Prout Escale 39, Edel Helios 38, Edel 43, Broadblue 385

[klaus53123]

Hi everybody,

first of all, this is my first post here. Great forum, I am reading already since a while. Hi to everybody.

My girlfrind and I are planning for a long term cruise (liveaboard, 5 years plus) including some passages in tradewinds. As the female skipper insists in multihull travel (I currently own a very nice Moody 425 which will be sold :-( ) the decision is taken....

But which cat to buy? From pictures and reports, a.m. makes are now the preferred once.

Could you please be so kind and comment or make other proposals. Budget for the boat should not exceed 150k€ (about 200k$).

Many thanks
Klaus

[Talbot]

Originally Posted by klaus53123

.........Could you please be so kind and comment or make other proposals. Budget for the boat should not exceed 150k€ (about 200k$)......

Unlikely to find a Broadblue 385 at that price that does not need a lot of money to bring up to cruising condition.
I dont know the Edel catamarans, but they appear to be much more oriented towards performance than the other two makes listed. The BB385 and Prout are cruising boats, and thus can carry cruising loads better than a performance boat. If you are going blue water and are happy to trade comfort and equipment for performance, then you need to also look at boats like the outremer, etc.

If comfort is a higher priority than being the first to the destination, the Prout Escale (post 1996) is a good boat, but the interior is a little dated and second hand prices reflect this. The Privilege 37 (which is nearer 39ft than 37) is a better choice, with a much better interior and good headroom. Although they are within your budget, if that is too much money - the Privilege 39 is also a very comfortable blue water cruiser. If you can ignore the exterior of the Lagoon - which looks like it has been beaten by the ugly stick, these offer reasonable value for money, but the interior is nowhere near as good as on the Privilege.

If I had the money I would upgrade from my Privilege 37 to a Privilege 435, but at the money you are quoting, the Privilege 37 or 39 is better.

[klaus53123]

Thanks for the quick reply. What is wrong with the Prout Escale built earlier than 1996?

Privilege 39 is not really available right now, Privilege 37 is just 11,17 m. I think this is too small. Why do you consider this close to 39?

BR
Klaus

[klaus53123]

maybe another question: how does the Escale 39 compares to the Snowgoose 37 for bluewater performance? I know of course the the 39 is longer and wider. But what about sailing performance and security?

[Talbot]

Originally Posted by klaus53123

Thanks for the quick reply. What is wrong with the Prout Escale built earlier than 1996?

Privilege 39 is not really available right now, Privilege 37 is just 11,17 m. I think this is too small. Why do you consider this close to 39?

The Privilege 37 is 11.7m - 38ft 5in The Privilege 39 is 11.81 - 38ft 9in.

both are available at http://www.yachtworld.co.uk/core/lis...dedSelected=-1

The Prout range had some major changes under the skin in 1996. The most obvious exterior change was that the shrouds were attached to chainplates bolted to the hulls rather than to the saloon roof!!!

Good source of details on boats is Guide to multihulls, catamaran, trimaran and proa models; the designers and boat yards; easy-to-browse and objective information on multihull craft

[Talbot]

Originally Posted by klaus53123

maybe another question: how does the Escale 39 compares to the Snowgoose 37 for bluewater performance? I know of course the the 39 is longer and wider. But what about sailing performance and security?

longer - yes, but wider is more important, as is the eradication of the biggest problem for snowgoose 37 elite - a cruising load tends to submerge the wave-breaker pod in the middle of the boat, and the addition of the bump-outs to provide decent bunk widths also adds to the performance issues. An Escale has been known to achieve a 200nm day even in cruising trim. The snowgoose 37 elite's only two advantages are that they are cheaper, and at 5m wide, they can fit through some of the french canals

[klaus53123]

Checked the yachtworld page. All Prvilege 37 are between 11,17 and 11,27 m long. Where is the error?

