Contessa 32 equivalent

[James]

Hi,
What, in the group's opinion, is the modern day equivalent of the Contessa
32? What, if anything, makes it better than the Contessa and what, if
anything, is worse?
John

I cant speak for the group.. my opinion is my own.. I would have little idea
what the true consesus of opinion is..

There is no equivalant to the contessa 32
Its not a perfect boat.. It has its faults.....pinched,wet etc
If I had to do an ocean voyage in anything less that 30ft on the
waterline... can i have a contessa 32 please? :)
When life depends on it... its a very good boat.:)
(class racing at cowes week is fun too)

[Simple Simon]

Any and all Contessa's are highly overrated.

You're on the right track, though. Try a CONTEST
model of similar length and you will then have a
decent yacht.

S.Simon

Hi,
What, in the group's opinion, is the modern day equivalent of the Contessa
32? What, if anything, makes it better than the Contessa and what, if
anything, is worse?
John

[Ric]

Hi,
What, in the group's opinion, is the modern day equivalent of the Contessa
32? What, if anything, makes it better than the Contessa and what, if
anything, is worse?

The Contessa earns its sea-kindly reputation because it has a narrow beam,
low coachroof, and low freeboard. This gives it a high angle of vanishing
stability and ability to be hit by big seas. But it also makes for a very
wet cockpit and very cramped cabin. Most modern boatyards would go out of
business pretty quickly if they built a boat that was so cramped and wet.
Modern boats are far more spacious and drier, and perform just as well.

If you are after a small, sporty-cruiser with a good standard of
construction and seaworthiness you could look at Etaps.

[John Griffiths]

Post by Ric

Hi,
What, in the group's opinion, is the modern day equivalent of the Contessa
32? What, if anything, makes it better than the Contessa and what, if
anything, is worse?

The Contessa earns its sea-kindly reputation because it has a narrow beam,
low coachroof, and low freeboard. This gives it a high angle of vanishing
stability and ability to be hit by big seas. But it also makes for a very
wet cockpit and very cramped cabin. Most modern boatyards would go out of
business pretty quickly if they built a boat that was so cramped and wet.
Modern boats are far more spacious and drier, and perform just as well.
If you are after a small, sporty-cruiser with a good standard of
construction and seaworthiness you could look at Etaps.

Thanks for the reply. I'm not actually after a boat, its just that I have
read so much about the sea worthiness of the Contessa, which really does
seem to have a place in sailing folklore whatever the Capn thinks, I was
curious about whether something of its regard is made today.

John

[Pete Verdon]

I have read so much about the sea worthiness of the Contessa, which really
does seem to have a place in sailing folklore whatever the Capn thinks, I
was curious about whether something of its regard is made today.

My personal gut instinct of a good-quality and seaworthy boat is a
Hallberg-Rassy, but I readily admit that this is more down to one or two
experiences, other peoples' opinion, and HR kool-aid than solid data.

Pete

[Ronald Raygun]

Post by Pete Verdon

I have read so much about the sea worthiness of the Contessa, which
really does seem to have a place in sailing folklore whatever the Capn
thinks, I was curious about whether something of its regard is made
today.

My personal gut instinct of a good-quality and seaworthy boat is a
Hallberg-Rassy, but I readily admit that this is more down to one or two
experiences, other peoples' opinion, and HR kool-aid than solid data.

Don't their price tags count as "solid data"?
You get what you pay for....

[Stefan]

message
IMO what is
special about the Contessa (and similar boats) is that it is a sporty design
that can still win races (IRC) and yet is much more seaworthy than most of
the boats it is competing with.

Contessa 32 "sporty" - you have to be kidding. It's a lead mine. I know
plenty of people who sail them, and none of them would call CO32's that.

They do still have good if low-key class racing, but your chances of
winning a major IRC event in a Contessa 32 are minimal, and in light
winds, zero.

The idea that modern race-boats are unseaworthy is a left-over from the
bad old days of IOR. Current IRC designs are a lot more seaworthy than
the average cruising caravan.

[Bedouin]

Post by Stefan

message
IMO what is
special about the Contessa (and similar boats) is that it is a sporty design
that can still win races (IRC) and yet is much more seaworthy than most of
the boats it is competing with.

Contessa 32 "sporty" - you have to be kidding. It's a lead mine. I know
plenty of people who sail them, and none of them would call CO32's that.
They do still have good if low-key class racing, but your chances of
winning a major IRC event in a Contessa 32 are minimal, and in light
winds, zero.

I think you'ld be surprised - I've competed in RORC offshore races where the
overall winner has been a Contessa 32 - so they are certainly capable of
beating Admiral's Cup standard boats - how much better do you want?

Or for that matter look what boat has won RTIR IRC for the last couple of
years (okay that was a 26 rather than a 32 - but the 32s race single class
in RTIR)

Post by Stefan
The idea that modern race-boats are unseaworthy is a left-over from the
bad old days of IOR. Current IRC designs are a lot more seaworthy than
the average cruising caravan.

