The PDQ 32 is one slick boat!
Aside from sailing nicely, it has an exceptional internal layout. It has a center cockpit arrangement without many of the deficiencies often associated with center cockpit layouts. The cockpit is spacious, protected by a permanent hard top and provides good visibility.
Decks have reasonable access.
The forward bulkhead having
vertical windows allows for both an interesting forward seat and good headroom in the cabin. This
arrangement also eliminates one catamaran bugaboo, the greenhouse effect from heavily slanted windows.
There are two good-sized sail lockers forward with anchor lockers in both forepeaks. There is a cross beam with gull-striker, trampoline, and a three-wire masthead rig allowing a full batten main with large roach.
In the cockpit are the twin 9.9 four-stroke outboards. They raise and lower from cleverly
designed compartments under the seats. This is a convenient arrangement, which keeps the engines outside any accommodation area and makes utilizing gasoline as safe as in your car. The batteries fit in those same compartments, making the switches easy to access and the wiring short and to the point.
The interior layout is most ingenious. Starting at the stern, there are large lazarette lockers, and the steering system is accessible by removing the lazarette floorboards. Between the two cabins‹forming a walkway into the cockpit‹is a central locker containing the fuel tank, bilge pump, and
pump switch-over valve. The two mirror image aft staterooms have ventilation from three sides
and a deck hatch. Each stateroom has a queen-sized bed and its own hanging locker.
The saloon has a squared horseshoe-shaped bench seat with central table, which can be converted to a bunk if required. Its area comfortably seats six people on the three sides facing the bench and could seat two more on the fourth side using folding chairs.
With the galley on port side and the head on starboard, there is never a user conflict. The head is large, and the boat has a built-in holding tank outside the accommodation area.
| |
The galley is a real delight. It is hard to conceptualize that this galley‹with about 12 feet of counter space, an eye-level front- opening fridge and lots of locker space‹is on a 32-foot boat. You definitely can fit more than one person to work in this galley.
Under the boat you find very little in the way of impediments to water flow, just some minor splashing from the motor mounts. This boat has the highest bridgedeck clearance of all the boats in its size range. It has rather buoyant hulls, and there is little or no slamming. The boat has fixed, low aspect-ratio keels and spade rudders.
As expected, motoring and maneuvering is a delight. Twin screws do it every time. With the engines just about on the center of rotation, we experienced no cavitation or ventilation, normal problems with outboards mounted far aft or directly on the transom.
The PDQ sailed up to expectations for a 32-foot cruising catamaran. Do not expect double digit speeds in most conditions. It simply is too short and too heavy to do it. You cannot compare cruising boats to racing boats for performance. Having said that, I can say that these boats have an advantage over other types of cruising boats with similar waterline lengths when the wind picks up. Double digit speeds are routine in high wind conditions.
|
- Local News for Southern Sailors
- March 2002 Next Story
