Catalac 9M or Prout Quest 33 ?

[wambam]

Hi again. . . like I said, my friend is torn between buying a Catalac 9M or a Prout Quest 33. I have no experience with a Quest 33.

Can any of you make a comment from your experience of each of those boats ?

When I read up on a Quest 33 as compared with my Catalac 9M I personally like having an engine on each of the hulls instead of the one engine which Prouts are "condemned" to have, due to their canoe rear hulls, but that is just my own personal pref.

There are other things abut the Catalac which truly grab me. The feeling of reliability; the acknowledged strength of the hulls etc. As one guy aptly described it: ". . .they are built like a brick sh*thouse. . ." Not very poetic but certainly very true.

Anyway, can you guys give personal comments on the differences, both good and not so good?

Much appreciated. . . and I do NOT want to start a cat war

[wambam]

Seriously - I cannot believe there is no one on this site who, from personal experience, can give an honest, comparative appraisal of these two boats.

112 views to date and NO ONE ? Am I missing something here ?

[boatman61]

Yup... what your missing is this is a primarily American site.. few have seen or sailed let alone owned either of these boats..
Personally I've only sailed Catalacs and think they're just fine.. delivered one to Turkey from the UK and she was tough as old boots.. took a hell of a pounding of Trafalgar and survived.
As you say the advantage of two engines is superior.. in the blow it got so bad the only way I could maintain control/steerage was with the engines.. the modified rudders were pretty ineffective.
Another advantage is when its calm or you've head winds and need to motorsail you can use one engine at a time and minimise fuel consumption and nearly double your range.. this particular boat had a 10hp Bukh in each hull.. it was also possible to set up a tiller pilot as the owner could not afford a wheel pilot at the time..
I'd pick the Catalac any day.. way more plus points than the Prout..
but that's just my 0.0000001centime... others may know better

[valhalla360]

We were on a couple of catalacs and one prout when looking for a cat.

I'm more worried about liveability and the catalac was the one we would prefer. Crawling thru the hobbit hole on the prout would get old real quick.

(we wound up with a Gemini but are looking again)

[wambam]

Thanks Boatman - cleared that one up. Glad we agree on the "brick sh*thouse"
Take care.
Thanks too, Valhalla for your input.

[felix ll]

Owned a prout 33, sailed well but that Sonic leg is awful...one of the main reasons we sold it.

[Aussie_Sequoia]

I have a Prout Event 34. They fixed some of the issues from the Quest by the time they came out with the Event. I don't mind the drive-leg at all (it's a different one on the Event)... and it's great for maneuvering in tighter spaces as it 'steers'.

The door is normal on an Event. We loved sailing her (just did 10,000 miles).

She's for sale if your friend is interested.

[Wandering]

I had a Prout snowgoose 37 for 11 years. In my opinion, they are the best Prout built if you like to sail. The 33 won't sail as well as the hulls are an inch wider but they have a short waterline length and a lot less sail area.
The drive legs come in two basic variations. The sonic mk 1 leg has the gearbox in the leg. They are dreadful. Stay clear or allow for replacement in your costs. The later mk11 legs are fine. The very latest mk11 leg is a lot quieter.
There is no disadvantage in my opinion to the single engine with late sonic leg. The boat weight is kept down so they sail better. The leg will swivel 33degrees either side of centre so manoeuvring in a marina is no problem once you learn the boat.
The leg lifts clear when sailing so mo drag.

The Catalac is, in my opinion a motor sailer. They don't go to windward but blow down wind quite well.

[atoll]

Originally Posted by Wandering

I had a Prout snowgoose 37 for 11 years. In my opinion, they are the best Prout built if you like to sail. The 33 won't sail as well as the hulls are an inch wider but they have a short waterline length and a lot less sail area.
The drive legs come in two basic variations. The sonic mk 1 leg has the gearbox in the leg. They are dreadful. Stay clear or allow for replacement in your costs. The later mk11 legs are fine. The very latest mk11 leg is a lot quieter.
There is no disadvantage in my opinion to the single engine with late sonic leg. The boat weight is kept down so they sail better. The leg will swivel 33degrees either side of centre so manoeuvring in a marina is no problem once you learn the boat.
The leg lifts clear when sailing so mo drag.

The Catalac is, in my opinion a motor sailer. They don't go to windward but blow down wind quite well.

was that the elite snowgoose you had?
if so did it have the longer mast,i;m interested in hearing opinions about the bigger rig?
currently fitting out a snowgoose elite 37.
cheers alex

[Wandering]

Alex. Mine was the pre elite snowgoose. The Elite put about one ton on due to different hull and heavier internal moulding/ more luxury!
Mine had a 45ft mast fitted. Standard on the pre-elite was 37ft. The extra 8 ft gave us 15% more sail area and with trick sails she went very well if kept light. The best average passage time we did over 54mile distance with not tide/current assistance was 9knots with full sail in F5.
It is essential that Prout catamarans are kept light. They are heavy boats to start off with. They have lots of space to cary gear but if you fill them they are slow. We replaced all lose ply panels under seats, doors, table, etc with foam core composite panels to save weight. It made a big difference.
We crossed from Cape Verde to Barbados in 04 in light winds in 15 days. A 50ft modern cat left at the same time and we were a day quicker. We beat all the monohulls. We were just husband and wife onboard so no racing crew. She just sailed well and the Prout rig with the large genoa was very suited to down wind sailing.

[Tropic Cat]

Originally Posted by Wandering

The Catalac is, in my opinion a motor sailer. They don't go to windward but blow down wind quite well.

