Contessa 32, are they really that good?

[Gixer]

Went down the yard yesterday to find a Contessa 32 has been plonked next to me. I've seen these boats many times before but never gave them much thought.
This one has made me stop and look, the underwater profile is really pretty and looking at these boats in more detail they are very well regarded.

Are they as good as people say and do they stand up in the 21st century?

Not that I'm planning to sell my boat but never say never....

 

[Praxinoscope]

Fabulous lines, sails well if wind is above a low force 3, will take a lot of battering, but accommodation is a bit 'cramped' compared to later 32' boats, still one of my dream boats, but not practical in our drying harbour and they still fetch a good price beyond my budget.

 

[fredrussell]

Totally agree on underwater profile. As good looking as the lines above the water, and that’s saying something. I believe they’re the boat for which the phrase, “goes to windward like a submarine” was coined.

 

[Poignard]

Here's one that badly needs a new home. She is lying in Vannes and has been there for some years. A very sad sight.

I think her name is "Anne Bonny"

 

[matt1]

I'll be controversial here.....I've sailed one and didn't like it! Cramped and uncomfortable cockpit. Rolled a lot downwind. Cramped accommodation (for the length).

Now if I had to go out in a gale, it would be among my top choices.....but for regular cruising, probably not

 

[Charlie Boy]

Saw one in Kingswear a few years ago. Brand new apparently! Very pretty but low headroom I think.

 

[seumask]

For my money I'd go for a Westerly Fulmar which is also 32 ft( I am biased) much more room and slightly faster overall. If you really do want to do a lot of storm force sailing, in which case the track record of the Contessa 32 is gold plated. Big foresail rig is not my cup of tea either.

 

[XDC]

I remember seeing this photo in Yachting Monthly and thinking the helmsman must be a giant ?

 

[awol]

Where's Tranona when you need him? YM did a comparison 'tween a CO32 and a Bavaria 30(ish) - still had a keel - a couple of years ago and the CO32 came out better. RAW factor is fantastic as is WAF (walk away factor) in the yard. Internal space is nothing like an AWB of the same length but if you want floating caravan then the CO32 is not for you, similarly for holding dinner parties in the cockpit. But if you want a cockpit where you can brace easily with sheets and tiller perfectly to hand and an internal space perfect for a couple with small kids or a spartan crew of 6 with the added advantage of only ever broaching if you're a complete idiot then I heartily recommend the CO32........ but then I'm a tad biased!

 

[Bobc]

I used to race them in the 80s. They are a bit of an acquired taste. Think of them as the equivalent of a small stone-walled cottage with low ceilings, small windows, and a narrow, steep staircase, and with a tiny cramped kitchen with a stone-flagged floor and an Aga.

If that kind of place is your idea of a perfect home, then you'll love the CO32. If you're the kind of person who prefers high ceilings, lots of daylight, and a nice modern kitchen, then you probably won't much care for one.

They will stand-up to just about anything you want to chuck at them weather-wise, but they are wet as hell going upwind and can be pretty rolly downwind.

It's the class racing that really keeps the fleet going. It's a strong fleet in the Solent and has been for decades.

 

[TernVI]

I think they are vastly over-rated.
They are slow.
They are cramped inside.
They have a fugly masthead rig.
They are wet to sail.

Go back 20 or so years and I'd forgive some of that because they had some interesting OD racing, and some boats in a similar vein to race against but that's gone the way of all things.

Most of them are now also very tired. No point having a hull shape with a reputation for seakeeping if all the gear is knackered and things start breaking at the first sniff of a gale.

 

[Adios]

For some jobs it could be ideal in theory. Would think a solo circumnavigator doesn't need more space below or in the cockpit and wouldn't really want a heavier or bigger boat if he's sensible. I wonder if anyone has ever added a doghouse (at the risk of being shot by purists). But there are similar designs without the premium price. As said some look very tired for the money asked. Might save 10K just by it not being a contessa 32 so in the end it wouldn't be a great choice.

