Prout Snowgoose 37 comments

[stevo2829]

Hi just wondering if anyone might know. I've just bought a prout Snowgoose 35 1974 and it currently had a Yamaha 9.9hp high thrust outboard to power it. This is fine unless you hit a head wind or strong tide. Does anyone know what's the maximum size you can put on the back of these but I obviously don't want to be pulling wheelies. I was thinking maybe around 20hp?
Thanks in advance
Steve

[mikedefieslife]

I met a French dude out in Spain with a 50hp Suzuki. It was huge and stuck out a lot above the rear deck. In calm waters he could hit 8knts at cruising speed.

I would imagine a 15hp Honda would be a reasonable size, I've seen a fair few Geminis with them. 20hp would give you a little bit extra but it's not available in the extra long shaft version.

[Warren Drifter]

My previous boat, a monohull used to really pitch in a short chop as well and I think that the overhanging heavy dinghy on the stern and so much anchor chain was accelerating that motion like a "seesaw" effect.

I haven't eliminating all possibilities of slamming with my Prout 37 so I just slow down or alter course a bit to make the ride smoother if the going gets rough.

BTW, I put a manual for the 34, 37 & 39 Prout models on Dropbox. It is about 31mb.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/p477v2qquv...anual.pdf?dl=0

[carraigdog]

Does anyone have any opinion on the difference between the Prout 34 and 37 elites ? (Apart from the 3 feet!!!) I have previously just been outbid on a 37, but because I will spend most time alone, with occasional visits from family who dont really want to sail but like the idea of joining me in exotic resorts and marinas, I am starting to look more closely at the 34. One thing that does puzzle me is the high prices being asked for late 70,s models, after reading Atols excellent account of renovating his Prout, Im toying with the idea of renovating an older one now.

[mikedefieslife]

The 34/35 are lighter. Shorter rig, no real aft cabins just single craw spaces. Transom hung rudders. Narrower beam. Proper glass windows ( believe the 37s have more angular acrylic windows).

It has more in common with the regular 37 rather than the Elite. Some say the 34/35 sails better.

The Elite, has spade type rudders. Less bridge deck clearance due to the two double berths aft. 40cm more beam which seems to make a huge difference to the interior space.

[Warren Drifter]

I'd like to chime into some of the past posts:

I have had my 37 Elite alongside a 34 and I felt so large!
And I have been next to a Escale 39 and really felt so small!
What a difference 3 feet makes!

It has been said that the old Snowgoose 37 sails better than the newer Elite as the Elite had the aft cabins enlarged a bit.

The toughest trial I had with my 29hp engine was going up the Red Sea against very strong head winds but I never really pushed my engine that hard. If I was to re-engine, I might even consider a smaller size.

Some us discussed and agreed that a Prout 37 probably sails 20 to 30% better than a average 37' cruising monohull except to windward. Downwind trade wind sailing is a nice smooth ride. This 37 starts to surf at about 7 to 7-1/2 knots and I usually start shortening sail when I get near that speed. Beam reach is great. And in times of very low wind when others are starting their engines, one can still make some way, slow but steady.

[sailjumanji]

Originally Posted by stevo2829

Hi just wondering if anyone might know. I've just bought a prout Snowgoose 35 1974 and it currently had a Yamaha 9.9hp high thrust outboard to power it. This is fine unless you hit a head wind or strong tide. Does anyone know what's the maximum size you can put on the back of these but I obviously don't want to be pulling wheelies. I was thinking maybe around 20hp?
Thanks in advance
Steve

Yamaha makes a 25 hp extra long shaft high thrust. Seawind puts a pair of them as upgrade option on their 1160 Lite. I am a big Yamaha fan, especially the high thrust models for cat maneuvering. Seawind standard motor for the Lite is dual Honda 20 hp. I don't think they are high thrust. Reportedly don't have the grunt!

My Seawind 1000 has dual Yamaha 9.9 HT's that really make the boat maneuverable in dock situations, etc. I wouldn't want to give up dual outboards, for a single.

[sailorcherry]

Warren, did you look at any 37s in person, pre-elite, before you bought yours? The hull design and being lighter sure make it look like the 35s and 37s definitely sail better. But the coffin cabin on the 35s are well... coffin like and pre elite 37 are narrow too. I would be interested to know if the elite aft cabins were a big reason you went with it vs the old hull?

I have had Prouts on my radar for years and with my friend cat shopping I keep telling him about them.

What do you use for a swim platform? After all, that's a big drawback on the Prout Snowgoose and Quest models vs others builders in the same price range.

[carraigdog]

Would I be right to assume that apart from the extra 1 meter per week for marina fees, the running costs would be near enough the same for both the 34 and 37 Elite ?

[mikedefieslife]

Originally Posted by sailorcherry

But the coffin cabin on the 35s are well... coffin like and pre elite 37 are narrow too.

