Contest 46 Buyer's Guide
Shopping the brokerage market for a Contest 46 means looking at a 55-unit production run built between 1987 and 1996, designed by Dick Zaal as a 46-foot masthead sloop with a wing keel and three-cabin interior. These are not common boats, but the ones that surface tend to be seriously equipped cruisers rather than stripped racers, and a buyer's first task is separating documented factory spec from the owner-added systems that now define the used fleet.
Layouts on the Used Market
The Contest 46 was delivered with an interior of three double cabins — owner's aft, V-berth and twin forward — two heads, and teak joinery with light blue upholstery, accommodating up to six. On the used market, owner three-cabin layouts are the more common, but both are available, and ex-charter examples are common. The saloon carries 2.00 m headroom and cabins 1.90 m, with a galley fitted with a fridge, separate deep freezer, and 3-burner stove with oven from new.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
Factory equipment on the model included a Volvo Penta TMD 31L 100 hp diesel, Lewmar self-tailing winches, B&G cockpit instruments, and a Sleipner 10 hp bowthruster. Among today's used boats, solar, lithium batteries, inverter, bow thruster, dinghy davits, chartplotter, freezer, autopilot, and starlink are commonly fitted. A dodger and AIS are often seen. The original refrigeration was a sea water cooled top-loading Indel Webasto fridge with a Waeco second unit, and a Webasto heating and hot water system was standard.
What to Inspect
The documented build uses solid fibreglass below the waterline with teak decks laid over the superstructure, and the windows are Acrylaat safety glass in Hydronalium frames — check those frames for corrosion and the teak for soft spots. The Volvo Penta TMD 31L carries a two-circuit cooling system and was documented at 960 hours as of July 2003, so verify actual hours and cooling-circuit service. The wing keel draft varies 1.75–2.06 m with load, and the boat has electric and manual bilge pumps plus a deck wash pump; confirm the bilge paths and chain locker drainage are clear. A Lloyd's Certificate of hull construction applies, and the rig is wire with in-mast furling on a Selden mast — inspect furling mechanism and wire terminals.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
Typical markets for the Contest 46 are the United States, France, Netherlands, Denmark, Belgium, and Spain. For a buyer, the checklist is short and grounded in the available documentation: confirm the Lloyds hull certificate and solid below-waterline laminate, survey the Hydronalium window frames and teak decks, verify the Volvo's two-circuit cooling and real engine hours, and test the bilge pumps and bowthruster. A well-kept example arrives with the commonly fitted solar, lithium, and navigation suite already aboard.
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Contest 46. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 7 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 25 | 1 | $ 137,576 | — |
| Jun 25 | 1 | $ 165,000 | +19.9% |
| Sep 25 | 1 | $ 212,097 | +28.5% |
| Jan 26 | 1 | $ 272,766 | +28.6% |
| Apr 26 | 1 | $ 223,562 | -18.0% |
| May 26 | 1 | $ 274,579 | +22.8% |
| Jun 26 | 3 | $ 275,000 | +0.2% |
Where they're listed
Contest 46 listings appear across 5 countries. United States has the most listings with 3 (42.9%), followed by Belgium and Denmark.
Country view
7 listings · 5 countries| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | $ 275,000 | 3 | 3 | 42.9% |
| Belgium | $ 272,766 | 1 | 0 | 14.3% |
| Denmark | $ 223,562 | 1 | 0 | 14.3% |
| France | $ 212,097 | 1 | 0 | 14.3% |
| Netherlands | $ 274,579 | 1 | 1 | 14.3% |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
8 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beneteau Oceanis Oceanis 46 | 47.24' | $ 180,598 | 129 | 30 |
| Bavaria Yachts Cruiser 46 | 46.82' | $ 429,926 | 87 | 23 |
| Hylas 46 | 46.25' | $ 420,000 | 57 | 19 |
| Hallberg-Rassy 46 | 48.5' | $ 377,188 | 31 | 8 |
| Swan 46 | 47.08' | $ 150,000 | 24 | 3 |
| Oyster Yachts 46 | 46' | $ 541,079 | 9 | 1 |
| Contest 46You are here | — | $ 274,579 | 7 | 4 |
| Moody 46 | 46.13' | $ 216,683 | 7 | 1 |