Design and Construction
Prout built the 38 with solid fiberglass hulls and decks, carrying iron ballast and twin fixed keels. Those keels are durable and serve as good grounding plates that protect the rudder when the cat is beached anchor, a genuine virtue for a cruiser liable to be dried out or nudged ashore. The trade-off is real: the fixed keels contribute to drag and create a lack of lift when on the wind anchor, so the hull form is optimized for security and shoal drafting rather than windward finesse. The boat will not be light, because the accommodation plan fills almost the entire gross dimensional envelope anchor. The brochure lists dry displacement at 14,330 pounds and max recommended weight at 20,170 pounds; each hull sinks roughly an inch for every 950 pounds added, so the flotation difference between dry and loaded states is about 6 inches. That predictable sinkage makes load planning unusually transparent for a cruising cat.
Above the waterline, the 38 carries a large molded foredeck and lacks a forward trampoline, favoring a solid bridgedeck walkway over the open netting seen on many performance cats. The result is a secure, sculpted package that one editorial review rated among the better-looking cruising cats in this size range.
Rig and Handling
The rig places the mast on the aft bulkhead of the cabinhouse, a geometry Prout had stuck with for years on this model anchor. The consequence is a small, bladelike mainsail paired with a big foretriangle. The brochure lists no working jib, only a 481-square-foot genoa, and total sail area measures 707 square feet. At an averaged displacement of 17,250 pounds, sail-area-to-displacement runs 16.95 using 100 percent of the foretriangle, rising to 18.2 with the genoa factored in. Those numbers, combined with the D/L span of 156 light to 219 loaded, describe a moderately powered cruiser whose drive sits forward of the rig rather than in the main — a layout that suits downwind and reaching work more than close-hauled climbing.
Accommodations
Inside, the Prout 38 is laid out for three couples, a rare arrangement that uses the full beam to give private staterooms without the compromises of a central island berth. One head sits in the port hull, while the galley is sunken in the starboard hull — a configuration that keeps cooking out of the main saloon traffic and lowers the center of gravity. A cool box is fitted in the forward stateroom, an unusual touch that extends cold storage beyond the galley. The plan reads as a boat built for extended coastal or offshore cruising with guests rather than a minimalist voyager.
Power and Specifications
Twin 20-horsepower diesel sail-drives provide auxiliary propulsion, a redundancy that matters on a catamaran where a single engine failure should not strand the boat. Fuel capacity is 65 gallons against 90 gallons of water, figures consistent with the boat's loaded weight and three-couple brief. The light draft of 3 feet 3 inches underscores the shoal-water intent already signaled by the fixed keels.
The Verdict
The Prout 38 is a thoughtfully packaged cruising cat that trades windward lift for grounded security and remarkable living space. Its predictable flotation, protected rudders, and twin-engine redundancy make it a sensible offshore companion, while the aft-stepped rig and forward-driven sail plan suit relaxed reaching passages more than beating. For a couple or three pairs who value room and peace of mind over racing pedigree, it remains a coherent design.
Pros
- Accommodation plan fills nearly the whole envelope, sleeping three couples with separated head and galley
- Fixed keels double as durable grounding plates protecting the rudder when beached
- Transparent load behavior: each hull sinks about one inch per 950 pounds
- Twin diesel sail-drives for propulsion redundancy
Cons
- Fixed keels add drag and give poor lift to windward
- Small mainsail and big foretriangle limit close-hauled drive
- Not light; loaded displacement reaches 20,170 pounds
