Modernizing a Prout Elite 37ft

[atoll]

Originally Posted by alansmith

Atol, I have read your string. What a job....you are amazing and tenacious. BTW what were you doing when you decided to stretch your tendons????? Were you messing with the motor install or out drive leg?

Atol....my hat is off to you. That was a huge undertaking. Your quality of work was very good and well thought out. Thanks for all the time you put into sharing your design and execution. Your documentation should inform all want to be project boat guys of how much work it really takes to do this big of a job. My highest respects, sir....

thanks for the kind words alan

the tendon in my arm is now fully healed,it is hard to say what caused it as i was doing lots of heavy lifting at the time,but probably repeatativly using a 5Lb hammer to tap out seized connecting pins on both outdrives caused the tendon to tear slightly at the elbow

sorry for not posting any updates recently,work has been slow and mundane,mostly laminating up panels,fitting battening and insulation in the aft cabins.

i'm happy to say that the stb aft cabin panelling is now finished ,but i wanted to give it a good clean before taking any photos.

[Tricolor]

Originally Posted by atoll

nice looking but looks very heavy!
mine floats about 8 inches higher on the water.
a fixed bow sprit could be an option.
thanks for posting the link.

hopefully i will post some photos of my aft cabins soon once the new linings are finished

I'm every time surprised by your progress and high quality of your work. You must be really happy the day you set sail and see England become smaller and smaller.

[atoll]

as promised ,here are some photos of the aft cabins that have been batoned out,then insulated and finally having the glass panels fitted.

making up the panels and hatch trims has been quite time consuming,and i can see why people pay 60-80 bucks for a ready made trim for an aluminium hatch, having made/molded 9 hatch trims from scratch

non the less i feel i am now on the home run with the interiour once all the panelling and insulation on the aft cabins is complete.

[Buzzman]

LOLS.

Am trying to picture you in a tutu, with thigh boots, twirling a baton round the aft cabins......

I know you mean 'battened' but the above picture was so compelling.....

As usual, a very high standard of workmanship!

Keep 'em coming!

[atoll]

Originally Posted by Buzzman

LOLS.

Am trying to picture you in a tutu, with thigh boots, twirling a baton round the aft cabins......

I know you mean 'battened' but the above picture was so compelling.....

As usual, a very high standard of workmanship!

Keep 'em coming!

the spell checker red line disappeared when i spelt it that way,so i guess the gurgle spell checker must be bicurious

[atoll]

i was also pleasantly surprised to find out today after leaving a comment on this very good youtube cruising channel that Troy was one of my ex crew that i introduced to sailing on a 4000 mile voyage from cyprus to kenya back in 2002,who now has his own boat and produces excellent videos on cruising northern australia!
like and share,lots of good stuff on minimalistic sailing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5RTZi2i92M

[Munoz]

Great job!



Sorry if you already mentioned it, but what kind of insulation are you using, some type of closed cell foam?

[atoll]

Originally Posted by Munoz

Great job!



Sorry if you already mentioned it, but what kind of insulation are you using, some type of closed cell foam?

i'm using 25mm ,foil backed ,celluose/polyeurathane high density insulation foam panels,cut to size. know here in the uk as cellotex,cheap and light.

under the beds and floors 50mm cellotex.
in some areas i created composite structural panels using pu foam as the core.
any voids have had expanding foam injected in or 2 pack PU foam poured in.

where there are 90 degree curves around the hull-deck joint i used neoprene matting and thermal bubble wrap space blanket type insulation.

around the oven,diesel heater etc i used glass fiber type rock wool behind stainless or alu firewall material.

hot air ducting is all rockwool type shielded ducting.

also all the deck ,cabin top areas are 10mm balsa core encapsulated in glass,for structural strength, this also adds a thermal barrier.

with all the fixed windows i will probably use 2mm clear acrylic to effectively double glaze in a 25mm air gap.

it probably has added a small amount of extra weight,though compared to the traditional vinyl ,foam,plywood head liners used on the prouts, but probably not that much.

also unlike the notorious prout vinyl liners that need replacing when the glue or foam fails, are hard to clean,or go mouldy, the gel coated panels should have an indefinite lifespan and be easy to clean.

[Twepy]

Hi Atoll, first thanks for the entertaining 70 pages, 4 years long detail refit. Very helpful to get to know more about this Prout. Sometimes I just wished hosted pictures here were high quality, but not your fault.

May I ask you few questions about you Prout, Elite 37 or the Event 34 , as I'm unable to find one for visiting in my region (south of France): what is the companion way hatch height, and the saloon head room? As I'm 1.92m and she is 1.76 tall, I'm affraid the Prout design will feel a bit cramped for live-aboard couple.

Thanks!

[atoll]

Originally Posted by Twepy

Hi Atoll, first thanks for the entertaining 70 pages, 4 years long detail refit. Very helpful to get to know more about this Prout. Sometimes I just wished hosted pictures here were high quality, but not your fault.

May I ask you few questions about you Prout, Elite 37 or the Event 34 , as I'm unable to find one for visiting in my region (south of France): what is the companion way hatch height, and the saloon head room? As I'm 1.92m and she is 1.76 tall, I'm affraid the Prout design will feel a bit cramped for live-aboard couple.

