Contest 38s Buyer's Guide
Anyone browsing the brokerage market for a centre-cockpit cruiser in the late-30ft range will encounter the Contest 38s, a Dutch-built ketch or sloop produced from 1980 to 1992 with ninety hulls completed. She is a solid, heavy-displacement yacht on a shallow winged keel, and her substantially fitted interior makes her a plausible candidate for a couple or family intending to cruise. Knowing what was standard and what has typically been added over the years helps separate a well-kept example from a tired one.
Layouts on the Used Market
The 38s is defined by her centrecockpit arrangement, which creates a spacious aft cabin with single and double bunks and a small en suite heads. Forward, the main heads serves the rather cramped forecabin, while the saloon looks small but has ample stowage. The excellent galley and huge chart table are consistent across the class, so buyers should focus on the condition of these fixed assets rather than layout variation — there is effectively one interior plan to assess.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
On the used market, these boats commonly carry inverter, hot water, chartplotter, air conditioning, dodger, and radar, and many have completed transatlantic passages. Often-seen additions include solar, bow thruster, freezer, bimini, swim platform, Starlink, and life raft. For a buyer, the power-and-energy cluster — inverter, solar, freezer — determines whether the boat supports independent anchoring without generator reliance; the canvas-and-safety cluster — dodger, bimini, life raft — speaks to cockpit comfort and offshore readiness. Less common but worth noting as owner upgrades are heating, wind generator, and furling main.
What to Inspect
Yachting Monthly's survey found her a typical Contest of the early 1980s with solid, heavy displacement and a substantially fitted interior typical Contest of the early 1980s. Buyers should still verify the integrity of the centrecockpit sole and aft-cabin structure, since the spacious aft cabin with en suite heads depends on sound joinery and no concealed deck leaks. The rather cramped forecabin and modest saloon stowage are inherent, not faults, but the excellent galley and huge chart table should be checked for delamination or hardware fatigue from years of use.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
Typical markets for the Contest 38s include the Virgin Islands, British; Netherlands; United States; Germany; Greece; and Denmark. For a shopper, the shortlist is: confirm the rig is complete and the ketch or sloop conversion is sound; test the en suite and main heads for past leakage; inspect the chart table and galley for wear; verify the shallow winged keel for grounding damage; and review the inventory against commonly fitted versus owner-upgrade tiers to gauge how much cruising infrastructure is already in place.
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Contest 38s. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 12 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 25 | 1 | $34,704 | — |
| Apr 25 | 2 | $74,250 | +114.0% |
| May 25 | 1 | $89,000 | +19.9% |
| Jun 25 | 1 | $59,500 | -33.1% |
| Sep 25 | 9 | $69,500 | +16.8% |
| Dec 25 | 2 | $64,546 | -7.1% |
| Feb 26 | 1 | $59,500 | -7.8% |
| Mar 26 | 1 | $59,500 | 0.0% |
| Apr 26 | 7 | $59,500 | 0.0% |
| May 26 | 1 | $85,640 | +43.9% |
| Jun 26 | 1 | $86,198 | +0.7% |
| Aug 26 | 4 | $80,770 | -6.3% |
Where they're listed
Contest 38s listings appear across 7 countries. Netherlands has the most listings with 4 (36.4%), followed by British Virgin Islands and Denmark.
Country view
11 listings · 7 countries| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Netherlands | $78,923 | 4 | 3 | 36.4% |
| British Virgin Islands | $59,500 | 2 | 0 | 18.2% |
| Denmark | $41,182 | 1 | 0 | 9.1% |
| Spain | $86,198 | 1 | 0 | 9.1% |
| Greece | $78,364 | 1 | 0 | 9.1% |
| Italy | $89,334 | 1 | 1 | 9.1% |
| Norway | $63,093 | 1 | 0 | 9.1% |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
2 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Contest 38sYou are here | — | $ 63,093 | 17 | 4 |
| Conyplex 33 | 32.25' | $ 24,500 | 15 | 4 |