Contessa
Contessa 32
We reply within 2-3 days.
On the live Contessa 32 card the Best for block still talks about a British offshore cult with S&S hull heritage. Contessa 32 was drawn by David Sadler with the Jeremy Rogers yard in Lymington, not Sparkman & Stephens. Next to that the beam chip still shows 3.14 m, while published records (sailboatdata and the inch measure 9 ft 6 in) give about 2.90 m. Until the card drops the wrong brand and the wrong beam, you are not yet looking at that narrow Sadler/Rogers Contessa 32 this page is about.
Designer and yard close identity before money changes hands. Rogers showed the first hulls in the early 1970s (Boat of the Show in London); the mass Lymington era produced about five hundred boats, then the early-1980s recession stopped the yard. Under licence J.J. Taylor in Canada built about 87 hulls through 1990 (often a taller rig, sometimes a wheel, more GRP below). Mike Slack and others held the moulds in between; from 1996 Rogers builds Contessa 32s again one by one. The live chip 1971-1985 cuts that line too early. Contessa 35 on the site is already another boat (Doug Peterson): the stake here is the 32 card, not a retelling of the 35.
At a glance
Quick facts
- Production
- 1971-1985
- LOA
- 9.75 m
- Beam
- 2.9 m
- Model
- Contessa 32
Key takeaways
- Best for: cult British offshore pedigree with S&S hull heritage
- Common issue: chainplate moisture and 1980s osmosis blisters
- Typical price: UK-origin classic - budget spares shipping to Scandinavia
Technical data
- Length overall (LOA)
- 9.75 m
- Beam
- 2.9 m
- L/B
- 3.36
- Production years
- 1971-1985
Calculations and ratios
Brochure numbers need matching units. Open a FairHelm formula page for the classical form, rule of thumb, and limits before you compare listings.
Design history
Length figures agree more closely than beam. Overall length about 9.75-9.8 m, waterline in the record about 7.32 m, draft about 1.68 m, displacement about 4.3 t, lead ballast on the order of 2 t. Under water - fin and skeg rudder; the rig - masthead sloop. Hull counts in the sources are a fork: live page about 600, sailboatdata around 700, encyclopaedia and anniversary texts 650-750+. We do not pick one number. Historical list prices and a new bespoke ask stay out of the deal bank.
Typical problems
On survey, apart from the false S&S, check moisture at the chainplates and in the deck at the posts, keel bolts and grounding history, standing-rigging age by invoices and the engine line. The live FAQ still asks about saildrive service - for a classic Contessa 32 with a shaft and typical Bukh / Volvo / Yanmar that is the wrong drive in one line. Fastnet 1979 reputation shapes market expectations, but it does not replace survey of the hull in front of you.
Annual ownership costs
Read annual cost bands as a marina class around 10 m, not a yard offer. We do not invent an asking price here.
Calculators for this boat
Indicative figure for weekend use. The country supplies berth and winter. The insurance line stays the Swedish planning band - not a Danish, German, or Dutch premium. Maintenance stays Swedish too. Not a marina quote.
- Netherlands (annual contract)€3,700 - €6,312
- Sweden (planning bands)€4,950 - €8,550
- Denmark (two harbours, season)€3,771 - €6,191
Antifouling
Litres need waterline length and draft. This page only has length overall and beam, so litres are not calculated here.
Open the antifouling calculatorWetted surfaceSail planAll calculators
Pre-purchase survey checklist
Beside this page: Contessa 26, Contessa 35 and British offshore peers. Their opens are not cloned here: first fix brand and beam on the 32 card itself.
Expert verdict
FairHelm rating: 8.2/10: Cult British offshore classic; survey chainplate moisture and osmosis maps before UK delivery.
Vadim Nareyko, FairHelm Editorial, Last reviewed: 2026-07-12