Review of Contest 36
Basic specs.
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The hull is made of fibreglass. Generally, a hull made of fibreglass requires only a minimum of maintenance during the sailing season.
The boat is equipped with 3 cabins, 7 berths, a galley and 450.0 liter fresh water capacity.
The boat has more than one rig.
One option is a ketch rig. A ketch rig is generally considered easier to handle, because the sails are smaller, and because it can sail on most points to the wind with one sail completely taken down for repair or while reefing. The sail configuration of a ketch allows for better comfort and stability when sailing downwind or on a broad reach.
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.
The Contest 36 has been built with different keel alternatives.
Unknown keel type
Contest 36 can only enter major marinas as the draft is about 1.90 - 2.00 meter (6.23 - 6.53 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.
Unknown keel type
The boat can enter most marinas as the draft is just about 1.50 - 1.60 meter (4.92 - 5.22 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.
Unknown keel type
The boat can only enter major marinas as the draft is about 1.90 - 2.00 meter (6.23 - 6.53 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.
Fin keel
The Contest 36 is equipped with a fin keel. A boat with a fin keel is more manoeuvrable but has less directional stability than a similar boat with a full keel.
Contest 36 can enter most marinas as the draft is just about 1.50 - 1.60 meter (4.92 - 5.22 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.
The Contest 36 has been equipped with different engine alternatives.
Alternative 1:
The boat may be equipped with an inboard Volvo Penta MD17C diesel engine at 36 hp (26 kW). Calculated max speed is about 5.7 knots
Alternative 2:
The boat may be equipped with an inboard Volvo Penta diesel engine at 25 hp (18 kW). Calculated max speed is about 4.7 knots
The fuel tank has a capacity of 150.0 liters (39 US gallons, 32 imperial gallons).
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.
What is Capsize Screening Formula (CSF)?
The capsize screening value for Contest 36 is 1.71, indicating that this boat could - if evaluated by this formula alone - be accepted to participate in ocean races.
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.
The immersion rate is defined as the weight required to sink the boat a certain level.
The immersion rate for Contest 36 is about 202 kg/cm, alternatively 1131 lbs/inch.
Meaning: if you load 202 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm.
Alternatively, if you load 1131 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.
What is Motion Comfort Ratio (MCR)?
The Motion Comfort Ratio for Contest 36 is 35.4.
What is L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?
The l/b ratio for Contest 36 is 3.22.
The ballast ratio for Contest 36 is 35%.
What is Displacement Length Ratio?
The DL-ratio for Contest 36 is 323 which categorizes this boat among 'medium weight cruisers'.
Maintenance
When buying anti-fouling bottom paint, it's nice to know how much to buy.
The surface of the wet bottom is about 35m2 (376 ft2).
Based on this, your favourite maritime shop can tell you the quantity you need.
Note: If you use a paint roller you will need more paint than if you use a paintbrush.
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.
| Masthead rig | ||||
| Usage | Length | Diameter | ||
| Jib sheet | 10.9 m | (35.9 feet) | 14 mm | (0.55 inch) |
| Genoa sheet | 10.9 m | (35.9 feet) | 14 mm | (0.55 inch) |
| Mainsheet | 27.4 m | (89.8 feet) | 14 mm | (0.55 inch) |
| Spinnaker sheet | 24.1 m | (79.0 feet) | 14 mm | (0.55 inch) |
| Ketch rig | ||||
| Usage | Length | Diameter | ||
| Jib sheet | 10.9 m | (35.9 feet) | 14 mm | (0.55 inch) |
| Genoa sheet | 10.9 m | (35.9 feet) | 14 mm | (0.55 inch) |
| Mainsheet | 27.4 m | (89.8 feet) | 14 mm | (0.55 inch) |
| Spinnaker sheet | 24.1 m | (79.0 feet) | 14 mm | (0.55 inch) |
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.
We are always looking for new photos. If you can contribute with photos for Contest 36 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.