Prout Event/Snowgoose Opinions Wanted.

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Lloydroberts

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Having little experience of sailing and none on multi-hulls I'd like some advice please.

Are there any owners of any of the 2 listed that can give me +/- points I should consider?

I want to do the ARC within a couple of years and in my opinion a multi-hull may suit my inexperience more....am I correct?
 
Lloydroberts said:
I want to do the ARC within a couple of years and in my opinion a multi-hull may suit my inexperience more....am I correct?
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That's a moot point.

do you intend getting the boat and then spending a couple of years gaining experience before doing the ARC or are you spending a couple of years getting the right boat and then just going for it?

I personally prefer multihulls for comfort and space both at sea and at anchor.

As for differences between the Prout models go and look over them and decide which might suit you best there can be slight differences in the layout even on the same models.
Some will have been used for long term cruising and may well be set up with good solar/wind charging plus many other extras.
 
Be sure you are fully informed about the situation re the outdrive on these Prouts.

I know of two that have been essentially abandoned because the outdrives have failed, parts are not available and a replacement is very costly.

One alternative is a 25hp 4st extra longshaft outboard.
 
"I want to do the ARC within a couple of years and in my opinion a multi-hull may suit my inexperience more....am I correct?"
I would not choose a multihull because of inexperience. Any boat crossing the atlantic needs comepetent experienced crew whether it is a mono or multi.
The snowgoose was either 35 very old now or the 37. The 37 is a very good boat. The hulls are narrow by modern standards but are easily driven and fast off wind as long as you keep the weight down. They can be a chore going to windward. They a are a very economical entry to multihull ownership. The aft cabins and the bridgedeck were widened in the snowgoose elite but that made it heavier and slower but better in harbour.
The event is 34 feet long and more modern in style to the snowgoose but like them all is essentially a lengthened prout quest 31. The event is smart inside and makes better use of space. It is noisier(water) and slower than the 31 and 37 as the extra
aft cabin width made the gap between the nacelle and hulls narrower . The outdrive is a bit agricultural but effective and tough. When raised, there is a very clean water flow with no deep keels, no saildrives. no props etc. The sailplan is easiy handled with a large headsail and small main with halliards dropping into the cockpit; many are cutter rigged .
 
Properjob is correct - Sillette Sonic who make the stern drive are still in business and supply all the parts as well as complete new and reconditioned units - this is not to say that the drive leg on these is not an absolute pain and needs constant maintenance but the first thing any inexperienced skipper should learn is that everything on a boat needs maintenance

I had a Snowgoose 35 for 4 years and loved it - yes its a bit slow but its strong, well built and very sea kind. I would recommend a 37 though as its a bit quicker and has more cabin space at the back. The 37 Elite has more space but is heavier and slower due to the extra wide cabins that drag at the back.

You will feel very safe in a Prout but an Atlantic circuit is not for the inexperienced - sure novices have done it and had perfect easy downwind sails but don't under estimate it - especially the return leg of the circuit. I would buy your boat as soon as possible, refit it yourself to the best of your ability and hire experts where it goes beyond your skills (but watch them work) and then get out and get sea miles on in all conditions. Most of cruising as you probably know is fixing your boat on the move so doing a refit yourself and getting to know every inch is what will make an Atlantic circuit safer and less stressful.

Also be aware of the varying quality of production from Prout over the years - earlier solid grp boats are better but will need more modernising and refitting but thats a lot easier than trying to fix a poorly maintained cored hull boat or fixing some of the poor quality work from the last couple of years before Prout went bust.
 
Thank you for all the replies and advice.

The boat I'm hoping to view, within the next 3 weeks, is an '88 Elite 37' with an 09 mini 33 engine(850hrs).

If I get to do the Arc it will be in company...and he is far more qualified than I.

I do have some experience with boats but....with motors and no flappy things.:p
 
Quote, 'I want to do the ARC within a couple of years and in my opinion a multi-hull may suit my inexperience more....am I correct?'

A good first step, in my opinion would be to contact Jim Duerden at Top Cat Cruising School...http://www.multihull.tv/rya-scheme/cruising-catamaran-training/. He is a very experienced multihull sailor who runs courses for people who are unsure if a catamaran is the best option for their needs. He can also give advice on the wide range of multihull that are available on the secondhand market.

Peter.
 
Adonnante said:
Quote, 'I want to do the ARC within a couple of years and in my opinion a multi-hull may suit my inexperience more....am I correct?'

A good first step, in my opinion would be to contact Jim Duerden at Top Cat Cruising School...http://www.multihull.tv/rya-scheme/cruising-catamaran-training/. He is a very experienced multihull sailor who runs courses for people who are unsure if a catamaran is the best option for their needs. He can also give advice on the wide range of multihull that are available on the secondhand market.

Peter.
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That is very interesting and book marked.

I think I may well book a course with him.

Thanks.
 
Used to sail a couple of different ones some years ago. As mentioned on that very useful link, they are not race winners but I found them fairly comfortable on a number of cross English Channel trips. I also once delivered one from The Clyde to Gibraltar, steady sailing and a rather nice trip.

Also as mentioned, factory completed ones are far better than many home builds.

I personally prefer more modern designs like Fontain Pajot but they are obviously a lot pricier.

Good luck with your choice!
 
