Prout Snowgoose 37

Prout Snowgoose 37 - Built in 1979 and fitted with a Beta 20ho inboard diesel. The following detail has been compiled by the owner.

Lying Ashore Bangor 

Owners Overview

It is with some regret that we are putting our Prout Snowgoose 37 “Mother Goose” up for sale.  In sailing condition she is an amazing family/liveaboard boat, and a piece of British multihull history.

 

She is currently ashore in Bangor, North Wales and requires some work (detailed below) before she can be relaunched.  She is hopefully priced to make an appealing project and get her into the hands of someone who can get her sailing again.

 

History

Mother Goose is Snowgoose hull 1, built in 1979.  For the first few years of her life she was the Prout family's personal boat as well as a demonstrator for the new model.  There is a photo of her in the Prout's ownership on this and She also appears in the original Snowgoose brochure:

 

In 1981 she was sold to a retired naval officer (the original invoice and a letter from the Prouts to him amongst the boat's papers).  He renamed her to "Cavalier" and he and his family sailed her out of Poole Harbour for the next 37 years.  

 

There is another owner amongst the paperwork by the name of ‘Keeley’ who registered her in 2018 before selling her in 2019.

 

In August 2019 she was bought by the previous owners, who moved her to Glasson Dock in Lancashire, refurbished the interior and repainted externally from her original chocolate brown to the current grey.  There is a document among the boat’s papers describing the work they carried out.

 

We bought her at the end of 2021 and gave her back her original name, before spending the summer of 2022 living aboard her as a family of four while cruising in the Irish Sea.   Towards the end of this time, we started seeing movement between the bulkheads and the hull moulding while sailing.  We had hoped to get her back home to the Severn Estuary, but as the bulkhead issues became apparent, we chose to haul out where we were rather than put her through another 300 miles of sailing.

 

Since then, I have been slowly working on sorting the bulkheads out so that she could be relaunched, but with the boat 180 miles from home and a lot of other demands on my time, I am having to accept that it is just taking too long to get her back to sailing condition. In the meantime, for a variety of reasons, we aren't able to return to liveaboard cruising, so it’s time for her to move on to a new owner.

Work required Already completed

I have already replaced sections of the outboard rear bulkhead on both sides where there was rot and delamination of the plywood.  This seems to have been caused by rainwater ingress over the years, particularly when exposed to driving rain from astern.  On the starboard side the primary source seems to have been a leak from a cockpit locker, which I have now stopped up.  On the port side the source seems to be the companionway door – see below.

The outboard bulkheads were cut back to good, dry wood, and  replacement sections made from 18mm marine ply.  The replacement sections were fitted in place with 9mm lap pieces both sides, screwed and glued with epoxy.  The end grain of the new sections was sealed with epoxy to prevent future water ingress.  The new sections were then re-tabbed to the hull.

I have replaced the floors in the port hull with new marine ply, epoxy coated all over.

Minimal work to relaunch

The forward bulkhead needs to be retabbed to the inboard side of the hull on both sides of the boat.  The bulkheads themselves are dry and sound – the failure here is just down to the limitations of 1970s polyester resin in adhering to plywood after fifty years.  I think this work is possible (if fiddly) without dismantling the furniture on either side.

The inboard part of the rear bulkhead on the starboard side had rot and delamination along the bottom edge.  I have already cut this back to good ply, and have made a replacement section and lap piece to fix it in place.  All that is required is to screw and glue it in place and retab to the hull.

On the port side, there is rot all the way along the bottom of the inner section of the bulkhead which I haven’t started to address yet.  The source of water on this side is rainwater ingress through the companionway door.  If I was completing this I would replace the whole bulkhead panel (1 sheet of 9mm ply) and take the opportunity to make a more weatherproof door.

Beyond that, the standing rigging is currently slackened off to take the load off the aft bulkhead, so would need retensioning, and there would be the usual recommissioning, engine servicing, etc associated with relaunching any boat which had been ashore.

Additional known issues/projects

The following are issues that I am aware of, but would not prevent the boat being relaunched and moved elsewhere.

