Contrast 36 Buyer's Guide
Shopping the used market for a Contrast 36 means looking at a Swedish-built Magnusson design from the early 1980s, a 36-foot fractional-sloop cruiser-racer whose light-displacement character and sandwich-fibreglass construction set her apart from heavier contemporary cruisers. Most survivors trace to Contrastbåtar AB, though some were finished by their owners from kits, and that provenance matters when judging condition.
Layouts on the Used Market
The interior is mahogany, and the hull-and-deck sandwich construction is the same detail that shapes cabin comfort. Because the design was also sold for home completion, factory-finished and amateur-finished examples can differ in joinery quality and systems routing. A buyer should expect the standard early-1980s aft-cockpit Scandinavian arrangement but verify that any given boat was completed to a consistent standard rather than assuming uniform build quality.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
On the brokerage market, autopilots and chartplotters are commonly fitted to these boats, reflecting modern navigation expectations on a vintage hull. Beyond those two, no equipment tiers are characterized for the design, so a shopper should treat rigging and domestic gear as variable per boat. The original saildrive transmission and Yanmar diesel are part of the design baseline; any upgrade to those systems should be assessed on its own merits rather than assumed.
What to Inspect
The one documented known issue is that the Contrast 36 was sold to be home-completed, so the quality of each boat may vary. When inspecting, prioritize evidence of amateur versus professional finish: tabbing, wiring, and hull-deck joint consistency are the places where a kit-built example may diverge from factory work. The variability caveat alone justifies a close survey of any non-factory hull.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
These boats are typically found in Denmark. For a shopper, the practical checklist is short: confirm whether the hull was factory- or home-completed; inspect the sandwich hull and deck joint for consistent finish; verify the saildrive and Yanmar installation; and check that any autopilot and chartplotter are properly integrated. The Contrast 36 rewards the careful buyer with a light, responsive cruiser-racer, provided the individual boat's completion quality is sound.
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Contrast 36. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 2 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 26 | 1 | $46,971 | — |
| Aug 26 | 1 | $78,156 | +66.4% |
Where they're listed
Contrast 36 listings appear across 2 countries. Denmark has the most listings with 1 (50.0%), followed by Netherlands.
Country view
2 listings · 2 countries| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denmark | $46,971 | 1 | 0 | 50.0% |
| Netherlands | $78,156 | 1 | 1 | 50.0% |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
4 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finngulf 36 | 35.89' | $ 62,298 | 10 | 3 |
| Ericson 36 | 35.58' | $ 23,700 | 8 | 1 |
| Sweden Yachts 36 | 36.1' | $ 72,500 | 7 | 4 |
| Contrast 36You are here | — | $ 62,564 | 2 | 1 |