No argument about that - but also they are less seaworthy than the better
heavy weight modern designs.

[John Wilson]

Post by John Griffiths
Thanks for the reply. I'm not actually after a boat, its just that I have
read so much about the sea worthiness of the Contessa, which really does
seem to have a place in sailing folklore whatever the Capn thinks, I was
curious about whether something of its regard is made today.
John

Rustler 36 - long, narrow, sails beautifully, very high angle of
vanishing stability, which is irrelevant until you are inverted, when
how many seconds it takes to right suddenly becomes rather
interesting. Been there ........

Some of the Najad and other Swedish boats compare well too.

Unfortunately all are horribly expensive, compared to most modern
production boats. Most of them will stay inverted for at best
minutes, at worst tens of minutes. If you're clipped on in the
cockpit, how long can you hold your breath?



John Wilson
jwilsonNO****@yachtsnet.co.uk
Remove characters from e-mail address to reply
www.yachtsnet.co.uk - full service online yacht
brokerage with full details and multiple photos
of all boats. Free classified adverts for small
boats and genuinely useful marine links.

[Ric]

Post by John Wilson
Unfortunately all are horribly expensive, compared to most modern
production boats. Most of them will stay inverted for at best
minutes, at worst tens of minutes. If you're clipped on in the
cockpit, how long can you hold your breath?

I've often wondered what happens when you go over and are clipped on. My
boat is small enough, and the doglead long enough, that I could get to the
surface even with boat upside down and while clipped on. But on a bigger
boat this would not be the case. Didn't that english guy drown in the Sydney
Hobart a few years ago because he was clipped onto an upside down boat?

[Ric]

Post by John Wilson
Rustler 36 - long, narrow, sails beautifully, very high angle of
vanishing stability, which is irrelevant until you are inverted, when
how many seconds it takes to right suddenly becomes rather
interesting. Been there ........

Aren't they long keelers? They get rather interesting when you start surfing
down waves on a run, I believe. I think just about every boat design has
strong and weak points. Long keelers can get very dodgy in surfing
conditions. A lot of French boats rely on form stability for stability, and
many sailors swear by them in the biggest seas for this reason. OVNIs, for
example, have terrible AVS's, but people regularly sail them in the southern
ocean, because they perform so well down there.

[Sparky]

SNIP

Post by Ric
If you are after a small, sporty-cruiser with a good standard of
construction and seaworthiness you could look at Etaps.

As an ETAP owner for some years I second that - marvelous boats.
Got a 38i myself, damn close to the ideal family offshore cruiser.

Sparky

[Ian]

Is that Centurion still well?

Mine is very well thank-you; and of course is very similar to the Contessa.
In another forum I've been discussing whether the latest Centurion is a
worthy successor to the original. I think the conclusion is that it is a
good implementation of a modern Cruiser/Racer.
Now the Centurion, and the Contessa 32 are both Cruiser/Racers of their
generation, but are much more solid and sea-kindly than a modern boat. So
while the Centurion 40S is a good Cruiser/Racer it hardly qualifies as the
modern equivalent of the Contessa.

Bedouin went very well round the island this year, lets face it all racers
become cruiser racers eventually, the new Centurions are hardly the same
animals as the old.

[Bedouin]

Post by Ian

Is that Centurion still well?

Bedouin went very well round the island this year,

yes - but I put that down to the crew :)

Post by Ian
lets face it all racers
become cruiser racers eventually,
the new Centurions are hardly the same
animals as the old.

No indeed - but by modern standards they are still nice boats; if I were in
the market for a new production boat, the Centurion 40 would be at the top
of the list.

However I can't help thinking that, with all the modern construction
techniques, "Bedouin" will still be going strong long after many of today's
boats have been consigned to the scrapheap.

[Ian]

Post by Bedouin

Post by Ian
Bedouin went very well round the island this year,

yes - but I put that down to the crew :)

Post by Ian
lets face it all racers
become cruiser racers eventually,
the new Centurions are hardly the same
animals as the old.

No indeed - but by modern standards they are still nice boats; if I were in
the market for a new production boat, the Centurion 40 would be at the top
of the list.
However I can't help thinking that, with all the modern construction
techniques, "Bedouin" will still be going strong long after many of today's
boats have been consigned to the scrapheap.

You don't need a new boat, just that extra spinnaker.
Did you get the Club trophy ok?

[Bedouin]

Post by Ian
You don't need a new boat, just that extra spinnaker.
Did you get the Club trophy ok?

I know - but it is amazing how small the boat seems once we've got baby on
board. However my honest opinion is that there is nothing on the market new
that would suit us as well.

