Fred, We too are looking to getting back to cruising the East Coast, Great Loop, Bahamas & Islands having taken a 10+ year hiatus. About a year ago we became interested in and started researching trawler catamarans. I was particularly intrigued by their ability to go fast without the excessive fuel burn of a monohull. Don & Ruth Kalen's exploits aboard their Endeavour TrawlerCat 36 (documented at: http://www.kalendrl.com ) caught our attention and the Endeavour became our prime focus for a time. Then we began looking at the growing number of alternatives (Passagemaker just this month showed a listing of 32 powercats) and found that, if it's fuel economy vs. speed that you want, Endeavour is by no means at the top of the list. Their 36-footer uses twin 125-hp engines for a relatively modest 12-kt cruise speed with about an 8 gal/hr fuel burn. (The larger 38, 40 and 44 Endeavours use 240-hp engines for a 15-16 kt cruise speed while burning about 13 gal/hr). I learned that while the manufacturer claims a 13,000-pound displacement for the TrawlerCat 36, the actual weight (of a recently-launched boat without cruising gear) is closer to 18,000 pounds -- this according to an e-mail from the owner. Light weight is an important factor in the performance of power cats. I too, was at the Miami show and enjoyed checking out the new boats. There were powercats from Endeavour, PDQ, Portsmouth Marine, Sea Sport, Fountaine Pajot, Lagoon, Charter Cats SA (Prowler), Africat, and Alwoplast as well as a booth for the new Manta 44. Most of these boats are larger (and more expensive) than we, as a coastal cruising couple, really require. We remain most attracted to the smallest of the lot, the PDQ 34. It is also, by a comfortable margin, the most fuel-efficient of the bunch. The 34 Powercat uses twin Yanmar 75-hp engines for a 15-kt cruise while burning less than 5 gallons/hour. With more than fifty of these boats in operation, these numbers are well documented. Last month, we chartered a PDQ 34 (through Sunsail) on the FL west coast and we found the boat entirely satisfactory for our needs. We were impressed with its performance, fuel economy, smooth ride, considerable storage space and easy maneuverability. Further commentary on our charter experience can be found in our post to this list last month: _http://lists.samurai.com/pipermail/trawlers-and-trawlering/2005-January/086632.html_ (http://lists.samurai.com/pipermail/trawlers-and-trawlering/2005-January/086632.html) . We have also started our own website documenting our new boat search which can be seen at: http://www.geocities.com/hanoverhouse2005/NewBoat1.html . At this point we have given PDQ a small (refundable) deposit to hold a May 2006 delivery slot for us. We have even chosen a name: Sno' Dog. So unless we find something we like better, this will be our next boat! Henry (boatless in cold, snowy New Hampshire) On Tue Feb 22 19:11:01 EST 2005 Fred Graham fegraham@comcast.net wrote: Anyone on the list have experience with or currently cruising aboard a PDQ trawler catamaran ...