A couple of thoughts on reading a classified boat ad...

Wendig with a little needful advice, EBM making a point, and Badtux on the need for an intervention...

The other day while perusing various boat listings, I came across an ad for a Prout Snowgoose for sale and it stirred a lot of memories and thoughts.

The first thing that came to mind was just how small the Snowgoose is compared to today's behemoth condomarans and underlines how much things have changed. Back in the 80's, at thirty-five feet, the Snowgoose was a great big fucking boat and I would have never considered buying one as it was simply too big for just a couple with a lot of guitars and tools to go cruising with...

Speaking of which, recently I read something from a couple who were saying that the absolute minimum size of cat for a couple to cruise on was around fifty feet or so. The Snowgoose obviously, by their logic, is too small to go to sea in.

Things really have changed haven't they? Makes me feel all sorts of old...

Which brings up that marvel of catamaran performance as the owner of the Snowgoose actually bragged that the boat he was trying to sell sailed at the mind-boggling speed of six knots!

Yep, six knots. Now, I don't know about you, but if I had a 35-foot monohull that only sailed at six knots I'd be a really unhappy camper. Of course, granted that the Prout line with its low bridgedeck clearance and nacelle is not going to be a speedster at the best of times. Six knots is just embarrassing and Nature's way of telling you that you have too much frelling stuff on the boat or that you should go out and get a monohull. That said, the owner's surprising honesty on the subject was incredibly refreshing.

Which is not to say that I dislike Prouts. They are comfortable, well built, and, as long as you keep the weight of gear and stores down to the bare minimum, can actually perform on par with an equivalent length monohull. The downside is that folks who gravitate to cats tend to be big on having lots and lots of stuff so that can be a very problematic exercise.Hence that fifty foot advice from the aforementioned couple actually makes some, albeit twisted, sorta/kinda sense where cats are concerned.

Listening to Hiva Oa

So it goes...