Design
After 20 years of sailing on small 14ft boats with tiller, it was about time to make a big step further and solve four major issues, common to all tested dinghies:
- Painful slamming while sitting on a hard hull
- Constantly wet feeling due to spray and rain
- Systematically wet storage
- Weak construction, not durable in time
The need for a bigger and stronger boat with cabin was becoming clear, however the step was not obvious to make due to the fear of excessive fuel consumption…
While almost all aluminium boat manufacturers in Norway are located in Hitra, I took a trip there to see if there was any possibility to get my dream boat assembled there. Despite the number of options in the region, I got disappointed by the (lack of) technical proposals.
I therefore decided to look in France as a second option, knowing that the transport would be challenging. After some deep search, it appeared that the Prophil from SOUD’ALU 17 was the best fit for the job with well documented performance!
Prophil Boats
The Prophil concept was originally made by the naval architect of SOUD’ALU 17 back in 2002, based on Denis Proteau’s experience and requirements. The end result was such a great success that the hull lines have remained the same since then. This family of boats is now available from 5m to 7m, stepless. Most Prophil owners are experienced sailors looking for safe and comfortable boats to go far in the open sea, in almost any weather conditions!
SOUD'ALU 17
SOUD’ALU 17 is a French company established near the island of Oleron. Denis Proteau, the owner has a strong reputation in the region acquired over the years by manufacturing highly reliable professional and leisure boats.
SOUD’ALU 17
60 Rue de la Gataudière
17320 Marennes, France
The Prophil-650 appears to be a very good compromise in terms of performances at sea, fuel economy and space. While the original topside arrangement is tuned for usage in “Southern Europe”, some updates were clearly necessary for regular use on the West coast of Norway where typical weather conditions combine cold, waves, wind and rain/snow.
Stern Arrangement
Some significant changes have been made to the standard Prophil stern including the rounding of the stern lines for aesthetical reasons, maximisation of storage space on both sides, some platforms to access the engine when required, and two extra large deck drains equipped with non-return flaps under the platforms. The implementation of a step into the back of the hull is strong performance booster!
Open Cabin
The main design idea was to implement a comfortable stand-up cabin able to accommodate at least 3 persons during transit. The experience of Denis is that leaving it open in the back avoids resonance and improves stability. Some work has been done to minimise the total height without getting the feeling of being confined, and to keep the design simple. After some iterations on the 3D drawings, the cabin has been laser cut and assembled relatively fast.
Bow Arrangement
As the boat is intended to be used for fishing with nets and pots, attention was paid to make the bow area practical for such activities. The bow comprises a strong hauler support on the starboard quarter, a clean portion on port side to set the nets backwards, and the steering in between (100% electric). On top of that, some wide storage is available as well as 4m² of deck space.