Contest
Contest 85CS
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The Contest 85CS card is for a buyer who saw length 25.85 m on Contest Yachts UK or SailWiki and decided they knew the size. On the yard's 2026 technical sheet the hull is 25.82 m, and with bowsprit 26.79 m. boat-specs prints a third figure: overall 28.65 m beside hull length 25.85 m. Displacement on the yard sheet and at the UK dealer is the same: 53,900 kg. SailWiki has no displacement.
| What to check | Yard sheet 2026 | UK / SailWiki / boat-specs |
|---|---|---|
| Length | hull 25.82 m; with bowsprit 26.79 m | 25.85 m (boat-specs also overall 28.65 m) |
| Displacement | 53,900 kg | UK 53,900 kg; SailWiki empty; boat-specs no disp |
| Beam, draft, waterline | 6.40 m, 3.79 m (shallow 3.28 m), 23.17 m | the same |
Beam, draft and waterline match. Length diverges, and on a 26-metre boat that is already a berthing-contract and insurance question. The gap between 25.82 and 25.85 is three centimetres of sheet versus dealer. To the full length with bowsprit there is still almost a metre. The figure 28.65 m from boat-specs in a listing without explanation is a reason to stop.
A listing that gives the 85CS as "26 m" or "94 feet" (28.65 m) is a reason to ask the seller which length they stated and which length the marina recorded. If the documents do not answer that, the next step is a listing review. There is no dated yard invoice for a year of upkeep of this model, so the card carries no annual sum.
At a glance
Quick facts
- Model
- Contest 85CS
Offshore rating & survey verdict
- CE Category
- -
- Capsize Screening (CSF)
- 1.71
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
- What length is the Contest 85CS - 25.82, 25.85 or 26.79 m
- Where does boat-specs get overall 28.65 m
- Which draft - 3.79 or 3.28 m
Technical data
- LWL
- 23.17 m
- Draft
- 3.79 m (alt 3.28 m)
- Displacement
- 53,900 kg
- Ballast
- 18,500 kg
- Keel
- fin
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 hull was drawn by judel/vrolijk & co, the interior by Wetzels Brown Partners: so Contest Yachts UK and boat-specs. The 85CS is the top model in the Contest line. Passport figures are not on the Contest marketing page.
The fullest current document is the 2026 technical specifications. Besides the two lengths and the figures that match the UK dealer on waterline, beam, drafts and 53,900 kg, it lists ballast of the standard keel at 18,500 kg, a 36.5 m mast, a 188 m² mainsail, a 111% genoa of 142 m², 2,500 liters of fuel and 1,500 liters of water. Sails and tanks match the UK dealer and boat-specs. Ballast 18,500 kg is confirmed by the yard sheet and boat-specs; the UK dealer has no ballast cell.
The engine floats inside one make. The yard sheet in the MAIN DIMENSIONS table gives Volvo Penta 201 kW / 274 hp, in the systems section a D4-270 at 250 hp. Contest Yachts UK prints 247 hp, boat-specs 260 HP. Figures side by side are not averaged.
On layout the sources give a range. Contest Yachts UK writes "Four + Two Crew": eight berths plus four for crew. SailWiki prints five cabins. boat-specs lists 5-6. How many cabins a particular boat has can only be seen on board.
Into the passport go the cells where the yard sheet agrees with Contest Yachts UK: waterline 23.17 m, beam 6.40 m, draft 3.79 m, shallow draft 3.28 m, displacement 53,900 kg. Hull length in the passport is 25.85 m: UK, SailWiki and boat-specs (hull length) print it. The sheet figures 25.82 m and 26.79 m with bowsprit are named in the text and are not averaged. The 28.65 m overall from boat-specs does not go into the passport. Ballast 18,500 kg is yard sheet and boat-specs. The keel is fixed. The designer is named in the text, but the cells for designer, years and material stay empty. SailWiki prints fiberglass, CE A and a period "2017 - now", boat-specs first built 2018, but the yard sheet has none of these cells. Fuel and water on SailWiki are listed as "2 l" and "1 l", a directory error. No source gives a built-hull count.
Typical problems
Buyer FAQ
- What length is the Contest 85CS - 25.82, 25.85 or 26.79 m?
On the 2026 yard sheet the hull is 25.82 m, with bowsprit 26.79 m. Contest Yachts UK, SailWiki and boat-specs (hull length) print 25.85 m. The model passport records 25.85 m as the match of three sources. The sheet figures 25.82 / 26.79 stay in the text and are not averaged.
- Where does boat-specs get overall 28.65 m?
On boat-specs overall 28.65 m sits beside hull length 25.85 m with no explanation of what that dimension is. The yard sheet has no such figure. It does not go into the passport or a marina enquiry until the seller shows where it came from.
- Which draft - 3.79 or 3.28 m?
3.79 m is the standard keel on the yard sheet and at the UK dealer. 3.28 m is the optional shallow draft on the same two sources. The passport records both: main and shallow. Which one is on a given boat shows in the documents and the measurement.
- Which engine and which power?
The sources diverge inside Volvo Penta: yard sheet 201 kW / 274 hp (in systems also D4-270 250 hp), UK dealer 247 hp, boat-specs 260 HP. The card does not choose and does not average. Make and power are shown by the engine plate and the service book.
- How many cabins does the Contest 85CS have?
Contest Yachts UK writes "Four + Two Crew". SailWiki prints five cabins, boat-specs 5-6. How many cabins a particular boat has can only be seen on board.
- What does the model passport hold?
Length 25.85 m, beam 6.40 m, waterline 23.17 m, draft 3.79 m, shallow draft 3.28 m, displacement 53,900 kg, ballast 18,500 kg and a fixed keel. Designer, years and material are empty. There is no built-hull count. The yard does not publish a production total.
Annual ownership costs
There is no dated yard invoice for a year of upkeep of the Contest 85CS in the bank. The card does not print an annual sum.
Berthing is quoted on the length the marina counts the boat by. If they count with bowsprit, that is 26.79 m by the yard sheet, not 25.85 m from the directory and not 28.65 m from boat-specs. For lifting you need draft 3.79 m (or 3.28 m on the shallow keel) and displacement 53,900 kg. The mast by the yard sheet is 36.5 m. Engine service is counted from the plate on board: Volvo power floats in the sources. Fuel 2,500 liters, water 1,500 liters by the sheet and the UK dealer.
Pre-purchase survey checklist
- Ask which length was stated in the listing and in the berthing contract. On the yard sheet the hull is 25.82 m and with bowsprit 26.79 m, dealer and directories often print 25.85 m, boat-specs also overall 28.65 m. Find out which figure the tariff uses.
- Compare displacement in the documents with 53,900 kg. SailWiki has no such cell.
- Check which keel is on the boat: standard 3.79 m or shallow 3.28 m. Both figures are on the yard sheet and at the UK dealer.
- Look at the engine plate. Volvo power in the sources runs 247-274 hp. The service book must match the plate.
- Count the cabins on board. "Four + Two Crew" at the UK dealer does not rule out five- and six-cabin layouts.
- Ask for the Lloyd's documents for this hull. The yard sheet and Contest marketing state hull certification.
- Do not carry over the "2 l" / "1 l" tanks from SailWiki and do not count built hulls: the yard does not publish a production total.
A mistake in length costs more than the other points. A berth invoice and a policy counted on 25.85 m or on 28.65 m break when the marina already counts with bowsprit at 26.79 m, and you learn that after the deposit.