Design and Construction
The Contest 46's hull and superstructure are GRP, with teak laid over the decks and Acrylaat safety glass set in Hydronalium-framed windows — a material specification that signals a builder unconcerned with cutting costs on the visible and vulnerable bits. Below the waterline the fibreglass is solid, and the wet bottom surface area is recorded at about 55 square metres. The 1.70 capsize screening value and a Motion Comfort Ratio of 38.5 — more comfortable than 73% of similar designs per one review's comparison set — describe a vessel tuned for offshore steadiness rather than coastal sprinting. A DL-ratio of 258 places her among "moderate racers" in the same source's taxonomy, heavier than 2014similar designs but far from a slug; the theoretical hull speed of 8.4 knots is the natural ceiling for a 38'9 waterline.
Rig and Handling
Zaal gave the 46 a masthead sloop rig with a cutter stay available, built around a Selden aluminum mast and spinnaker boom with wire rigging and in-mast mainsail furling paired to a Furlex genoa furling system. The standard sail inventory runs to a mainsail, genoa, storm jib, cutter jib, trysail, and blister, and Lewmar self-tailing winches are distributed as two 64 electric sheet, two 40 mainsheet, two 44 furling, and two 48 halyard units. The documented sheet dimensions — 35.4 m mainsheet, 14.1 m genoa and jib sheets, all 16 mm diameter — confirm a rig sized for manageable loads. Mechanical wheel steering sits on a Whitlock pedestal with rod steering, an emergency tiller is fitted, and a Sleipner 10 hp bowthruster aids close-quarters control; reviewers note the boat can be easily sailed single-handed from the cockpit.
Accommodations
Below, the Contest 46 offers three double cabins — an owner's double bedded cabin aft, a V-berth forward, and a twin berth forward — with two WC/shower rooms and comfortable accommodation for up to six. Headroom is 2.00 m in the saloon and 1.90 m in the cabins, under a teak interior with light blue upholstery. The galley carries a fridge, separate deep freezer, 3-burner gas stove with oven, and extractor, while a wet clothes locker near the entryway integrates a heating unit. Webasto heating and hot water, plus a 12/220v system with two 。 amp starter and five 88 amp service batteries, frame a liveaboard-capable interior rather than a weekend coastal layout.
Known Issues and Ownership Notes
The documented records show no structural defects, rotting cores, or systemic failures for the Contest 46; the available facts instead centre on equipment provenance and service history. The Volvo Penta TMD 31L 4-cylinder 100 hp diesel was built in 1996 with a two-circuit cooling system and a Maxprop 3-bladed propeller on a stainless shaft, showing 960 engine hours as of July 2003. Refrigeration is a sea water cooled top-loading Indel Webasto fridge (about 75 litres) with spare pump and a 110 litre Waeco multi-power unit. A documented Atlantic-to-Pacific voyage through the Panama Canal and on to Southeast Asia speaks to the platform's reliability rather than exposing weak points.
The Verdict
The Contest 46 is a quietly competent Dutch bluewater cruiser whose numbers — 40% ballast ratio, 38.5 comfort ratio, 1.70 capsize screen — place her firmly in the seaworthy majority of her size class, wrapped in a teak-and-GRP package with a genuine three-cabin liveaboard interior and a cutter-capable masthead rig.
Pros
- Lloyd's-certified hull with solid fibreglass below the waterline and teak decks
- 40% ballast ratio and 1.70 capsize screen indicate strong offshore posture
- Three double cabins with two heads and Webasto heat for six-person liveaboard use
- Single-handed cockpit sailing with electric sheet winches and bowthruster
Cons
- Wing keel draft varies 1.75–2.06 m with load, limiting shallow exploration
- In-mast furling and wire rigging reflect period kit now due for survey on older hulls
