BoatsContest Yachts 44CS

Contest Yachts 44CS

Masthead Sloop · Fin With Rudder On Skeg · 2000–2006

A masthead sloop with a skeg-mounted rudder and a 36% ballast ratio, built for stable and capable offshore cruising

Designed by Georg Nissen.

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

See her sail

The Contest Yachts 44CS, on the water

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

Footage from Berthon International

Is it for you?

Character

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

LivelySea-kindly

Her moderate displacement on a moderate beam gives 36 — a sea-kindly motion in a seaway.

Comfort ratio 36
CoastalBluewater

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

Capsize screening 1.74
LightHeavy

241 — moderately heavy for her waterline, a balanced cruising weight.

Displacement / length 241
EasygoingPowered-up

19.4 — plenty of sail for her weight; lively and quick to respond.

Sail area / displacement 19.4
TenderStiff

36% of her weight is ballast — moderately stiff, a middle-of-the-road stability.

Ballast 36%

A capable offshore cruiser with an easy motion when the sea gets up.

  • Heavier than ~86% of boats her size on file

Compared with 2406 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

What the fleet has seen

The Contest Yachts 44CS, as the fleet has seen it

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

The Contest Yachts 44CS is a 13.5-meter masthead sloop designed by Georg Nissen and built by Contest Yachts from 2000 to 2006. Its fin keel with a rudder on skeg, 2.1-meter draft, and 13,499 kg displacement contribute to its blue-water cruising capability. The 2002 Contest 44CS *Trumpeter*, a center-cockpit model, features a cutter-headed rig and a conventional mainsail. *Trumpeter*'s interior includes an aft owner’s cabin with a centerline double berth, a forward guest cabin, and a saloon convertible to additional berths.2:10 Equipped for independent cruising, it carries a generator, watermaker, and air conditioning, and has been used for summer cruising in the Eastern Mediterranean.2:48

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Seen once across one channel of the fleet.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

What they go for

Market signal

Where the fleet has seen this model come up for sale.

1seen for sale

  • The video is a walkthrough of this specific boat, presented as an example of whats available on the brokerage market

    from Berthon Internationalseen June 2021watch

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
36.3%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Masthead Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
19.4
Displacement / length
241.0
Comfort ratio
36.2
Capsize screening
1.74
Hull speed
8.3 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
1829
Hull
Hull type
Fin with rudder on skeg
Construction
Fiberglass
Production
Years built
2000–2006
Units built
18
Designer
Georg Nissen
Builder
Contest Yachts

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.

Norseman 44713.59 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Robert Perry-designed cutter with a skeg-mounted rudder, built for offshore stability and comfortable blue-water cruising
The TRUTH About Bluewater Boats (You Might Not Like This…)2:29from Be The Captain
Najad Yachts 44113.50 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA heavy-displacement masthead sloop with a high comfort ratio, designed for stable, long-distance blue water cruising
PERFECT Bluewater Cruising Sailboat9:15from Be The Captain
Hallberg-Rassy 43 MKI13.57 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA masthead-rigged blue water cruiser featuring a skeg-hung rudder and a stable, heavy-displacement hull
Which Voltage on a Medium Size Cruising Yacht? | Ask The Expert with NIGEL CALDER0:07from BoatHowTo
Lafitte Yachts 4413.51 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Robert Perry-designed cutter with a skeg-hung rudder, built for high-quality offshore cruising
Sailing Mexico to California: Couple Disappears on Sailboat - Ep 328 - Lady K Sailing6:18from Lady K Sailing
Navy 44 (M&R)13.41 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 1985 McCurdy & Rhodes masthead sloop built for the Naval Academy to replace their earlier Luders-designed yawls
On The Wind #412 - Jade & Ben // Sailing the Northwest Passage7:13from 59° North Sailing
Swan 44 MK II (Frers)13.44 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 13.44-metre cruiser featuring a bulb-fin keel and spade rudder, produced by Swan from 1996 to 2002
Nautor Swan 44 MkII “THEA” Yacht for Sale | Pinnacle of Performance | Tour with Sophie Kempfrom Berthon International

The family

Boats like this

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

Contest Yachts 42CSA Georg Nissen-designed performance cruiser featuring a stiff, high-ballast hull and a modern fractional rigContest Yachts 45CSA 13.7-metre center-cockpit cruiser with a fin-and-bulb keel, optimized for a balanced motion and offshore capabilityContest Yachts 50CSA George Nissen-designed fractional sloop with a high comfort ratio, built for stable and capable offshore cruisingContest 44 ClassicA Dick Zaal-designed masthead sloop built for blue-water comfort with a heavy displacement and skeg-mounted rudderContest 43A 13-metre masthead sloop built between 1989 and 1996, featuring a fin keel and skeg-hung rudder for offshore stabilityContest 48CSA Dick Zaal and Georg Nissen designed center-cockpit cutter built for offshore comfort and stable, long-range cruising

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The fleet has more to say

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