Is a Contessa 32 basically a man cave for Boomers longing for the halcyon days of the 70s?

[doug748]

.....The last of top 15 sellers has some interesting examples, but many are not "cruising yachts" - J24, J70, J80 "accommodation" might make a CO32 seem spacious!

Tricky to see what points you can take from the list, maybe that the smaller the boat the more popular it is.

The IF boat makes the Contessa 26 accommodation look lavish, the H boat is even smaller than the IF boat - our sensitive friends had better not even contemplate trying the facilities of the Nordic Folkboat. It remains a wonderful sailing boat.


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[seeSimon]

Has anyone done the ‘classic car vs modern equivalent’ analogy yet? In case they haven’t, a current Golf GTI is a better car in pretty much every way than a Triumph TR6, but many people would pick the latter in a heartbeat, or half a heartbeat for a British racing green example. Yum.

Yes, very true!

I've had both cars. Different stages of life.

In my "boomer" retirement/ dotage it's definitely another TR that I'm currently contemplating (versus a bigger boat)!

A better grade of nostalgia?
No yearning for a comfortable 5 door family hatch, albeit a nippy one.

 

[Frogmogman]

I have it on good authority that Willy Kerr, skipper of Assent the co32 that survived the Fastnet, believed the reason he pulled through was that he was the only boat of his size trying to go to windward . Albeit with a blown out storm jib, forereaching about 40 degrees off the wind, luffing into the steeper seas.

IIRC it was Willy’s son Alan who skippered Assent in the 79 Fastnet.

FWIW if I were in the market for a yacht of that sort of style it would be a S&S Swan 36 every day of the week.

 

[potentillaCO32]

If it was any good, it would have sold at 8k. The one I raced on cost about 60k, 3 years ago. New sails, new instruments, bit of a re wire, and internal woodwork needed doing. Remembering that if you want to be competitive in the 32 fleet you’re going to be buying North 3D. They do look odd with black sails. I may be quite rude and negative about them, but they are pretty classy to look at, I couldn’t ruin the look with black sails myself.

There will always be a demand for a very good contessa 32. Many in the fleet have been maintained exceptionally well, way beyond that of most marques partially because of their high resale value if in good condition.
However, at the 20k mark and below a full refit is a huge amount of work, and pretty much the same if you buy a 20k boat or 8k boat. (ask me how I know). Once the water tank (grp) needs replacing and they get osmosis, it means the floor being cut out a new floor made and all saloon furniture rebonded in. usually all the bulkheads need replacing/rebonding in a tired example. Many will be on their second engine at least.

Because Kit Rogers is still building them and restoring them you can get water tanks, windows, fittings etc really easily. He also gives advice on additional stringers that the later boats have that the earliest don't.

I am maybe 75% through my refit and plan to have her on the water next summer.

Here are a couple of photos of the new water tank and completed saloon floor and furniture.

Galley next. There is a facebook page of her restoration.

I know it doesn't make much sense financially but no boat does. I will have a boat that will I will happily sail anywhere, on my own, with a solid encapsulated lead keel that sails as well and as fast as I want. At most I have 2 or 3 people on board so space isn't an issue.

If interested :
Log into Facebook

 

[Ribtecer]

Perhaps our relative locations explain it. I can see Jeremy Rogers’ shed from the harbour mouth with my best binos. The boats have a kind of religious following around here. I’d be nailed to a cross in the town square for speaking ill of them. A quick look at prices has confirmed that theory.

https://www.apolloduck.co.uk/boat/contessa-32-for-sale/797350

Just a tad under a 1/4 of a million pounds.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

There will always be a demand for a very good contessa 32. Many in the fleet have been maintained exceptionally well, way beyond that of most marques partially because of their high resale value if in good condition.
However, at the 20k mark and below a full refit is a huge amount of work, and pretty much the same if you buy a 20k boat or 8k boat. (ask me how I know). Once the water tank (grp) needs replacing and they get osmosis, it means the floor being cut out a new floor made and all saloon furniture rebonded in. usually all the bulkheads need replacing/rebonding in a tired example. Many will be on their second engine at least.

Because Kit Rogers is still building them and restoring them you can get water tanks, windows, fittings etc really easily. He also gives advice on additional stringers that the later boats have that the earliest don't.

I am maybe 75% through my refit and plan to have her on the water next summer.

