Laying to her mooring, the Prout 45’s sleek rounded hulls, tear-drop shapes astern and contoured bridge promise to handle seas with minimal slapping and jerking.
Boarding stairways molded into each hull usher the cruiser to comfortable cockpit seats and table. Close by are large storage compartments, hefty davits aft and a dedicated compartment for a survival raft, one of the boat’s many notable safety features. Hydraulic steering and dual engine controls are at hand from a comfortable helmsman’s seat secure within the cockpit but with a good view under a nice Bimini.
In light air, the boat performed for us quite well. She’d recently proven herself offshore by crossing the Atlantic and sailing through a roaring northeaster on an East Coast passage. An Aero Rig powered the boat we sailed (see “Straight Aero” Jan. 1997).
The standard marconi rig costs considerably less. Under power with two Volvo 30-horsepower motors and Sail Drives, the boat turned sharply and maneuvered easily while remaining relatively quiet (exhaust is by way of a waterlock muffler) and comfortable, doing a lively eight knots at 2,450 rpms.
You can choose from four cabin arrangements. The Charter model we sailed had extra staterooms and, thus, fewer creature comforts than the Family or Master Stateroom versions, which contain fewer heads but more storage and separate shower stalls. The galley is snug and convenient to the saloon and cockpit. The view is great from the saloon’s wraparound seating, which is served by a large dinette. Forward of the saloon, two large berths, separated from each other by a bulkhead, are accessed from either hull. The bulkhead between them and the saloon opens. Ten deck hatches and 10 opening ports ventilate belowdecks.
Equipment installations are nicely done. Stainless steel ladders from aft-deck hatches lead to the rudder systems, shaft seals, batteries and aft end of the engines, the forward ends of which are also accessible through large hatches under the aft bunks. Plumbing, refrigeration and other systems are generally accessible, and Prout promises to hinge future electrical panels.
The manufacturer’s agents assured us that this boat can carry about two tons of payload after adding a gen set and filling the tanks.
Mud on the ground tackle gave yet another sign that the boat could and had been doing its stuff. The dual-anchor system is well thought out. The primary anchor feeds out from the forward wall of the bridge, keeping its weight and that of the windlass and chain back toward the boat’s center.
The boat is built to Lloyd’s ISO 9002/BS 5750 certification and can be purchased in varying stages of completion. Hand-laid of solid fiberglass up to the waterline, the hulls’ topsides are cored with end-grain balsa. Some critical areas are Kevlar reinforced. Deck coring is relieved in the way of stressed fittings. Diagonal, torsion-control bulkheads are designed to handle the connective structure’s stresses. Four collision bulkheads and integral water tanks in the hulls’ bottoms add to safety. The boat comes with a five-year osmosis guarantee
Prout 45 Specifications:
- LOA: 45’0″ (13.7 m.)
- LWL: 42’0″ (12.8 m.)
- Beam (max): 20’10” (6.4 m.); 46% LOA
- Draft: 3’5″ (1.04 m.)
- Disp: 21,450 lbs. (9,730 kgs.)
- Sail area: 942 sq. ft. (87.5 sq.m.)
- Mast above water: 60’6″ (18.44 m.)
- Length/Beam (hulls): 8:1
- Underwing clearance: 2′ (min) to 2’8″; 4-6% LOA
- Cabin Headroom: 6’3″ (1.93 m.)
- Disp/Length: 129
- SA/Disp: 19.5; Bruce #: 1.1
- Fuel: 85 gal. (322 ltr.)
- Water: 160 gal. (606 ltr.)
- Holding: 38 gal. (144 ltr.)
- Auxiliary: 2 x 30-hp Volvo Penta
- Designers: David Feltman, Rob Underwood
- Base Price: $446,600
Prout USA, Inc.
326 First St., Suite 33
Annapolis, MD 21403
Phone: (410) 280-8500
