Contessa 32, are they really that good?

[Adios]

It exists already. Beneteau’s Dock and Go system....

Dock & Go | BENETEAU

Oh great. Having been bitten hard in the wallet by a stern drive on a motorboat i've sworn to never buy a boat with a saildrive so won't be going near that. A bow thruster and a back and forward at the stern is enough to get a boat anywhere in either direction. The French do like making things complicated don't they.

 

[TernVI]

Perhaps so, but ratings are a bagatelle when we have actual times on the water.

I am sure some boats go Round the Island on a jolly but the top of the Contessa class went past, the 50 boat Bavaria fleet, 17 Beneteau Oceanis 37s, and 4 Sigma 38s, amongst many, many others. Some of them must be trying.

Most of these boats have a waterline length longer than the 32's length over all.


My case is a modest one: It would be unfair to call them slow.


.

If you want to compare actual times, the Impala 28s had quicker elapsed times despite having a less favourable start time.
I didn't do RTIR in 2017 so can't recall the conditions. some good times posted so must have been adequate breeze.

 

[Koeketiene]

Oh great. Having been bitten hard in the wallet by a stern drive on a motorboat i've sworn to never buy a boat with a saildrive so won't be going near that. A bow thruster and a back and forward at the stern is enough to get a boat anywhere in either direction. The French do like making things complicated don't they.

The French have a very inovative mindset.
I see new gadgets appear every year.
However, not all stand the test of time.

 

[Beelzebub]

I've sailed on three Contessa 32s, usually as foredeck crew. My only observation is that all three boats were as wet as each other

 

[Adios]

The French have a very inovative mindset.
I see new gadgets appear every year.
However, not all stand the test of time.

I loved my Citroen BX. I think mechanics don't feel the same way about Citroens and I've heard some refuse to touch them.

 

[Zagato]

I loved my Citroen BX. I think mechanics don't feel the same way about Citroens and I've heard some refuse to touch them.

That's because they need a plumber not a mechanic ?

 

[JumbleDuck]

That's because they need a plumber not a mechanic ?

You're pretty accurate there. As I keep saying, I have a Citroën DS, which has, I think, around 270 ' of hydraulic piping. However, it's all pretty straightforward and works very reliably. What puts mechanics off is unfamiliarity rather than inherent complexity - the hydraulic side is easily do-able by a DIYer. The electrics, on the other hand ...

Top BX tip: If you lock yourself out, remove the RH rubber grommet by the number plate light, reach inside and press the microswitch. That's the central locking override. Secure, eh?

 

[Resolution]

If you want to compare actual times, the Impala 28s had quicker elapsed times despite having a less favourable start time.
I didn't do RTIR in 2017 so can't recall the conditions. some good times posted so must have been adequate breeze.

It’s boring sitting here in semi isolation, so I have taken a look at the RTIR results sheets, focussing on the Contessa 32s and Impala 28s. Both classes have some very keen and skilled racers as well as some “ordinary” owners, so I took the overall average elapsed times for each type of yacht.
Contessa 32. Impala 28
2013 8 hr 50 min (22 finishers). 8hr 21 min. (5)
2017 9 hr 25. (24). 8hr 26 min. (7)
2018. 11 hr 37. (13). 11hr. 01 min. (9)

Not much question which is the quicker boat!

 

[Koeketiene]

I loved my Citroen BX. I think mechanics don't feel the same way about Citroens and I've heard some refuse to touch them.

My local garage (not linked to any make) is barely half a mile down the road.
Forecourt usually full of PSA (Peugeot or Citroen) or Renault cars needing somthing or other done.
He calls me his 'worst best customer' as he only ever sees me when the anual service is due (I drive a Merc estate).

 

[Adios]

He calls me his 'worst best customer' as he only ever sees me when the anual service is due (I drive a Merc estate).

We're idiots to talk like this of course but my toyota is a stranger to mechanics too. It really pays to choose the make well

 

[Shuggy]

Going back on topic (ish) I've always thought that my own boat is a bit like a grown-up Co32. We have a Nic 43... pretty much the same shape but stretched a bit. Same underwater profile too.

Advantages:
Good looks
Sails brilliantly upwind
Amazing in a big blow - F8/9 is relatively stress-free in most conditions with the right sail plan
Great view from down below - you can see out (but might be a bit frustrating if you're 6'1" or above as you will get a cricked neck)
Wherever you go you will receive compliments on how good your boat looks even if the skipper is a 5'8" lardass

Disadvantages:
Very little room (small stowage, small tankage, both diesel and water)
Quite cramped/friendly on the berth front
Big headsail so needs muscle
Absolutely soaks the helm when sailing upwind in F5+
Heels like you wouldn't believe - but sails all the faster for it as WL length increases - she is in her element when on her ear

In short - if the weather gets a bit frisky I'm not sure there is a boat I'd rather be on.

 

[Shuggy]

 

[Stemar]

That is a real beauty.

 

[awol]

Aye, Shuggy, I reckon we both have the boats that suit us. I look forward to seeing your transom again next year! All my sailing this year has been single-handed or with my wife (restricted sail plan!) and the CO32 has been ideally vice free.

 

[doug748]

......
I didn't do RTIR in 2017 so can't recall the conditions. some good times posted so must have been adequate breeze.

Looks a reasonable sailing breeze, on the light side, flat water though, always a joy.....

Apologies I have linked this video before but it is excellently produced:

.

 

[Adios]

Apologies I have linked this video before but it is excellently produced:

That tiller extension looks more trouble than its worth

 

[doris]

If you want to spend your sailing life in an ocean going original Land Rover Defender then have a C32. Maybe you fancy a black and white TV with three channels. Then there’s the 21st century which most of us live in. My last boat went uphill and down hill fast, comfortably and without drowning any crew. Could also carry some fuel and water if you wished, provisions even.
Personally I don’t want to go back to the sixties but different strokes for different folks.

 

[awol]

If you want to spend your sailing life in an ocean going original Land Rover Defender then have a C32. Maybe you fancy a black and white TV with three channels. Then there’s the 21st century which most of us live in. My last boat went uphill and down hill fast, comfortably and without drowning any crew. Could also carry some fuel and water if you wished, provisions even.
Personally I don’t want to go back to the sixties but different strokes for different folks.

Land Rover perhaps but not the Defender. I have friends who sail faster, more spacious, more modern plastic fantastics. Strange thing is that when sailing my boat I have great difficulty prising them off the helm - on their own boats they tend to use the autohelm.

 

[Charlie Boy]

I always thought that the C32 held it’s rather mythical status on account of it’s performance in the Fastnet disaster. The subsequent report (I have the RYA summary somewhere)seemed to regard it as the only boat that really was equipped for the conditions, IIRC

 

[awol]

I always thought that the C32 held it’s rather mythical status on account of it’s performance in the Fastnet disaster. The subsequent report (I have the RYA summary somewhere)seemed to regard it as the only boat that really was equipped for the conditions, IIRC

That had a lot to do with Willy Ker as skipper.