• There will be some remedial work to do to the aft cabin 'worktop' and cubby storage on both sides where I have had to cut back sections to do the bulkhead work (and because they also had rot), plus painting the bulkhead repairs to match the old and replacing the floor covering in the cross-walk.
• The alternator does not produce a charging voltage.  This was the case for at least the last couple of months we were living aboard and sailing, but the solar panel on the davits always kept the engine battery fully charged.
• We blew a big rip in the staysail in the last week or so that we were sailing.  There is another one, which is probably the original from when the boat was new.  I would plan for a new one.
• I have had to disrupt the rigid gas piping on both sides of the boat (water heater to port, cooker to starboard) in order to carry out the bulkhead repairs.  These would need to be replaced in order to use these systems.
• The tack loop for the reef tack in the J2 needs re-sewing.
• The masthead wind sensor needs replacing.  The display works.
• The boat did not have a steaming light when we bought her.  I fitted a combined steaming and foredeck light to the mast and ran the cable down to the helm position, but did not finish wiring it in.  There is a new switch panel fitted below the wheel which I was going to transfer all the navigation lights to.
• The original headlining was removed by the previous owners and replaced throughout with separate panels screwed to wooden blocks which were glued to the hull.  The general idea is a good one, it looks very nice and makes maintenance access easy, but a number of the wooden blocks have come loose and need refitting with better adhesive.
  
  

On deck

Huge solid foredeck with:

 

• CQR anchor with mechanical windlass.  30 metres of chain, 20 metres rope.
• Two large lockers:
• Forward serves as chain locker and also takes all the fenders.
• Aft serves as sail locker
• Anchor point for a pair of jackstays (currently removed and stored) leading back to the cockpit, one either side of the centreline. With a 2m tether it is possible to reach all parts of the deck, but impossible to go over the rail.

 

Spacious cockpit with:

 

• Helm station with:
• Hydraulic wheel steering
• Raymarine Smartpilot
• Garmin chart plotter
• Depth sounder
• Wind sensor (display working, masthead sensor needs replacing)
• Compass
• Engine dash and controls
• Drive leg steering control.
• Winch and cleats for halyards at mast base
• Winches and cleats for jib at rear of cockpit
• Lockers to either side of cockpit floor
• Large compartment under middle of floor with diesel tank and gas cylinder (note gas system cannot currently be used as described elsewhere).

 

 

Large aft deck behind the cockpit with:

 

• Additional access to engine compartment.
• Davits and 100W solar panel.
• Stern ladder
• Mount for dinghy outboard on aft rail
• Currently defunct but possibly repairable Rutland wind generator – the mounting pole failed since she has been ashore, and has broken part of the plastic rotor when it fell to the deck.

 

Guard rails are netted all round.

 

Rigging and Sails

Cutter rig with the following sails:

 

• Full size J1 jib, fairly old but plenty of light-wind use left in it.
• Yankee-cut J2/working jib of approx 2/3 size of J1, relatively new and in good condition. There is a reef point fitted which brings it down to about 1/3 the size of the J1, or the same as the J3.  The reef tack loop needs re-sewing.
• J3 of about 1/3 size of the J1.        Needs hanks fitting (has eyelets for them).
• Mainsail with two reef points.        Fairly tired and repaired in several places, would probably do another season but I wouldn’t set out across an ocean with it.
• Asymmetric spinnaker with sock.

 

As noted above, we blew a huge tear across the staysail in the last couple of weeks of sailing.  It is probably not worth repairing so would need a new one made.

 

There are older duplicates of most of the sails above, quite possibly the originals from when the boat was built.

 

I replaced the headstay at the start of 2022.  The remainder of the standing rigging is of unknown age.  Almost all the running rigging has been replaced by either us or the previous owners (so since 2019).

 

When I replaced the headstay, I made the deliberate decision not to reinstall the ancient continuous-line furler, and had the J1 and J2 converted to hank-on.   I didn’t regret that at any point in several hundred miles of double-handing (and often effectively single-handing) the boat.  The foredeck is so huge that the jib will always land on deck, and it is no issue going forward for the occasional sail change.  The jib is hoisted from the helm position, and if a quick sail reduction is required, it can be dropped to the deck with one hand and no physical effort while continuing to steer the boat under main and staysail with the other.

 

I installed downhaul lines on the main, jib and staysail halyards leading back to the cockpit, but in practice  the headsails almost always just fall down on their own.  They do mean it is impossible to lose a halyard up the mast though.

