Design and Construction
The 45 CS has a 38-foot-4-inch waterline, a 13-foot-3-inch beam, and a displacement of 29,760 pounds. Her bulb keel carries 11,244 pounds of lead ballast, giving her a ballast-to-displacement ratio of about 38 percent and a capsize screening figure of 1.74.
Contest builds the hull using a vacuum injection method, pairing that process with substantial material specifications to achieve lightness and structural strength. The structural bulkheads have sandwich-foam cores and are fully laminated into the hull and deck. Additional laminates reinforce all structural areas, including the keel.
The teak deck is laid using a vacuum-foil technique that the builder describes as unique and leading-edge. A balanced spade rudder and bulb keel contribute to the 45 CS’s handling and feel.
A 75-horsepower Yanmar diesel and 76-gallon fuel capacity suit the boat’s long-range cruising role rather than coastal day sailing.
Rig and Sailing Performance
The 45 CS is a fractional sloop with a keel-stepped Selden mast, double spreaders, and stainless-steel rigging. The deck hardware layout is clean, and a solid vang system has its controls led aft.
Selden hydraulic furling systems operate both the Furlex jib and the mainsail. One tester praised the North Sails-built main for the furling mast as the best they had seen, noting its good shape and vertical battens. Harken and Lewmar fittings and hardware are used throughout, so the running-rigging controls are solid and reliable.
Under sail, the balanced spade rudder and bulb keel helped produce a boat that one tester called a dream to sail. In winds of 18 to 25 knots, she held more than 7 knots under a reefed main and jib.
Cockpit and Accommodations
The 45 CS is available with either two or three cabins. Working with Birgit Schnasse, the builder combined cruising comfort with a great deal of interior space.
The center cockpit can seat as many as eight people while preserving clear visibility for the helmsman. Below, seven cabin-top windows and four hatches light the main cabin, with one additional hatch forward and another aft.
The galley lies aft to port and runs along the hull side rather than following a conventional U-shaped plan. It includes a full-size refrigerator, two stainless-steel sinks, and a gimbaled three-burner gas stove. At the aft end of the galley, a door leads into the owner’s cabin, which has a spacious private head.
To starboard at the foot of the companionway steps, the chart table includes neatly arranged storage.
Verdict
The Contest 45 CS is a purpose-built cruiser from Contest Yachts. Nissen’s hull and Schnasse’s interior produce a boat that sails smartly under reduced canvas, carries substantial ballast, and provides livable space without resorting to a generic cruising layout.
Hydraulic furling and premium deck hardware suit short-handed crews or cruising couples. The choice of two- or three-cabin arrangements also lets owners balance privacy against guest capacity.
Pros
- Vacuum-injected hull and foam-cored bulkheads, fully laminated into the hull and deck with additional laminates around the keel structure
- Balanced spade rudder and bulb keel deliver strong handling and more than 7 knots under reefed sail in winds of 18 to 25 knots
- Selden hydraulic furling for the jib and mainsail, with a North Sails main and Harken and Lewmar hardware
- Center cockpit seats up to eight while maintaining clear helm visibility
- Bright interior with seven cabin-top windows, four main-cabin hatches, one forward hatch, and one aft hatch
- Choice of two- or three-cabin layouts with interiors by Birgit Schnasse
Cons
- The long side-galley layout trades the familiar U-shaped workflow for extended stowage
