The Prowler 306 cat takes on the Palmetto Custom 33 Adventure monohull in a clash of big center console fishing boats.

The tried-and-true deep V of the Palmetto 33 Adventure laughs at a 2- to 3-foot chop and can run 5-footers at 20 knots.

Most fishermen know whether they want a completely open boat—a center console—or a vessel with a cabin. It depends on whether they strictly day-fish or head offshore for overnight trips. (If the cuddy cabin isn’t knee-deep in scales and guts, it can make a decent overnight getaway for a couple, too.)

The cabin- or no-cabin decision has been around for a long time. But in recent years another dilemma faces the fishing boat owner. Should I stick with the tried-and-true deep-V monohull or get one of those new cats?

Actually, power catamarans aren’t new. PBR has been testing and reporting on them for a good eight years now. The popularity of cats has been held back by their less-than-pleasing looks and higher cost (twin hulls require twin engines, and usually higher tooling and construction costs). But cat builders for a few years now have been pumping out some decent-looking boats, incorporating some of the lines of more graceful monohulls.

The cat we look at this month, Renaissance Marine’s Prowler 306, happens to be one of the better-looking ones. It compares favorably—although maybe not equally—with the single hull Palmetto Custom 33 Adventurer in the looks department. But as function goes, they both have the same missions, and that’s why we’re putting them head to head.

Construction/Design
Renaissance Marine in Miami, FL, uses slightly more sophisticated materials and methods to build the Prowler 306. For instance, the entire boat is laid up with vinylester resin, and the composite material that cores the hull sides is vacuum-bagged to ensure an intimate bond between core and skin.

Sea Pro Marine in Newberry, SC, builds the Palmetto Custom 33 Adventure, as well as 22- and 23-foot center consoles under the Palmetto name. The company also manufactures Sea Pro and Sea Boss fishing boats. Like Renaissance, Sea Pro does not use any wood to build the Palmetto, with PVC foam coring the sides and decks. The builder uses vinylester resin only in the barrier coat, and polyester-based putty to bond skins to the coring.

Both boats have solid glass bottoms, and each builder uses only knitted fiberglass instead of woven roving.

The Palmetto has a slightly better fuel tank installation, in our view, since its aluminum tank is not encapsulated in foam and has room to breathe. Moisture-trapping foam surrounds the Prowler’s twin tanks. Renaissance owner William Ratlieff said he plans to switch to plastic tanks now that they are built stronger and in larger sizes. To remove either boat’s tankage, you’d have to cut the deck. Not fun.

Both builders back their vessels with 10-year structural warranties. The Prowler also carries a 10-year warranty against gelcoat blistering. The Palmetto has no written gelcoat warranty but marketing director Jimmy Metts said “if a 3-year-old Palmetto came in here with blisters, we’d take care of it.” PBR would prefer a written warranty.

Design-wise, these are two totally different boats, right? Not so. Renaissance has incorporated several monohull traits into the cat, like lifting strakes and reversed chines. But this is a cat, no doubt, with a tunnel separating two sponsons. A hollow fiberglass pod at the tunnel mouth acts as a battering ram to break up the water—and prevent sneezing, which is the spraying forward of water when the bow section of a cat’s tunnel comes down on a wave. The tunnel is higher than most cats to further reduce sneezing at slower speeds. Flat sections at the sponsons’ aft ends—Ratlieff calls them raised keel pads—help the Prowler plane quickly and track straight.

The Palmetto’s hull design has been around longer than the boat has. It’s the same design as the well-known Dakota, which Sea Pro bought out two years ago. The Dakota made a name for itself as a smooth-running, long-and-lean fishboat. So Sea Pro saw no need to change the design. The builder calls the Palmetto a 33, but the actual LOA is more like 31 because the transom platform is not part of the running surface, said Metts. The boat isn’t really custom-made, either. “It’s hard to come up with something different,” said Metts, explaining the “Custom” moniker. “It is a semi-custom boat, though.”

Performance
We had similar conditions for both sea trials—about 2- 3-footers with an occasional 4-footer. The cat was tested off of Miami, so there were larger swells. The Gulf waters where we tested the Palmetto were choppier.