Yes we did manage to win the ISC Club trophy by a comfortable margin - my
first piece of silverware for sailing :). Haven't done anything about
another spinnaker yet - I'm not sure how much racing I'll manage next year
so it seems a bit extravagent at the moment.

[Richard Smith]

Ever considered a Carter 33. I know it's from the same era but a little
faster than a Contessa 32 a lot drier, twice the amount of saloon space
with 6' headroom to the mast. Only drawback is cockpit not quite so
big, but you don't have that huge tiller either.

Post by Bedouin

Post by Ian
You don't need a new boat, just that extra spinnaker.
Did you get the Club trophy ok?

I know - but it is amazing how small the boat seems once we've got baby on
board. However my honest opinion is that there is nothing on the market new
that would suit us as well.
Yes we did manage to win the ISC Club trophy by a comfortable margin - my
first piece of silverware for sailing :). Haven't done anything about
another spinnaker yet - I'm not sure how much racing I'll manage next year
so it seems a bit extravagent at the moment.

[Richard Faulkner]

Or a nicholson 31.

2 friends of mine have a Contessa and a Nicholson respectively, and the
Nich has much more space down below.


In article <ble2bl$hf0$***@newsg1.svr.pol.co.uk>, Richard Smith <***@t
rapidos.nospam.fsnet.co.uk> writes

Post by Richard Smith
Ever considered a Carter 33. I know it's from the same era but a little
faster than a Contessa 32 a lot drier, twice the amount of saloon space
with 6' headroom to the mast. Only drawback is cockpit not quite so
big, but you don't have that huge tiller either.

Post by Bedouin

Post by Ian
You don't need a new boat, just that extra spinnaker.
Did you get the Club trophy ok?

I know - but it is amazing how small the boat seems once we've got baby on
board. However my honest opinion is that there is nothing on the market new
that would suit us as well.
Yes we did manage to win the ISC Club trophy by a comfortable margin - my
first piece of silverware for sailing :). Haven't done anything about
another spinnaker yet - I'm not sure how much racing I'll manage next year
so it seems a bit extravagent at the moment.

[Bedouin]

Post by Richard Smith
Ever considered a Carter 33. I know it's from the same era but a little
faster than a Contessa 32 a lot drier, twice the amount of saloon space
with 6' headroom to the mast. Only drawback is cockpit not quite so
big, but you don't have that huge tiller either.

I think I looked at a Carter 33 (and certainly a Contessa) before choosing
the Centurion 32 - the Carter seemed like a nice boat but the quality of the
fit out was comparatively poor.

[Lazy Jack]

Hi,
What, in the group's opinion, is the modern day equivalent of the Contessa
32? What, if anything, makes it better than the Contessa and what, if
anything, is worse?
John

Not really modern yachts, but I would vote for the Sadler yachts. They
were evolved from the Contessa's and go a long way to addressing
accomodation and freeboard issues but retain the great looks and sea
keeping qualities of the Contessa, particularly the Sadler 34.

Regards

Jack

[Ronald Raygun]

Post by Lazy Jack
Not really modern yachts, but I would vote for the Sadler yachts. They
were evolved from the Contessa's and go a long way to addressing
accomodation and freeboard issues but retain the great looks and sea
keeping qualities of the Contessa, particularly the Sadler 34.

I can't speak for the 34, but yes, the Sadler 32 was designed by
David Sadler specifically to be an improvement of the Contessa 32
which he also designed. Improvement, that is, as you say, in terms
of making her more comfortable for the crew. More caravan-like,
you might say. He did this largely by adding an extra foot to
the Contessa's 9'6 beam, and as the Sadler is in fact only 31'6
long, this makes her beam/length ratio an almost grotesque one third.
So to call her an "equivalent" would not be entirely fair.

Lest anyone should berate me for thus slagging off the Sadler 32,
I should point out that I own one, so that makes it OK.

Incidentally, Jeremy Rogers (who built the original Contessas) has
redesigned the 32 and she was introduced as recently as 1997, so that's
probably as near to a "modern equivalent" as you can get.

[sk monel]

Post by Ronald Raygun
I can't speak for the 34, but yes, the Sadler 32 was designed by
David Sadler specifically to be an improvement of the Contessa 32
which he also designed. Improvement, that is, as you say, in terms
of making her more comfortable for the crew. More caravan-like,
you might say. He did this largely by adding an extra foot to
the Contessa's 9'6 beam, and as the Sadler is in fact only 31'6
long, this makes her beam/length ratio an almost grotesque one third.

Don't like the word grotesque. I've had two boats now with the beam
more than one third of the LOA. a 23' with 8' beam and now 27' with a
10' beam. I think both of them are particularly pretty boats. Most
people think something much larger is coming towards them when they
see them bow on, I must admit.

All the best,

John Apps

[Steve Firth]

What, in the group's opinion, is the modern day equivalent of the Contessa
32?

It would be a Contessa 32.