Contessa 32, are they really that good?

[Yellow Ballad]

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.

Pierre Huglo completed the Longue Route in the fastest time in one, another competitor has also bought one!

I always fancied one but came upon the "poor man's contessa " the Ballad which I thought was just as capable but without the Lymington Tax.

I must admit I was smitten with the design (Ballad) and it's wet, rolly, small but I wouldn't change it for anything less than 40ft for the sailing I'm doing (maybe a Rustler31 though). However I'll fully admit there's other boats out there that are probably better/roomier etc but I imagine you wouldn't get any for 8k.

Edit to say a chap a the club has just bought a Kosort fin which is very roomy inside however very flat bottomed I was quite impressed at the size.

 

[Adios]

I always fancied one but came upon the "poor man's contessa " the Ballad which I thought was just as capable but without the Lymington Tax.

1972 Albin Ballad Sail New and Used Boats for Sale - www.yachtworld.co.uk what do you reckon its worth roughly in that condition? If contessa they'd still be asking 20k wouldn't they

 

[Praxinoscope]

Strangely enough the fractional rig is the main reason I would not go for a Fulmar, my preference would be the masthead rigged Sadler 32.

 

[dansaskip]

Strangely enough the fractional rig is the main reason I would not go for a Fulmar, my preference would be the masthead rigged Sadler 32.

Can't see anything strange in that. Racers might disagree but a masthead rig is a better rig for cruising no question.

 

[Yellow Ballad]

1972 Albin Ballad Sail New and Used Boats for Sale - www.yachtworld.co.uk what do you reckon its worth roughly in that condition? If contessa they'd still be asking 20k wouldn't they

The chap that bought the Konsort looked at that on but the previous survey mentioned soft patches in the deck around the chainplates which wasn't an immediate issue. There was a Ballad sold pretty fast for £6600 earlier on in the year. I think I would be putting an offer in for 7-8k with the thought of a couple of k into it to sort issues.

Unfortunately 70s 30 footers aren't as sort after as they once were but a decent Ballad would be worth 10k all day long, A decent well specced one 12-15k. @MagicalArmchair sold his very nice one recently which would give a good ceiling price.

 

[Lucky Duck]

Can't see anything strange in that. Racers might disagree but a masthead rig is a better rig for cruising no question.

I'm curious as to why that might be?

A non-overlapping jib on a fraction rig is a whole lot easier to tack than a 140% masthead Genoa...

 

[doug748]

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

It looks that way but your feet are a long way under the waterline, so the headroom is nominally 6 ft. Much of it is lost by the time you reach the heads area though.


Contessa 32 is not a slow boat it's a cruiser racer, I think what people mean to say is that it is not as quick as similar types of a more modern design, which is obvious and true.

Here is a snap of the Round the Island spreadsheet from 2017. Just on that page you can see that the leading Contessa beat:

Grand Soliel 37 by c 45mins
Jeanneau 33i by c 50mins
Two
Westerly Fulmars by over an hour
MG27 by c 45mins
Beneteau 34 by over 2 hours
Rassy 36 by over 1.5 hours
Bavaria 32 by 2 . 5 hours +
Jeaneau SO32 by over Ih 20mins

You can pick out the rest for yourself or load the sheet (or others) from the RtI site

The penultimate column shows elapsed time.






Cynics can see that 6 other Contessa 32s arrived under 9 hours

I have nothing against Bavaria yachts. However it should be noted (for example) that no Bavaria of any size beat 9 hours - the exception being two Match 40 racing boats


The Contessa is a very good boat but it is just a boat, there is nothing supernatural about it. it's a mixture of strengths and weaknesses like all the rest. They are expensive but they tend to have been well looked after partly, perhaps, because they are raced one design and partly because they never fell out of fashion.
Wauquiez centurion 32s are probably just as pricy and more difficult to track down.
As mentioned above, if I was looking on a budget I would be checking out Rival 34s, I have seen one or two snips.

.

 

[Adios]

soft patches in the deck around the chainplates which wasn't an immediate issue

erm... not immediate because no sails were hoisted at the time?

 

[michael_w]

I used to own an Albin Ballad. Regularly when racing double handed, we would thrash a well sailed Co32 upwind and down. Plus they gave us time too.

 

[TernVI]

I think you have to be careful reading too much into the RTIR results for the ISC fleet.
The Contessa rates slower than many boats nominally 3 or 4 feet shorter. And that's 30 or 40 year old designs, not 21st century flyers.
There are a small number of fairly handy sailors who've each done dozens of RTIR's in Contessas.
There are loads of people in AWB's just enjoying taking part.
Not that speed or 'performance' is critical for a cruising boat, but people make gross claims about the Co32 sometimes.

