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

[Baggywrinkle]

I wonder what would have been different if Assent had retired from the 1979 Fastnet? .. Was it a duck race where Assent was the duck that made it?

From this account it would appear to be the case ... it's a good read from the German magazine "Yacht" but in English. I recommend all CO32 lovers read it for that warm fuzzy feeling of knowing you have the right boat.

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

 

[winch2]

deleted.

 

[potentillaCO32]

I realise that the original post is a tad tongue-in-cheek in order to encourage engagement but there are some simple facts about the CO 32 that cannot be disputed. Until Madame Annette Beneteau revolutionised yacht production with spray laminating, ring cradles and the rest, boatbuilding had changed little since the inception of leisure yachting. Boatbuilding was dying until she introduced her new methods.
That makes the CO 32 all the more remarkable in that, despite being basically a traditional 'family business' style setup in a mature and dying market, they achieved great success against the odds. To achieve 'Boat of the Show' and then jump to a two year waiting list is in itself impressive - but to then build a boat per week, every week for over ten years, topping out at a total of 750 boats produced is an outstanding record which simply could not have been achieved with a 'Lemon' that could not sail or did not meet the market requirements at the time.
Over 50 years of a (very) active owners group is further testimony. As a one time broker there was nothing easier to sell than a Contessa, they openly stated that the design would not be compromised for either class rules, fashion or accommodation needs and indeed it was not. They did what it said on the tin, and for that reason 750 people stumped up the cash and, running costs aside, most have not lost a bean for the privilege of years of fun.

Great assessment. I love mine.

 

[winch2]

What a strangely negative thread. Ive always enjoyed a good beat to windward in a Folkboat style of hull with neg shear, getting a sprinkling and feeling like Ive had to work for my supper. Anyway the CO32 is good little boat but not at those prices...Good grief.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

Lovely, lovely boat the Contessa 32. £25k will buy you are good, usable example

Be great if houses were like that: - here's a new one for Half a Million quid or you can have a forty year old one down the street for 25 grand.. Bargain

I think the days of buying a C32 for 25 grand are gone. Or at least one that actually works. One at that price is ready for a total refit. That can of course be done, quite possibly at a profit if you have the skills. But everything will be hanging off your 25k example.

 

[steveeasy]

Going back to the original question raised by the OP that is a CO 32 simply a man cave for those of a certain era to relive the 70s era.
Well perhaps so but that’s only part of it. I spent a few years following a few down the Hamble and out on the water and quite frankly the boat just stood out on the water. The lines are stunning and on that basis alone it was good enough for me. The fact it’s nr dam impossible to use the heads had no bearing at all on if to buy one.
Bullet proof like a Twister and better looking for sure. Easy maintenance and contrary to some opinion sails well.

A marmite boat. Seams so, and rightly or wrongly takes some kicks. I wonder if this is due to envious owners who secretly admire the looks of such a pretty boat sat waiting patiently for whatever comes its way.

Like my Twister, I’m glad to have owned two wonderfully looking boats, each making me smile as I step aboard.

I think the days of buying a C32 for 25 grand are gone. Or at least one that actually works. One at that price is ready for a total refit. That can of course be done, quite possibly at a profit if you have the skills. But everything will be hanging off your 25k

Not quite sure that’s the case now.

 

[ridgy]

I think the days of buying a C32 for 25 grand are gone. Or at least one that actually works. One at that price is ready for a total refit. That can of course be done, quite possibly at a profit if you have the skills. But everything will be hanging off your 25k example.

I feel that you are divorced from real world boat prices. I would say that asking 25k for a 70s C32 is an act of hope. There was one up for 12k the other month. 25k should buy an enthusiast a pristine example with a newish engine. I wouldn't be surprised to see a lesser one going for 10 to 15.
Fulmars are down to 15 to 20, a far better boat. A sadler 32 making 15k would be a good result.
Late 90s/early 2000s Awbs of the same length but far better interiors and great sail inventories are struggling to make 30.
There is a bav 36 up for 30 at present. As said, the number of people aspiring to a C32 decreases by the day.

 

[Concerto]

I do think the CO32 is a very pretty boat and was certainly a good design of that period. It was first built in late 1970 and heavily influenced by the old RORC rating rule. There is an interesting article from PBO in 2024 comparing the CO32 to an number of similar sized boats.

Contessa 32: the second-hand classic + 6 alternative boats - Practical Boat Owner

Personally I have never wanted to own a CO32 as I find them very small for their length. In the above article they mention many competitors, but for internal volume my Fulmar is huge by comparison to the rest in the article. In 2023 in Ocean Village, I had a CO32 in the next berth. These 2 photos show visually the difference, the CO32 looks so small, with a narrow beam, low freeboard, small cockpit and a stumpy mast..





