We spent months researching Prout catamarans and found some nice examples. We'd looked at the Prout Event 34, the Prout 35, the Prout 37 and the Prout Elite (37ft).
There will soon be a comparison chart on a separate web page but this article is a discussion of the pros and cons of the Prout vs the Solaris Sunrise, and, in particular, the Prout Elite which we felt came closest to our ideal boat at an affordable price and with the somewhat limited availability of cats in general and the state of the boat market around the Covid pandemic.
Very similar sailing performance - Prout 37, Prout Elite, Solaris Sunrise 36
In terms of length, beam, weight and performance the Prout Elite and the Solaris Sunrise are very very similar, with the Prout 37 marginally faster. We used performance statistics from the web but I suspect in real terms there is very little between them - and certainly less than a new suit of sails !
All 3 are generally built with a cutter rig and a narrow-footed mainsail/boom making it an easy rig to handle. Performance down-wind seems to be very good - windward performance does not match a comparable size of monohull - but you have the benefits of lighter gear, lots of accommodation and a lack of rolling.
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Engines and manoeuvrability
This is one area where there is a significant difference. The Prouts were mainly built with the
Silette steerable leg and a single engine. This provided good manoeuvrability and the benefit of being able to lift the leg when sailing reducing drag. Twin engines on a cat make it even more manouevrable but the leg has many fans.
However Silette are no longer in business and, as far as I'm aware, parts are not available off the shelf. I'm sure that its feasible to either 3D-print parts or get them made but it is something which has concerned many Prout owners. Some have opted to remove the Silette leg and engine and replace it with one or 2 outboards. Some Prouts were fitted with twin engines. We looked at a Prout 37 with twin engines - but the problem was that the sail drives were also made by Silette. So if you're looking at a Prout with a Silette leg the future is rather difficult. Perhaps someone will take over making parts at some stage.
I believe that the majority of the Gemini catamarans, which are very popular in the U.S., are also fitted with a Silette leg.
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Twin engines - commonly found on the Solaris and occasionally fitted on a Prout
Having props sited far outboard gives amazing manoeuvring capability. When we first got the Solaris we were somewhat daunted looking forward at the wide bow. However, when we discovered (with a bit of help from YouTube !) that it is quite easy to turn the boat in its own length our confidence began to grow.
In terms of
fuel consumption, there's not a lot to choose between a single or twin engines - simply because when out at sea most cat owners run on one engine at a time because the decrease in speed is typically quite small. 2 engines gives you a fall-back although mooring on a pontoon with only one engine takes a bit of practice. Nonetheless it beats tying your dinghy alongside and moving the main boat with a 2hp outboard as we've had to do in the past with monohulls !
Our Solaris has larger than standard engines - the standard being 19hp Volvos whereas we have 29hp Volvos. Fortunately there isn't much of a weight difference and, with our wonderful folding props, we are very happy. Parts are readily available and pattern parts are really quite reasonably priced. We were concerned that having a pair of Volvos would be very expensive but, so far, that hasn't proven to be the case.
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Sail drive or shaft drive
We much prefer the idea of shaft drive but they are rarely available unless you're buying a much older design such as a Catalac. It's also true that most
modern monohulls also have sail drives. The main disadvantage is that you need to replace the seals on sail drives every few years (the recommended period depends on the manufacturer) which is a pain and not cheap. Our engines and sail drives on the Solaris are Volvo and they recommend replacing the seals every 7 years, though plenty of people have had no problems and haven't replaced them for a much longer period.
When we bought the boat the water inlets on our sail drives were clogged up causing over-heating so we opted to put in additional seacocks so they are now cool though we are in the process of fitting a series of temperature sensors to the engines so that we can see the real temperatures. Starting with the exhaust.
There will be details on our warnings, gauges etc. on an Electronics page at a later date.
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Cockpit and aft deck
We like the open cockpit on the Prouts and the aft deck with dinghy davits is also very useful. You do, of course, lose several feet of usable interior space as a result of the aft deck. The cockpit on the Solaris is more protected, by the aft cabins, but it's not as close to the water and forward vision is more restricted unless you sit on the cabin tops or use the very comfortable helmsman's seat. Some Solaris even have a 2nd pedestal seat on the starboard side so 2 of you have the ultimate comfort. Typically the Prouts don't come with a helmsman's seat and, where they are fitted, some create issues with access to the lockers.