Here are a couple of photos of the new water tank and completed saloon floor and furniture.

Galley next. There is a facebook page of her restoration.

I know it doesn't make much sense financially but no boat does. I will have a boat that will I will happily sail anywhere, on my own, with a solid encapsulated lead keel that sails as well and as fast as I want. At most I have 2 or 3 people on board so space isn't an issue.

If interested :
Log into Facebook

Price wise, you may as well be hung for a sheep as for a lamb, basically. I’d agree. You might as well buy one for 8k as 25. As for your performance aspirations, you must love it out there. We regularly overtake 32s in our XOD. And last race in the Dragonfly, we were in the bar an hour before the first C32 was in sight from the balcony, with a long beat into the tide ahead of them. A short passage race of a mere 15 miles. They are, by modern standards, dog slow. A Dufour 32 comprehensively caned their sorry arses wearing a set of secondhand sails bought from a bloke called Noah. The contessa, most would agree was the prettiest boat. Beauty is only skin deep. They are hopelessly outdated.

 

[RunAgroundHard]

Here is one for £8k "tatty" https://www.apolloduck.co.uk/boat/contessa-32-for-sale/592495

She is now looking tatty but the defects are mainly cosmetic. Needs hull paint, some replacement lines and a general tidy up.

I have no association with this boat.

Based on the opinions in this thread, if I spend £108000 I could make a tidy profit on that (-; buy a few more in the next price band £25k to £30k, 8 more on Apollo Duck, and become a millionaire, just by flipping Contessas.

Mmmm!

 

[doug748]

I can exclusively reveal that the Contessa 32 is exceptionally good at what it is good at, pretty good at things it's pretty good at, not very good at things it is not good at. Just like every most every other boat in the world.

I have always found Contessa owners fairly self contained, more interested is sailing than boats and not very inclined to crow about their choices. Others find the thought that everyone has different priorities a difficult concept. A good touchstone are such phrases: "I would not have the boat - mine will sail rings round it - I'm very happy would not swap my boat for that, ever" Of course you would not swap, that is why you bought the boat you did. : -) Other tell tale signs are frequent references to the design they sail, photographs, recommendations to buy one for bizarre reasons and disparaging comments about other boats.

As soon as you spot a media article about the Contessa you wait for the OP to pop up with his usual contribution , it's all good knock about fun and would not be taken seriously by any sailor I know.

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[Chiara’s slave]

Here is one for £8k "tatty" https://www.apolloduck.co.uk/boat/contessa-32-for-sale/592495



I have no association with this boat.

Based on the opinions in this thread, if I spend £108000 I could make a tidy profit on that (-; buy a few more in the next price band £25k to £30k, 8 more on Apollo Duck, and become a millionaire, just by flipping Contessas.

Mmmm!

It all looks promising til you factor in your time

 

[Baggywrinkle]

IIRC it was Willy’s son Alan who skippered Assent in the 79 Fastnet.

FWIW if I were in the market for a yacht of that sort of style it would be a S&S Swan 36 every day of the week.

Indeed it was his son Alan, the entire crew were in their late 20s - Some of the quotes from the crew give me the feeling that they either didn't really appreciate what they were in, or they were extremely lucky in their route and the weather/waves they encountered - as well as being very competent sailors. While Grimalkin was being rolled and pitch-poled, and the rest of the fleet was being decimated, this was the experience of Alan and his crew ...

Suddenly the boat gets into trouble​

"It came so suddenly that we didn't have time to worry about the consequences," Williams wrote. "When the boat quickly righted itself, Fiona and I were still in our seats and only a small amount of water had washed into the cockpit, we shouted to Alan that everything seemed to be fine. And we also remarked that we could finally count a knockdown among our sailing experiences."

However, what followed was even more astonishing. After they had salvaged the damaged storm jib, the crew of the "Assent" simply carried on unperturbed. If the entries in the logbook and William's notes are to be believed, they not only coped with the conditions, but also revelled in their good fortune.

"The sailing that followed the knockdown for the rest of the night was as fantastic and exhilarating as many a man will ever experience in a lifetime," Williams wrote. "A crescent moon had appeared in the clearing sky, illuminating the wild seascape of foaming breakers. Phosphorescence in the spray streamed over sail and cabin deck, and the wind screamed through rigging and safety lines like a pack of coyotes, while all the time the little ship steadily followed her course, her movements now much lighter because we had taken in the jib. As the "Assent" climbed wave after wave (later there was talk of waves up to 40 feet), we couldn't help but cheer enthusiastically as she crested each peak and slid down into the next wave trough."