The cat rides slightly smoother than the Palmetto in all sea directions, while the monohull Palmetto’s turns at cruise speed were a bit crisper. In following seas, cats can be a little unpredictable. If the hulls don’t re-enter at the same time, the first sponson to hit the water may dig in and cause the boat to hook. This did not happen with the Prowler.

The Prowler jumped on plane quickly and at a flat angle that never obstructed the view ahead. The Palmetto needed fully depressed trim tabs to do the same. Granted, the boat was carrying more of a load than the Prowler, but it still rode too bow-high for our liking, restricting visibility. The Prowler is an extremely light boat for its size (3,800 pounds), so with the economical twin 250-hp four-strokes, it attained significantly better mileage than the Palmetto, powered with twin 300-hp Yamaha direct-injected two-strokes. The Palmetto is also available with four-strokes. Both boats run relatively dry. In a following sea, the Palmetto’s significant flare does the job at cruise speeds. Go faster and the boat simply outruns the spray. The same thing goes for the cat.

The helm instruments and gauges on both boats are laid out logically. We’d move the trim tab switches on the Palmetto. They’re only a couple inches forward of the throttle body, so you have to reach over the throttle and straight down. We’d also prefer switches over the recessed buttons that were on our test boat. The Palmetto helm’s most impressive feature is its electronics panel. It hides inside the console, making for a clean, neat look. With a push of a button, it rises just high enough so as not to obstruct sightlines.

The Prowler’s helm isn’t as fancy, but the clear Plexiglas-type door protects the flush-mounted electronics. And our test boat had paired engine gauges for at-a-glance monitoring.

Cockpits/Decks
On deck, Renaissance does a little better job in the attention-to-detail department. The fishboxes, livewells, and other compartments on both boats have stainless steel shocks to hold them open. But the Prowler’s hatches are also gasketed. Plus the hatch lids—which are two piece components vacuum-bagged to PVC coring—are finished gelcoat on both sides.

As you’ll note on Page 4, the Palmetto and Prowler come equipped with ample fishing equipment, with fishboxes and rod holders galore and enough livewell capacity to satisfy the most inefficient livebait fisherman. We like the Palmetto’s neat storage compartment for a cast net in the bow, but the owner of our test boat reports that the fishbox under the foredeck does not provide enough insulation. He has since installed his own foam insulation.

The beamier cat has much more room on deck than the Palmetto. For instance, you have a 30-inch walkway between the console and the hull side on the Prowler, compared to 25 inches on the Palmetto. That smaller space also means the fishboxes below the deck on both sides of the console are smaller than the Prowler’s, and its lid can’t be opened wide enough to mount a SS shock. The cat also has much more space in the cockpit: 9’ 10-1/2” x 6’ 4”, compared to the Palmetto’s 8’ x 4’.

We think the Palmetto has the better anchor locker because you can access the vertically-mounted door from the foredeck, while you have to step up to the Prowler’s horizontal locker opening. And the Palmetto’s locker opening is bigger. The hull sides on both vessels heighten as you move forward, but the Palmetto’s recessed rail provides extra security.

We have no qualms with the electrical work on either boat, although access to the Prowler’s helm wiring is a lot easier—and the wiring installation was much neater than the Palmetto’s.

Conclusion
The Prowler and Palmetto are sold with an impressive amount of standard equipment. You do get a little more with the Palmetto, namely a vacuum-flush marine head and trim tabs. Base MSRP of the Prowler with twin 250-hp Suzuki 250s is $134,500, while the Palmetto with twin 300-hp HPDI Yamahas checks in at $118,775. Both are trailerable.

In our view, the Prowler bests the Palmetto in these areas: ride quality and helm visibility, construction, fit and finish, and deck space. The Palmetto has a better fuel tank installation, is a better-looking boat, and costs $15,000 less. Bottom line: Are the Prowler’s advantages worth that extra money?

We think so. And with the planned switch to plastic fuel tanks, the Prowler is an even better choice. If the wallet’s tight (and whose isn’t) and the look of a cat just doesn’t feel right, the Palmetto makes good sense.

Also With This Article
"Fast Facts"
"Critic's Corner"
"Charts"

Contacts
• Prowler, 305/769-3010, www.renaissancecats.com
• Palmetto, 803/321-5777, www.palmettoboats.com