The other big difference is that the lower coachroof on the Prout means that the door to the saloon is quite low and is commonly referred to as the "hobbit hole". I read an American comment on it saying that bending to get inside "would get old real quick". Some doors are wooden, others glass. Since we're not terribly nimble we really like the glass door on the Solaris which is almost full height - at 5ft 8in I don't need to bend at all and even at 6ft my husband only bends his head slightly.
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Accommodation
The deck saloon - the Solaris and various Prout layouts
The spacious saloon is one of the areas we like most about the Solaris. The floor is completely flat, whereas the Prout tends to have a step up to get to the hulls. Its easy to seat 6 people at the table and we have had more. The Prout comes in several layouts - the "owners' berth" forward which is very luxurious giving you a full view of the foredeck from bed. But that constrains the size of the saloon area. Other layouts include a double berth at the front of the saloon, which can be used for daytime lounging/seating and some have the same U-shaped arrangement as the Solaris. The Prout layout we liked best was the "owners' berth" forward but access to this is via the starboard forecabin which means if you need to visit the heads during the night you have to trek down the starboard hull into the galley, up the steps, across the saloon, down the port steps and forward to the heads in the port bow. If you use the port aft cabin as the "owners' berth" on the Solaris then you only need to walk forward to the heads in the port bow. Some Solaris also have a second head in the dressing area of the port cabin.
The Solaris has glass windows throughout which means they're not subject to the inevitable crazing of plastic windows. Both makes give you good all-round views although some of the Prouts with the forward berth have forward visibility restricted by a partial bulkhead to provide privacy. We always wanted a deck saloon and it is wonderful - we can watch the local wildlife - herons, little egrets, the occasional seal - and the life on the river. All the while sitting in the dry with a cup or a glass of something pleasant. It's particularly pleasant when its raining - you definitely get the schadenfreude effect of sitting in the dry pretty much everyone else gets wet !
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Berths
The Solaris has 2 large athwartship double berths in the sterns - these are amazingly comfortable and, like the deck saloon, give you the advantages of being able to see out (aft and to the side) from bed. Useful to be able to check the boat is where you left her and, if, like us, you like lounging in bed for coffee or breakfast it feels so very different from being below on a monohull. The aft window is opening and there's a hatch right over the bed head so if you're keen on fresh air its great - admittedly if it pours with rain it can mean closing the hatch a bit !
The Prout Elite and Event 34 have fore-and-aft berths in the sterns - smallish doubles without the same deck view. Both boats have the option of a starboard forecabin (except for the Prouts with the separate double berth in the bow) or storage, or a 2nd head. The Solaris can also sleep 1 or 2 in the saloon.
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Galley
After a monohull, the Prout galley is quite stunning. They tend to have the cooking arrangements outboard, many with a high level oven/grill and the sink(s) inboard with some additional counter space. Although the galley in the Solaris is much longer than that on our Rival 41, it only has work surface on the outboard side, beside the hob. The fridge is between the galley and the saloon and the double sinks are aft of the steps to the saloon. Again, most Solaris also have a high-level oven/grill. I marginally prefer the Prout layout but it would be unkind to say that any catamaran doesn't have a larger galley than a comparable sized mono.
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Galley up or down ?
One of the big questions on more modern cats is the "galley up or down" question. Many of the condo cats have the galley up, restricting the lounging space in the saloon. This is one of those very personal likes/dislikes. The cook gets to feel part of the company but it generally provides less living space and more room for berths below - hence the use of condo cats for charter. Given the beam of condo cats this may not be something that worries you ! Unless there's a dividing wall between the galley and the saloon on the "galley down" versions then personally I feel able to be part of the conversation while I cook and it tends to keeps cooking smells in the galley. So "galley down" is our preference. As far as I'm aware this is the arrangement on all the Prouts we considered - and the Solaris Sunrise 36 - I believe on smaller cats such as the Twins and the smaller Catalacs the galley may be divided from the saloon by a bulkhead.
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