Incredible race on the high seas​

The only indication that the crew of the "Assent" were sailing on the edge of their capabilities that night is provided by a significant gap in the log. Not a single entry was recorded between 2330 and 1020, apart from a short note about the knockdown, which looks as if it was added later. Without an anemometer, the crew didn't know how strong the wind really was; they were "probably better off with it", says Williams. As the Assent was not equipped with a VHF radio, the crew had no idea of the carnage going on around them. It wasn't until the next morning that they saw the rescue helicopters "practically besieging us" and passed the mastless yacht "Sandettie II". It became apparent that something was very wrong.

Contessa 32 "Assent": Hard to stop - a special GRP classic

Then there is the polar opposite in terms of design, a Hick 35, this one in fact ... Hick 35 For Sale | Hallett Boat Brokers .... a diminutive "soap-dish" that came 10th on line honours and 1st on handicap in the 1998 Sydney Hobart. While the fleet was ravaged and far larger and more stable boats foundered, this "soap-dish" pulled through everything and won.

Their story can be read here ...

‘The bad one’ - Reflections on the ‘98 Hobart

The common thread in both stories? It's not the boat design, it's seamanship, training, experience, fitness, and dedication to the task in hand that will see you through - with the proviso that it can still end in disaster if your number is up.

IMO, the skill of skipper and crew always trumps design parameters - bigger is better is the only general rule I think stands up as long as you are not overpowered by your boat - design features are there for specific scenarios, and mean nothing if it's something else that gets you. If skippers understand their boats, make sensible choices, use all the tools at their disposal, know their own limitations and those of their crew before leaving port, then they won't start a chain of poor decisions that ends in disaster. Pretty much all modern yachts are capable of taking their crew where they want to go, so the discussion about seaworthiness/comfort might be an interesting distraction on forums or in clubhouses, but they're a moot point in a real storm.

This is the last word from Ed Psaltis, the skipper of the Hick 35 "Midnight Rambler" from the story above .... 100% correct and I can honestly say I hope I never, ever, have to encounter conditions like those two storms - not even in a submarine.

A last word
I hope the foregoing doesn’t paint me or my crew as being experts, because none of us feel that way. The conditions in the ‘98 Hobart were such that no one was in control. It was up to the Gods to decide who got through. Yes, I believe our pre-race preparation, training and an incredible crew, all contributed to our survival and subsequent victory. But if the ’98 race did anything, it emphasized that the ocean is the boss and you’re its servant. The minute we, or anyone, starts thinking otherwise, it’s going to find you out.

 

[ridgy]

It all looks promising til you factor in your time

What time? Plenty of people would buy that and go sailing. A rewire on a boat this size is a satisfying winter job. This desire to restore old boats to perfection is less common than people think and may be a south coast affliction.

 

[potentillaCO32]

I can exclusively reveal that the Contessa 32 is exceptionally good at what it is good at, pretty good at things it's pretty good at, not very good at things it is not good at. Just like every most every other boat in the world.

I have always found Contessa owners fairly self contained, more interested is sailing than boats and not very inclined to crow about their choices. Others find the thought that everyone has different priorities a difficult concept. A good touchstone are such phrases: "I would not have the boat - mine will sail rings round it - I'm very happy would not swap my boat for that, ever" Of course you would not swap, that is why you bought the boat you did. : -) Other tell tale signs are frequent references to the design they sail, photographs, recommendations to buy one for bizarre reasons and disparaging comments about other boats.

As soon as you spot a media article about the Contessa you wait for the OP to pop up with his usual contribution , it's all good knock about fun and would not be taken seriously by any sailor I know.

.

Very true. The moment someone posts a contessa 32 thread you get the same 2 or 3 posters having a pop.

 

[seeSimon]

What time? Plenty of people would buy that and go sailing. A rewire on a boat this size is a satisfying winter job. This desire to restore old boats to perfection is less common than people think and may be a south coast affliction.

I never, ever, cost in my time.
It's one of the very few line items involved in my boating pleasures that actually still is free....but I'm a comfortably retired "boomer"

 

[Poignard]

Very true. The moment someone posts a contessa 32 thread you get the same 2 or 3 posters having a pop.