Oh really?? Now that's news to me and a lot of Catalac owners. But then again you must be the expert. What do I know? I've just owned one for 10 years and have sailed every Catalac model built.

The Prout is a good boat, here's the comparison to a Catalac,

The Catalac has solid core hulls and the Prout is cored. (that's enough for me right there, but there's more.)

According to Naval architect Richard Woods, the Catalac sails better than the Prout. He's told me this in person and is quoted on my website. Catalac USA Website. What's more, I agree with him. In 15 to 20 knots I can maintain boat speed right up to 35 degrees apparent with a 175 genny on the furler (roughly the same as Prout foresail). Try that with a Prout.

If you find a boat with inboard diesels (they were built either way), the Catalac motors better than the Prout.

Admittedly, I'm biased, but to me there's no comparison. The last two people who approached me with the intent of trying to buy my boat (which has never been for sale) were ex Prout owners, who wanted to move up to a Catalac.

I was just on a Prout 37 and it took three dockmen to get us turned around in a marina. That sonic drive leg is not as good as the specs and old Prout adverts say.

Lastly, I'm not a fan of the Prout mast location. I just hate the pile of lines in the cockpit because of the aft mast location. Anyone who's sailed a Prout knows what I mean.

I'd suggest a late model Catalac with the skeg hung rudders. Check my website for details.

You don't say where you're located, so for whatever it's worth... here are some Catalacs for sale by owner

Rick

[smj]

[QUOTE=Tropic Cat;1484301]Oh really?? Now that's news to me and a lot of Catalac owners. But then again you must be the expert. What do I know? I've just owned one for 10 years and have sailed every Catalac model built.

The Prout is a good boat, here's the comparison to a Catalac,

The Catalac has solid core hulls and the Prout is cored. (that's enough for me right there, but there's more.)

According to Naval architect Richard Woods, the Catalac sails better than the Prout. He's told me this in person and is quoted on my website. Catalac USA Website. What's more, I agree with him. In 15 to 20 knots I can maintain boat speed right up to 35 degrees apparent with a 175 genny on the furler (roughly the same as Prout foresail). Try that with a Prout.

If you find a boat with inboard diesels (they were built either way), the Catalac motors better than the Prout.

Admittedly, I'm biased, but to me there's no comparison. The last two people who approached me with the intent of trying to buy my boat (which has never been for sale) were ex Prout owners, who wanted to move up to a Catalac.

I was just on a Prout 37 and it took three dockmen to get us turned around in a marina. That sonic drive leg is not as good as the specs and old Prout adverts say.

Lastly, I'm not a fan of the Prout mast location. I just hate the pile of lines in the cockpit because of the aft mast location. Anyone who's sailed a Prout knows what I mean.

I'd suggest a late model Catalac with the skeg hung rudders. Check my website for details.

You don't say where you're located, so for whatever it's worth... here are some Catalacs for sale by owner

Rick[/

Some of the newer model Prouts have cored hulls but I'm almost positive the Prout 33 is solid glass.
I've always liked the Catalac catamarans but they are well known to not sail well to weather. I'm sure I don't have the experience sailing as many Catalacs as you but have sailed on a couple and sailed side by side with all the models.

[Wandering]

We will have to agree to disagree. I have spent several years cruising in company with Catalacs and the
Prout out performed the Catalacs in every way accept motoring. In my experience there in no comparison. Where I sail they are certainly not considered a move up from a Prout.
My Prout was built 1981 with a balsa core deck. It was perfect. The surveyor that surveyed the boat for the new owner said he could find nothing wrong with the boat. How many times does that happen?
When I fist got my Prout I could not get to grips with the handling in close quarters. I needed to learn new techniques but once mastered I was more confident with that boat than any other I have driven. I can turn it in its own length with the single engine. It's just technique.
It was a great boat that I did a lot of miles in. You only have to look at all the old Prouts in every corner of the Caribbean that have made their way across the Atlantic. The same can't be said of Catalacs.
Richard Woods has held a long standing prejudice against Prouts. I don't count him as the leading authority. I have seen some of his boats in Millbrook and there are some very poor construction details.

[Canibul]

We looked at a lot of boats for a long time. Years. I got into arguments with Rick about Gemini's. I looked at some Prouts, Admirals, PDQ's, Gemini's, MaineCats, and studied specs and layouts and generally over researched it until my wife was ready to scream. Rick's site convinced me to add Catalac to the list of potentials. Then "Caymanifique" came on the market and we looked at the photos and specs again and realized that this boat might just be the best compromise for our intended purposes. We didn't get that one, but jumped on the next opportunity and scooted up to look at two for sale in FL at the same time. We went with the 12M, but the build quality is the same with all of them. Twin diesels are going to be more drag than the drive leg of the Prout, but there are tradeoffs. We can motorsail at around 7 knots on one engine, burning half a gallon an hour. The maneuverability of a twin engine cat compared to a single is not really even a comparison. Windage will get ya eventually with that single leg, too. And what's your backup when the widget falls off?

Is head and elbow room important to you? Or are you more into the fastest boat you can sail? You just need to define the mission. For us, it was a Catalac. They're a vanishing breed. They literally just don't make them like that any more. Too competitive now. Faster and lighter and Moorings sets the standards.

[valhalla360]

I'll stay out of the Catalc/Prout debate but...

Stillette drive:
- Maintenance and reliability is horrid. It's practically 1800's technology and reliability.
- Manuverability, if you understand how to use it, you can come close to the manuverability of a twin engine cat and you get away from dragging two props when sailing along with eliminating holes in the bottom of the hulls and a much better engine location.

Personally, we like a single modern outboard which gives the advantages of the stilette without the disadvantages.