Contest
Contest 44CS
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This is the card for the Contest 44CS sailboat, designed by Georg Nissen: length 13.50 m, beam 4.10 m, waterline length 11.60 m and displacement 13,500 kg. The model cannot be reduced to a single draft. The yard brochure prints a wing keel at 1.80 m with 5,200 kg of ballast and a bulb keel at 2.10 m with 4,900 kg of ballast. The start year calls for the same caution. The sailboatdata reference, opened on 17 October 2026, gives the first build in 2000 and the last in 2006, while the yard's broker Contest Brokerage writes that the model was presented in 2001. These years do not appear in the card's passport. So the 2005 Cocopelli hull with a 2.1 m draft in its listing is one hull with a bulb, not the single draft of the whole model.
| What to check | What the source prints |
|---|---|
| Wing keel, yard brochure | draft 1.80 m, ballast 5,200 kg |
| Bulb keel, yard brochure | draft 2.10 m, ballast 4,900 kg |
| Start year, sources opened on 17 October 2026 | sailboatdata - 2000, Contest Brokerage - 2001 |
The two keel rows differ by 0.30 m of draft and 300 kg of ballast. That decides which harbour the boat can enter. If the draft in a listing matches neither row of the brochure, the next step is a listing review. There is no yard invoice for a year of owning this model in the bank.
At a glance
Quick facts
- LOA
- 13.5 m
- Beam
- 4.1 m
- Model
- Contest 44CS
Offshore rating & survey verdict
- CE Category
- -
- Capsize Screening (CSF)
- 1.74
From the builder plate / sheet when known; not computed from dims.
Traditional ocean screen often cites CSF ≤ 2.0; not a legal rule.
Top 3 survey red flags
- Which keel is on the Contest 44CS
- From which year was the Contest 44CS built
- How many Contest 44CS hulls were built
Technical data
- Length overall (LOA)
- 13.5 m
- Beam
- 4.1 m
- L/B
- 3.29
- LWL
- 11.6 m
- Draft
- 2.1 m (alt 1.8 m)
- Displacement
- 13,500 kg
- Hull
- grp
- Designer
- Georg Nissen
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
The Contest 44CS was built at the Contest yard in Medemblik, designed by Georg Nissen. The yard brochure in the NauticExpo catalogue describes a fibreglass hull and deck moulded by vacuum infusion. It is a sandwich on a balsa core, with solid laminate in the keel area. The rudder blade is semi-balanced. The mast height above the waterline in the brochure is 19.45 m. The stability range is more than 130 degrees, and the yard writes that this is above the CE norm.
Inside, the brochure offers two layouts, with two or three cabins. For a buyer this means there are no two boats of this model with the same arrangement: cabins and keel were chosen at the time of order. In the same catalogue the yard placed a line from Yachting World: "I'll eat my hard disk if this boat isn't a winner for Contest Yachts". This is a quotation the yard itself chose for its brochure, not a sea trial report. There is no such report in the bank.
The build years diverge. The sailboatdata reference, opened on 17 October 2026, puts the first build in 2000 and the last in 2006. Contest Brokerage, the broker of the yard itself, writes in the Cocopelli hull listing that the model was presented in 2001. The brochure has no years at all, and the 44CS is not listed on the yard's page of classic models. The mean of 2000 and 2001 does not become the year of the model. In the card's passport the years stay empty, and both sources are named here with their own figure.
Typical problems
Buyer FAQ
- Which keel is on the Contest 44CS?
The yard brochure prints two options. The wing keel gives a draft of 1.80 m with 5,200 kg of ballast. The bulb keel gives a draft of 2.10 m with 4,900 kg of ballast. Which keel is on a particular boat is seen from the documents of that hull, not from the model name. The model has no average draft.
- From which year was the Contest 44CS built?
The sources diverge. The sailboatdata reference, opened on 17 October 2026, gives the first build in 2000 and the last in 2006. Contest Brokerage writes that the model was presented in 2001. The yard brochure has no years. Both dates are given as printed, and they are not averaged.
- How many Contest 44CS hulls were built?
There is no verified hull count. The yard brochure does not have one, and the 44CS is not listed on the yard's page of classic models. A figure from a reference is not carried onto the card, because the yard does not print it.
- What is stored in the card's passport?
Length 13.50 m, beam 4.10 m, waterline length 11.60 m, displacement 13,500 kg. A draft of 2.10 m and a second draft of 1.80 m. Designer Georg Nissen, material fibreglass. The ballast field is empty, because the two keels have two different figures. The year fields are empty, because the sources diverge.
Annual ownership costs
There is no dated yard invoice for a year of keeping a Contest 44CS in the bank. The card does not print an annual sum.
A berth and insurance depend on the harbour and on which keel and layout were ordered. A hull with a bulb needs 2.10 m under the keel, a hull with a wing keel 1.80 m. A mast 19.45 m high above the waterline, per the yard brochure, narrows the choice of bridges. Ask for a mooring price for the draft and mast of that particular hull.
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)€6,090 - €9,448
- Sweden (planning bands)€8,050 - €12,750
- Denmark (two harbours, season)€6,154 - €9,327
Antifouling
53.9 m². 14.8 L - 16.2 L. Medium keel, two coats, 8 m²/L as a planning figure. Replace 8 with the tin.
Open the antifouling calculatorWetted surfaceSail planAll calculators
Pre-purchase survey checklist
- Read in the boat's documents which keel is on it: the wing keel with a draft of 1.80 m or the bulb with a draft of 2.10 m, per the yard brochure. If the figure in a listing matches neither row, that is a reason for a listing review, not for an average draft.
- Check the ballast against the chosen keel: 5,200 kg for the wing, 4,900 kg for the bulb. A ballast figure without the keel's name does not yet name the variant.
- Do not average the years. The sailboatdata reference, opened on 17 October 2026, names 2000. Contest Brokerage names 2001. Take the year of a specific hull from its documents, as with Cocopelli - 2005.
- Do not take the Cocopelli draft of 2.1 m for the draft of the model. It is one hull with a bulb. The displacement and ballast in that listing, opened on 17 October 2026, are marked as approximate. They are checked against the brochure (13,500 kg), not added to the model row.
- The name on the card is Contest 44CS. The address is contest-44. A different name or a different length in a listing is a reason to read the specification of that hull.
- The yard offered two and three cabins. The number of cabins in a listing is checked against what is on board.
A mistake in the keel costs more than the other points. An owner who buys the bulb while counting on 1.80 m finds out at the first shallow berth, after the deposit is gone.