Prout 38 Sailboats for Sale

Layouts on the Used Market

The accommodation plan was drawn to fill nearly the entire dimensional envelope of the hulls, which is why the 38 delivers a genuinely spacious interior for a boat of its footprint. On the used market the three-cabin arrangement — one stateroom forward in each hull plus a dedicated owner or charter-ready aft cabin — is the configuration buyers encounter most often, and it suits the three-couples cruising model the boat was designed around. The galley occupies the lower starboard hull, sunken below the saloon sole, a position that keeps the cooking station stable and out of the main traffic flow. The single head in the port hull is a known limitation for buyers accustomed to twin heads, though many owners have adapted the space over the years. Both the saloon and the wide cockpit flow naturally from one another, which makes the 38 an easy boat to manage socially and watch over underway.

Equipment and Common Upgrades

Boats that have crossed oceans tend to arrive on the market significantly better equipped than they left the factory, and the Prout 38 is no exception. Solar panels and an inverter are commonly fitted across the used fleet, reflecting years of liveaboard and passage-making use where shore power is unavailable for long stretches. Radar, AIS, autopilot, and a chartplotter are found on virtually every example and represent the baseline electronics suite buyers should expect. Dinghy davits and a cockpit shower appear with enough regularity to be considered near-standard at this point.

Going a step further, biminis, hot-water systems, watermakers, and dedicated freezers are often encountered and speak to how thoroughly many owners have equipped these boats for extended voyaging. Spinnaker gear — both cruising kites and short-handed setups with snuffers — is frequently aboard, as is an EPIRB and a life raft, both of which need their own inspection and revalidation independent of the boat survey.

A smaller share of the fleet has been updated more ambitiously. Lithium battery banks are an occasional owner upgrade, often paired with expanded solar or a wind generator. Furling mains have been retrofitted on some hulls to simplify the original blade mainsail and large-genoa rig. Asymmetric spinnakers, additional swim platforms, and heating systems suitable for northern sailing rounds out the list of less universal but not rare upgrades. Boats with completed transatlantics or short-handed offshore records in their logbooks are worth noting as evidence of preparation quality, though they also demand more careful structural inspection.

What to Inspect

The fixed twin keels that Prout favored are a distinguishing characteristic of the design and warrant close attention during survey. Their primary virtue is durability and the protection they give the rudders when the boat is beached or grounded, but the keel-to-hull interface should be inspected carefully for delamination, cracking, or water ingress — particularly on hulls that have accumulated significant miles. A surveyor experienced with GRP production cats is worth specifying rather than a generalist.

The displacement of the 38 rises substantially from its light-ship figure to its maximum recommended weight, meaning hulls that have carried heavy cruising loads for years may have been operating near or at their upper limit for extended periods. Waterline boot-top staining or evidence of deep running in photos warrants attention to overall structural loading history.

The rig geometry — mast stepped on the aft bulkhead of the cabinhouse with a large foretriangle and relatively small blade mainsail — has been in production long enough that chainplates, the mast base, and the associated compression structure are all worth examining. Prout used this rig arrangement consistently across its range, so any good multihull rigger will know where to look. Standing rigging on a boat of this vintage should be treated as a replacement item unless documentation of recent service is available. Running rigging, furling systems, and sail condition are worth walking through methodically; sails on heavily used passage-makers may be serviceable but well past their efficient life.

Engine rooms — or more precisely, the twin outboard engine wells or saildrive installations — should be inspected for corrosion, cooling-water history, and hours. Both motors rarely accumulate identical wear, and mismatched service intervals are common. Fresh impellers, zincs, and coolant condition are easy checks with outsized consequences if ignored.

Interior gelcoat crazing and portlight seals on a boat of this age are normal maintenance items rather than structural concerns, but they indicate how the previous owner approached upkeep. Damp readings in the bridgedeck, saloon floor, and forward cabin floors are worth taking seriously given the age range of the fleet.

Availability and Buyer's Takeaway

The Prout 38 surfaces regularly across the Atlantic brokerage market. France and the United Kingdom represent the most consistent sources, reflecting Prout's British origins and the boat's popularity among European blue-water cruisers. The Caribbean — particularly Trinidad and Tobago and Grenada — carries a meaningful proportion of the available fleet, the inevitable result of boats that completed Atlantic circuits and stayed in the tropics. North American listings appear periodically, typically on the East Coast. Buyers are rarely hunting for a unicorn; patience of a few months is generally enough to find multiple examples across different markets.

Before making an offer, work through this checklist:

• Commission a survey from a multihull specialist, not a generalist
• Verify keel-to-hull integrity and check for delamination or water ingress at the keel roots
• Inspect both saildrive or engine installations for corrosion, hours, and service history
• Have standing rigging assessed by a rigger; budget for replacement if undocumented
• Confirm EPIRB registration, life raft service certification, and flare dates independently
• Evaluate watermaker membrane age and filter history
• Review battery bank condition and confirm inverter and solar system function
• Check portlights, bridgedeck, and cabin floor moisture readings
• Confirm sail age and condition, particularly the genoa given its outsized role in the rig
• Ask for logbooks or any offshore passage documentation to understand the hull's usage history