 

We made a custom deck bag for the J2, and it stayed hanked on all the time we were aboard.  When the larger J1 was called for, we just hanked it on above the lowered J2 in a couple of minutes.

Engine

20hp Beta Marine in engine compartment behind cockpit. Fitted new in 2015. Needs a new alternator as described elsewhere.  Last service at end of 2021, approx 15-20hrs use during 2022, laid up since.   Cooling system has been filled with glycol antifreeze mixture since it was hauled out.

Sillette drive leg.  Raised and lowered from within cockpit.  Steerable by electric actuator from helm position.

Electrical systems Batteries and charging

The engine start battery is located in the engine compartment behind the cockpit.   It is charged by the 100W solar panel on the davits (and of course by the alternator if it was working).

There is space and connections for two domestic batteries in the engine compartment.   These are also charged by the solar panel on the davits, and supply power (by separate isolators) to the autohelm and to the main switch panel in the navigation area in the port hull.

There are two 2x 95aH AGM domestic batteries, new in 2022.  These have been kept at home and periodically charged since bringing her ashore, and only returned to the boat now for sale.  There is also a smaller battery which I have been using as a house battery while laid up.

There is a 200W Renogy ‘Solar Suitcase’ portable solar panel aboard.  It has long enough cables to connect to the batteries from anywhere on deck.  Typically we used it laid flat and secured on the aft deck while sailing, and wherever was the optimum location for charging while moored or anchored.

Shore power

There is a 240V shore power system. The socket for the cable is by the helm station.   There is a small consumer unit in the central locker on the bridgedeck, and outlets in the saloon, galley, aft cabins and starboard forward cabin.

Domestic electrical system

The switch panel in the navigation area provides power to:

• Navigation lights
  • Masthead tricolour and anchor light
  • Deck-level stern and side lights
• Instrumentation at helm station (apart from autohelm)
• Bilge pumps in both hulls
• Electric water pump in heads compartment
• LED lighting throughout the boat.  The galley and navigation area are turned on by switches, the rest are individually touch-sensitive.
• USB sockets throughout the boat
  
  

Upgrades in progress

The electrical system as described is perfectly adequate for day sailing and short trips, but had some shortcomings when living on the boat long-term.  The main issue was that when we upgraded the fridge from the previous electric coolbox, it was under-voltage when running due to the long cable run from engine compartment forward to the switch panel in the navigation area and back to the main bulkhead.

I developed a plan to consolidate most of the domestic electrical systems into the central locker on the aft bulkhead, upgrading them as I went.  So far, I have fitted connections for one of the batteries, bus bars, and a Renogy battery monitor.  The fridge is wired into this system.

In the boat but not yet fitted there is:

• Enough marine ply to make a shelf for the second battery and a door for the locker into which switches, battery monitor, etc could be fitted.
• Isolators for both batteries
• Cable and fittings for the second battery.
• Various other switches, fuse holders, and other components.
• Reels of single- and multi-core quality marine-spec cable

I selected components on the assumption that the two AGM batteries would eventually be substituted for lithium batteries of the same size.  This would give 400aH of capacity and the ability to add systems such as an inverter or induction cooker.  Thus the cables, isolators and battery monitor are sized to take 200A from each battery.

The existing feed from the batteries in the engine compartment to the switch panel in the navigation area passes underneath this locker, so interrupting and reconnecting that would be an easy intermediate step before potentially later relocating all the switches to this locker.

When we bought the boat, there wasn’t a steaming light fitted.  I have fitted a new combination steaming and foredeck light to the mast and run the cable down to deck level, but I did not get as far as wiring it in as there are no spare switches on the existing panel.  My plan was to move all the navigation lights to the helm position.  I have bought and fitted a new waterproof switch panel below the wheel, but no wiring has been done yet.

All electrical systems (apart from the steaming light) are usable in the current configuration by connecting one battery to the new system to power the fridge, and one battery in the engine bay to power everything else.  We sailed the boat for a couple of months like this, using the Renogy ‘solar suitcase’ to charge whichever battery needed it.

Interior

The interior was thoroughly refurbished by the previous owners.  They replaced the original headlining with a number of individual panels with insulation behind.  They also painted the bulkheads white.  In combination, this makes the living space feel really light and airy in comparison with most boats.  As noted elsewhere, some of the mounting points for the new lining panels have come adrift, but would be easily rectified with some better adhesive.

