BoatsContest 31

Contest 31

Masthead Sloop · Fin With Rudder On Skeg · 1971–1974

A U. van Essen-designed masthead sloop with a high ballast ratio, built for stability and comfort in a compact hull

Designed by U. van Essen & Uus van Essen, built by Coniplex.

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

See her sail

The Contest 31, on the water

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

Footage from Sailing Yabá

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 32 — a sea-kindly motion in a seaway.

Comfort ratio 32
CoastalBluewater

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

Capsize screening 1.71
LightHeavy

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

Displacement / length 365
EasygoingPowered-up

12.9 — modest power for her weight; easygoing rather than lively, and happier with a breeze.

Sail area / displacement 12.9
TenderStiff

53% of her weight is ballast — very stiff, carrying full sail in a blow.

Ballast 53%

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

What the fleet has seen

The Contest 31, as the fleet has seen it

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

The Contest 31 is a 9.5-meter masthead sloop designed by U. van Essen and built by Conyplex between 1971 and 1974. It features a fin keel with a rudder on skeg, a beam of 2.8 meters, a draft of 1.4 meters, and displaces 4762 kg. Ben, co-owner of the wooden boat Yabá, gained sailing experience on a 31-foot Contest, among other vessels.

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Seen 2 times across one channel of the fleet.

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
53.5%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Masthead Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
12.9
Displacement / length
364.9
Comfort ratio
32.2
Capsize screening
1.71
Hull speed
6.5 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
781
Hull
Hull type
Fin with rudder on skeg
Construction
Fiberglass
Production
Years built
1971–1974
Units built
110
Designer
U. van Essen, Uus van Essen
Builder
Coniplex, 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.

Spirit 329.48 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Jacques De Ridder-designed IOR 23-footer built for nearly two decades as a stiff, masthead-rigged fin-keel sloop
My Engine is Broken Again Jury Rigging a Fix in a Small Island WindHippieSailing E670:58from Wind Hippie Sailing
Dufour Yachts 319.40 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 1973 masthead sloop featuring a skeg-mounted rudder and a comfortable, stable design for coastal cruising
The Perfect Affordable Cruising Boat? (Dufour 31)2:19from Untide
Endeavour 329.75 mSame hull family0.3 m longerEndeavour'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
Contessa 329.75 mSame hull family0.3 m longerA 1973 London Boat Show winner with a skeg-hung rudder and a ballast-to-displacement ratio of 47 per cent
Contessa 32 - A Yacht Delivery from Gosport to Falmouth0:17from Halcyon Yachts - International Yacht Delivery
Cal Boats 309.14 mSame hull family0.4 m shorterOffered with an optional tall rig, this masthead sloop served as the predecessor to the 2-30 series
Left a multinational, house, and car to live on a 30-foot sailboat | #SAL Clip #1451:32from Hashtag Sal
Dufour Arpege 309.14 mSame hull family0.4 m shorterA record-breaking production of over 1500 units, this MORC-compliant racer-cruiser defined a new standard for the 30-foot class
Rescued alive after 12 days missing in the Mediterranean4:59from NAUTICPIOLI

The family

Boats like this

Nearby designs by size, type, and era — worth a look alongside her.

Contest 33A sturdy masthead sloop designed by U. van Essen and Dick Zaal, featuring a skeg-hung rudder for offshore stabilityContest 30A Dick Zaal-designed IOR half-tonner featuring a skeg-mounted rudder and a stiff, heavy-displacement hullContest 34A 10.36-metre masthead sloop from the late 1970s, built with a heavy-displacement hull for steady, predictable cruisingContest 41A 12.5-metre masthead sloop built from 1985 to 1991, featuring a 1.91-metre draft and a balanced, heavy-displacement hullContest 27A Dick Zaal-designed masthead sloop with a high ballast ratio, built for stability and performance in a compact hull

Keep asking

The fleet has more to say

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