Specifications

A rare privilege -- sailing the Prout Quasar 50

By Charles E. Kanter

April 15, 1999--when so many were struggling with their tax returns--I had the privilege of taking what I consider a well-designed catamaran on sea trials. It was the Prout Quasar 50.
         It was a perfect day for sea trials with the wind howling a steady 20 to 25 with occasional gusts to 27 and 30. There were white caps in the bay south of Peanut Island, which extended right up to our haul-out slip at Cracker Boy yard. The Palm Beach inlet was filled with breakers, and it was interesting to watch the boats go up to the end of the breakwaters and then turn around. None of the private boats ventured out; only the pilot boat went out, but he had to.
         There was plenty of equivocation between the owner, the broker, and the buyers as to the prudence of sailing out into that maelstrom. With the decision made, since the purpose for sea trials is to check for any weak spots, bad habits, performance, and a host of other details, we plunged forward through the breakers.
         This boat has a roller furling mainsail hauled out by an electric anchor windlass mounted in the cockpit, a really sensible arrangement as it is more powerful, more versatile and less expensive than an electric winch. Both headsails are roller furling. We had no problem furling or unfurling sails in that wind although we never did get to unfurl the genoa.

PROUT QUASAR 50
LOA:	49'6"
LWL:	45"
MAXB:	23'6"
Hull Beam:	5'4"
Draft:	3'4"
Displacement:	38,000 Lbs.
Sail Area:	1,000 Sq. Ft.
Engines:	2 27 hp
Layout:	Various - four staterooms, two heads, galley down most common

At this point, I must explain that I have always been a critic of excessive beam, extremely fine bows, and big fat transoms that put the center of buoyancy aft in cruising catamarans. My experience leads me to believe that those are the characteristics which lead to mediocre performance seen in so many modern cruising catamarans. I also believe most manufacturers try to squeeze in too much accommodation for the size of the boat, which is what leads to the overloading syndrome. This boat, in my opinion, is properly sized for the accommodations.
         Prout and others have steadfastly adhered to the double-ended philosophy with the center of buoyancy close to the center of the boat. This allows waves either from forward or astern to lift the boat in a more level attitude rather than pitching the boat forward. It works!
         The Quasar 50 is considered a narrow beam boat by modern pundits, who tout their own wide beam wares. The boat is 47 feet long at the waterline and 23 1/2 feet at the maximum beam, putting it at the classic length/beam ratio measurement of 2:1, which has been used since Polynesian times (and used by some of the most successful boats ever built). I must remind the readers that the reason for going to the extra-wide beam in cruising catamarans was to create considerably more volume and space in the same length boat, not for safety or performance.
         Bullying our way through the breakers, the first thing you notice is the absence of any pounding. It seems almost incredible, but we never slammed the bridgedeck even once during the entire trial period. This is a rare and unusual occurrence. Most boats, both monohulls and multihulls, will pound...some worse than others. Planing powerboats will kick your kidneys out. Not only did we not pound, but we also remained at a more level attitude than most boats. We did take some spray as far back as the cockpit, but never any green water.

         Part of this performance is due to the fact that the boat is 50 feet long. Length helps any boat, even poorly designed ones. With full main and full staysail we sailed at ten knots with no effort. As far as proper trim, trying to maximize speed, or anything else we might normally do, forget it. With a crew of complete greenhorns to the boat and a basic survival instinct, we simply did what we could out there in the wind and waves. Since my job was to search for structural imperfections, I spent most of my time crawling around the bilges and normally inaccessible areas looking for defects not normally seen except under load (a good way to get seasick).
         As with most cruising catamarans, the feather-light helm on all points of sail, great tracking, faithful responsiveness, and great seakindliness came through in spades. This boat just has a little more of each.
         Back inside the bay, with wind but no waves, I could determine that the very long straight keels and the oversize skegs on the rudders were responsible for the sluggish tacking. The cutter rig also exacerbates this problem, a problem mostly solved by the spade rudder/mainsail driven modern rigs, which tack like monohulls.
         On the other hand, the long keels feature gives a true cruising boat safety and sailing features worth every bit of the tacking disadvantage.

PROUT QUASAR 50
Rating	Poor	Fair	Average	Good	Exceptional
Motoring				X
Docking					X
Backing				X
Sailing			X
Weather helm/lee helm				X
Windward ability		X
Ease of tacking		X
Visibility from the helm			X
Tracking				X
Seakindly/ride					X
Underdeck Slamming					X
Convenient Deck Layout				X
Interior layout					X
Adequate storage areas					X

The Prout 50

Prout's flagship 50 , a sublime blend - cutting- edge technology and Prout's 40 years of experience. A modern, elegant finish is combined with traditional craftsmanship. The Prout 50 delivers unrivalle space and comfort, with astonishing flexibility and performance. Whether your dream is crossing oceans at speed, nosing into quiet beaches at dawn or cruising with frinds at sunset, the Prout 50 is the perfect boat.

A True Blue - Water Cat

Ten million miles logged. Endless completed circumnavigations. four thousand catamarans sailing. This is the Prout legacy. You expect the cinest blue-water cruising catamaran afloat. The Prout 50 delivers, with a hull desing touched by genius, endlessly refinedthrough four generations. The eay, silent stride of an ocean thoroughbred. Effortless performance upwind and down.

The Prout 50 is the dream. Your wake whispering through moonlit seas. Hulls hissing across foam-flecked, sun-dappled oceans. Then distant landfalls. Enchanted islands with shimmering reegs. The deep silence of secret coves. Stable and safe at anchor. Shallow draft hulls that are built to be beached. Limitless horizons with the true, blue-water cat.

Not So Much A Yacht - More A Lifestyle

The Prout 50 is as flexible in its layout as it is in its performance. custom built interiors can accommodate you perfectly, whatever your requirements.

Draw on our experince for a design that is lifht, airy and beautifully functional. Finished in cherry or maple and insulated with soft, colour coordinated linings. You will find a spacious saloon that will seat or dine twelve.

An ergonomic galley with built -in fridge, oven hob unit and double sink. Two or four sumptuous double staterooms, or a workshop and office. A fully equipped navigation station. An interior pilot postition with all -round vision, controls and instrumentation to hand.

Designed to meet the ocean's sternest challenge . And provide a bewitching ambience when settled safely at your destination. There is no more perfect or complete way to g saiing. The Prout 50 - not so much a yacht, more a lifestyle.

Layout Options

With a boat of this size there are a number of different layouts available. These can be discussed with our design and custom build department. Examples of this are a fully appointed built-in office, or alternatively a workshop/ storage area with hand tool-stowage.

If the yacht is to have a liveaboard crew, a cabin can be fitted with single or twin beds.

Specifications

LOA	49 ft	14.9 m
LWL	46 ft	14.02 m
Beam	23 ft 2 in	7.09 m
Max Headroom	6 ft 5 ins	1.92 m
Displacement	26,520 lbs	12,000 kgs
Engine	2 x30 hp fresh water cooled diesels
Mainsail Area	550 sq ft	51 sq.m
Genoa Area	650 sq feet	60 sq.m
Staysail area	187 sq ft	17 sq.m
Cruising Chute Area	1,350 sq ft	126 sq.m
Mast Height above deck	61 ft	18.6 m