Looking at diffrent Catamarn sailboats?

[videorov]

Any good features I should be looking for? Im looking for something around 42 maybe larger.
Its just for two persons and two dogs.
Used is ok. Just looking for some ideas on good designs people have found they like.
The way the boat is built sturdy or not. Plan to go to the Bahamas and other islands
down south for few months in the winter. Trying to get a feel what other people have found
in Catamarn designs? Im goinf to do a little Ham Radio operating aswell while crusing.
Also play with one of my remote control underwater rov cameras I designed.
KZ4USA

[Chuteman]

Most active Cat discussions I've seen..............jump in & you'll get plenty pf answers & opinions........
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/f48/

[EdKangeter]

Most active Cat discussions I've seen..............jump in & you'll get plenty pf answers & opinions........
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/f48/ I lived aboard my Lagoon 41 in eastern caribbean. Great liveaboard! Pros: roomy, fast, shallow draft to get in close. Cons: some anchorages are crowded and you have to be out a little farther. Beef up the anchor chain. Next time I would want 300 ft vice 150 feet. Saildrives are a bit of a headache in the corrosion area. They must have good zincs since they are aluminum. Inspite of the salesman's pitch you pretty much need to haul the boat to change the zinc in front of the prop.

[EdKangeter]

PDQ 44 - I'd like to chat with someone that has experience aboard one of these. Thanks, ED>>>

[Arni]

You had better refine what you want to do with your catamaran before you decide. I have lived aboard my Manta 42 for three years since she was new, and we have got as far as Australia so far, with no major issues. For ocean cruising there is no better boat in this size range. Despite the hundreds of Lagoons, Leopards/Moorings and Fountain Pajots you will see in the Caribbean, I saw only 1 Lagoon (a 47) and a couple of FPs in the Pacific. You will see plenty of people trying to sell their low bridge-deck South African catamarans after their nightmare Pacific crossings, boats that seemed so good in the Intra-coastal waterway.
You need quality build, good bridge-deck clearance, a sensible helm with a 360 degree view (not perched on one of the transoms in the sun and spray) and pure-form hull shape without excessive bulges and chines, and NO FORWARD TRANSVERSE BERTHS! Don't be wooed by four fantastic cabins in a 40' boat, you will pay the price on the ocean. You need windows that don't attract most of the sunlight (Manta, Lagoon and FP are excellent here). You need an easily managed rig. If you want performance, keep the boat light. Unless you want to compete upwind with monohull sports boats, get fixed keels, not daggerboards.
The PDQ44 is the ugliest catamaran ever made.
The less well known French boats can be wonderfull, such as Soubisse, Outremer, but you probably won't be able to afford one the way the $ is going. Australian boats are often excellent, but expensive and very lightly finished. Cheapest option is an ex-charter boat, but then you have a lot of risks, and many of them are designed purely for charter and are not suitable ocean cruising boats. FPs are good designs however, but they went through periods when build quality was poor. Go aboard a new one now and you will be horrified at how the floor boards squeak and the different sized gaps full of filler in the furnishings. Still, if I was to settle for an ex-charter yacht, I would get a FP 42 or 46, but survey it very carefully and be prepared to spend a bit to put it right. They sail well, however.
The Manta is a far better quality boat, most are in the USA so price is more reasonable, and they were good value to start with. A new one now with EVERYTHING is under 500,000. Just compare that with the competition. And you get a proven ocean cruiser. Accommodation is the equivalent of a 38' cat, but that should be plenty, as it equals a 50' monohull.
If you have limitless money, buy an Outremer 55 or a Gunboat 48!