Boat Review - Renaissance Prowler 42

November 30, 2017 By Florida Sportsman Editor

Catamaran hulls offer many benefits to the offshore boater that can't be denied. The Renaissance Prowler 42's well-engineered Cat hull provides a stable platform capable of taming even the nastiest head sea while affording the builder the ability to utilize added deck space for increased work areas and storage. The Catamaran lines have not been a powerful draw however. As design changes improve, the old style boxy look may soon be a thing of the past. The Prowler by Renaissance team have worked long and hard to overcome the “Ugly Duckling” catamaran stigma and their Prowler 42 demonstrates that you can have it both ways. This model has the appearance of a very racy looking mono-hull from almost every angle. With the exception of looking head on at the bow, there is nothing about the appearance of this boat that says catamaran. This alone will appeal to many folks who have previously dismissed owning a cat boat based purely on looks. Beyond the visual appeal of this 42-footer you'll find all of the comfort and utility, catamaran owners have enjoyed for years.

Of critical importance to anyone considering a catamaran boat is the ride. This boat has more than one thing going for it in this department. In addition to the soft riding double step-hull design it's a very big boat which enables it to bridge the gap between much larger waves than most people enjoy riding across. Consider this a win if you frequently make long runs in rough seas. Another noteworthy feature is the fact that she will run well with only two engines. Although offered with quad power for the speed demons out there, the model we tested utilized twin 350-HP Yamahas, pushing the boat with ease at speeds up to 50-MPH while offering a wide gap between them to fish and dive around that many will find appealing.

The next thing we noticed about this model is that you can create mind boggling storage space when you start with 500 square feet of deck. Starting above the foredeck she featured an enormous Coffin box lounge space large enough to wrestle on. Within this box was a split-insulated storage area comprised of two 800-quart boxes. Beneath the deck amidships are matching 860-quart insulated boxes followed by an additional pair of matched 500-quart insulated boxes in the cockpit with pump-outs. That's 4320-quarts of insulated storage which can be used to haul enough fish, bait, ice, gear, food, and drinks for a very long trip. This boat provides a huge platform to fish and dive from and will accommodate a large group of people very comfortably. A pair of 55-gallon live baitwells in the transom corners seem to disappear in the wide open cockpit. The bottom line is everything about this boat is big. The interior configuration is completely customizable in a number of options from seating to storage. This boat turned a lot of heads during our test and the look of surprise when people realized it was a catamaran was universal. Prowler boats are sold factory direct and built to spec for the owner. This leaves a lot of potential options for the long range offshore boater looking to explore distant waters comfortably, look good doing it, and not have to leave anyone or anything on the dock.