The Fulmar was first launched in late 1979, just 8 years after the CO32. Design had moved on considerably in this time and by modern standards the Fulmar is small compared to modern lighter boats. The emphasis has gone away from boats designed for north European waters to those suited to Mediterranean waters. Many people are happy with their boats irrespective of how old they are. Concerto will be 45 next month and still looks good for her age. Many old boats can be renovated at far lower cost than buying a new boat. In my case I could have bought a new 32ft boat with everything on it, but decided against it. In the past 11 seasons I have sailed just over 7300 miles, so I feel I have got value for my money. Many people think I have spent too much, but I have a boat that meets my needs and has cost only a third of what a new boat would have cost. I doubt I will loose as much as if I had bought a new 32ft boat in 2014.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

I feel that you are divorced from real world boat prices. I would say that asking 25k for a 70s C32 is an act of hope. There was one up for 12k the other month. 25k should buy an enthusiast a pristine example with a newish engine. I wouldn't be surprised to see a lesser one going for 10 to 15.
Fulmars are down to 15 to 20, a far better boat. A sadler 32 making 15k would be a good result.
Late 90s/early 2000s Awbs of the same length but far better interiors and great sail inventories are struggling to make 30.
There is a bav 36 up for 30 at present. As said, the number of people aspiring to a C32 decreases by the day.

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.

 

[Blue Seas]

That is a very odd view of the market in the 1970s/80s. it was the very opposite of "mature", but in the early stages of a boom in demand. The CO32 really had very little competition. It was one of those products that hit the sweet spot (in the UK at least) but as you say as soon as serious production builders entered the market with designs that appealed to a much wider market and production capacity to meet the demand sales fell off a cliff. There were several attempts to find a successor design but most failed because the pool of potential buyers (mostly UK) had shrunk.

There were of course other factors in the economic and political climate of the UK that made life very difficult for builders and most UK firms were gone by the 1990s as the UK was no longer a force in the market which had moved elsewhere.

I think that we are both saying the same thing - but perhaps from a different perspective.
Yes, as you say, the 70/80's was"in the early stages of a boom in demand" - but that was only from am internal (UK) perspective whereby yards were struggling to meet demand based on small-scale, labour intensive building methods. Being 'flat-out busy' might appear to equate to an boom when viewed from within - but viewed externally when everybody else was gearing up for mass-production is was (with hindsight) a road to nowhere. The UK builders could (understandably) not see that they were in a declining market - but they most certainly were!
You confirm this when you state that that "most UK firms were gone by the 1990's" and the "market had moved elsewhere". That is, by definition, a declining market even if they were individually flat out within that market.
Small cogs in a large wheel etc.
If the CO32 had "very little competition" and "hit the sweet spot" as you say - then is that not the very definition of a very successful product (for the time)?
As I said earlier - you cannot have that sort of commercial success with what some people are describing as a Lemon - it's a contradiction in terms.
(And no, I did not own or have ever owned a CO32, nor would it have been my first choice of boat at the time or now, but I can still acknowledge it's outstanding success).

 

[doug748]

I think the days of buying a C32 for 25 grand are gone. Or at least one that actually works. One at that price is ready for a total refit. That can of course be done, quite possibly at a profit if you have the skills. But everything will be hanging off your 25k example.

This is not so, asking prices and achieved sales are quite different. You probably read that piece of information some years ago or know an owner who with a rosy view of the value of his boat. The 50k Contessa's you sometimes see have commonly had £100,000 + refits.
This I know, I also have it from the leading surveyor who specialises in the design.

All boat sales are very tough at the moment.

.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

This is not so, asking prices and achieved sales are quite different. You probably read that piece of information some years ago or know an owner who with a rosy view of the value of his boat. The 50k Contessa's you sometimes see have commonly had £100,000 + refits.
This I know, I also have it from the leading surveyor who specialises in the design.

All boat sales are very tough at the moment.

.

Sure, it’s perfectly possible to spend more than your boat is worth of a refit. But Contessas are still changing hands down here for daft money. Or maybe they’re not, maybe they’re just sitting there. But here, 32k is the cheapest, and probably needs that 100k spent.

 

[Baggywrinkle]

I think that we are both saying the same thing - but perhaps from a different perspective.
Yes, as you say, the 70/80's was"in the early stages of a boom in demand" - but that was only from am internal (UK) perspective whereby yards were struggling to meet demand based on small-scale, labour intensive building methods. Being 'flat-out busy' might appear to equate to an boom when viewed from within - but viewed externally when everybody else was gearing up for mass-production is was (with hindsight) a road to nowhere. The UK builders could (understandably) not see that they were in a declining market - but they most certainly were!
You confirm this when you state that that "most UK firms were gone by the 1990's" and the "market had moved elsewhere". That is, by definition, a declining market even if they were individually flat out within that market.
Small cogs in a large wheel etc.
If the CO32 had "very little competition" and "hit the sweet spot" as you say - then is that not the very definition of a very successful product (for the time)?
As I said earlier - you cannot have that sort of commercial success with what some people are describing as a Lemon - it's a contradiction in terms.
(And no, I did not own or have ever owned a CO32, nor would it have been my first choice of boat at the time or now, but I can still acknowledge it's outstanding success).

A good article from a global perspective .... Bestsellers: The 15 most popular cruising yachts of all time .... the reason new GRP boats had their heyday in the 70s was that there was no second hand market for GRP boats, because there weren't any. The second hand market was dominated by wooden boats, but everyone wanted maintenance free GRP boats - so if you could build it from GRP, it would sell.

