Whats the opinions on a Prout 38?

[FullCircle]

Just idle curiousity.

Are they a decent load carrier, have they a good reputation for build quality? (It is one of the last ones built)

Are they dogs upwind?

Do they slam badly?

What are the upsides and downsides?


Thanks....

 

[snowleopard]

I can't speak forthe 38 but I've left a 45 for dead so don't expect sparkling performance. Earlier Prouts followed the British fashion for all-wood interiors and had the immersed central nacelle to provide bridgedeck headroom. I think the final range before they went bust, i.e. the 38 & 45 were more like the continental designs.

 

[wotayottie]

sailed one briefly - it performed similarly to the snowgoose. Perhaps a bit better but not a lot.

Slamming? Not really an issue in my mind - my bilge keeler slams more. Construction quality - well the original Prouts were way better than the French equivalent or my Moody, but an ex employee did once say to me that towards the end (and like Westerley) they built with what was available to them. Load carrying - the only cats that will really carry a load are those designed with fat hulls to sail slowly. In a cat, any weight is your enemy - just filling the water tanks knocked half a knot off my boat!

Upside and downsides? Depends on the use you want the boat for. As a long term cruiser to far off places - Prout cats are the way to go. For day sailing - forget multihulls except possibly for the tris like Dragonfly.
And forget any wild ideas of high speeds from a cruising cat - you might do 15 to 25 % better than an equivalent mono, but no more than that on average.

 

[snowleopard]

[ QUOTE ]
And forget any wild ideas of high speeds from a cruising cat - you might do 15 to 25 % better than an equivalent mono, but no more than that on average.

[/ QUOTE ]
Agreed. A lot of newcomers to multis will hear claims like '12 knots reaching in a F4' and do sums like 12 knots x 24 hours = 288 miles a day. I passage plan on 7 knots and my best ever day's run was 215 miles (and yes, I've seen 12 knots in F4). In a Prout 38 I'd work on 5.5-6 knots.

 

[Adamastor]

Have a look here- there are a multitude of comments and ponderings...

 

[Auntie Helen]

That link didn't work for me!

 

[boatmike]

I agree with most of what you say but I have to say you are just a little too disparaging on performance! I have the Prout Snowgoose Elite. Granted I have a mast 43ft high compared with the last standard factory boat of about 39ft for the double diamond rig and less before that on single spreader rigs, but I usually do passage planning at 6.5 knots and do considerably better than that. Under engine I cruise at 7knots at 3000 RPM quite easily with a 32HP engine. The fastest I have ever been downwind was 12 1/2 knots.
All Prouts are unashamedly cruisers though and the BB38 is exactly the same as the last Prout 38 which does a bit better than my Elite as it doesn't drag a centre nacelle in the water. The upside is that, for a cat, they are excellent load carriers. A standard boat in "lightship" condition (Elite) is usually about 6 tonnes. The Prout literature claims less but it's rubbish. With twin engines, nearly a ton of water and fuel, all cruising stores, liferaft, dinghy, and lots of other gear "Peregrine" was weighed at launch at nearly 7 1/2 tonnes this year. The performance figures I am quoting are in that trim. My actual boat speed is usually about 45-50% of true wind speed on a reach.

 

[boatmike]

Answering your questions directly:

Load carrying : Excellent... one reason why so many are used as liveaboards
Build quality: Early Prouts >variable Later ones like the 38 > Excellent
Windward performance: As good as any other fixed keel cat. Not as good as a performance mono of course. Will tack easily enough but it takes a while to get the big Genny over. Certainly not a dog.
Slamming: Most cats slam if they have solid foredecks. Prouts certainly do as the bridgedeck clearance is kept deliberately low to keep the low wind profile and C of G.
If you want complete absence from slamming you need high bridgedeck clearance and netting foredecks. It's not a problem though in moderate seas and does not take a great deal of way off the boat even when rough.
If you have decided to buy a cat the general characteristics of Prouts are that they are safe, good, long distance blue water cruisers with excellent seakeeping qualities. Don't buy one for high performance excitement though. Safety yes, livaboard comfort yes, but not excitement.

 

[Talbot]

A further word to supplement BoatMike. A number of 38's were built in South Africa, and even the factory completed ones were a bit heavy, some of the home completed ones in that era are wonderful inside, but far too heavy - this weight not only compromises performance, but cuts into the load carrying capacity as well.

Notwithstanding these comments, they are a nice boat that will withstand a blow, and are very comfortable in harbour.

 

[moondancer]

Jim, you might want to pop down to CYB, now a GRP specialist company, on Canvey and speak to the owner, I know him but forgotten his name. He used to make Jaguar yachts and moulded Prouts in the later years. He hates all boats now but will give you the inside gen on Prouts having built them.

Brian.