Prout P-45S: Mini Review
Jeremy McGeary reviews a cat that has returned to the market for the CW 2009 Sailboat Show.
Prout, founded on England's east coast, pioneered the cruising catamaran in the 1960s, and although the original company closed several years ago, the name lives on. The new Prout P-45S, being assembled in Thailand from parts made there and in China, is designed to perpetuate the well known line along the same basic principles on which it was was founded.
Key objectives in the P-45S are good sea-keeping, reliability, and comfort. To achieve them, the sail plan is conservative, the hulls are narrow, and the rudders are hung on substantial skegs. The saloon is so commodious as to enclose the galley, separate seating for lounging and dining, and a forward-facing nav desk. The hulls have to accommodate only the staterooms and heads, allowing some flexibility on their arrangement.
An extended bench seat invites conviviality and job sharing at the elevated steering station in the cockpit, to which the sail controls all lead.