Sour grapes

 

[potentillaCO32]

Indeed it was his son Alan, the entire crew were in their late 20s - Some of the quotes from the crew give me the feeling that they either didn't really appreciate what they were in, or they were extremely lucky in their route and the weather/waves they encountered - as well as being very competent sailors. While Grimalkin was being rolled and pitch-poled, and the rest of the fleet was being decimated, this was the experience of Alan and his crew ...



Contessa 32 "Assent": Hard to stop - a special GRP classic

Then there is the polar opposite in terms of design, a Hick 35, this one in fact ... Hick 35 For Sale | Hallett Boat Brokers .... a diminutive "soap-dish" that came 10th on line honours and 1st on handicap in the 1998 Sydney Hobart. While the fleet was ravaged and far larger and more stable boats foundered, this "soap-dish" pulled through everything and won.

Their story can be read here ...

‘The bad one’ - Reflections on the ‘98 Hobart

The common thread in both stories? It's not the boat design, it's seamanship, training, experience, fitness, and dedication to the task in hand that will see you through - with the proviso that it can still end in disaster if your number is up.

IMO, the skill of skipper and crew always trumps design parameters - bigger is better is the only general rule I think stands up as long as you are not overpowered by your boat - design features are there for specific scenarios, and mean nothing if it's something else that gets you. If skippers understand their boats, make sensible choices, use all the tools at their disposal, know their own limitations and those of their crew before leaving port, then they won't start a chain of poor decisions that ends in disaster. Pretty much all modern yachts are capable of taking their crew where they want to go, so the discussion about seaworthiness/comfort might be an interesting distraction on forums or in clubhouses, but they're a moot point in a real storm.

This is the last word from Ed Psaltis, the skipper of the Hick 35 "Midnight Rambler" from the story above .... 100% correct and I can honestly say I hope I never, ever, have to encounter conditions like those two storms - not even in a submarine.

I'm not sure I agree with your assessment entirely. The official report on the 79 fastnet race

https://keyassets.timeincuk.net/ins...ads/sites/21/2019/07/fastnet-race-inquiry.pdf


Singled out the contessa 32 from a stability point of view and compared it to that of other half tonners in the race (apparently they choose Grimalkin), and spent 2 pages discussing the implications in annex 3. From That point yachting monthly used the avs graph of the contessa 32 to compare yachts in their yacht tests too.

The Kerrs reported windspeeds and wave heights just as severe as other competitors with 110kmh winds being the maximum their wind speed indicator was able to measure.

 

[seeSimon]

OP BaggyW.

"My conclusion after reading all 14 pages is that a Contessa 32 is actually a perfect man-cave on water, a floating potting shed for single blokes to retire to, so they can re-live their youth, escape the family, and have minor adventures re-living the '79 Fastnet in their heads. Maybe with the company of a like minded masochistic crew. Got to celebrate the diversity of the sailing community even if you don't "get it"."


I agree...and what's so very wrong with that?

I couldn’t afford a "recreation " of a classic Con 32, even if I desperately wanted it. I'm not that much of a "comfortably retired boomer".

Much like some beautiful, rare and very expensive classic cars...personally, I really enjoy seeing them about, and in some way am grateful to people who put these things out there for us to admire (or otherwise) ...

I doubt an owner of such a beautiful, specialist and very expensive boat would be at all content with an AWB rafted next to. Never mind invite us aboard?
I respect that, when I can.

However, I did find the extent of the coverage in the magazine slightly irritating, in that I've paid for that indulgence/sales pitch. Interesting, but not THAT interesting!

 

[Tranona]

Very true. The moment someone posts a contessa 32 thread you get the same 2 or 3 posters having a pop.

Ever time this happens you also get the same handful of people popping the other way.

 

[winch2]

As a kid I grew up having the odd weekend out in a family friends 60's vintage Buchanan sloop, heavy, wet and solid as a rock and all based on the Folkboat drawing board. Guess I'm still of that mindset. I dont mind getting wet so in my old fashioned world a serious boat is one that can slosh to windward without complaint. Guess thats where the CO works, but I can see why for most in these modern times it doesn't.

 

[doug748]

Ever time this happens you also get the same handful of people popping the other way.

Just not the case. Did you read the thread.

.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

The boat doesn’t complain, it’s true. It can safely leave any complaining to the crew, especially the foredeck.