We were seriously in the market for a 1996 Escale, and ended up
buying a 1984 Snowgoose. While we had a range of personal reasons for doing so (one major hitch being the fact that the Escale owner wanted WAY too much
money for his
boat and would not budge on the price), every day we have the Snowgoose we gain more and more respect for the platform. It is well-thought-out in so many ways, and things such as chain plates and
rigging seem over-engineered.
My husband sailed it from Groton, CT to
Annapolis, MD in early December with a
delivery captain to help him.
Weather conditions were less than optimal (at least 10-12 ft seas offshore), and the Snowgoose performed admirably. The
delivery captain had never sailed a Prout (but had sailed other cats), and he was amazed at how well it handled the conditions. There was no
water slapping between the hulls, and the nacelle helped cut through the waves-- it was an advantage. The delivery captain was very impressed. He actually asked if he could come sailing with us as a passenger, once we got the Snowgoose fixed up and ready to go sailing.
Granted, it was not fully loaded when they sailed it, and some have commented on the degradation in performance as a result of overloading cats, but Snowgoose have been successfully sailing around the world for decades.
Cheers,
S/V Octopussy