50' Prout in Grenada

[N1G3L]

Hi to all,
just joined this forum and researching a boat opportunity.

I am in Wales UK and have found a 50' Prout cat built in 1977 that
I rather fancy travelling on.
I have some sailing experience aboard yachts and small cat sailing
and this opportunity now beckons. A friend has sold a property and
can finance the purchase and all costs associated and we are in negotiations
with the owner.

We'll leave the UK in the next 2/3 weeks to check out the vessel and if it is as described
then we plan to sail it North to Florida (via all the lovely islands in between) and then cross the Atlantic via Bermuda, Azores etc.

So I have many questions about how to accomplish this dream, can't think
where to begin so I'll just ask for anything that anyone has to say regarding
our plan and what we'll need to know to not get "caught out" by anything that is currently unknown.

We are both 50 year old male types and both very handy with anything technical/mechanical etc.
We'll probably find a skipper to whip us into shape and help with a bit more training than we both currently have.

Sounds crazy probably but hit me with any advice / knowledge that you might like to share.

Regards

N1G3L


https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BwL...ew?usp=sharing

[tomfl]

Enjoy your trip South but don't be surprised if the Prout looks different in person than in the pix. Some folks ask if there is a forum reader close to a far away boat they are interested in who could check it out before they fly thousands of miles to see it in person.

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[N1G3L]

Thanks Tomfl,

A good idea...

[msponer]

We bought our boat in Grenada. We paid the local surveyor to do a pre-survey inspection. He (Bob Goodchild) sent us a gazillion photos and wrote up a nice short report of his thoughts on the boat. It was a very good value, since we (at first) decided to not buy the boat. So it saved us a wasted trip.

Grenada turned out to be a wonderful place to start. My family really enjoyed the months we spent wrapping up boat details there. If you believe in Gross National Happiness, I feel Grenada may be in the top 10. We met so many people that are just ... mellow and happy.

Importing parts works pretty well there. The customs folks at the airport were super nice to us when we flew in with an enormous amount of boat stuff. Receiving packages through FedEx (and etc) can be slow and time consuming. For that reason we waited to do a lot until we got to St Martin.

Anyways, good luck. Your plan sounds super fun.

[Jeannius]

Do as msponer did. Get Bob Goodchild (Flyingfish Ventures | Caribbean Marine Surveying) to give the boat the once over. A near 40 year old Prout could cost you more to fix up than its worth. The boat is probably basically sound but only a professional can tell you for sure.


Bob, a Brit, did an insurance valuation on our boat a few years back and is a very well respected surveyor. I'll bet he can find enough faults to more than cover his fee!

[bvimatelot]

Second Jeannius (great blog by the way - well done Jean!) and msponer about a survey. Its an expensive flight from UK just to find a piece of junk - although you'd have a great time in Grenada (my favourite island). In general, although a tad slow, the larger Prouts are pretty bullet-proof in my experience!

As for a skipper for a "hand-holding" or "confidence building" session - give me a shout! I do a lot of them (and, of course, transats!) Tony

[msponer]

Here's a copy of the 'Quick Look' aka 'Pre Survey Inspection' Bob Goodchild did for us.

And the photos he sent us, as well as some from Yachtworld and our (year later) sea trial.

I am super happy with Bob Goodchild. This is the fourth boat transaction I've been intimately involved in, and he is the best surveyor I've worked with, by far. He actually added value, rather than just writing down serial numbers of the engine and radios and saying that the toilet flushes.

[svfraidknot]

if you get there and is not what you are looking for i have a 1978 42 Solaris here at a good price listed in classified here on the forum ,, i looked at a 36 foot prout before i bought my solaris ,, the only thing i did not like was the volvo out drive ,, plus i could not afford the asking price loved the layout though but wanted two motors ,,

[crh]

Nigel
Looks interesting. Ive recently bought a 1989 Prout Quasar 50 in USA and if you want any thoughts etc about them, let me know.

Chris

[KatKokomo]

I bought my quasar 50 in grenada years ago.
PK 3 was for sail at this time as well. Bob did a great job on my survey.

[N1G3L]

Thanks all for the info, this forum is brill!

[Oldbiker]

Hi,
I'm glad to find this forum because I am considering buying a 1987 Prout 50 in the not to far future. Want to be on the sail early next summer.
Can anyone tell me about experiences with this such catamaran of that age? Are there any specific weaknesses I should know?
Anything on the boot asking for specific inspection / attention?
Thanks to all giving me some advice!!!

[KatKokomo]

Hi oldbiker,So far I had no issues with my Quasar 50. We crossed the Pacific and we are currently in the Philippines. She is a great live-aboard for us. We are doing a re- fit right now, to upgrade the interior. After 30 years everything was outdated.
Good luck

[Oldbiker]

Thank you KatKokomo, good to hear that!
Is yours the design with 6m beam - I heard they also built a 8 m wide one?

[Hocus Pocus]

Originally Posted by Oldbiker

Thank you KatKokomo, good to hear that!
Is yours the design with 6m beam - I heard they also built a 8 m wide one?

I have a 1996 Prout Quasar 50. She's 15m x 7m (50 ft x 23ft) my friends cat who has the 1986 Prout version is 49ft x 22ft. That extra foot in the beam makes a lot of difference especially in the saloon.

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