Contest 29 Buyer's Guide
Shopping the used market for a Contest 29 means looking at a Gerard Luyten-designed masthead sloop built by Conyplex between 1964 and 1976, with 247 examples produced. Known also as the Contest 29 Mk I, she is a solid-fiberglass cruiser with a fin keel, a Bukh 20hp diesel, and a mahogany interior — a period coastal cruiser whose shallow draft and six-berth layout still suit small-family use.
Layouts on the Used Market
The standard accommodation is two cabins with one head and six berths, and headroom is above average for the size. Because the model was built to a single principal specification across the production run, buyers are not choosing between radically different factory layouts; differences among boats will come from owner refit rather than alternative hull molds. The mahogany interior and above-average standing room are the constants to verify in person.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
Most boats on the market carry an autopilot as a common fitting, while an inverter, freezer, AIS, chartplotter, and life raft are often seen upgrades that speak to modern cruising readiness. For a buyer, the meaningful clusters are power and energy — an inverter supporting house loads — and navigation and safety, where AIS, a chartplotter, and a life raft together indicate a boat equipped for longer coastal passages. Canvas and sail-handling gear beyond the standard rig is less uniformly present, so confirm what is fitted per boat.
What to Inspect
Recorded details note her solid fiberglass hull and deck, fin keel, and 1.30–1.40 m draft dependent on load. A buyer should still confirm the Bukh 20hp engine and shaft-drive transmission are intact and that the masthead rig's standing and running rigging — halyards and sheets of specified diameters — are serviceable. Inspection should follow normal aged-fiberglass practice for the hull and deck structure.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
These boats appear in the United States, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, and the Netherlands. For a shopper, the takeaway is a small, comfortable cruiser with above-average motion and shallow draft, built in sufficient numbers to surface periodically across those markets:
- Verify the two-cabin, six-berth layout and above-average headroom
- Confirm Bukh 20hp and shaft drive are operational
- Check for autopilot and the often-seen navigation and safety upgrades
- Inspect hull, deck, and rig as you would any aged solid-glass sloop
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Contest 29. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 3 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 25 | 3 | $17,479 | — |
| Feb 26 | 1 | $5,588 | -68.0% |
| Jul 26 | 1 | $17,479 | +212.8% |
Where they're listed
Contest 29 listings appear across 4 countries. Germany has the most listings with 2 (40.0%), followed by Belgium and Switzerland.
Country view
5 listings · 4 countries| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | $17,479 | 2 | 1 | 40.0% |
| Belgium | $9,322 | 1 | 0 | 20.0% |
| Switzerland | $5,588 | 1 | 0 | 20.0% |
| Netherlands | $21,558 | 1 | 0 | 20.0% |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
4 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sadler 29 | 28.42' | $ 17,604 | 69 | 13 |
| Hallbery Rassy 29 | 29.2' | $ 43,477 | 59 | 13 |
| Conyplex 33 | 32.25' | $ 24,500 | 13 | 2 |
| Conyplex 29You are here | — | $ 17,479 | 5 | 1 |