 

We added curtains for all the saloon windows and aft cabins, not for heads or forward cabin to starboard (because we only ever used it for storage).

 

Bridgedeck saloon

There is a full sized double bed forwards on the bridgedeck, with various storage spaces around.  This is a great place to sleep, and was also quite often where the kids would hang out during the day.

 

The centre footwell does extend under the bed, so this space could be converted to make a huge saloon (some Snowgeese were build like this).  As is, the footwell is accessible for storage, and there is also (shallow) storage under the sides of the bed.

 

There is a small TV mounted over the bed.  The aerial socket is broken and I think the built-in DVD player was a bit flaky as well.  It can still be connected to a laptop but that’s about it.

 

Saloon seating and table amidships.  Shallow storage under the starboard seating (port has the chart table underneath).

 

Companionway door and crosswalk behind.  

 

The Icom VHF (new in 2022) is mounted on the aft bulkhead, where it can be accessed from the helm position by a small opening hatch.

 

There is a Vitrifrigo 12/240V Compressor Fridge (new in 2022) which is currently sat on one of the saloon seats.  It would normally fit in the space under the VHF, between the aft bulkhead and the steps to the starboard hull.

 

There is a central locker which I think is meant as a wet locker but is too small to really get any gear in (we used the hooks outboard on this bulkhead instead).   My intention was to consolidate all the electrics (including the house batteries) into this space, and this has been started - see ‘Electrics’.

Heads

Spacious heads compartment forward in the port hull.  

I replaced the sea toilet with a Simploo composting toilet because it can still be used in places you can’t discharge waste overboard – in a marina, dried out on a beach, etc.  Particularly important with kids who don’t necessarily give you enough warning to get them a few hundred metres down a pontoon to the facilities.

The seacocks for a conventional sea toilet are still present.

There is a gas water heater in this compartment, feeding the hot taps here and in the galley plus a shower head.  We never used the water heater, and it would need its gas supply reinstating before it could be used.

Electric water pump is in this compartment.

Forward of the heads compartment is a large storage space extending all the way to the bow and partly under the foredeck.

Navigation area

Midships in the port hull is a full size chart table on the inboard side. and a lot of storage (drawers, lockers, cubby holes)  plus further worktop space outboard.

The switch panel is currently located in this area, although I had been doing preparatory work to consolidate all the electrics into a single locker on the bridgedeck (see ‘Electrics’)

The floor here has just been replaced, marine ply fully sealed with epoxy.

Below the floor, in the stub keel is one of the water tanks (with a matching one to starboard).  Access via hatches and screw covers for and aft.

Port aft cabin

The aft cabin on the port side has a spacious single bunk (or a very friendly double), drawers and hanging locker to the outboard side, and a large shelf/work surface to the inboard side.

There is an opening window into the cockpit.

The seacock for the engine water intake is under the bunk on this side.  There is also access to the steering linkage by removing the lining panel at the stern end. 

This cabin also has a new floor.

Starboard forward cabin

More or less the same size and configuration as the stern cabins.   Additional storage forward into the bow and part way under the foredeck.

Galley

Amidships in the starboard hull.  Sink with taps fed from electric pump in heads compartment.  Gas oven and two-burner hob (note currently no gas supply as discussed elsewhere).  Worktop space on both inboard and outboard sides with storage underneath.

Water tank under the floor as on port side.

Starboard aft cabin

More or less a mirror image of the port cabin, with slightly different storage arrangements.

The log and depth sounder sensors are under the bunk on this side.

Other Equipment

 

• Fortress aluminium anchor on 8m chain/42m anchorplait line.  New in 2022, has spent about 4 days total in the water.
• Seago inflatable dinghy, 5hp Tohatsu outboard, fuel tank, oars.
• Warps – 100m of new mooring line in 2022, divided into 2x10m, 2x20m, 1x40m, plus various older lines.
• Fenders
• Winch handles
• Boathook
• Lifering
• Drogue
• Motor cone
• Anchor ball
• Emergency bung kit
• Spare VHF antenna, new in 2022
• Hose for filling water
• 2x shore power cables and EU adapter
• 200W Renogy Solar Suitcase, new in 2022
• Spare lines and sheets
• Spare mainsail battens
• Spare air, oil and diesel filters, engine oil, alternator belt.