Phil Stevo

Phil Stevo (full name Philip Stevo, c. 1940s–present) is a Canadian naval architect and boat designer best known for his work in the 1980s on high-performance small sailboats, particularly the innovative PDQ Monocat 16—a 16 ft rotomolded polyethylene daysailer produced by PDQ Yachts (Whitby, Ontario) from 1984 to 1989, with around 120–150 units built as a monohull rival to the Hobie 16. Stevo's design emphasized lightweight construction (260 lbs. all-up), a wide planning hull with hard chines, an unstayed fractional rig (120 sq ft mainsail plus optional jib), single trapeze, and a lifting daggerboard for beach-launchable speed exceeding 18 knots, making it a cult favorite for one-design racing in Ontario and the Great Lakes despite limited production. Beyond the Monocat, Stevo contributed to early PDQ prototypes and influenced the company's shift toward power catamarans (e.g., the PDQ 32 and 34 models in the late 1980s–1990s), though he faded from prominence as PDQ focused on larger cruising multis. Little is publicly documented about his personal life or later career—likely due to the niche nature of small-boat design—but his Monocat endures as a testament to 1980s beach-cat-inspired monohull innovation, with surviving examples still raced and valued at $3,500–$6,500 CAD today.