Contest 41 Buyer's Guide
The Contest 41 is a Dick Zaal design from the mid eighties, built by Conyplex B.V. in fewer than 100 hulls, and offered on the used market as a fiberglass heavy cruiser with a shaft-drive diesel and a masthead rig. She is a two-cabin, seven-berth boat with above-average headroom, so the shopping question is less about condition categories and more about which equipment package and layout a given ex-charter or private example carries.
Layouts on the Used Market
Owner three-cabin layouts are the more common on the used Contest 41s, but both are available; ex-charter examples are common. The documented baseline is 2 cabins and 7 berths with 750 liters of fresh water and 350 liters of fuel, so a three-cabin owner version represents a reconfiguration rather than a separate model. Either way the headroom is above average and the beam of 12.67 feet gives the volume the length-to-beam ratio of 3.25 predicts — wider than 58% of similar designs.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
On the used market, teak decks, heating, solar, spinnaker, asymmetric spinnaker, dodger, radar, and autopilot are commonly fitted. The model itself has been equipped with different engine alternatives and may carry an inboard Volvo Penta diesel at 75 hp with a shaft drive, so confirming the actual engine is part of any survey. The masthead rig takes 38.0 meter halyards at 12 mm and 14 mm sheets up to 31.2 meters for the mainsheet, dimensions useful when assessing whether a listed boat's running rigging is original or replaced.
What to Inspect
The published review records no documented structural or systemic defects for the Contest 41. The one handling characteristic to verify in sea trial is the fin keel's less directional stability than a long keel, which affects how the boat holds a course under autopilot or vane. Otherwise the fiberglass hull is noted as requiring only a minimum of maintenance during the sailing season, and the documented immersion rate of about 255 kg/cm tells you how the boat loads. No flooding paths, drainage failures, or quantified defect measurements appear in the source material, so inspection should follow standard fiberglass and diesel practice rather than any known-model bulletin.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
The Contest 41 typically appears in the United States and Australia. With under 100 built, she is a scarce cruiser, so buyers should prioritize documented engine identity, rig condition against the specified halyard and sheet lengths, and confirmation of which cabin layout is fitted.
- Confirm actual diesel and shaft-drive specification
- Verify masthead rig running rigging against 38.0 m / 12 mm and 14 mm sheet sizes
- Identify whether the example is the more common three-cabin owner or two-cabin baseline
- Expect ex-charter examples to be common
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Contest 41. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 6 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 25 | 1 | $ 79,000 | — |
| Jan 26 | 1 | $ 25,891 | -67.2% |
| Feb 26 | 2 | $ 79,000 | +205.1% |
| Mar 26 | 2 | $ 79,000 | 0.0% |
| Apr 26 | 1 | $ 79,000 | 0.0% |
| Jun 26 | 1 | $ 84 | -99.9% |
Where they're listed
Contest 41 listings appear across 2 countries. United States has the most listings with 5 (83.3%), followed by Australia.
Country view
6 listings · 2 countries| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | $ 79,000 | 5 | 0 | 83.3% |
| Australia | $ 25,891 | 1 | 0 | 16.7% |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
6 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hallberg-Rassy 41 | 41' | $ 85,581 | 21 | 7 |
| Contest Yachts 43 | 42.65' | $ 185,376 | 12 | 4 |
| Amel Euros 41 | 40.52' | $ 43,769 | 10 | 4 |
| Conyplex 41You are here | — | $ 79,000 | 8 | 1 |
| Contest 46 | 46.42' | $ 274,059 | 7 | 4 |
| Cheoy Lee Offshore 41 | 40.92' | $ 54,000 | 6 | 2 |