Broadblue 385 – Boat Review by Australia’s Trade A Boat

Allan Whiting checked out the latest offering from the Broadblue range of UK-built catamarans. The boat offers some unique features…and so does the company’s chequered history. Francis and Roland Prout were top UK canoeists and competed in the 1952 Helsinki Olympics. They were also skilled sailors and boat builders, and worked in the family boat-building business. After sailing an experimental boat that consisted of two canoes lashed together they went on to develop and produce commercial catamarans. The achievements of Prout Catamarans were outstanding for more than 40 years, with some of their models becoming legendary for their seaworthiness, structural reliability, ease of handling and comfortable design. Over 4000 boats were built and designs ranged in size from 26 to 70 feet.