Prout Gossip

If you want to chat or gossip about Prout Cats then please use the new

We spent the winter at home looking for ideas for a cockpit table. Unfortunately we found nothing so if anyone has ideas (or better still a photo) we would appreciate it. We thought we had sorted the boarding ladder out and ordered one from Bespoke Fabrications (found on Google). However, we have never dealt with a worse company, they promised delivery within two weeks in early December. Well into February, it had still not arrived and they would not return calls or emails. After asking for a refund of my money, they owned up that they had not started the ladder and didn't even know how to make one. The owner of Bespoke Fabrications worked for Prout, doing all the stainless work. I wonder if this has any bearing on the fact they went bankrupt?

Keith Potter

Bob Ranft writes August 2006

Many long-term Prout owners were very saddened at the demise of Prout's, many Prout owners looked forward to their copy of the Prout magazine - Prout World, used to be a very good read. Not surprised they went under, and not for the first time either, how can Brit boat builders who basically mold / build boats by hand compete with the continental yards building boats on conveyor lines. Not sure if you know, they went under - under a cloud. Prout's closed down one day - owing thousands to their suppliers, and Broadblue Catamarans opened up the next day with the same MD - complete with the molds for the Prout 38, Prout 46. Think the Broadblue 42 / 43 was well on it's way to being the next Prout boat.

Used to own a Prout Ranger 31 (also called Macska) that was built from bare moldings. Owned this boat for twenty plus years, then sold it when I went to work in South East Asia 18 years back. Kept my hand in by chartering Prout cats in Turkey, company called Crusader Yachting had the full range of Prout cats out there. Crusader yachting went the journey when Prout's went belly up - but the MD is still in the game working with Broadblue Catamarans. Had some great holidays in Turkey. Bought the Snowgoose four years back as a retirement project. It's been gutted - but it's well on the way. I've got a few days to go here in Cairo - tens days or so in the UK working on the boat then off to / or back to China. Hoping this will be the last year working away so I can finish the boat and start to live again.

Mike Davidson writes in August 2006

As the subject of Prouts demise has been raised I believe it is only right that owners should know at least a general outline of what happened.

Prouts were in fact as far as I am aware, very successful in growing their business both in the UK and export markets, and were starting to develop a complete new range of boats. The Prout 38 had been produced and some sold by that time and I am not sure if the 42 had come out or not at that time but was certainly imminent. I believe that it was seen that to move into high volume production greater capital investment was necessary and the company was sold to an American group that, as I understand it, promised to provide this capital. I am not quite sure of the details, but I think that this American group then fell into difficulties themselves and decided not to invest, but to close Prouts. I believe that this was a shock to the then MD of Prouts, Rob Underwood, and there was certainly a period of crisis between the UK management and USA group that resulted in Rob taking the moulds of the 38 to Norfolk and starting up as Broadblue Marine. As I understand the situation, the closure of Prouts was not Robs choice and all issues between creditors etc of Prouts were issues dealt with by the new owners not him. Several key workers from Canvey Island, joined Rob in the new venture and it does in fact appear that they are now getting to be very successful again. The Prout 38 now renamed the Broadblue has been developed further and I believe the 42 and others are doing well too. They are certainly superb boats and if I ever win the lottery I will invest in one myself. With this in mind, it would be worth considering if we want to open our new "association" to Broadblue owners too. Clearly if you have a Prout built 38 it is the same boat as the Broadblue so why not?

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