The Contest 42CS was the 2014 European yacht on the luxury class, but I never posted about it here (the blog started about that time) neither have I visited the boat. I did so this year, at Dusseldorf, and I was truly impressed. Sure it costs a lot of money, equipped about 600 000 euros, but in this case we can see where the money was spent.
And it is not only the interior, that is impeccable (looks the one of a bigger boat), but every aspect, from the rigging to the build quality and design. Regarding design, this yacht has a hull different from the other yachts on the Contest line, more updated, lighter, featuring a modern keel and rudder. The others are a bit outdated, old fashioned, as it was to be expected on luxury boats pointing to a very conservative clientele. Not so with the 42CS, that the ones on the shipyard call a performance cruiser.
Certainly it is not so, at least by general standards, but it is a very stiff and fast boat, for a medium weight boat, specially when the wind is up. It weights 11T but 4.6T of that weight are ballast, that is on a nice lead bulb at the end of the keel with 2.20m draft. The 42% B/D ratio is a big one considering the keel and draft, generating a lot of RM that adds to the one that comes from a big hull form stability, due to a lot of beam (4.15m) and a large transom. A powerful sailboat with lots of stability and a very good reserve stability.
The AVS is a good one (about 125º) but the RM at 100º is proportionally much better. To give you an idea, the boat with the mast in the water is making as much force to right itself up as about the force it is opposing to the wind when heeled at 30º, the max heel the boat is designed to sail with and as you can imagine, that is a lot of force.
The hull is built in sandwich using vacuum infusion, vinylester resins and balsa as a core, the same with the deck. Bulkheads are in sandwich laminated to the hull and deck. The structural floors are also in sandwich. The rudder is made by JEFA as well as all rudder system.
The Contest 42CS can be made in many configurations but the one at the Dusseldorf boat show is the most interesting one, with a very clever winch arrangement (with a central winch) making easy for a solo sailor to control the boat without never leaving the two steering wheels. 
That layout features two cabins, a big aft locker, accessible from the exterior and from the interior, that joins the other big cockpit locker on the cockpit floor.
Inside there is a huge storage space, smarted with lots of cabinets for everything a boat needs including clothes. It also comes with a big space for a generator, that sits aft the engine and is easily accessed by the sides.
The type of boat that makes my wife happy (the first thing she looks on a sailboat are the storage spaces) and one that looks to be much bigger than the 42ft it has, with a great interior for a couple that receive occasionally another couple as guests.
Inside there is a huge storage space, smarted with lots of cabinets for everything a boat needs including clothes. It also comes with a big space for a generator, that sits aft the engine and is easily accessed by the sides.
The type of boat that makes my wife happy (the first thing she looks on a sailboat are the storage spaces) and one that looks to be much bigger than the 42ft it has, with a great interior for a couple that receive occasionally another couple as guests.
This is the perfect type of bluewater boat for the ones that like the more sedate movement of a middle weight boat and can dispense the sailing fun and speed of a performance cruiser, a less amusing sailboat to sail, but a more easy and comfortable one. Personally not my type of cruiser but the one that will make most sailors.happy...for a price. But if money is no problem and what you want is a very safe, comfortable and reasonably fast 42ft sailboat with one of the best interiors I have seen, you cannot go wrong with this one.😉
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