Poignard
Well-Known Member
"Hello! Is that UberEats? I need an urgent delivery of popcorn. The big bags, please."
Is a Contessa 32 basically a man cave for Boomers longing for the halcyon days of the 70s?
- Thread starter Baggywrinkle
- Start date
Baggywrinkle
Well-Known Member
.. there's not that much difference at the end of the day .... it's the sailing that matters.
dunedin
Well-Known Member
Perhaps an MGB might be a better comparison (than Lotus Elan) - as a volume produced “sporty” car which is pretty looking, practical and reliable, but not spacious or fast by modern standards. And as such sensible classic if you like these things.
PS Way back in the day I swapped from an MGB roadster to one of the very first 1600cc 5sp Golf GTi imported to the UK.
The were only 4 years apart in build date - but decades apart in design and performance. Never looked back.
steveeasy
Well-Known Member
Blue Seas
Well-Known Member
Typical GTI driver.
Chiara’s slave
Well-Known Member
Yep. I had one.
Stemar
Well-Known Member
Back in the day, I had a reasonably well sorted Cooper S - a proper one, not the diesel monstrosities you see these days. A few decades later, I had as unromantic car as you could imagine, a diesel Focus estate. I reckon I could have got the Focus round a track at least as fast as the Mini, and I know which one I'd rather drive a long distance.
potentillaCO32
Well-Known Member
I doubt a focus would come anywhere near a sorted mini, particularly with someone like Nick at the helm.
dunedin
Well-Known Member
No - when I got my early 1600cc GTi it was one of the first in the UK, and I still have the edition of Motor Sport with rave review.
It was a few years later and the 1800cc and the (inferior / heavier) Mk2 that the city yuppee types started buying them
Blue Seas
Well-Known Member
It was tongue in cheek
steveeasy
Well-Known Member
I drive a diesel Ford focus estate now. Nothing better for hauling dingies. outboard and a host of sails and the usual garbage a few 100 miles every 3 or weeks.
Steveeasy
Chiara’s slave
Well-Known Member
We have about 3.5 miles to our mooring. The most expeditious transport for that is without doubt electric. Our Contessa owning friend uses his Macan for much the same trip. Even though our car is bigger, cleaner, more comfortable, much faster, and a fraction of the cost to run. What can I say?
steveeasy
Well-Known Member
420 miles each way!!!! And I’ve a mooring sat empty on the Hamble. Think I need a better form of transport!!
Steveeasy
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mattonthesea
Well-Known Member
Not complaining but just intrigued why no Rival 32 has been mentioned. BTW mine is named after the three daughters of the first owner.
R32 is not as cramped as the CO32 and a lot drier going to windward; but so slow and frustrating that I only do so when it's flat sea.
I bought my first one specifically for a solo north Atlantic circuit and had to sell her after because I was broke. I bought my second when I retired, planning to go further. However, circumstances changed; we (not I) cruise the Baltic. Had I bought a year later I would probably have gone for a Fulmar.
Back to the OP. I think that the man cave idea is true of lots of old boats. My experience is based on budget and seaworthiness plus the opportunity to make the boat perfect for me. Of course that is an Ideal so I get to fit and refit forever; it will always be a work in progress
Wish I could make the cockpit more comfortable though; that and the tiny locker covers are literally a PITA!
Chiara’s slave
Well-Known Member
With that sort of trip, a private jet starts to make sense
Frogmogman
Well-Known Member
I’ve always thought the closest motoring analogy to the Contessa 32 has to be the Morgan 4/4 (one of which I bought new in 2011 and kept for 5 years).
Slow, cold, leaky but also charming and beautiful to behold. They are loved by their owners for their shortcomings almost as much as for their qualities.
doug748
Well-Known Member
In fairness it's the Blakes seacocks that normally leak not the boat. As for slowness they tend to beat most modern cruising boats of any size, round an inshore course.
Modern cruising boats are what most opinionated people have......... though in their mind they sail a Mumm 36
Column I is elapsed time:
.
potentillaCO32
Well-Known Member
That can't be right. The co32 can't be more than an hour quicker than the great Fulmar?
Tongue slightly in cheek.
Chiara’s slave
Well-Known Member
I daresay it can, in a solid 25kn of breeze and 7 hardened racers on board. The Fulmar has probsbly chickened out of flying the kite as ‘er down below is trying to make bread
dunedin
Well-Known Member
There is no context as to what these single set of results relate to - but I don’t think anybody would realistically claim that if sailed to the same standard of crew and sails a CO32 would finish nearly an hour ahead of a similarly competitive Grand Soleil 37. Or most of the other boats there. So some context needed.
For another example the first race results I looked up at random (for WHW) by coincidence it had a Fulmar finishing well ahead of two CO32 on elapsed time. Again just one race so may be lots of valid reasons. But no black sails or big budget campaigns there (except perhaps at the bar).
