Design and Construction
Zaal drew the Contest 46 in the late 1980s as a round-bilged, dark-blue-hulled sloop with a standard keel. She came with a Lloyd’s certificate of hull construction, reflecting Conyplex’s early adoption of Lloyd’s certification across its range.
The hull and superstructure are solid fibreglass. Teak covers the decks, while the windows are made from Acrylaat safety glass set in Hydronalium frames.
Her proportions help define the design. A length-to-beam ratio of 3.37 makes her beamier than 58% of comparable designs. Her ballast ratio of 40 percent is higher than that of nearly three-quarters of similar designs, indicating substantial stiffness and righting ability.
The Contest 46 has a capsize screening value of 1.70 and a motion comfort ratio of 38.5. On that measure, she is more comfortable than 73% of similar sailboat designs—a meaningful consideration for anyone planning long passages.
Rig, Performance, and Handling
The Contest 46 is a masthead sloop, with a cutter stay available. She carries a Selden aluminium mast and spinnaker boom on wire rigging. Factory equipment included in-mast mainsail furling paired with a Furlex genoa-furling system.
The supplied sail wardrobe runs from the working mainsail and genoa through storm jib, cutter jib, trysail, and a blister. Lewmar self-tailing winches were arranged by function: two 64 electric sheet winches, two 40 main sheet winches, two 44 furling winches, and two 48 halyard winches.
OceanWaveSail.Com found that she can be easily sailed single-handed from the cockpit. Steering is through a Whitlock pedestal, rod linkage, and mechanical wheel, with an emergency tiller as backup.
Her theoretical hull speed is 8.4 knots. A displacement-length ratio of 258 puts her among moderate racers: she is heavier than 42 percent of her peers, but hardly a slug.
Accommodation
Below decks, the Contest 46 has a teak interior with light-blue upholstery. The three-cabin layout sleeps six. The owner’s double berth is aft, while a V-berth guest cabin and a twin guest cabin occupy the bow. Two WC/shower compartments serve the accommodation.
Headroom is 2.00 m in the saloon and 1.90 m in the cabins. Near the entryway, a wet-clothes locker has its own heating unit.
The galley includes a fridge, separate deep freezer, three-burner gas stove with oven, and extractor. A Webasto heating and hot-water system supports extended living aboard, along with a pressurized water circuit, an 800-litre fresh-water capacity, and a sump tank.
Engine, Electrical, and Navigation Systems
The engine is a 100 hp Volvo Penta TMD 31L four-cylinder diesel, built in 1996 and recorded with 960 hours as of July 2003. It drives a Maxprop three-bladed propeller on a stainless-steel shaft and uses a two-circuit cooling system.
A Sleipner 10 hp bowthruster assists with close-quarters handling. Other practical equipment includes a deck-wash pump and both electric and manual bilge pumps.
The electrical system is 12/220v. It comprises two 100 amp starter batteries and five 88 amp service batteries, supported by a Victron 130 amp charger, shore power, and an additional 130 amp Mastervolt alternator.
Navigation equipment includes B&G cockpit instruments, a binnacle compass, an Autohelm ST50 suite with an interior repeater, Shipmate VHF, Raytheon radar, and an EPIRB.
The Verdict
The Contest 46 is a thoughtfully engineered Dutch cruiser with the ballast, certification, and accommodation needed for serious voyaging. One example crossed the Atlantic, transited the Panama Canal, and continued across the Pacific to Southeast Asia.
Her cockpit can be managed single-handed, and her extensive inventory suits a couple or family cruising long term. The wing keel and moderate draft, however, demand the usual grounding awareness.
Pros
- High ballast ratio and capsize screening suited to offshore work
- Three-cabin layout, six berths, and generous headroom
- Single-handed sailing possible from the cockpit, assisted by electric winches
- Lloyd’s-certified solid-fibreglass hull with teak decks
Cons
- Wing keel restricts shallow-water access compared with centerboard rivals
- Teak decks require ongoing maintenance to avoid degradation
