At just under 38 feet on deck, with 7,275 pounds of lead ballast and a displacement of 16,865 pounds, the Contest 38 sits among the heavier cruisers of her length. She comes across as a serious blue-water platform rather than a coastal weekender. Her draft is reported at 6.5 to 6.8 feet.
Design and Construction
Conyplex built the Contest 38 to high standards with good-quality materials. The hull and deck are both solid fiberglass, while the underwater profile combines a lead fin keel with a skeg-hung rudder. Below, the interior is trimmed in mahogany, in keeping with Dutch yachts of the era.
Her displacement-length ratio of 351 puts her in the “heavy cruisers” category. The 43 percent ballast ratio is higher than that of 69 percent of comparable sailboat designs, providing the kind of stability reserve sought in a long-distance voyager.
The Motion Comfort Ratio of 33.5 places her as more comfortable than 76 percent of similar designs. A capsize screening value of 1.75, as calculated by the yachtdatabase review, marks her as acceptable for offshore work by that single formula.
Rig, Sailing and Handling
The Contest 38 has a masthead sloop rig carrying 647 square feet of sail, with a sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 15.74. Period assessments describe her as a fast-sailing yacht that handles difficult ocean conditions well. She can be handled easily by two crew members and is proven as both a good blue-water cruiser and a boat for shorter trips.
A bow thruster makes her easier to manage in harbor. Under power, the calculated maximum speed is about 5.7 knots, while theoretical hull speed is near 7.1 knots.
Her length-to-beam ratio of 3.39 makes her slimmer than 62 percent of similar designs. A wetted surface of about 365 square feet and an immersion rate of 1,086 pounds per inch point to a substantial hull that goes beyond the range of many smaller sailing yachts.
Accommodations
Below, the Contest 38 has two cabins. One review lists four berths, while a separate survey gives seven berths, along with a galley and toilet facility. Those differing figures indicate variation among individual fit-outs.
Either way, the spacious interior is comparable to what’s commonly found in much larger boats. There’s plenty of headroom, and the accommodation can be fitted out for long periods of living aboard. Combined with the heavy-cruiser hull, that volume allows the Contest 38 to serve as a platform for long ocean passages without feeling cramped.
Known Issues
The available surveys describe the Contest 38 as sturdily and solidly built, but they don’t itemize specific failure modes.
Refits and Ownership
Conyplex built the Contest 38 to high standards and equipped her well as delivered. An owner’s principal concerns are therefore the usual age-related systems found aboard a 1970s fiberglass cruiser, rather than inherent design faults.
The mahogany interior and solid-glass hull are straightforward to maintain. For a cruising couple, the bow thruster, masthead rig and ability to sail with two crew make her a practical boat.
Verdict
The Contest 38 is a thoughtfully engineered Dutch cruiser that punches above her length in interior volume and offshore capability. Her heavy-cruiser numbers, lead ballast and skeg-hung rudder define a conservative, seaworthy design, while the bow thruster and manageable rig keep her approachable both in port and at sea.
Pros
- Ocean-going fin-and-skeg configuration, with lead ballast and a high comfort ratio
- Interior volume comparable to larger yachts, with capacity for living aboard
- Easily handled by two crew and proven as a blue-water cruiser
Cons
- Draft of 6.5 to 6.8 feet restricts marina access to deeper ports
- Berth count varies by source, suggesting inconsistent factory layouts
