BoatsContest 38

Contest 38

Masthead Sloop · Fin With Rudder On Skeg · First built 1972

A 1972 masthead sloop with a deep 1.98-metre draft and skeg-hung rudder, built for steady, offshore-capable passages

Designed by Dick Zaal, built by Conyplex Nv.

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

See her sail

The Contest 38, on the water

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

Footage from Be The Captain

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 34 — a sea-kindly motion in a seaway.

Comfort ratio 34
CoastalBluewater

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

Capsize screening 1.75
LightHeavy

351 — very heavy for her waterline, a serious load-carrying cruiser.

Displacement / length 351
EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 15.8
TenderStiff

43% of her weight is ballast — stiff, standing up well to her sails.

Ballast 43%

Built heavy and sea-kindly — a boat made to cross oceans and forgive a rough night.

What the fleet has seen

The Contest 38, as the fleet has seen it

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

The Contest 38 is a Masthead Sloop designed by Dick Zaal and built by Conyplex NV, Contest Yachts - Conyplex, from 1972 to the present. It has a Fin with rudder on skeg hull, an LOA of 11.6 m, a beam of 3.4 m, a draft of 2.0 m, and a displacement of 7649 kg. The Contest 38 is recognized for its high-quality European construction.12:03 It is considered a bluewater-capable sailboat, often compared to other offshore vessels like the Valiant Yachts 40-2 and Tayana 37, though it offers different trade-offs in performance and interior volume.11:52

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

The record

Full specifications

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

Dimensions
Weights
Ballast / displacement
43.1%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Masthead Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
15.8
Displacement / length
350.8
Comfort ratio
33.8
Capsize screening
1.75
Hull speed
7.1 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
1114
Hull
Hull type
Fin with rudder on skeg
Construction
Fiberglass
Ballast type
Lead
Production
Years built
First built 1972
Designer
Dick Zaal
Builder
Conyplex NV, Contest Yachts - Conyplex

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.

Pearson Yachts 38511.66 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA William Shaw-designed center-cockpit cutter built for stability and comfort with a skeg-mounted rudder
Hate Heeling? These Sailboats Stay More Upright2:20from Practical Sailor
Warrior 3811.58 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA short-run 1980s cruiser featuring a shallow 1.52m draft and a heavy ballast-to-displacement ratio for steady offshore work
Sail Life - New thru hull and Ruuvi temperature sensors0:03from Sail Life
Hallberg-Rassy 3811.57 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 1970s masthead cruiser featuring a skeg-hung rudder and a substantial 43% ballast ratio for heavy-weather stability
HOW TO SAIL AROUND THE WORLD WITH A SOUTH AFRICAN PASSPORT | Strip Searches and Locked up Abroad8:55from The Paper Boat Project (Stefan Heiberg)
Aragosa Yachts 3811.61 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 1988 masthead sloop with a 35% ballast ratio, designed by Ted Brewer for balanced offshore performance
DIY furniturefrom Velero Regina
Catalina Yachts 3811.61 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Sparkman & Stephens hull updated with a taller rig and balanced spade rudder for improved coastal performance
Cheap Sailboat to Live On? 38 Foot Sailboat for $30,000 - Ep 299 - Lady K Sailing0:46from Lady K Sailing
Moody 37611.53 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Bill Dixon-designed center-cockpit cruiser featuring a skeg-hung rudder and a stable, comfortable hull form
Selling it All for Waves: The Quest for Our Dream Sailboat Throughout Asia3:26from Stella Overboard

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.

Contest 41A 12.5-metre masthead sloop built from 1985 to 1991, featuring a 1.91-metre draft and a balanced, heavy-displacement hullContest 38SA 1980s masthead ketch with a 1.96-metre fin keel, offering a balanced, stable platform for long-distance cruisingContest 34A 10.36-metre masthead sloop from the late 1970s, built with a heavy-displacement hull for steady, predictable cruisingContest 48A heavy-displacement masthead ketch designed by Dick Zaal for stable, comfortable long-distance cruising

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