BoatsContessa 32

Contessa 32

Masthead Sloop · Fin With Rudder On Skeg · First built 1971

A 1973 London Boat Show winner with a skeg-hung rudder and a ballast-to-displacement ratio of 47 percent

Designed by David Sadler, built by Rogers.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Ballast
Hull type
Fin With Rudder On Skeg

See her sail

The Contessa 32, on the water

The fleet's own footage — the truest look at how she really moves.

Footage from Halcyon Yachts - International Yacht Delivery

Is it for you?

Character

Where this design lands on the numbers a shopper trusts — read straight from her own ratios.

LivelySea-kindly

Her heavy displacement on a narrow beam gives 28 — a moderate, middle-of-the-road motion.

Comfort ratio 28
CoastalBluewater

1.80 — just under the 2.0 offshore line; her beam is modest for her weight.

Capsize screening 1.80
LightHeavy

307 — heavy for her waterline, built to carry stores and ride steadily.

Displacement / length 307
EasygoingPowered-up

15.5 — moderate power for her weight; steady, all-round performance.

Sail area / displacement 15.5
TenderStiff

47% of her weight is ballast — stiff, standing up well to her sails.

Ballast 47%

A capable cruiser that sits just inside the offshore line — coastal work with real passages in her.

What the fleet has seen

The Contessa 32, as the fleet has seen it

Derived from the videos the fleet has analysed of this model. ▶ marks open the moment aboard.

The Contessa 32 is a 9.8-meter masthead sloop designed by David Sadler and built by Jeremy Rogers Ltd. in Britain and J.J. Taylor in Canada since 1971. Over 700 were built in Britain and 87 in Canada, with the model winning 'Boat of the Show' at its 1973 London debut. It features a fin keel with a rudder on a skeg and displaces 4309 kg. The Contessa 32 gained a reputation for global cruising after *Ascent* was the only finisher in its class during the 1979 Fastnet race, demonstrating a 156-degree angle of vanishing stability.8:49 Aboard *Halcyon Yachts - International Yacht Delivery*, a 1972 Contessa 32 maintained smooth motion through choppy seas during a delivery from Gosport to Falmouth.6:18 Another Contessa 32, *Cygnet*, was delivered from Falmouth to Hamble, with the crew prioritizing boat protection by delaying departure to avoid two-meter swells and 30-knot gusts.2:17 James Evenson, of *Be The Captain*, recommends the Contessa 32 as a dry, simple, and well-sailing educational platform for aspiring sailors.2:24

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Seen 5 times across 3 channels of the fleet.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

On the water

The Contessa 32 on video

Who's been looking

Market signal

Crews the fleet has filmed weighing this model up — no sale seen, and no asking price.

1channel looked into buying

From the fleet's own footage — our observed signal, not broker listings.

The record

Full specifications

The complete reference set — tap any figure to switch between metric and imperial.

Dimensions
Weights
Ballast / displacement
47.4%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Masthead Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
15.5
Displacement / length
306.8
Comfort ratio
27.7
Capsize screening
1.80
Hull speed
6.6 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
815
Hull
Hull type
Fin with rudder on skeg
Construction
Fiberglass
Ballast type
Lead
Production
Years built
First built 1971
Units built
700
Designer
David Sadler
Builder
Rogers, UK, Taylor, Canada, J.J. Taylor, Sons Ltd

Boats like this, on the water

More boats like her, on the water

Comparable boats the fleet has on camera: same type, within a quarter of her length. Open the boat, or watch the video — a timestamp means she only appears in passing.

Islander 329.91 mSame hull family0.2 m longerA J.H. McGlasson-designed masthead sloop that served as the foundational hull for the later Islander 33 and 34 models
FALL BOAT AUCTION 2023: Where to buy a SUPER CHEAP sailboat! - EP313:42from Sailing Solé
Beneteau Oceanis 319.66 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Finot-Conq designed fractional sloop balancing a modern hull form with a stable 1.8-meter bulb keel
#57 Surprise ..Thanks to Les Vadrouilleurs for the dream 🥰🥰14:17from Catamaran Mistertong
Ericson Yachts 32-39.91 mSame hull family0.2 m longerA Bruce King-designed masthead sloop, later rebranded as the 333 and offered with versatile shoal and wing keel options
Christian Williams Interview, UK Sails1:07from Christian Williams
Valiant Yachts 329.75 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Robert Perry-designed cutter with a skeg-hung rudder, built for offshore stability and occasionally rigged as a sloop
Working remotely while Sailing with Saltbreaker - Interview With a Cruiser - Sailing Vessel Delos0:58from Sailing SV Delos
Hunter Marine 319.55 mSame hull family0.2 m shorterA Cortland Steck design featuring a B&R rig and a fin keel, built for coastal cruising between 1983 and 1987
Inside Our New Sailboat… A Full Walkthrough of Our Home0:10from Sailing Nomadika
Endeavour 329.75 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthEndeavour's debut model, this masthead sloop evolved from the Irwin 32 hull into a stable, shoal-draft cruiser
Parsifal III vs Bayesian | Perini Navi Superyacht Comparison & Tragic Sinking Story8:06from Practical Sailor

The family

Related models

The designs closest to hers — usually the rest of the builder's range, sometimes the same hull sold under another name.

Contessa 39A Doug Peterson-designed ocean cruiser built with advanced vacuum-bagged construction and proven in the 1979 FastnetContessa 28A Doug Peterson-designed masthead sloop with a fin keel and spade rudder, built for balanced performance since 1977Contessa 26A David Sadler-designed long-keel masthead sloop, built in both England and Canada with a 25-year production runContessa 33A Rob Humphreys-designed fractional sloop built for performance with a stiff, light displacement hullContessa 43A Doug Peterson-designed masthead sloop available in both flush-deck racer and coach-roof cruiser-racer configurationsContessa 35A Doug Peterson-designed IOR One Ton racer that claimed the 1974 International One Ton Cup with her prototype Gumboots

Keep asking

The fleet has more to say

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