Mainship VS. PDQ Caribbean Cruising

We are looking at purchasing either a 390 or 400 Mainship trawler OR a PDQ 34 Power Catamaran for cruising around the Caribbean (Bahamas to Turks and Caicos) for and extended period of time approx 1 year. Will be anchored the majority of our time only being on the line when necessary (shopping, supplies etc.)

Are trawlers stable at anchor?
Any reservations for single engines vs. the twin engines?

The PDQ 34 is high on our list for the stability and smooth ride as it has a 16'10 beam and has twin 75 HP Yanmar diesels. It's 14,000 lbs with a 2'4 draft.

Any input, suggestions, or advice would be greatly appreciated!!

Greetings,
Welcome aboard.

Welcome,

So both of those boats will do essentially the same mission. The capabilities of each are close, and the Mainship can be had with twins.

Get the one your cruising partner likes the most.

I would need to spend some time on the PDQ to see if the ride is to my liking...I suspect it would a significantly different running experience, where many monohull trawlers will run in a similar fashion.

The PDQ may have less depreciation because there are fewer of them out there and it seems desirable.

Good Luck

PDQ is a great Bahamas boat. Lots of room both below and on the bridge, you can get places fast if you need to, very economical and with a 2'4" draft, flat bottoms and protected props, you can go places other boats cannot. We spent three years on ours - up & down the East Coast, Bahamas, Gulf. Loved the boat.

This is one of those choices which comes down to which do you prefer to live on.

If you get the monohull two suggestions: Stern davits, you may be raising your dinghy out of the water each night for security reasons. Second, consider at anchor stabilizers such as the Magma Rock and Roll system.

With its 16'10" beam, the PDQ won't exclude you from most marinas if you choose to stay in a slip.

A key factor may be the ease of getting off the boat and into a dinghy. You will be doing this several times a day and the weather may not always be perfect. If either of you has limited mobility this could be the determining factor.

dvd said:

PDQ is a great Bahamas boat. Lots of room both below and on the bridge, you can get places fast if you need to, very economical and with a 2'4" draft, flat bottoms and protected props, you can go places other boats cannot. We spent three years on ours - up & down the East Coast, Bahamas, Gulf. Loved the boat.

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That would me my choice. We cruised 2 seasons in the Bahamas with a friend on a 40' Mainship. He lusted for a power cat. His complaints were the rolling at anchor, draft and wave slap in the v-berth. We're in the Berrys with a 5' draft on Hobo. Having 2'4" draft would open up lots of other areas and allow us to get closer to shore for better wind protection.

I would go with the cat.

The PDQ will be the better choice I think. My only problem when I've chartered one was the motors being under the berths. A little noisier, smellier, and more cramped working space than some other cats, like my Leopard 37PC which has actual cockpit hatches for the engines.

The cat will have 2 hassles , load carrying (weight) is restricted compared to a fat boat.

Reduced stores makes more shore trips necessary.

In rolly anchorages like behind St Barts the acceleration of the hulls will give a rough ride unless you set two anchors to hold the boat into the swell.

Swell on the beam is barf bag time.

FF said:

In rolly anchorages like behind St Barts the acceleration of the hulls will give a rough ride unless you set two anchors to hold the boat into the swell.

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The OP is talking about the Bahamas and the Turks. At least my comments were based on this geographic area.

Once you go beyond the Turks the dynamics change. A trip along the north coast of the DR or through the Mona Passage calls for either good luck or a seaworthy boat.

Not to pile on, but I also agree that my answer was for the relatively flat water of the Bahamas and Turks. I won't take my powercat in beam seas over 4 feet because it sucks. And as a powercat, the PDQ doesn't care about weight anywhere near as much as a sailing cat would. I stand by my answer.

Spend some time on the PDQ. We chartered one for 4 days and decided we just didn't like the motion of a cat. Bought a Mainship, though not the trawler model.

Thanks for all the input we are going tomorrow to look at s Mainship 390 and 400 then to do a sea trial on a PDQ

"Thanks for all the input we are going tomorrow to look at s Mainship 390 and 400 then to do a sea trial on a PDQ"

Take a look at motor yachts of the same size and era.

Many are the same hulls with a different deck house.

AS far more are sold the boats may be more refined and function better for your use..

That's a good way to do it, all the best and let us know what you found out.

FLSCUBADIVER72 said:

Thanks for all the input we are going tomorrow to look at s Mainship 390 and 400 then to do a sea trial on a PDQ

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After looking at the trawlers and Cat again today we decided to go with the Cat it just seems to be more open in the salon although the measurements were about the same in both vessels the Cat just seemed more open with all the windows

Thank's to everyone that posted

Nice choice, all the best!