Thanks!

sorry about the picture quality,dust has destroyed my last 2 cameras and at the moment my phone has to suffice for record keeping.

after back packing through europe then africa, cairo to cape town and back, then around india and the middle east as a teenager,then 2 circumnavigations on yachts that i built over the last 30 years, i wish i had taken more photos

trying my best so hang in there

to answer your question ,there is way more head room on the prout than any of the tents that i lived in whilst backpacking around the world for 3 years!

bearing that in mind the entrance hatch on all the prouts is big enough that a full sheet of ply wood will fit through,ie a 4'X8' or 1220X2440mm sheet so the homebuilder could fit out the boat bringing onboard a sheet at a time

inside the saloon is about 180cm them through out down stairs in both of the hulls is over 2m.

being tall on any boat is almost like being disabled .
you only bang your head once!

then like a disabled person you learn to cope with your disability and get on with life knowing your limitations

so if you are used to driving a car or living in a tent, a prout will feel enormous

all the beds are over 2m,and there is plenty of headroom when seated

[Twepy]

Originally Posted by atoll

inside the saloon is about 180cm them through out down stairs in both of the hulls is over 2m.
all the beds are over 2m,and there is plenty of headroom when seated

Thanks a lot for this info.
I'll be looking looking for 34 to 37 near my place as I would love enter such cats!

[Pugcat]

Originally Posted by atoll

i'm using 25mm ,foil backed ,celluose/polyeurathane high density insulation foam panels,cut to size. know here in the uk as cellotex,cheap and light.

under the beds and floors 50mm cellotex.
in some areas i created composite structural panels using pu foam as the core.
any voids have had expanding foam injected in or 2 pack PU foam poured in.

where there are 90 degree curves around the hull-deck joint i used neoprene matting and thermal bubble wrap space blanket type insulation. :

Hi Atoll, I have similar ideas for insulating my Snowgoose 35 (although I can’t claim it will be to the same standard) and have access to plenty of Cellotex. I have read mixed opinions on wether Cellotex is truly closed cell and wether it takes on water but you are obviously happy with it. Can I ask what you did in the fore and aft crash compartments, are they filled with Cellotex or PU foam and glassed over or some other method.

I also have an area under the floor of the starboard cabin bed, below the floor of the storage compartments, that has little short bulkheads down into the v of the hull but then a clear space of 4 or 5 inches. Getting Cellotex in there would require major surgery as there is on tight acces ahead of the keel water tank but I wonder if poking a load of lengths of foam pipe insulation would work, what would you recommend?

Final one, what adhesive do you use to fix the Cellotex to the ceiling please?

Apologies if this should have been asked as a separate topic, still learning forum etiquette.

[atoll]

Originally Posted by Pugcat

Hi Atoll, I have similar ideas for insulating my Snowgoose 35 (although I can’t claim it will be to the same standard) and have access to plenty of Cellotex. I have read mixed opinions on wether Cellotex is truly closed cell and wether it takes on water but you are obviously happy with it. Can I ask what you did in the fore and aft crash compartments, are they filled with Cellotex or PU foam and glassed over or some other method.

I also have an area under the floor of the starboard cabin bed, below the floor of the storage compartments, that has little short bulkheads down into the v of the hull but then a clear space of 4 or 5 inches. Getting Cellotex in there would require major surgery as there is on tight acces ahead of the keel water tank but I wonder if poking a load of lengths of foam pipe insulation would work, what would you recommend?

Final one, what adhesive do you use to fix the Cellotex to the ceiling please?

Apologies if this should have been asked as a separate topic, still learning forum etiquette.

in the front crash boxes i have used 2 pack PU foam up to the level of the stringers that are about at the waterline.

on top of that is a fiberglass floor that is sealed.
there is a small drain plug at floor level if water was ever to get in there in to the fwd bilge.

also i should mention in the front crash compartments at the top inboard side there is a void under the foredeck ,this needs a circular hatch putting in it and a drain at the lowest point,if it has not already been done,

i have been careful not to use cellotex in bilge areas,as it will absorb water if underwater for any length of time,i have also tried to seal the ends with reflective ally tape as best as i can on the wall and ceiling paneling.

to answer your question about the bilge area in the aft cabin,i would not put insulation there.
instead i have insulated with 50 mm cellotex, the bunk top and front bulkhead under the bunk,also under the floors,leaving an air gap below that drains to the bilge.
the cellotex on the bunk tops has a layer of glass and gelcoat on top,making them effectively water proof,composite panels.

all the insulation is held in place by friction and reflective tape,no glue needed as i laminated stringers and battens to the hull and deckhead to create a gap of about 25-30mm for the insulation.

the gelcoated glass panels/ liners screw into the battens and stringers encapsulating the insulation.
the panel joints will be finished with 6mm X 35mm varnished wood trim.

if you do need to glue to ceilings or the hull i have found that 5 minute expanding PU glue(gorilla glue) works well as it cures even if surfaces are damp,just clamp or support in place for about 30 minutes

[atoll]

A bit of hardwood trim,moulded window frames ,shiny paneling and you almost have a factory finish

aft cabins are now more or less structurally complete,so bar making up a few more right angle hardwood trim covings to cover up corners on lockers and the outboard side panel where it meets the ply.

this done , i can now move on to making up the moulds for all the side windows in the saloon.

[atoll]

Another dollar another day!
Thats it FINISHED all the inside mouldings ,reached a milestone with the boat now fully insulated and all the cabin liners installed bar fitting trim.

i can now give the boat a full clean inside as now will i no longer be making fiberglass dust every time i trim a panel

some photos of the aft cabin,saloon and heads.

me one happy bunny,no more nasty fiberglass laminating for a while