Prout Quest 31/33 - pros, cons, owner tips?

[Lizzy Belle]

Yes, monohull gal is asking about cats

I am seriously considering going for more room then my current (and very much loved) 29' monohull can offer me. There's a Prout Snowgoose 37 in my marina, and after talking to the owner for a while, I ended up google'ing the smaller Quest Prouts.

A few questions:

- I'm 5'9" (1.75m) so headroom is rarely an issue for me The average (Dutch) person is a lot taller, with my son & brother for instance being around 6'1" (1.85m). What is the headroom in the 31 / 33? I've googled but found different answers

- The only cats I know anything about is the feline kind. The sailing kind, I know nothing about except for what the owners of the 2 cats here in the marina (Prout SG & Lagoon) have told me. Which isn't much, really, as it was all very specific to their respective boats and plans.

Should I go 'cat hunting', what do I have to pay special attention to when it comes to the little Prout Quest boats? Is there any significant difference between the 31 and the 33, except for the obvious 2'? Is the newer 33 a big improvement over the 31 - and if so, why?

I'll be living aboard full-time - just me and ships' cat (yes, a cat on a cat. I guess it's unavoidable really ...).
I'm in the Netherlands and apart from the usual trips to the UK and maybe Norway, I want to slowly make my way down the Spanish and Portuguese coast. After that - if still afloat, healthy, having fun and enough monies left after all those tapas - continue on until I've reached the Caribbean. As long as I don't turn around, a very cat-friendly route, methinks.

And since I'm asking, does anyone know of any blog about one of these little Prouts sailing around the world?

I did a couple of searches before posting, but not that much info here on these little Quests. Do people just don't want small cats or are they unsuitable for what I'm considering them for?

[atoll]

interesting vlog in 5 parts,33ft prout sailing solo from uk to canaries and back

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHrMgOTPxfs

[Lizzy Belle]

Se lo agradezco mucho!

[hurricanehole]

Hi-A Quest 33 anchored near me at Marsh Harbor, Abaco recently. I'm on a Snowgoose 34. I'd recommend going to the bigger size. I singlehand mostly also and the larger size will be a more stable platform, makes it easier and safer.

[Kreef]

I am in cape Town and there are a no of prouts available for sale in South Africa from around 35 k USD for a 34 ft and a 38 ft at 77 K USD .These prouts slam and are very similar in hull shape as the earlier Dean 33 ft and 36 ft .I owned a 36 ft Dean Aero which had the improved hull design with higher bridgedeck.
Very importantly you do not want to go too small with a Cat as they will be much more difficult to sail not to mention how uncomfortable a ride it can give you with a whole lot of see saw action.If I was you I would buy a prout they are well proven and cheaper than the more modern hull design cats .The slamming is unpleasant but ask those who own them and they will tell you they got used to it.If your budget allows go for a more modern hull design though .You might even consider an old Dean 36 they are available all over the world proving that they can get there .Slowly but surely.
Mag U gelukkig wees op die water !!!Groete,David.

[nuvaslacker]

The Prouts always preferred the 31ft version; the 33 has extensions to make the aft berths almost doubles, but is quite a bit heavier. Actually the Prout brothers reckoned that the 31 was the best cat they made.

re headroom: in the hulls, where the galley, heads and nav station are, is full headroom; the bridgedeck pod gives you crouching headroom, but you sit on the bridgedeck.

The aft and fwd berths are singles, but you can convert the bridgedeck saloon into a double.

They do bash a bit into a headwind on coastal waves, and the Netherlands north sea coast does give you very steep seas, but they're very strong and seaworthy; a trade wind Atlantic crossing at the right season would be well within its capability. Just about all British cats of that era are decked almost to the bows and bash to windward in steep waves, but they are designed to take it as most of the English coast has strong tidal streams and wind against tide in shallow waters will give you steep seas.

[Bulawayo]

Hi LB, Try this: Petes Atlantic Circuit also see: Prout Quest 33 ?
I believe you'll find any of the Prouts to be more than adequate. Obviously, the bigger cat shall be more comfortable but also costs, as you know go up with size, and is it really necessary for a single hander to have a bigger boat? A friend has a Snow Goose 37 and is very happy (three on board). We saw a 31ft'er years ago and the couple on board had nearly circumnavigated. There is good sitting headroom where it is needed (I'm 6'6"). You'll have no issues standing in the hulls where you need good headroom. Yes, they do plough, rather than slam, but this not an issue with the hull/central nacelle design. I would caution against buying a Dean 365 oceanliner which looks very similar. We bought a brand new one and it sailed like a barge despite what many owners claim. A Lloyds surveyor proved ours (and presumably others from the mould) had a slightly distorted configuration with the hulls being slightly out of true to each other - one hull was pointing a couple of inches outwards and also downwards. I know there might be some hectic denials of this but we nearly ended up in court with Peter Dean over this fact before he withdrew. The surveyor also challenged the quality of the fore bulhead material. In mitigation the Dean 33 does seem a decent boat and offers very good value and internal space if you can find one: they are pretty rare. My choice would be the Prout 37, followed by the 35, 33, and finally 31 - simply because of space. If a Dean 33 were available it would also get serious consideration - Ive only ever seen twin engined Dean 33's - a good point in my opinion.

