amount. There have been reports of unfortunate construction.

I worked for a Catamaran dealer in Annapolis. I would not promise you would be very happy with any broker, but you might try using a buyer's rep. DO NOT use a surveyor "highly reccommended" by a seller!

Where would you place your ideal purchase on the following ranges:
under $50K, under $75K, under $100K, Under $150K, or over?
Highest performance to greatest accomodations?
Finest Quality to most waterline for the dollar?
Narrow beam for most marina slips to Have-to-go-somewhere-else-to-haul-out?

I saw 4 PDQ32's for sail at PDQ36, and even more 36's too.

[Lazy Cat]

No regrets on my choice FP Tobago. Very comfortable on my recent 3+ month trip.

[Therapy]

Originally Posted by sandy daugherty

I saw 4 PDQ32's for sail at PDQ36, and even more 36's too.

What is the head room?

[sandy daugherty]

I'm 5'11", and have standing headroom in the salon, and there could be 7' head room in the hulls, but not in the head. The berths are queen sized, but when made up into a bed the salon seats could be 8' wide. I'll have to go measure it. You're 6'6"?

[vegas]

Chartered a Maine Cat 30 out of Hopetown. Really liked the boat. For two people it was great for a few weeks at a time. I would like to see a bit more sailing performance. I think the boat would benefit from a 3 or 4 foot stern extention and a change to twin daggerboards. Would also prefer the table and wheel location to be switched for better visiability of the sails. It is still high on my list but I am still about a year away from having the time to use it.

[Therapy]

Originally Posted by sandy daugherty

I'm 5'11", and have standing headroom in the salon, and there could be 7' head room in the hulls, but not in the head. The berths are queen sized, but when made up into a bed the salon seats could be 8' wide. I'll have to go measure it. You're 6'6"?

6'4"
.................

[Doghouse]

Since many of you have used the maine cat, the thing that gets me concerned; is can you air condition the salon?

In the chesapeake bay it gets dang hot and sticky. I would like to be able to heat / air condition that area. it appears to be completely open, and only has plastic windows or screens?

Everyone, thanks for the tips. please keep them comming.

[Therapy]

Originally Posted by Doghouse

Since many of you have used the maine cat, the thing that gets me concerned; is can you air condition the salon?


.

I would think it would be difficult.

[sandy daugherty]

Therapy: My eyes were bigger than my tape measure. BUT:
With the back cushions removed you could have a berth 5 feet wide and 7 feet long on the bridgedeck (in the salon.) As you step into my 1993 PDQ 36 there is just 6 feet of headroom, with some bumps, but when you step down into the Galley or the nav area, there is 6'6" in the middle of the aisle, with more inboard and down to 6' to the outboard side. Just inside each stateroom there is 6'7", sloping down to 5'11" as you move forward. The berths are oriented fore and aft, between structural bulkheads, and use double bed linens; they are 78" by 58". With the mattress moved, there is 4 feet of sitting room. I say that because there is some variation in the thickness of mattresses on these boats. If you wanted, you could rearrange these cabins for a transverse berth; it could be 8'6" long if you removed the hanging closet. That would not be hard to do.
To add to this collection of trivia, you have to be 5'6" tall to see over the cabin roof from the cockpit, and there is 17" of knee room in front of the head. The boom is about 7' above the cockpit floor, and I just about have to fall in to reach anything in the bow lockers or the starboard stern locker. I don't have a berth in the port stern, but I imagine it could accomodate a very long berth, albeit a breech-loader. If you peruse the PDQ36.com site you will find a whole bunch of information.