 

[Zagato]

Due to the Fastnet reputation they seem to have a reputation as being indestructible but they are actually built down to a formulae for speed. Compared to some of the competition they are quite "lightly built" in some areas and they really do need checking out if you are buying one. It has been mentioned one owner wanted to replace his shrouds with thicker ones but the designer said you could do that but the deck fixings have not been designed to cope with the extra force. Apologies I don,t know what the deck fixing is called, chain plate possibly... we had two in our yard and both bCk stay "chain plates" needed repair. A recent new owner of a Marieholm International Folkboat was surprised that the shrouds were just fitted to the deck, he said on his Contessa 26 the deck fixings were also supported underneath down to another superstructure. The IF Boats don,t need further support, he was realising in comparison how lightly his Contessa was built in comparison. I would be looking at a Rival 34 over a Contessa, a world of difference in strength. The Rival was not paired down for speed! On the flip side, you see Eric Aandersonn "the Viking" going out in his Contessa 35 in gale Force conditions repeatedly with no problems... when maintained properly.

Sent from my iPad

 

[Adios]

see Eric Aandersonn "the Viking" going out in his Contessa 35 in gale Force conditions repeatedly

An excellent channel isn't it. Can't see how he is getting some of those drone shots while sailing in rough water like he does.

 

[pvb]

In the late 1970s, there was a Contessa 32 just a few berths away from my boat in an Orwell marina. I remember it well, firstly because it was undoubtedly a pretty boat, secondly for its unusual name (at the time), and thirdly (but by no means least) because the lady who crewed it with her husband was also very attractive.

Out of interest, I just Googled its name and it's still around, now in Milford Haven.

http://www.co32.org/sites/default/files/KALAMARI.pdf

 

[Sharky34]

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.

Always at periscope depth you mean?

 

[Yellow Ballad]

erm... not immediate because no sails were hoisted at the time?

In all honestly it wouldn't worry me too much if I got the boat for the right price. The chainplates are huge beams spreading the load across the deck which are then bolted to the bulkheads, can't be any bigger job than replacing rotten core under a mast step of a deck stepped boat.

And keeping this as relevant to the co32 bit the Contessa cap shrouds are just U bolts with a bar through the BH and the u bolt legs either side. I believe most have been modified now though.

Ballad


CO32

 

[Frogmogman]

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.

.....in Gigi, the very same Co32 pictured in XDC's post #8

 

[Frogmogman]

I've always had a really soft spot for the Contessa 32, having worked at Contessa when I was a student in the early 80s, when I raced on a 32 a fair bit. Such pretty boats, pleasant (if wet) to sail, and back in the day a fantastic class association.

Do I want to own one ? Probably not, but if that's the sort of thing you're after, they are tremendous. I've always thought that Contessa 32 ownership is somewhat akin to owning a Morgan sports car; cramped, wet, not particularly fast - you love them despite their shortcomings.

 

[Gary Fox]

Gigi was on brokerage in the last couple of years, the asking price was bananas, £80k IIRC.

 

[Adios]

The chainplates are huge beams spreading the load across the deck which are then bolted to the bulkheads, can't be any bigger job than replacing rotten core under a mast step of a deck stepped boat.

And keeping this as relevant to the co32 bit the Contessa cap shrouds are just U bolts with a bar through the BH and the u bolt legs either side. I believe most have been modified now though.

HUGE difference! I see what you mean and clearly its not the deck holding it down at all on those. Looks practically over engineered if anything. I wonder what gauge of wire the shrouds on a Ballad would need to be for them to have the breaking strain needed to pull that out?

 

[awol]

In all honestly it wouldn't worry me too much if I got the boat for the right price. The chainplates are huge beams spreading the load across the deck which are then bolted to the bulkheads, can't be any bigger job than replacing rotten core under a mast step of a deck stepped boat.

And keeping this as relevant to the co32 bit the Contessa cap shrouds are just U bolts with a bar through the BH and the u bolt legs either side. I believe most have been modified now though.

Ballad
View attachment 105354

CO32

View attachment 105355

CO32 cap shrouds go through a web, not the bulkhead. The one in your picture has not been modified. The mod is to machine (or file) a flat on the bottom of the bar otherwise the nuts have been known to split. The lowers are U-bolts through the deck.