[inchcailloch]

I have Prout 33. Currently just sitting Balboa getting provisions for the Pacific. Coming from the west coast if Scotland, I have crossed the Atlantic 3 times single handed. A very easy yacht for soloing. Plenty of room for one or 2 living on board with all the xtra needed such as tools, spares, additional fuel and water. She laid well under drones in a force 10 500 miles sw of the Canaries. I'm 6 foot so unable to stand up in the Centre of the cabin but fine in the navigation and galley area.

With the v shaped bow slamming is not too much of an issue. Don't ever whisper sailing into the winds to her, she's reluctant. I think most have 20 hp engines.......I feel these are underpowered especially as they only have a single engine. I changed to 29hp Yanmar in St Lucia a couple of years ago. Coming through Panama canal she handled the 6 to 7 knots required with the pilot, 4 rope handles and myself on board with this sized engine

If you can afford the 37, I'd go for that tho obviously more expensive when it comes to marinas etc..

With well over 20000 miles since I bought her 3 years ago, she's looked after me well. Would I have one again? Possibly tho for ocean passages possibly a long keel 37 to 40 foot. But then it's pros and cons. This is great to beach to scrub the hull, great to get near shore etc. And great for single handed sailing as everything comes back to the cockpit.

[Lizzy Belle]

Thanks so much for the replies!

Sounds like the 31' is the better choice between these 2, I'll keep that in mind.

I think considering to "upgrade" a 29' monohull to a 31/33' cat is already "going bigger", and the 31'/33' is as big a boat as I want

I'm aware of the advantages of the bigger cats, but they also cost more (buy and maintain) and every extra foot is extra work. I'm single, I don't need a 36' cat ...

Since I have to save up money for my trip and also keep a kid in college, it's hard enough as it is. Add to that buying a cat instead of going with my current boat and I'm already making things hard & expensive enough, and adding enough extra 'waiting' time.

At some point, a boat will just have to do and I have to go. I'm not that young anymore; I don't mind trading off some time for a little more comfort and room then I have now, but I'm not going to wait forever just to afford a boat several sizes bigger then I want or need. (There are some personal reasons that keep me from leaving now, not something for a public forum but important enough for me to put my life 'on hold' for just a bit longer.)

In all honesty: my current boat is more than capable. But I would so love a little more room and a little more creature comforts then camping in a very, very basic & small boat can provide. This is regardless of where I might go or end up; I live aboard full time and even if I never make it to the coconuts, I still would very much like a little comfort and room.

North Sea sailing isn't very cat-friendly. Or mono-friendly at times. The weekend trips to the UK are usually good fun, but I also remember ending up on the floor, on the keel, waiting for it to be over. It being the trip or my life, I stopped caring. Real seasickness is a dangerous thing. (That memorable trip was with a former fishing boat. Never, ever, go to sea on a boat that doesn't sail! ).

But my 'tapas & coconut route' would be something like Spain - Portugal - Canaries - Cape Verde - deep breath and go for it. The roughest bit of that route is the start: Netherlands - UK - Biscay. I might get lucky and find a boat in Spain so I can skip that bit

[Bulawayo]

Originally Posted by inchcailloch

I have Prout 33. Currently just sitting Balboa getting provisions for the Pacific. Coming from the west coast if Scotland, I have crossed the Atlantic 3 times single handed. A very easy yacht for soloing. Plenty of room for one or 2 living on board with all the xtra needed such as tools, spares, additional fuel and water. She laid well under drones in a force 10 500 miles sw of the Canaries. I'm 6 foot so unable to stand up in the Centre of the cabin but fine in the navigation and galley area.

With the v shaped bow slamming is not too much of an issue. Don't ever whisper sailing into the winds to her, she's reluctant. I think most have 20 hp engines.......I feel these are underpowered especially as they only have a single engine. I changed to 29hp Yanmar in St Lucia a couple of years ago. Coming through Panama canal she handled the 6 to 7 knots required with the pilot, 4 rope handles and myself on board with this sized engine

If you can afford the 37, I'd go for that tho obviously more expensive when it comes to marinas etc..

With well over 20000 miles since I bought her 3 years ago, she's looked after me well. Would I have one again? Possibly tho for ocean passages possibly a long keel 37 to 40 foot. But then it's pros and cons. This is great to beach to scrub the hull, great to get near shore etc. And great for single handed sailing as everything comes back to the cockpit.

