Design Brief & Intent 2
The Contest 36 Ketch was designed for offshore passage-making and long-term liveaboard cruising. Conyplex built these yachts to Lloyds Register standards, employing an exceptionally robust, solid fiberglass hull layup that avoided the delamination risks associated with balsa-cored hulls of that era. This meticulous construction process distinguished the model from lighter, mass-produced French and British alternatives.
The deck layout is centered around a deep, highly protected center cockpit that offers the helmsperson excellent shelter in rough seas. Below deck, the design brief focused on creating a warm, comfortable home at sea. The interior features rich, hand-rubbed mahogany joinery and a traditional layout that makes the vessel feel like a much larger ship. With a generous headroom of 6 feet 4 inches in the main cabin, the saloon feels open and airy, while still providing plenty of handrails and secure bracing points for moving about while underway.
Rig Variations & Layout Configurations
While the Contest 36 was also available as a masthead sloop, the ketch rig remains highly sought after by blue-water cruisers. The split rig divides the sail plan into more manageable individual areas, allowing a shorthand crew to balance the boat easily or sail under "jib and jigger"—using only the headsail and the mizzen—when facing heavy weather.
The interior layout is optimized around the center-cockpit design. It features a forward V-berth cabin, a spacious main saloon, and a private master aft cabin. Crucially, the aft cabin is accessed via an internal walkthrough corridor on the starboard side. This layout element was a significant engineering feat for a 36-foot boat in the 1970s, sparing the crew from having to scramble across a wet, exposed cockpit in bad weather just to access the aft berths. The galley is situated to port of the companionway, while a dedicated navigation station sits to starboard, keeping the captain close to the cockpit.
Under the water, the yacht features a robust, moderate-draft fin keel. While a deep-draft option of 6.23 feet was manufactured, most models feature a 4.92-foot draft keel, which strikes an ideal balance between blue-water tracking and access to shallow coastal anchorages and marinas.
Sailing Performance & Handling
The sailing characteristics of the Contest 36 Ketch are defined by stability, predictability, and safety. With a heavy displacement of 17,857 pounds and a displacement-to-length ratio of 331.3, she is firmly categorized as a heavy displacement cruiser. While she is not a light-air performer and will require auxiliary power to maintain speed in under 10 knots of wind, she handles a breeze with remarkable grace.
The yacht’s high ballast-to-displacement ratio of 37.04 percent, backed by a cast iron fin keel, provides impressive stiffness and resistance to heeling. This stability is mathematically corroborated by a capsize screening ratio of 1.71, a figure comfortably below the standard ocean-crossing safety limit of 2.0, indicating excellent righting capability in severe weather.
At the helm, the yacht is exceptionally sea-kindly. A comfort ratio of 35.88 translates into a slow, gentle motion in a seaway, minimizing crew fatigue during long multi-day passages. The steering is managed via a robust, full skeg-hung rudder, which protects the steering gear from impact with marine debris. While tracking is superb, the heavy hull and full skeg rudder make maneuvering in reverse a challenge due to significant propeller walk, requiring a decisive hand in tight quarters.
Market Snapshot & Economics
On the brokerage market, the Contest 36 Ketch commands a relative premium compared to other mid-1970s cruiser designs. This is largely due to the reputation of Conyplex as a premier northern European builder, akin to Hallberg-Rassy or Najad. Because less than 100 hulls of the Contest 36 were built across all configurations, the ketch version is a relatively rare find.
When evaluating one of these classic yachts, buyers must look past the initial acquisition price and carefully calculate the economics of a refit. While the solid hull is practically indestructible, auxiliary systems, rigging, and teak decks on a vessel of this vintage are often nearing the end of their second or third service lives. A prospective owner should expect to budget for repowering, rigging replacement, and sail updates. However, the exceptional quality of the underlying structural hull ensures that money spent on updating a Contest 36 is a sound, value-retaining investment.
Known Issues & Triage
Though built to extremely high standards, the Contest 36 Ketch is not immune to age-related maintenance concerns.
- Keel Bolts and Keel Joint: The heavy cast iron fin keel is mated to the hull with steel keel bolts. Over decades, water can seep into the keel joint, leading to localized corrosion of the bolts. Inspecting the bilge for rust stains and proactively dropping the keel to replace old bolts and re-bed the joint is a common and necessary triage routine on these vessels.
- Teak Deck Water Ingress: Many Contest yachts left the factory with hand-laid teak decks screwed into the GRP sub-deck. Over decades, the screw holes can allow moisture to migrate into the deck laminate. A soft deck requires immediate attention. Many owners opt to completely remove the old teak, fill the screw holes, and apply a modern non-skid pattern.
- Original Volvo Penta Auxiliary: The original Volvo Penta diesels installed in these boats are heavy, noisy, and increasingly difficult to source parts for. If the auxiliary engine has not been replaced, buyers should treat a repower as an imminent necessity.
- Steering Cable and Quadrant Wear: The cable steering system and rudder quadrant are subject to friction and cable stretch over decades of use. Play in the steering wheel or frayed cables under the aft bunk must be addressed immediately by replacing the cables and pulleys.
Modernization & Upgrades
Modern owners of the Contest 36 Ketch are successfully updating these traditional cruisers to meet contemporary living and cruising standards.
- Repowering: Upgrading the heavy original diesel to a lightweight, efficient modern engine is a highly popular upgrade. Units like the Beta Marine 35 or Yanmar 3JH series fit well in the central engine room, improving fuel efficiency, reducing weight, and making maintenance far easier.
- Lithium Battery Conversions: The original electrical systems were built for modest power needs. Transitioning to a LiFePO4 battery bank allows cruising couples to run modern refrigeration, watermakers, and electronics without constantly running the engine.
- Renewable Energy Integration: Mounting solar panels on custom stern arches or bimini frames is a common upgrade. Paired with modern MPPT controllers, a modest solar footprint can make the Contest 36 Ketch completely energy-independent at anchor.
- Modern Navigation & Autopilots: Upgrading the original steering pedestal to support a modern electronic chartplotter and integrating a high-torque linear drive autopilot directly to the rudder quadrant reduces helming strain on long passages.
The Verdict
The Contest 36 Ketch is a premier example of golden-era Dutch yacht building. Designed without the constraints of racing rules, it is a heavy, slow-motion, ocean-conquering cruiser that provides absolute safety and security to its crew. It is not a boat for those in a hurry, nor is it a light-wind racer, but when the wind rises and the seas build, there are few 36-footers in which a sailor would feel safer.
- Solid fiberglass hull construction built to Lloyds Register standards
- Highly protective, safe, and comfortable center-cockpit layout
- Internal walkthrough passage connecting the saloon to the private aft cabin
- Easily balanced, shorthand-friendly ketch sail plan for heavy weather
- Exceptionally gentle and sea-kindly motion in rough offshore conditions
- Beautiful, high-end mahogany interior joinery with generous headroom
Cons
- Poor performance in light winds, requiring auxiliary power under ten knots of breeze
- Challenging to maneuver in reverse due to significant propeller walk
- High cost of maintaining or replacing aging teak decks and original Volvo Penta engines
- Keel bolt inspection and possible replacement required due to the age of the cast iron joint
