Design and Construction
The Snowgoose 37 is emphatically not a lightweight. Displacing over 12,000 pounds, it outweighs some production monohulls of the same length. Early hulls feature solid fiberglass below the waterline with molded stub keels; later models are solid below and cored above. The bridgedeck is solid throughout — heavier than a single crossbar, but delivering hull-to-hull rigidity that more modern bridgedeck designs cannot match on a comparable budget. Balsa coring is used on the decks of early boats, with some later hulls switching to alternative core materials. The interior relies on traditional bulkheads and furniture facings tabbed securely to the hull, rather than the modular pod construction common to production cats. The generous use of teak below signals that saving weight was never the prime concern; building something that would last was. Surveyors and long-term owners report that well-maintained hulls show only minor gelcoat crazing after two decades of use, with no structural deterioration.
The Elite variant, introduced around 1986, is twelve inches wider in beam than the standard Snowgoose and has a slightly deeper draft, still under three feet on both models. The Elite's rudders are smaller and relocated below the waterline, compared to the transom-hung outboard rudders on the standard boat. The hull form is slightly different between the two, and the additional beam brings a modest gain in interior volume at the cost of a small weight penalty.
Rig and Handling
The Snowgoose carries what Prout called a mast-aft arrangement: a small main, large headsail, and all lines led aft. This was unconventional when Prout pioneered it and has since become fashionable again on high-performance cats. In practice it produces a working cutter rig of around 570 square feet under a single-spreader anodized aluminum spar with an air draft of under 50 feet — low enough to transit the French canal system with the mast down. Most boats are fitted with a roller-furled genoa and staysail, with a fully battened main carrying a decent roach. All sail controls return to the cockpit, making the arrangement genuinely suitable for singlehanding. The big genoa is the primary driver: owners report the boat goes best when the headsail is drawing, and furling it away as the wind builds is straightforward. Beating upwind in chop is not the boat's strength, as it is with most cats without daggerboards, but the staysail helps on a close reach. Typical passage speeds run six to seven knots in most conditions without needing constant micromanagement, and the boat balances easily under autopilot. Atlantic crossings averaging 150 miles per day have been recorded without pushing the boat hard.
Accommodations
Two interior layouts were produced. The family plan puts a full queen berth forward in the bridgedeck nacelle — open to the saloon for ventilation and anchor-watch convenience — with two spacious double cabins aft in each hull. The open plan eliminates the forward cabin in favor of a horseshoe settee that extends all the way forward and converts to a berth. Both plans share the same hull arrangement: the starboard hull carries a changing station, bookshelves, hanging lockers, and the galley amidships, while the port hull houses a proper navigation station with a fold-down seat and genuine chart drawer, with the electrical panel mounted on the forward bulkhead. The single head is forward and roomy. Saloon headroom is around five feet eight inches, which feels modest by modern catamaran standards but is comfortable once seated. The teak and quality joinery create an atmosphere that reviewers consistently describe as more akin to a quality monohull than a production cat. The galley is technically "down" but positioned so the cook can participate in conversation with the saloon visible at eye level. The refrigerator and freezer live under the aft berth, which can be inconvenient for access underway.
Known Issues
Several inspection priorities recur across owner and broker accounts. The Sillette Sonic Drive stern unit deserves particular scrutiny: it is efficient and "steerable" — turning with the helm for good control in both forward and reverse — but can be expensive to repair and requires a mechanic who actually knows the system. The original wiring was not the boat's strongest feature, and most boats have accumulated owner-installed electronics over the years; tracing and rationalizing the wiring harness is a reasonable early refit task. The bridgedeck clearance is lower than modern designs, which results in pronounced water action below the bridge in upwind chop or following seas; keeping weight off the bow and stern mitigates this but does not eliminate it. Standing and running rigging should be closely inspected on any boat that has been cruised extensively, as should the steering system on both rudder configurations. On the Elite, the sub-waterline rudders are a change from the original transom-hung arrangement and respond differently to inspection.
Refits and Upgrades
The Snowgoose's long production run — from 1983 into the early 2000s before Prout went bust in 2002 — means the used fleet spans a wide range of ages and refit states. Many boats have been retrofitted for offshore cruising, which is a double-edged characteristic: a well-executed refit by an experienced owner adds genuine value, while a poorly documented accumulation of aging gear adds work. The single-engine configuration is the norm, but some Elite models left the factory with twin engines, and some owners have retrofitted twin engines for added maneuverability and redundancy; this adds weight and is generally considered to reduce performance modestly. The narrow beam — standard marina berth compatible at the monohull rate — and the flat stub keels make hauling and beaching straightforward, keeping maintenance costs manageable. The solid bridgedeck forward provides two large forward lockers ideal for ground tackle, lines, and jerrycans that keep the deck clear on passage.
The Verdict
The Prout Snowgoose 37 is not a boat for sailors who want the newest thing. It is a boat for sailors who want to cross the oceans without breaking the bank and arrive on the other side with a structurally sound hull underneath them. Its credentials are not hypothetical — circumnavigations completed from this model number in the hundreds from a production run of roughly 500 boats is a ratio no modern charter-oriented cat can approach. The cockpit is compact, the headroom modest, the speed unremarkable. None of that has stopped owners from racking up bluewater passage after bluewater passage in conditions that would sort out lesser boats. For short-handed bluewater sailing on a realistic budget, it remains one of the most defensible choices in the used catamaran market.
Pros
- Exceptional offshore track record with documented circumnavigation history
- Mast-aft cutter rig genuinely suited to singlehanded and shorthanded passage-making
- Solid fiberglass construction with traditional bulkheads that age predictably
- Narrow beam fits standard marina berths at monohull rates
- Flat stub keels allow beaching and easy haulout without a travel lift
- Low air draft enables French canal transits with mast unstepped
Cons
- Saloon headroom of around five feet eight inches is tight for taller crews
- Low bridgedeck clearance produces slamming in upwind chop and following seas
- Sillette Sonic Drive is proprietary, specialist repair, and potentially expensive
- Original wiring is a known weak point requiring attention on any well-used boat
- No sugar-scoop sterns make boarding from the water awkward
- Performance upwind in a seaway is unremarkable even by catamaran standards
