It’s always painful to see a sailboat brand bite the dust, especially so when it’s one of a small handful of North American catamaran builders.

PDQ catamarans of Whitby, Ontario, closed its doors for the last time in November, a victim of the Canadian dollar’s strength against the U.S. dollar. With the "loony" increasing in value against the dollar by 28 percent, many Canadian companies that depend on exports to the U.S. are in dire straits.

PDQ’s boats were well regarded. It produced the Antares 44 sailing cat and 41- and 31-foot power catamarans. The company had been in business for 20 years and had a workforce of around 50.

The company’s assets were to be auctioned off in Whitby on December 13.