Haha "coffin cabin" I'm going to call it that from now on. I wonder how many guests/crew will want to sleep in it.

Potential Prout owners should beware. Own one seems to attract all the weirdos to your boat when in a marina. I've had multiple randoms come knocking on the boat looking to buy a Prout. Sure enough they don't want to pay anything for them though.

[atoll]

Originally Posted by mikedefieslife

Haha "coffin cabin" I'm going to call it that from now on. I wonder how many guests/crew will want to sleep in it.

Potential Prout owners should beware. Own one seems to attract all the weirdos to your boat when in a marina. I've had multiple randoms come knocking on the boat looking to buy a Prout. Sure enough they don't want to pay anything for them though.

just tell them it is not really a prout,but a Hobbit house for short people

[sailorcherry]

Yeah, I've always thought Prout really missed out on including that in their marketing brochure....
catamaran complete with coffin cabins....

They definitely look like berths you better be tipsy for before you go to bed. But hey, that kingsize berth more than makes up for it.

Honestly, I think it's the best cat out there around $30-$40k....what else can you get near 35ft and sails pretty well when kept light? Which is easy to do nowadays with solar, watermaker and kindles with a singlehander or couple. Hell, toss the inboard and swap it for an o/b and you've weight to spare for a motorbike!

1973 Prout Snowgoose 35 Sail Boat For Sale - www.yachtworld.com

Originally Posted by mikedefieslife

Haha "coffin cabin" I'm going to call it that from now on. I wonder how many guests/crew will want to sleep in it.

Potential Prout owners should beware. Own one seems to attract all the weirdos to your boat when in a marina. I've had multiple randoms come knocking on the boat looking to buy a Prout. Sure enough they don't want to pay anything for them though.

[Warren Drifter]

Originally Posted by sailorcherry

Warren, did you look at any 37s in person, pre-elite, before you bought yours? The hull design and being lighter sure make it look like the 35s and 37s definitely sail better. But the coffin cabin on the 35s are well... coffin like and pre elite 37 are narrow too. I would be interested to know if the elite aft cabins were a big reason you went with it vs the old hull?

I have had Prouts on my radar for years and with my friend cat shopping I keep telling him about them.

What do you use for a swim platform? After all, that's a big drawback on the Prout Snowgoose and Quest models vs others builders in the same price range.

I only looked a couple other 37' Prouts before I bought this one. I knew the owners for awhile and a bit about the boat before they decided to sell her. The others I looked at were the pre-elite and were actually pretty good inside. We don't see Prouts that often in S.E. Asia so I bought what was available. I sleep forward and use one aft cabin for guests and the other aft cabin next to the galley as storage and pantry. The Elite comes with two swim platforms, one over each rudder. The rudder forms the first step. Mine also had a contraption in the center to climb up on but I soon got rid of it as I like to perch my small dinghy on that aft deck.

[Warren Drifter]

Originally Posted by sailorcherry

Yeah, I've always thought Prout really missed out on including that in their marketing brochure....
catamaran complete with coffin cabins....

They definitely look like berths you better be tipsy for before you go to bed. But hey, that kingsize berth more than makes up for it.

Honestly, I think it's the best cat out there around $30-$40k....what else can you get near 35ft and sails pretty well when kept light? Which is easy to do nowadays with solar, watermaker and kindles with a singlehander or couple. Hell, toss the inboard and swap it for an o/b and you've weight to spare for a motorbike!

1973 Prout Snowgoose 35 Sail Boat For Sale - www.yachtworld.com

I often think about downsizing to a smaller boat as I travel alone most of the time. I have the original Prout brochure showing a couple nice looking models on the aft deck but no mention of 'coffin' berths. My model was touted as the 'family' design inside with one fwd queen that could be made wider and two aft cabins with 3/4 bunks sufficient enough for Mom & Dad and a few kids. There is a lot of storage space beneath those bunks. Standing room in those aft cabins is a good six feet.

[Warren Drifter]

Nowadays, we have racing cats that fly, charter cats for the weekend warriors and the large condo-marans for the rich and famous but the old Prout was mainly designed for cruising not having to frequent marinas often therefore the single engine is sufficient. Also, they are built rather strong with flotation chambers on all four ends and lower hull water tanks that could double as crash tanks. Inspect some of the newer cats in their size range to compare features and thickness of skin. In their hey-day, they were the pioneers of the cruising catamaran fleet. These old unfavorite seeming cats have often been called 'the biggest bang for the buck' when one is out shopping for a catamaran on a tight budget as there aren't that many blue water long distant cats on the market for under a 100k yet. I kinda like the Woods and the Gemini cats as well. Chris White wrote a nice book on multihulls explaining the various models and concepts and is well worth the read for anyone wanting to buy an older second-hand multihull.