I love the Prout design, we had a Heavenly Twins which is like a mini Prout with the mast at the cockpit and it made sail handling an absolute dream. Be exceptionally fastidious in getting the cross beams checked by an experienced and knowledgeable boat builder, do not rely on a surveyor; this applies to all cats, if you are very unlucky and have problems it will end up cheaper to throw it away and buy another; a friend of mine in the marina went through the pain, it is an exceptionally expensive thing to fix, hers were aluminium and had corroded away, another cat I looked at had wooden ones encapsulated in GRP and they were splitting apart. Monohulls have many potential issues but they are often a lot easier to get at than cross beams on a cat. We'd have bought a larger cat when it came to boat change but you couldn't get one of the mid 30's for the money I spent on the motorsailer. I've envious of you with the Prout!
 
Colvic Watson said:
I love the Prout design, we had a Heavenly Twins which is like a mini Prout with the mast at the cockpit and it made sail handling an absolute dream. Be exceptionally fastidious in getting the cross beams checked by an experienced and knowledgeable boat builder, do not rely on a surveyor; this applies to all cats, if you are very unlucky and have problems it will end up cheaper to throw it away and buy another; a friend of mine in the marina went through the pain, it is an exceptionally expensive thing to fix, hers were aluminium and had corroded away, another cat I looked at had wooden ones encapsulated in GRP and they were splitting apart. Monohulls have many potential issues but they are often a lot easier to get at than cross beams on a cat. We'd have bought a larger cat when it came to boat change but you couldn't get one of the mid 30's for the money I spent on the motorsailer. I've envious of you with the Prout!
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Crossbeams? What crossbeams? Methinks you have mistaken the Prout design for something else. The Prout cats have a solid bridgedeck from the bows to sterns with structural bulkheads separating the accommodation there are no crossbeams even the heavenly twinge you speak of only has a forward beam the rest is solid moulded superstructure and hulls
 
HT had mid beam and aft beam as well. You may be right about the Prout, the biggest horror story was from an otherwise gorgeous Solaris. Are you 100% certain there are no beams or cross members in the Prout? That would have to be some serious layup otherwise.
 
Colvic Watson said:
HT had mid beam and aft beam as well. You may be right about the Prout, the biggest horror story was from an otherwise gorgeous Solaris. Are you 100% certain there are no beams or cross members in the Prout? That would have to be some serious layup otherwise.
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There are no crossbeams on the Prout Event, Snowgoose or Quest as I stated it is a solid bridgedeck from just aft of the bow to the sterns the inner bulkheads separating the accommodation are structural particularly the aft one which takes the compression forces from the mast, early Quest models suffered bulkhead problems as the plywood used was too thin, most eventually had extra glued on to rectify it and later models had thicker bulkheads, no more problem. These are not beach cats they are strongly built.
Some larger Prout models have a beam forward as they do not sport a solid forward bridgedeck. I won't quibble about the HT as it's not a model that the OP was asking about
 
Scillypete said:
There are no crossbeams on the Prout Event, Snowgoose or Quest as I stated it is a solid bridgedeck from just aft of the bow to the sterns the inner bulkheads separating the accommodation are structural particularly the aft one which takes the compression forces from the mast, early Quest models suffered bulkhead problems as the plywood used was too thin, most eventually had extra glued on to rectify it and later models had thicker bulkheads, no more problem. These are not beach cats they are strongly built.
Some larger Prout models have a beam forward as they do not sport a solid forward bridgedeck. I won't quibble about the HT as it's not a model that the OP was asking about
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You are of course correct except the Quasar 50 which did have a front crossbeam (and the Ocean Ranger 45 too of course but only a couple were made)

The HT had a large wooden cross beam just behind the cockpit / in front of the rear cabins - basically a large railway sleeper which had a tendency to rot - not relevant to the OP but I thought I'd mention it.
 
owen said:
"I want to do the ARC within a couple of years and in my opinion a multi-hull may suit my inexperience more....am I correct?"
I would not choose a multihull because of inexperience. Any boat crossing the atlantic needs comepetent experienced crew whether it is a mono or multi.
The snowgoose was either 35 very old now or the 37. The 37 is a very good boat. The hulls are narrow by modern standards but are easily driven and fast off wind as long as you keep the weight down. They can be a chore going to windward. They a are a very economical entry to multihull ownership. The aft cabins and the bridgedeck were widened in the snowgoose elite but that made it heavier and slower but better in harbour.
The event is 34 feet long and more modern in style to the snowgoose but like them all is essentially a lengthened prout quest 31. The event is smart inside and makes better use of space. It is noisier(water) and slower than the 31 and 37 as the extra
aft cabin width made the gap between the nacelle and hulls narrower . The outdrive is a bit agricultural but effective and tough. When raised, there is a very clean water flow with no deep keels, no saildrives. no props etc. The sailplan is easiy handled with a large headsail and small main with halliards dropping into the cockpit; many are cutter rigged .
Click to expand...

As an ex Prout owner I would second every word of this post. We took ours across Biscay to Spain and back with no problems. Like all Prouts it was a motor sailer to windward in a chop - the waves hitting the hull made progress slow under sail. I liked the outdrive leg which was easy to maintain but did require TLC . It couldnt be ignored maintenance wise.

The boat was great to live on, far better than any monohull with stability at anchor and lots of lightness and the ability to see out. But it wasnt much fun to sail with dead hydraulic steering and no real feel. Si for me I would always choose a cat for live aboard long distance sailing but I chose to go back to a mono for weekend fun sailing and racing.
 
Space(above and below deck) is the main attraction as I do intend spending a lot of time aboard.

My intentions are to either berth in The Canaries or between Gib and Cadiz or possibly Portugal...eventually
 
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