Design and Construction
Zaal's 32 CS stretches 31 feet 6 inches on the waterline-to-rail measure, with a 25-foot 8-inch waterline, a 10-foot 11-inch beam, and a modest 4-foot 3-inch draught beneath a 14,560-pound displacement. The hull numbers and the 1978–1985 production window place her squarely in Contest's Dick Zaal era, before the mid-1980s collaboration with Piet van Oosanen on optimized keel shapes and well before the vacuum infusion work the yard took up in the 1990s. What you get is a solid, traditional laminate cruiser with the wide beam and tall topsides that define her generation of European centre-cockpit yachts — a volume-driven hull form, not a finicky performance shape.
Rig and Handling
The 32 CS was offered in sloop or ketch rig, and Yachting Monthly's assessment placed her firmly in the cruising camp: a pure cruiser whose sailing performance is not sparkling, yet one that takes bad weather in her stride. That combination — undramatic speed under sail paired with composure when conditions deteriorate — is the honest trade a centre-cockpit family cruiser of this size makes. She is not built to thrill on a beat; she is built to keep a crew comfortable and secure when the forecast turns.
Accommodations
Below, the centre cockpit feeds a layout oriented around a large aftercabin with a double and a single bunk, while two more berths sit in the forecabin, giving six or seven berths overall. In the main body of the boat is a large heads, a dinette-style saloon, a modest chart table, and — the one concession the period review flagged — a small galley. Optional equipment listed by Yachting Monthly included a cockpit screen or a full wheelhouse, both of which speak to the boat's northerly cruising ambitions and her role as a sheltered, long-season companion rather than a sun-soaked day sailor.
The Verdict
The Contest 32 CS is a straightforward, honestly conceived centre-cockpit cruiser from Dick Zaal's long Contest tenure. She trades sparkling performance for weatherly composure and below-deck volume, and her only recurring interior criticism is a galley that feels tight against the rest of a roomy, berth-rich plan. For a couple or small family cruising northern waters in a traditional solid-laminate hull, she remains a sensible, unpretentious choice.
Pros
- Centre-cockpit layout with large aftercabin and six or seven berths
- Composed handling in bad weather per period review
- Beamy, high-freeboard hull with strong interior volume
- Offered in sloop or ketch rig with optional cockpit screen or wheelhouse
Cons
- Small galley relative to the rest of the accommodation
- Sailing performance described as not sparkling
