Review of Contest 36 S

Basic specs.

The Contest 36 S is a sailboat designed by the Dutch maritime architect Dick Zaal in the mid eighties. Less than 100 boats have been produced. The Contest 36 S is built by the Dutch yard Conyplex B.V..

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Hull

The hull is made of fibreglass. Generally, a hull made of fibreglass requires only a minimum of maintenance during the sailing season.

Interior

Interior of Contest 36 S anno 1987.

Rig

The boat has more than one rig.

One option is a fractional rig. A fractional rig has smaller headsails which make tacking easier, which is an advantage for cruisers and racers, of course. The downside is that having the wind from behind often requires a gennaker or a spinnaker for optimal speed.

Another option is a masthead rig. The advantage of a masthead rig is its simplicity and the fact that a given sail area - compared with a fractional rig - can be carried lower and thus with less heeling moment.

Sailing characteristics

This section covers widely used rules of thumb to describe the sailing characteristics. Please note that even though the calculations are correct, the interpretation of the results might not be valid for extreme boats.

Stability and Safety

What is Capsize Screening Formula (CSF)?

The capsize screening value for Contest 36 S is 1.84, indicating that this boat could - if evaluated by this formula alone - be accepted to participate in ocean races.

Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed

What is Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed?

The theoretical maximal speed of a displacement boat of this length is 7.2 knots. The term "Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed" is widely used even though a boat can sail faster. The term shall be interpreted as above the theoretical speed a great additional power is necessary for a small gain in speed.

Immersion rate

The immersion rate is defined as the weight required to sink the boat a certain level. The immersion rate for Contest 36 S is about 210 kg/cm, alternatively 1178 lbs/inch.
Meaning: if you load 210 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm. Alternatively, if you load 1178 lbs cargo on the boat it will sink 1 inch.

Sailing statistics

This section is statistical comparison with similar boats of the same category. The basis of the following statistical computations is our unique database with more than 26,000 different boat types and 350,000 data points.

Motion Comfort Ratio

What is Motion Comfort Ratio (MCR)?

The Motion Comfort Ratio for Contest 36 S is 30.1.

Comparing this ratio with similar sailboats show that it is more comfortable than 66% of all similar sailboat designs. This comfort value is just above average.

L/B (Length Beam Ratio)

What is L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?

The l/b ratio for Contest 36 S is 3.08.

Compared with other similar sailboats it is more spacy than 66% of all other designs. It seems that the designer has chosen a slightly more spacy hull design.

D/L (Displacement Length Ratio)

What is Displacement Length Ratio?

The DL-ratio for Contest 36 S is 289 which categorizes this boat among 'medium weight cruisers'.

34% of all similar sailboat designs are categorized as heavier. A heavy displacement combined with smaller water plane area has lower acceleration and is more comfortable.

SA/D (Sail Area Displacement ratio)

What is SA/D (Sail Area Displacement ratio)?

The SA/D for Contest 36 S with ISO 8666 reference sail is 16.4, with a 135% genua the SA/D is 18.7.

The SA/D ratio indicates that it is faster than 46% of all similar sailboat designs in light wind.

Maintenance

Rig

Dimensions of sail for fractional rig.

Are your sails worn out? You might find your next sail here: Sails for Sale

If you need to renew parts of your running rig and is not quite sure of the dimensions, you may find the estimates computed below useful.

**Guiding dimensions of running rig**
Fractional rig
Usage	Length		Diameter
Mainsail halyard	37.0 m	(121.6 feet)	12 mm	(1/2 inch)
Jib/genoa halyard	37.0 m	(121.6 feet)	12 mm	(1/2 inch)
Spinnaker halyard	37.0 m	(121.6 feet)	12 mm	(1/2 inch)
Jib sheet	10.9 m	(35.8 feet)	14 mm	(0.55 inch)
Genoa sheet	10.9 m	(35.8 feet)	14 mm	(0.55 inch)
Mainsheet	27.3 m	(89.5 feet)	14 mm	(0.55 inch)
Spinnaker sheet	24.0 m	(78.7 feet)	14 mm	(0.55 inch)
Cunningham	5.1 m	(16.6 feet)	12 mm	(1/2 inch)
Kickingstrap	10.1 m	(33.2 feet)	12 mm	(1/2 inch)
Clew-outhaul	10.1 m	(33.2 feet)	12 mm	(1/2 inch)
Masthead rig
Usage	Length		Diameter
Mainsail halyard	32.7 m	(107.2 feet)	12 mm	(1/2 inch)
Jib/genoa halyard	32.7 m	(107.2 feet)	12 mm	(1/2 inch)
Spinnaker halyard	32.7 m	(107.2 feet)	12 mm	(1/2 inch)
Jib sheet	10.9 m	(35.8 feet)	14 mm	(0.55 inch)
Genoa sheet	10.9 m	(35.8 feet)	14 mm	(0.55 inch)
Mainsheet	27.3 m	(89.5 feet)	14 mm	(0.55 inch)
Spinnaker sheet	24.0 m	(78.7 feet)	14 mm	(0.55 inch)
Cunningham	3.5 m	(11.5 feet)	12 mm	(1/2 inch)
Kickingstrap	7.0 m	(23.1 feet)	12 mm	(1/2 inch)
Clew-outhaul	7.0 m	(23.1 feet)	12 mm	(1/2 inch)

Boat owner's ideas

This section is reserved boat owner's modifications, improvements, etc. Here you might find (or contribute with) inspiration for your boat.

Do you have changes/improvements you would like to share? Upload a photo and describe what you have done.

Finally

We are always looking for new photos. If you can contribute with photos for Contest 36 S it would be a great help.

If you have any comments to the review, improvement suggestions, or the like, feel free to contact us. Criticism helps us to improve.

References

[Ref 1]: ISO 8666 Small craft — Principal data.
[Ref 3]: ISO 12215-5 Small craft — Hull construction and scantlings.