[PCW] Boat comparisons

[Robert Deering]

"Sounds like you're going to get yourself a really rugged boat for cruising
and fishing in Alaska at an excellent price, Bob.  For comparison, the new
PDQ 41 costs maybe $700,000 well equipped."

Thanks Georgs, I think I'm getting a great boat for a fair price.  But it's
hard to compare my Maxweld at $350K with the PDQ at $700K.  Though both
catamarans are in the same general size range, they are aimed toward very
different clientele.

For starters, PDQ calls their boats 'yachts'.  I concur.  The interior
appointments are a lot more luxurious than I will have.  The cherry
wainscoting in the bedroom, teak & holly sole, nice wood cabinetry will put
my simple interior to shame.  The PDQ's are shiny white - mine is bare
aluminum.  The PDQ has two heads, mine only one.

The layouts are quite different too.  The PDQ is a larger boat - it's hull
appears to be at least 40 ft long.  Mine has a 35 ft hull with a large
swimstep.  And the beam on mine is 4 ft narrower.  My cabin is considerably
smaller, with smaller berths.  But my aft deck is much larger, and I have
commercial-grade hydraulics onboard.  I don't have a flybridge, the PDQ
does, but I have an aft steering station in the cockpit.

My boat is welded aluminum, the PDQ is a glass composite with foam sandwich
I believe.  My boat will be  much faster, and more efficient at higher
speeds, but not as efficient at slower cruising speeds.  The PDQ will
probably have a smoother ride.  It may be more stable with its added width,
though I'm expecting my boat to have outstanding stability.

So how do you compare value?  Is the PDQ worth double the cost of my boat?
For the clientele that they're targeting, the answer might very likely be
'yes'.  For me the answer is 'no'.  In fact, I would not buy the PDQ 41 for
half its price.  Not because it isn't a fine boat, but because it doesn't
meet the criteria that are important to me.

It all boils down to what makes you happy.  If you need a boat to have gold
faucets and a helicopter on the roof to be happy, knock yourself out.  Heck,
my happiest days on the water to date were spent in a beat up old Grumman
canoe on a weedy lake in Wisconsin as a kid.  If my new boat doesn't do the
trick for me, I may just go find that old canoe.        

Bob Deering
Juneau Alaska