At just under 32 feet overall, she has a beamy hull and high freeboard. She was conceived without pretension as a pure cruiser rather than a racer-cruiser, and that purpose is evident in both her layout and her behavior.
Design and Construction
The 32 CS measures 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. Displacement is 14,560 pounds.
Her hull numbers and 1978–1985 production run place her firmly in Contest’s Dick Zaal era. She predates the yard’s mid-1980s collaboration with Piet van Oosanen on optimized keel shapes, as well as the vacuum-infusion work Contest took up in the 1990s.
The result is a solid, traditionally laminated cruiser with the broad beam and tall topsides typical of her generation of European centre-cockpit yachts. This is a volume-driven hull form, not a finicky performance shape.
Rig and Handling
Contest offered the 32 CS with either a sloop or ketch rig. Yachting Monthly placed her firmly in the cruising camp, describing her as a pure cruiser whose sailing performance is not sparkling, yet one that takes bad weather in her stride.
That combination defines the boat’s character: undramatic speed under sail, balanced by composure as conditions deteriorate. She isn’t designed to thrill on a beat. Instead, she aims to keep her crew comfortable and secure when the forecast turns.
Accommodation
The centre-cockpit arrangement allows for a large aftercabin with one double and one single bunk. Two more berths are located in the forecabin, giving six or seven berths overall.
Between the two cabins are a dinette-style saloon, a large heads, and a modest chart table. The only concession flagged by the period review is the small galley.
Yachting Monthly’s list of optional equipment included a cockpit screen or a full wheelhouse. Both suit the boat’s northerly cruising ambitions and her intended role as a sheltered, long-season companion rather than a sun-soaked daysailer.
Verdict
The Contest 32 CS is a straightforward, honestly conceived centre-cockpit cruiser from Dick Zaal’s long tenure with Contest. She trades sparkling sailing performance for composure in bad weather and generous space below. Her only recurring interior criticism is a galley that feels tight compared with the rest of the roomy, berth-rich layout.
For a couple or small family cruising northern waters in a traditional, solid-laminate hull, she remains a sensible and unpretentious choice.
Pros
- Centre-cockpit layout with a large aftercabin
- Six or seven berths overall
- Composed handling in bad weather, according to a period review
- Beamy, high-freeboard hull with generous interior volume
- Choice of sloop or ketch rig
- Optional cockpit screen or full wheelhouse
Cons
- Small galley compared with the rest of the accommodation
- Sailing performance described as “not sparkling”
