Review of Contest 55 CS
Basic specs.
If you have a photo you would like to share: Upload Image
Looking for a new boat? Find a Contest 55 CS or similar boat for sale
The hull is made of fibreglass. Generally, a hull made of fibreglass requires only a minimum of maintenance during the sailing season.
The hull is a sandwich construction which improves the indoor climate. Especially when the water is colder than the air in the cabin, then the double hull insulates against cold water and reduce the condense water in the cabin.
The boat is equipped with 6+2 berths and 1000.0 liter fresh water capacity.
The boat may be equipped with an inboard Perkins diesel engine at 135 hp (100 kW). Calculated max speed is about 7.8 knots
The fuel tank has a capacity of 1000.0 liters (264 US gallons, 219 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 55 CS is 1.61, indicating that this boat could - if evaluated by this formula alone - be accepted to participate in ocean races.
Contest 55 CS holds a CE certification:
The boat is by European Union certified as Class A. OCEAN:What is Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed?
The theoretical maximal speed of a displacement boat of this length is 8.9 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 55 CS is about 422 kg/cm, alternatively 2363 lbs/inch.
Meaning: if you load 422 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm.
Alternatively, if you load 2363 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 L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?
The l/b ratio for Contest 55 CS is 3.60.
What is Displacement Length Ratio?
The DL-ratio for Contest 55 CS is 277 which categorizes this boat among 'medium weight cruisers'.
SA/D (Sail Area Displacement ratio)
Indicates how fast the boat is in light wind:
- Cruising Boats have ratios 10-15
- Cruiser-Racers have ratios 16-20
- Racers have ratios above 20
- High-Performance Racers have ratios above 24
Sail-area/displacement ratio (SA/D ratio): 19.31
Maintenance
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.
| Usage | Length | Diameter | ||
| Jib sheet | 16.8 m | (55.0 feet) | 16 mm | (5/8 inch) |
| Genoa sheet | 16.8 m | (55.0 feet) | 16 mm | (5/8 inch) |
| Mainsheet | 41.9 m | (137.4 feet) | 16 mm | (5/8 inch) |
| Spinnaker sheet | 36.9 m | (120.9 feet) | 16 mm | (5/8 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 55 CS 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.