Contest 63CS

The hull was drawn by the office judel/vrolijk & co, the interior by Wetzels Brown Partners. The judel/vrolijk project page, opened on 25 October 2026, gives the delivery year as 2024. It also lists the main figures: length 19.29 m, waterline 17.85 m, beam 5.50 m, draft 2.90 m, displacement 31.90 t, ballast 12,500 kg. Contest Yachts UK prints the same length, waterline, beam, draft and displacement, and adds construction under Lloyd's supervision with class A1. The Contest site shows a European Yacht of the Year 2025 badge for the 63CS and mentions vacuum infusion and Lloyd's. It has no passport figures.

The fullest document is the yard's MAIN DIMENSIONS sheet as a PDF at Voiles et Voiliers. Besides the two lengths and the hull figures shared with other sources, it lists a 29 m mast, a 113 m² mainsail, a 106% genoa of 99 m², 1,560 liters of fuel and 1,150 liters of water. The sails and tanks match the figures of the UK dealer.

On layout the sources agree. judel/vrolijk names two VIP cabins forward of the saloon and options with three and four cabins. Contest Yachts UK writes "Three + Crew" and gives six berths plus one for crew. The engine depends on the source. The yard sheet shows a Yanmar of 125 kW and 170 hp, while the UK dealer and the judel/vrolijk page show a Volvo Penta of 168 hp (judel/vrolijk gives 125 kW). Yachting World gives 125 kW and 168 hp with no make in its table. Both makes stay side by side and are not averaged: which one is fitted shows on the engine plate.

Ballast differs too. The yard sheet and judel/vrolijk give 12,500 kg, Yachting World gives 12,000 kg. The passport records 12,500 kg because two sources give that figure. The test figure is named here but not averaged in.

Only cells where the yard sheet agrees with the UK dealer or judel/vrolijk go into the passport: hull length 19.29 m, beam 5.50 m, waterline 17.85 m, draft 2.90 m, displacement 31,900 kg, ballast 12,500 kg and a fixed keel. The 20.54 m figure is the length with bowsprit, not the hull length, and does not go into the length cell. The designer is named in the text, but the cells for designer, years and material in the passport stay empty. SailWiki prints fiberglass, CE A and a period "2024 - now", but the yard sheet has none of these cells. SailWiki lists the tanks as "1 l", which is a directory error and not data. The third directory, boat-specs.com, returned an Error on 25 October 2026.

There is no dated yard invoice for a year of upkeep of the Contest 63CS in the bank. The card does not print an annual sum.

Berthing is quoted on the length by which the marina counts the boat. If it counts with the bowsprit, that is 20.54 m and not 19.29 m, so a request should state both figures. For lifting and entering a harbor you need the draft of 2.90 m and the displacement of 31,900 kg from the yard sheet, not the 32,000 kg of the directory. The mast is 29 m by the yard sheet. Engine service is counted from the plate on board: the sources give both a Volvo Penta of 168 hp and a Yanmar of 170 hp, and these makes have different dealers and spare parts. Fuel by the yard sheet is 1,560 liters, water 1,150 liters.

1. Ask which length was stated in the listing and in the berth contract. 20.54 m is the length with bowsprit, while the hull by the yard sheet is 19.29 m. If the marina contract shows one figure and the listing another, find out which of them sets the rate.
2. Compare the displacement in the boat's documents with 31,900 kg. The figure 32,000 kg comes from a directory. If the documents show a third figure, ask for a weighing certificate or a class record for this hull.
3. Look at the engine plate. By the yard sheet it is a Yanmar of 125 kW and 170 hp, and by the UK dealer and judel/vrolijk a Volvo Penta of 168 hp. The service book must match the make on the plate.
4. Count the cabins and compare them with the description. Two VIP cabins should be forward of the saloon, and there are two layout options: three or four cabins plus a place for crew. The number of berths in the listing must match what you see on board.
5. Ask for the Lloyd's documents for this hull. Contest Yachts UK states construction under Lloyd's supervision with class A1.
6. Do not enter the 12,000 kg ballast from the Yachting World test in place of the 12,500 kg from the yard sheet, and do not carry over the "1 l" tanks from SailWiki. These are not data about the boat.

A mistake in the length costs more than the other points. The bill for the berth, the passage and winter storage will be calculated 1.25 m shorter than the marina counts it, and you will learn this only after the deposit is paid.