Modernizing a Prout Elite 37ft

[malbert73]

What did you finally do with the engine? Use the diesel that came with it (vetus?)

[atoll]

Originally Posted by malbert73

What did you finally do with the engine? Use the diesel that came with it (vetus?)

yes using the vetus m4.14 ,33hp that came new with the hull.
this drives the sillete mk2 catamaran drive that has its own built in gearbox and is steerable which makes manouvering onto a dock very easy in forward or reverse.
photo is of the engine before i added new engine beds and soft flexible engine mounts.

[alansmith]

Still, the amazing one. Great work. Did you fabricate all of those fittings in the hardware pic? Or were they bought? What a labor of love. Now that she is done all proper like I want to buy her for 40 k! He he.

[atoll]

Originally Posted by alansmith

Still, the amazing one. Great work. Did you fabricate all of those fittings in the hardware pic? Or were they bought? What a labor of love. Now that she is done all proper like I want to buy her for 40 k! He he.

the riggers supplied the 2 T-BALL inserts and terminals for the cap shrouds.

the sparcraft spreader base assembly was repositioned,as were the spreaders which were cut down by 6 inches and at right angles to the mast,instead of swept back as they were before and cut out for the stemball fitting insert.

the inner forestay fitting i had to fabricate and insert inside the mast,this was a copy of the forestay fitting that also had to be re-positioned at the top of the mast.

the bottom halyard roller assembly , base plate shoe for the mast and clutch and winch plates assembly's all were water jet cut out then welded up by myself ,then polished .

all the blanking plates on the mast i had to cut out from the off cut mast section,these were all glued using bellzona metal epoxy and riveted with 1/4'diam monel rivets as were both the forestay fittings.
i used over 100 rivets!

the riggers were impressed by my work,also by the (wider fore and aft elongated) sparcraft mast section giving added stiffness in the upper and lower panels allowing good forestay and inner forestay tension.

i also just today bought a very nice condition second hand boom ,gooseneck and mast fitting from the riggers for the mainsail,for $120!
it will need shortening slightly but that pretty much completes the rig for the moment

[atoll]

Lest we forget, rememberance day 2019,that we are free to do crazy stuff like this

November update
finished installing the radar, with NMEA interface,works great!
windspeed and direction indicator calibarated and working!

i managed to find a second hand mainsail in reasonable condition to go with the boom,so with the left over sunbrella that i had after making the cockpit covers.
i built a matching colour stack pack for the mainsail using my trusty powerfull $25 singer sewing machine,which also came out great and fits nicely.

the sunberella material incidentally i found in the sailmakers trash next door which came off a superyacht mainsail cover that had become a bit freyed at the edges' thank you "Adele"

we also got all the seats,backs and bunks cut out from 2, 3 and 4 inch foam.
these we made up upholstery covers with some nice peach coloured, brushed effect, hard wearing fire resistant material.
currently stored on the big boat till i have finished a bit of trim and varnish on the catamaran.

i am also waiting on quotes from a couple of local sailmakers for a 36m2 genoa and an inner foresail about 18m2.

we have been looking at a few different weight cloths 8.5oz ,9.5oz and 10.5 oz but still not sure which would be best,perhaps other prout owners would like to comment if you are reading this

[alickn]

Originally Posted by atoll

yes using the vetus m4.14 ,33hp that came new with the hull.
this drives the sillete mk2 catamaran drive that has its own built in gearbox and is steerable which makes manouvering onto a dock very easy in forward or reverse.
photo is of the engine before i added new engine beds and soft flexible engine mounts.

Hi Atoll,


I have read your story with interest. I bought my Snowgoose Elite in 2008, and lived aboard until 2016. Made many, many mods etc etc. Started with a Mk I Sillette leg and changed to a Mk II. The Mk I has a built in gearbox and an automatic lock down pin which engages when selecting reverse. This prevents the leg from driving itself up out of the water when going astern, but the Mk I leg has NO grease nipples in either the swivelling or raising yokes (is that the correct terminology?). A friend tore shoulder muscles trying to swivel the leg when it was in dire need of lubrication.
Though the Mark II has no gearbox (it is therefore lighter but needs an engine with gearbox), it has no automatic lockdown pin and a manual set up has to be created with a morse cable etc etc. It does however, have grease nipples on the directional yokes. You pays your money and makes a choice.
If I was doing it again, I'd keep the Mk I leg even though it is heavier as it has the auto pin-down in reverse, but I would fit grease nipples to the yokes, to keep the arm swinging and lifting easily.

