Contest sailboats

[Andiamo]

I was interested in discussing the merits and/or downsides of Contest sailboats .

[Euro Cruiser]

...other than that Contest boats in the 9-12M range haven't been built for some years now. They are structurally sound, well designed boats, they all featured a conservative heavy-air rig because of their Dutch heritage (which isn't a bad thing when heading offshore), and they were typically finished off in Brynzeel (sp?) or similar marine woods showing excellent craftsmanship.

To play the Devil's advocate, the smaller boats don't offer today's broader sterns with the Euro layout (quarter cabin, quarter head, bigger galley), they are hard to find outside areas where a distributor/broker operated successfully, and most likely they will be older boats with the drawbacks that brings: older systems (can you get spares?), a lack of room designed in for the greater number of systems found on cruising boats these days, and their basic components perhaps reaching the end of their finite lifespans (engine, rigging, sails).

If a larger boat is being sought, then I think the manufacturing stream has been more consistent and there are probably more modern choices in brokerage. The new Contests are quite impressive, and their prices breathtaking.

Jack