What I liked about this posting was the frankness ......both sides of the coin and not just the good. All made perfectly good sense to me. My friend has a 37ft Prout Snowgoose that he picked up in the Eastern Med for silly low money and it is serving him very nicely. It has twin 10hp motors - so it is underpowered - but he gets where he needs and was perhaps a factor in the selling price. Otherwise, its a great boat for him, his wife and their child. The thing with Prouts is their construction - very solid craft, and their pretty narrow beam which allows them to fit into many mono-hull berths and travel lifts. I quite like them for their practicality and value!!

[snort]

I was just looking through ads for catamarans and noticed this one that's already down in the Virgin Islands:
https://virgin.craigslist.org/boa/5453913966.html

You would have no problem fitting anywhere on a 37-foot Prout at 5'9". Not sure if the price is in your budget, but, if it's in good shape, you might find this to be a good deal.

[Lizzy Belle]

Thanks so much for posting - she does look nice.
Ask me if I'd like a boat with flowers on the hull, and you'd get a very strong NO. But I have to say - this looks kinda cheerful

But at 37' she is def over my 33' max, and I really, really want to actually sail, not just fly out and hop on a boat.

Especially Spain and Portugal - as close to home as that may be, there's some great sailing to be done there I wouldn't want to miss. And catch up with some friends.
And to be honest, if there's any ocean to be crossed in my future, it'll be on my own keel this time

[valhalla360]

When looking recently we steered away from them due to the interior height issue (6'2"). If you are shorter, that is far less of an issue.

There is one sitting in front of us right now. Seems to be a solid design, though arguably a trimaran as the central nacelle is in the water (and no it doesn't appear to be overloaded). Unless you are racing or expecting a speed demon, not an issue.

20hp should be adequate for most condition but based on our experience with a similar size Gemini, it's at the lower end of acceptable. We are not fans of the stillette outdrive. While it allows for great maneuverability under power, it seems to be the weak link in the drivetrain. We prefer a single outboard (Steerable from the helm) or twin engine (though that comes with additional expense and maintenance).

We wound up with a Catalac 10m but would also give serious consideration to the 9m model especially if single and small (size of person). Lots of 9m boats around at reasonable prices. I would say either is more spacious for the interior.

You might also consider a heavenly twins but it might not provide a lot more space than your current mono.

There are a few smaller US cats that make it over occasionally that are worth looking at if you come across them (Gemini, PDQ, Endeavor).

I leave the blue water issue alone as someone will say none of these are capable even though I'm aware of every model listed having done ocean crossings. No question any of them will do a leisurely coastal hopping run to Portugal.

[atoll]

Originally Posted by Lizzy Belle

Thanks so much for posting - she does look nice.
Ask me if I'd like a boat with flowers on the hull, and you'd get a very strong NO. But I have to say - this looks kinda cheerful

But at 37' she is def over my 33' max, and I really, really want to actually sail, not just fly out and hop on a boat.

Especially Spain and Portugal - as close to home as that may be, there's some great sailing to be done there I wouldn't want to miss. And catch up with some friends.
And to be honest, if there's any ocean to be crossed in my future, it'll be on my own keel this time

if money is tight I would recommend keeping your current boat ,small it may be,but don't forget once you get to warmer climes you gain a big living space,ie your cockpit!

with temps in the 30's this will be where you will spend a lot of time in the med or Algarve,adding a decent bimini to provide shade will optimise the space.

plus the savings on lenth and by not having to change vessels will allow more marina time/spending money.

then if you still want a bigger boat the med is full of boats going cheap that you can pick and choose at your leisure.

go now go small!

[ausnp84]

Originally Posted by Lizzy Belle

North Sea sailing isn't very cat-friendly. Or mono-friendly at times. The weekend trips to the UK are usually good fun, but I also remember ending up on the floor, on the keel, waiting for it to be over. It being the trip or my life, I stopped caring. Real seasickness is a dangerous thing. (That memorable trip was with a former fishing boat. Never, ever, go to sea on a boat that doesn't sail! ).

But my 'tapas & coconut route' would be something like Spain - Portugal - Canaries - Cape Verde - deep breath and go for it. The roughest bit of that route is the start: Netherlands - UK - Biscay. I might get lucky and find a boat in Spain so I can skip that bit

What a timely post! We're currently doing the same thing - we have a steel ketch and are considering moving over to a cat for passages further west. The sad reality is... I get sea sick quite badly (the other half never does) but love cruising, so we're looking at moving to a more stable (ie. less rolly) platform.

The Prout 37 or Escale 39 are top of our list, although there's a couple of interesting options that are less cruiser friendly, but a tad faster... Everything I read about Prouts is: slightly slow (compared to modern designs), a bit of bashing between the keels, but very safe and very reliable. A guy at my old boatyard did an Atlantic circuit with his family aboard a 37 and loved it.

France and Spain have enough anchorages to be catamaran friendly. Portugal less so, but the marinas are quite cheap the whole way down. Canaries and Cape Verdes I'm told also have plenty of anchorages, and then there's the Carib...

Anyway, keep us posted with what you find. I did a search for Prouts on the forum yesterday and was amazed at the wealth of experience and information to be found.

n