[atoll]

Originally Posted by alickn

Hi Atoll,


I have read your story with interest. I bought my Snowgoose Elite in 2008, and lived aboard until 2016. Made many, many mods etc etc. Started with a Mk I Sillette leg and changed to a Mk II. The Mk I has a built in gearbox and an automatic lock down pin which engages when selecting reverse. This prevents the leg from driving itself up out of the water when going astern, but the Mk I leg has NO grease nipples in either the swivelling or raising yokes (is that the correct terminology?). A friend tore shoulder muscles trying to swivel the leg when it was in dire need of lubrication.
Though the Mark II has no gearbox (it is therefore lighter but needs an engine with gearbox), it has no automatic lockdown pin and a manual set up has to be created with a morse cable etc etc. It does however, have grease nipples on the directional yokes. You pays your money and makes a choice.
If I was doing it again, I'd keep the Mk I leg even though it is heavier as it has the auto pin-down in reverse, but I would fit grease nipples to the yokes, to keep the arm swinging and lifting easily.

my MK1 catamaran drive has both grease nipples in the yoke arms,and swivel pin and the auto reverse locking pin.
it also came with the cable operated lock that engages with the auto lock assembly which must have been added as an accessory

mins probably a later model ,though easy enough to add grease nipples when the unit is stripped down

[rogue trader]

Originally Posted by Krogensailor

? You still have to make a highly finished male plug to make a finished female mold. Why not make a highly finished part. I've used the strips to make a cambered roof. Couple of forms spaced 18" apart, strip plank, glass in and out. Strong, light, Insulated. The panels only come in 2'x4'x1"

hi mate your doing well,as fer as creating roof curves and stiffner ridges for a plug for fiberglass moulds try using cutoff s/hand car/truck/van roofs ect. all diff models have diff shapes ect they make great easy to weld parts for the quick construction of a plug on to a wood frame.and cheap to buy off a scrap yard.as you may guess,im a vehicle car/truck crash repairer,restorer.

[atoll]

Originally Posted by rogue trader

hi mate your doing well,as fer as creating roof curves and stiffner ridges for a plug for fiberglass moulds try using cutoff s/hand car/truck/van roofs ect. all diff models have diff shapes ect they make great easy to weld parts for the quick construction of a plug on to a wood frame.and cheap to buy off a scrap yard.as you may guess,im a vehicle car/truck crash repairer,restorer.

that is a nice idea!
which bears thinking about for future projects

although now i am pretty much done with moldings on the prout apart from a couple of combings to cover cockpit drains ,a support on the back of the transom for the drive leg,and possibly for one of the rudders that got damaged from drying out on a rock

these i will probably just take a female cast off the nacelle to get the inside profile then use foam to build up the outer profile ,then use this for a one off molding

[alansmith]

Rogue T, thanks for sharing that tip. I want to build a hard dogger for my trimaran and your tip bears putting some thought into it. Thanks for sharing it.

[clakiep]

Originally Posted by atoll

hi all
as some may know i have accuired a prout snowgoose elite 37 hull and deck,standing for 20 years next to the factory,in more or less pristine condition,apart from 20 years of dirt on the gelcoat.

see photos http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...uk-101799.html

currently i'm putting a temporary rig together,and have purchased a sonicdrive gearbox/outboard leg to go with the 33hp engine that came with the boat for propulsion.

with the addition of the aft bulkheads and a bit of tabbing,a steering system ,batteries ,nav lights etc the plan is to launch it and sail it the 350 miles to falmouth for a fit out,later in the summer.

my last project, is more or less finished
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...rew-59975.html

so i was wondering about taking the oppertunity to modernise the prout design that has very little head room in the saloon (5'3"!),and moving the mast fwd,as you would find on a conventional cat.

the plan would be to fabricate a mould for an enclosed raised cabin top fwd of the steering position,similar to the gemini 105 mc Google Image Result for http://geminicatamarans.com/gemini105mc/images/stories/gemini_lauderdale_2.jpg

this will allow head room throughout the saloon area,add a great deal of light,allow for a galley upstairs and nav station.

moving the mast fwd will also improve the vessels ability to go to windward.

a few tentative scribblings,taken from the plans, any input appreciated!

This Prout type of rig is not for performance but for the ease of handling solo or with short crew . It is much easier to jibe under jib alone, and if the boat also comes about nicely under jib alone - if wind is not to weak or to strong - it is quite practical. I would not change it.

[atoll]

Originally Posted by clakiep

This Prout type of rig is not for performance but for the ease of handling solo or with short crew . It is much easier to jibe under jib alone, and if the boat also comes about nicely under jib alone - if wind is not to weak or to strong - it is quite practical. I would not change it.

thanks for looking in on the thread!
the post you refer to was an early one,(now over 1000 posts later),if you go back a few posts/pages you will see that i stuck with the original prout rig

[atoll]

Santa came early this year
code zero,stay sail and genoa from Jeckells sails,very good price and fast service,only ordered the sails 3 weeks ago
Home - Jeckells The Sailmakers

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by rogue trader

hi mate your doing well,as fer as creating roof curves and stiffner ridges for a plug for fiberglass moulds try using cutoff s/hand car/truck/van roofs ect.

Yes great idea. Is the inside smooth enough to use as a female plug or does it have bits welded in, never really seen the inside of a car roof. Can't weld, but can laminate so certainly an option in the future

Pete

[atoll]

Originally Posted by Pete7

Yes great idea. Is the inside smooth enough to use as a female plug or does it have bits welded in, never really seen the inside of a car roof. Can't weld, but can laminate so certainly an option in the future

Pete

car or truck body work generally has stiffners on the inside,but these are easily cut away and can be filled , faired then sprayed with an epoxy to give a reasonably high finish to take a molding off.

the beauty of a female mold is that your finished molding has the high finish surface on the outside of the product.

using the outer surface of say a car roof,already has a high finish ,but taking a molding off it leaves you with the high finish on the inside of the product.
this you can then use to create a female mold,but involves twice the work and condiderably more materials