The Neptun 22 outsold the Contessa over it's lifetime by almost an order of magnitude, and Bavaria churned out 1872 Bavaria 30 Cruisers in 2 years. Even the Albin Vega sold 7 times more examples than the Contessa 32.

Brits seem obsessed with the UK boat builders and UK boats, of which practically none are found in mainland Europe. Contessa could have been a serious competitor to the Nordic brands, but failed to make it. HR had success with their range of boats, which also claimed blue water credentials so why did they succeed where the Contessa folded?

 

[doug748]

Sure, it’s perfectly possible to spend more than your boat is worth of a refit. But Contessas are still changing hands down here for daft money. Or maybe they’re not, maybe they’re just sitting there. But here, 32k is the cheapest, and probably needs that 100k spent.

If you are thinking of spending £100,000 on refit I would suggest you might buy at the 10k level. There is a good one on the Yealm at the moment which found no buyers at asking 8k, modern engine, good hull but needing some internal work.

As always it would be better to shell out the extra 15k smackers and get a well sorted original, basic, but not flash, example.

.

 

[steveeasy]

I feel that you are divorced from real world boat prices. I would say that asking 25k for a 70s C32 is an act of hope. There was one up for 12k the other month. 25k should buy an enthusiast a pristine example with a newish engine. I wouldn't be surprised to see a lesser one going for 10 to 15.
Fulmars are down to 15 to 20, a far better boat. A sadler 32 making 15k would be a good result.
Late 90s/early 2000s Awbs of the same length but far better interiors and great sail inventories are struggling to make 30.
There is a bav 36 up for 30 at present. As said, the number of people aspiring to a C32 decreases by the day.

Sure, it’s perfectly possible to spend more than your boat is worth of a refit. But Contessas are still changing hands down here for daft money. Or maybe they’re not, maybe they’re just sitting there. But here, 32k is the cheapest, and probably needs that 100k spent.

Men and boats. The logic in spending 32 and then investing th at t much money to end up with an asset realistically worth 25 is madness.
Contessa owners seam intent on chucking money away. It is what distinguishes them from the Twister brigade. They at least know when to stop and tend to roll their own sleeves up.

Funny world

Steveeasy

 

[steveeasy]

If you are thinking of spending £100,000 on refit I would suggest you might buy at the 10k level. There is a good one on the Yealm at the moment which found no buyers at asking 8k, modern engine, good hull but needing some internal work.

As always it would be better to shell out the extra 15k smackers and get a well sorted original, basic, but not flash, example.

.

That boat 3 yrs ago would have sold instantly. Today it sounds too much like a project when in fact it ok.
Steveeasy

 

[Chiara’s slave]

If you are thinking of spending £100,000 on refit I would suggest you might buy at the 10k level. There is a good one on the Yealm at the moment which found no buyers at asking 8k, modern engine, good hull but needing some internal work.

As always it would be better to shell out the extra 15k smackers and get a well sorted original, basic, but not flash, example.

.

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.

 

[dunedin]

A good article from a global perspective .... Bestsellers: The 15 most popular cruising yachts of all time .... the reason new GRP boats had their heyday in the 70s was that there was no second hand market for GRP boats, because there weren't any. The second hand market was dominated by wooden boats, but everyone wanted maintenance free GRP boats - so if you could build it from GRP, it would sell.

The Neptun 22 outsold the Contessa over it's lifetime by almost an order of magnitude, and Bavaria churned out 1872 Bavaria 30 Cruisers in 2 years. Even the Albin Vega sold 7 times more examples than the Contessa 32.

Brits seem obsessed with the UK boat builders and UK boats, of which practically none are found in mainland Europe. Contessa could have been a serious competitor to the Nordic brands, but failed to make it. HR had success with their range of boats, which also claimed blue water credentials so why did they succeed where the Contessa folded?

View attachment 198337

Great point about the lack of second hand GRP boats in the 70s driving demand for new boats. Plus the fact that the first GRP designs tended to ve designs fir wood simply moulded in GRP, so when newer designs came in stream people wanted these.
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!

 

[Chiara’s slave]

Great point about the back of second hand GRP boats in the 70s driving demand for new boats. Plus the fact that the first GRP designs tended to ve designs fir wood simply moulded in GRP, so when newer designs came in stream people wanted these.
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!

You would never describe those as cruisers though. They are day racing keelboats. The modern version of an XOD. No different to an Etchells or Dragon.

 

[awol]

Black sails on a CO32? Some years ago I "invested" in a laminate genoa, but with a taffeta scrim. It was a total pain. Dropping, flaking and packing on a CO32's fore and sidedecks was a nightmare single-handed and where to keep the thing? I know things have moved on with furling films but I am so comfortable with the ease of handling my Dacron/Vectran cloths.
I wonder how much of the decline in handicap racing is due to the arms race of sail cloths making family boats with white sails uncompetitive. New sails always lifted performance but it used to be short-lived. Maybe a handicap hit for sail colour or material might make a difference.