 

[MoodySabre]

My son had one and I've done Wales to the Scillys and to Ireland. They are a bit cramped and the layout seems very old style - heads next to the forepeak, divided with a curtain, a small galley with a pump to empty the sink. I have a Moody 31 and my son thinks there is not much difference sailing wise (similar handicap) and that the Moody is a much nicer boat to spend time on. The CO32 wins on looks of course.

 

[Gary Fox]

I like looking at them, very pretty! That's as far as it goes though. 'Cape Horn to Starboard' by John Kretchmer is a good read.

 

[Gary Fox]

For some jobs it could be ideal in theory. Would think a solo circumnavigator doesn't need more space below or in the cockpit and wouldn't really want a heavier or bigger boat if he's sensible. I wonder if anyone has ever added a doghouse (at the risk of being shot by purists). But there are similar designs without the premium price. As said some look very tired for the money asked. Might save 10K just by it not being a contessa 32 so in the end it wouldn't be a great choice.

Perhaps a Contessa would struggle to carry all the water and stores for a long run, without ruining the performance? Kretchmer did NY to LA, but he's more intrepid than average. Yes, overpriced, like VW Campers, MG's etc.

 

[DJE]

I believe they’re the boat for which the phrase, “goes to windward like a submarine” was coined.

I can't argue with that having spent quite a lot of time doing foredeck on a Contessa 32 in the days of hanked-on foresails.

 

[Adios]

Perhaps a Contessa would struggle to carry all the water and stores for a long run, without ruining the performance? Kretchmer did NY to LA, but he's more intrepid than average. Yes, overpriced, like VW Campers, MG's etc.

Could make it wetter couldn't it but an old school sailor not expecting to have hot showers and without a huge fuel supply for motoring every time the sails fail to achieve 5 knots would be fine I'm sure. Was quite normal for couples to do North Atlantic circuits in folk boats at one point so it must be possible.

 

[pvb]

Are they as good as people say and do they stand up in the 21st century?

Pretty boats, and rather popular 45 years ago when there wasn't much choice. Narrow, cramped, wet, as others have said. But pretty...

 

[jwilson]

As others have said, a Contessa 32 sails beautifully, if slightly dampish going to windward in a blow. Interior tiny by modern standards, heads compartment particularly cramped, but I have sailed with 6 on board.

Bear in mind that the Co32 is a 1971 design, and by 1979 the same designer drew the Sadler 32, which was specifically intended to be a better boat, and stretched and tweaked in the early 1980s into the Sadler 34. The Contessa is prettier, personally I believe the Sadlers are overall better. The other fin and skeg contemporary is the Rival 32/34. I've never sailed a Rival 32 but i have sailed both Contessa 32s and a Rival 34 in moderately heavy weather and I prefer the not that much slower Rival 34.

We ( Yachts for sale at Yachtsnet - UK sailing yacht brokerage and boat sales ) have sold a couple of very late-built Contessa 32s for serious money over the years, I'm talking 4 to 6 times the "usual" price of an original 1970s one. So there are a few beautiful ones around, and people who value them. The problem with most boats that sail really nicely is that they get sailed a lot and often a long way and get lots of wear and tear.

 

[Concerto]

For my money I'd go for a Westerly Fulmar which is also 32 ft( I am biased) much more room and slightly faster overall. If you really do want to do a lot of storm force sailing, in which case the track record of the Contessa 32 is gold plated. Big foresail rig is not my cup of tea either.

Owning a Fulmar, I have to agree they are much better all round except for the row away factor. In fact I never even considered a Co32 as they are so compact when I was buying. The large genoa and small mainsail mast head rig is not as nice to work with as a true ¾ rig of the Fulmar, even though it is much greater area than the Co32. Even compared to the Sadler 32 or 34, the Fulmar comes off better. Many Fulmars are kept by their owners for a great number of years and know several for over 25 years. They are a delight to sail being well balanced and vice free. I cannot say the same for a lot of the boats I have sailed over the years.