First off - Prout catamarans ... My (very) limited understanding is that these are very capable blue-water cruisers ... so who can tell me why (generally) their asking price is so much lower than the newer, flashier cats like Lagoon, Endeavor, etc. ??

Secondly - (and I'm not going to limit this one to multi's) I recently discovered Fisher motorsailors ... and their 'catfisher' catamaran. I like what I see in the pictures of these distinctive boats - but a picture only whets my appetite ... who can tell me anything about these boats?

Thanks in advance !

- doug

Just second hand info I have- I have spent my time sailing beach cats and the occassional ride on a Columbia 22- a friend had a motor sailer he sailed out of Melborne, FL said he regretted selling his Columbia since it took so much wind to make sailing worthwhile- his typical trip was from Melborne to the Keys in August. I've subscribed to Multihulls for several years- the Prouts seem to go for low prices since they are pretty old- but they seem to stay in use.
I've replaced a lot of parts on my 20+year old beach cats- having a cruiser that old would require a lot of faith in the builder- and previous owner(s).

John R

Doug,
An excellent book about lots of different cruising catamarans is "Cruising in Multihulls" by Charles E. Kanter. You can find it in various places on the internet by doing a Google search. He is a friend of ours, and I can testify that he is one of the best and most objective authorities you will find on the subject.

Thanks folks -

I was pointed to Mr. Kanter's book - cruising in multihulls - via another message board ... I'm about halfway through it now, and yes - it answers the questions I asked, and many more I didn't know to ask.
Next time you talk to him, give him a pat on the back for me!

- Doug

Hi Doug,
I have owned a Prout 26 for 15+ years. Prouts stopped trading a few years ago, they were taken over by, I think, a US or Canadian company who then shut down the business after a couple of years. It had been a viable business up until then. There were various rumours but I dont have the inside information. So there is no longer a factory to provide assistance. The boats are solidly built and tend to have lower aspect ration rigs that other designs. This makes them very stable in strong winds. I have only reefed the main once and that was because I didnt want to frighten my wife & small children. Quick reefing is carried out by rolling up part of the enormous genoa and it is easy to sail single handed. The mast is stepped immediately in front of the **** so everything can be controlled while still at the wheel. The prices used to be quite a lot higher for second hand boats a few years ago so I can only assume that as the available boats are ageing the values are gradually dropping as people switch to other manufacturers when they upgrade their boat. After all there is no longer a Prout sales & brokerage team to hype up the values of second hand boats that they sell for customers.
Cheers, John