Design and Construction
At 27.92 feet overall with a 22.42-foot waterline and 9.33-foot beam, the Contest 28 has a length-to-beam ratio of 3.00. That makes her a fairly narrow, easily driven boat rather than a beamy weekender.
She displaces 6,173 pounds and has a displacement-length ratio of 245, placing her in the moderate-racer category. The fin keel carries 2,910 pounds of lead, giving the boat a 47% ballast ratio. Her capsize screening value is 2.03—a figure that, as Yachtdatabase’s review notes, would bar her from ocean-race acceptance.
The hull has about 247 square feet of wetted surface and an immersion rate of 727 pounds per inch. Those figures describe a boat that sits sensibly in the water and settles predictably as weight is added.
Rig and Handling
The Contest 28 carries a masthead sloop rig with 440 square feet of sail. Her sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 20.92 gives her enough sail to keep moving in a breeze without requiring the efforts of a racing crew.
Draft ranges from roughly 5.31 to 5.61 feet, depending on load. That should allow access to most marinas while retaining useful fin-keel bite. Theoretical displacement hull speed is 6.3 knots.
A Motion Comfort Ratio of 20.1 suggests a settled, low-acceleration motion for a boat of this length.
Tankage and Cruising Range
The Contest 28 carries 32 gallons of water and 20 gallons of diesel. That capacity suits short coastal cruises rather than long, independent passages.
Verdict
The Contest 28 is a small, sensibly proportioned Dutch cruiser-racer in the late-1970s mold. She’s narrow enough to be easily driven, carries a substantial proportion of her weight in ballast, and was built in modest numbers by Conyplex to Zaal’s design.
Her ratios place her among moderate racers while also suggesting a comfort-oriented motion. However, her capsize screening value confirms that she wasn’t intended for offshore racing.
Pros
- Solid-fiberglass hull with a lead-ballasted fin keel
- High 47% ballast ratio
- Narrow, easily driven hull with a length-to-beam ratio of 3.00
- Manageable masthead rig
- Moderate draft allows access to most marinas
Cons
- Capsize screening value of 2.03 excludes her from ocean-race participation
- Fewer than 200 were built, limiting both the used fleet and the pool of shared owner knowledge
