Modernizing a Prout Elite 37ft

[Tayana42]

Atoll, I continue to be not just impressed but in awe of the work you are doing. You are surely building a fine yacht for yourself. I only hope you will eventually finish with the pleasure of building and find time for the pleasure of cruising.


S/V B'Shert

[Snowgoose35]

And if you choose to sell it ever hopefully you will be very well rewarded for your hard work! A friend just sold their 98 Elite, in top condition (except for the usual crazed windows) for just shy of £80K sterling. I never thought they would get that to be honest but in the end they had two offers and the first one to make the bank transfer got it! And that was within 6 months of advertising and only using free online ads rather than a broker because no good Yorkshireman will pay 8% fees!

Anyway, probably irrelevant to you for a very long time but it looks like yours will be better finished than the factory, with more modern equipment and of course "new" so you can probably get a very handsome price for her one day - there is still an amazing amount of interest in the Prouts despite cheap ex-charter Lagoons etc flooding the market.

[weavis]

Originally Posted by Tayana42

Atoll, I continue to be not just impressed but in awe of the work you are doing. You are surely building a fine yacht for yourself. I only hope you will eventually finish with the pleasure of building and find time for the pleasure of cruising.


S/V B'Shert

Naah.... if Alex is like me he will find another thing to build...
You have to enjoy the doing because while the using is nice, the doing is the real life....
Take note Boatie... enjoy upgrading your Van der whatsit...

[atoll]

Originally Posted by Tayana42

Atoll, I continue to be not just impressed but in awe of the work you are doing. You are surely building a fine yacht for yourself. I only hope you will eventually finish with the pleasure of building and find time for the pleasure of cruising.


S/V B'Shert

thanks for your kind words,they are a great encouragement to keep the standards up,and who knows I might just have to take "Far Atoll" on a test sail now the Red sea seems to be open for business again

[atoll]

Originally Posted by Snowgoose35

And if you choose to sell it ever hopefully you will be very well rewarded for your hard work! A friend just sold their 98 Elite, in top condition (except for the usual crazed windows) for just shy of £80K sterling. I never thought they would get that to be honest but in the end they had two offers and the first one to make the bank transfer got it! And that was within 6 months of advertising and only using free online ads rather than a broker because no good Yorkshireman will pay 8% fees!

Anyway, probably irrelevant to you for a very long time but it looks like yours will be better finished than the factory, with more modern equipment and of course "new" so you can probably get a very handsome price for her one day - there is still an amazing amount of interest in the Prouts despite cheap ex-charter Lagoons etc flooding the market.

this was part of my dilemma when I initially started this thread,ie to keep the boat standard,or to just go ahead and build to my own specification.
hopefully I have found the happy medium!

though I do belive insulation throughout and using laminates for the ceilings and surfaces will be a big improvement on the factory fitted mouse fur and vinyl that so often fails on production models.

[atoll]

Originally Posted by weavis

Naah.... if Alex is like me he will find another thing to build...
You have to enjoy the doing because while the using is nice, the doing is the real life....
Take note Boatie... enjoy upgrading your Van der whatsit...

no shortage here of on going projects

our 63 footer needs a fair amount of work before putting it on the market,to fund the south seas cruising

[SaltyMonkey]

Wheeeeeeee!

Moving and makin' stuff. Nice work, Mr. A.

(I still want a new door....with a window...and curly curtains....and a flower box.)

[HappyMdRSailor]

Originally Posted by SaltyMonkey

Wheeeeeeee!

Moving and makin' stuff. Nice work, Mr. A.

(I still want a new door....with a window...and curly curtains....and a flower box.)

These should go nicely with the Atoll art!

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by atoll

that's just a work in progress,as the 220v and 12 volt wiring go behind the removable panel that covers the toerail bolts,so no exposed wiring once it is done,

I was not being serious..!!

[atoll]

Originally Posted by boatman61

I was not being serious..!!

the plastic coating on the wires is also designed to contain the "magic blue smoke" inside..............

[sailorcherry]

Hi Atoll,

How is the progress these days? Like all the others - great work and thanks for sharing and inspiring!

Forgive me if I missed it in this, I have read most of the thread but not all, but what happened to doing an increased cabin top? Like a Gemini type?
Are you considering a companionway like this one?
Structural Issues on our Prout Catamaran - Cause

Cheers,
SC

[atoll]

Originally Posted by sailorcherry

Hi Atoll,

How is the progress these days? Like all the others - great work and thanks for sharing and inspiring!

Forgive me if I missed it in this, I have read most of the thread but not all, but what happened to doing an increased cabin top? Like a Gemini type?
Are you considering a companionway like this one?
Structural Issues on our Prout Catamaran - Cause

Cheers,
SC

Hi SC
progress is good,though not a lot that makes good photos,hence not posting for a while

to answer you question,i decided not to alter the design,and keep the boat as standard as possible,with a view to the potential impact of non standard alterations to the resale value.

the companion way is the standard one,with the reinforced frame insert supplied by prout,however I have custom made the door with an insulated fiberglass moulding,instead of just see through plexiglass door.(see photos)

the article posted I found very interesting as it refers not to the snow goose elite 37ft but to the later ,wider,39ft escale,that was built after prout went bust,by the new management,and indeed was a completly different vessel in many ways to the tried and tested Elite and Snowgoose models.

the escale actually I belive was built by the same people who trade now as Broadblue,under the prout name, and at the time the company was having serious financial difficulties that eventually led to its demise.

here are a few photos of the work in progress in the stb fwd cabin,note the seat which has been built to accommodate a portable 20 liter chest freezer underneath it.

[Snowgoose35]

Actually the Escale was built by "proper" Prout but in their declining years and many were very well built. The same design was built by Prout SA as the Manta. Broadblue started with a modified 42 design with some ex-Prout staff, though now they are a very different company with no Prout staff any more and the boats are made in Poland for most models though the latest 550 model was designed by Darren Newton and made down in Devon (or Cornwall - it all gets a bit fuzzy on that side of the country )

[atoll]

Originally Posted by Snowgoose35

Actually the Escale was built by "proper" Prout but in their declining years and many were very well built. The same design was built by Prout SA as the Manta. Broadblue started with a modified 42 design with some ex-Prout staff, though now they are a very different company with no Prout staff any more and the boats are made in Poland for most models though the latest 550 model was designed by Darren Newton and made down in Devon (or Cornwall - it all gets a bit fuzzy on that side of the country )

thanks for correcting me,i was under the impression that the company had gone bust in 1990,and the escale was built after this

fortunately mine is an Elite,and I have none of the problems associated with the Escale

[Snowgoose35]

They had a couple of restructures but were still in business in 2000 - my friend had the very last Elite built in 2000 (though not finished by Prout). Thankfully I have a 76 Snowgoose which is built like a tank but still only weights 3.5 tonnes and 40 years on still surveyed as in perfect condition structurally - from when Prout really knew how to build boats.

I only chimed in because I'm friends with one of the directors of Broadblue and wouldn't want them to be seen as a failed Prout offshoot - as I recall the ex-marketing director of Prout went to BB but left after a couple of years and the current company has no connections with Prout and no longer make anything resembling Prout designs.