I have seen some pictures of Escales where the Shroud for the kutter stay is fixed to the saloon roof. Others where this shroud is fixed to the hull. But these are all from 1995. Please see http://www.yachtworld.de/Boote/1995/Prout-Escale-39-2494271/country.spanien: . Also it seems that the early Escales have an L-shaped entry to the saloon. Pictures of the 1995 models already have the "new design" with an additonal arch installed. Are these models already suitable?

[Boatguy30]

Prouts are lucky to be able to "carry" the load of basic fitout at launching before having the raise the waterline and add paint to the nacelle and making it a trimaran

[klaus53123]

Hi Talbot,
checked the yachtworld page you mentioned, all Privilege 37 are about 11,2m. Where is the error???????????

BR
Klaus

[Talbot]

Originally Posted by klaus53123

Hi Talbot,
checked the yachtworld page you mentioned, all Privilege 37 are about 11,2m. Where is the error???????????Klaus

I have always gone by the dimensions at Multihull-maven, although now I look at the Bureau veritas certificate, your length is more accurate. Certainly the Privilege 37 feels a bit larger than the Escale 39 even if it is not.

I looked at both these boats for quite a while, and even put an unsuccessful bid in against an Escale, before looking at the Privilege 37 and purchasing one.

[Talbot]

Originally Posted by Boatguy30

Prouts are lucky to be able to "carry" the load of basic fitout at launching before having the raise the waterline and add paint to the nacelle and making it a trimaran

That would be an impressive load on an Escale, a Manta, the 45 or the Quasar!! You might be able to achieve it if you were carrying 2 elephants.

Basically your generic comment is irrelevant to the OP query and is inaccurate anyway.

[klaus53123]

@ Talbot: could you please check my post further up where I ask some questions about the Escale eralier than 1996. I also included a link with an example boat. Unfortunatly due to the link there was some delay in post approval. Seems you are quite knowledgable so I would appreciate your comment...

In any case, my mentioning of the Snowgoose 37 was not for the Elite version but the standard version with a width of 4,6m.

Thanks
Klaus

[Talbot]

Originally Posted by klaus53123

@ Talbot: could you please check my post further up where I ask some questions about the Escale eralier than 1996. I also included a link with an example boat. Unfortunatly due to the link there was some delay in post approval. Seems you are quite knowledgable so I would appreciate your comment...

In any case, my mentioning of the Snowgoose 37 was not for the Elite version but the standard version with a width of 4,6m. Thanks
Klaus

Looked at the Spanish boat and it is pre-the design changes in 1996. This does not make it a bad boat, but ........For me would rule it out! The pictures clearly see the main shrouds/backstays attached to the cabin side rather than the hull. This is definitely a weakness that in older Prouts can lead to failure of the cabin roof. The rigging of the newer boats uses a diamond stay system with a taller mast. This provides more sail area, a stiffer mast and less chance of wear between the spreaders and the genoa. The entryway is better designed and covered with a bubble. Thus I always advocate getting a post 1996 design.

The standard snowgoose 37 - a better sailor than the later elite, but at the cost of more sensitivity to weight, and narrower bunks in the aft cabins. These were the two main criteria for the introduction of the elite!

[klaus53123]

Talbot, sorry to bother you too much on this issues. What about the Manta 39. Seems to have identicall hull dimensions like the Escale, but different internal layout. Any comments on the Manta from your side?

BR
Klaus

[Talbot]

Originally Posted by klaus53123

Talbot, sorry to bother you too much on this issues. What about the Manta 39. Seems to have identicall hull dimensions like the Escale, but different internal layout. Any comments on the Manta from your side? BR Klaus

The Manta was always referred to as a 38 in UK. I think it replaced the Escale in the Prout list of models. The design was built in South Africa for a while at the end of the Prout empire, and a lot were produced for home completion. Many of these were significantly overweight as the home builders did not have the knowledge to keep the weight down.

The 38 also formed the basis of the first BroadBlue (also known as the 38) before the first BB designed 385.