"He was here at the stand and took a long look at the 42," says a delighted Frits Conijn, who manages the shipyard together with his daughter Annick and son Arjen. Understandable. After all, the shipbuilders from Medemblik have succeeded in transferring the striking, sleek design of the larger centre-cockpit yachts to a version with a steering position at the stern. But why the command centre at the very back all of a sudden? "We believe that 45 feet is the lower limit for a centre cockpit. If the ships are shorter, they appear squat, or height is lost below deck. We didn't want either," says Conijn.
Versatility in expansion
It is also clear that if the boats get smaller, the quantities have to be higher in order to remain profitable. For the 42, this means a little less semi-custom than for a Contest 62, for example, where the slogan "Anything goes" applies below deck. Nevertheless, the shipyard offers no fewer than 45 possible layouts for the "little one", which is still a boat of just under 13 metres in length and 11 tonnes in weight - three each for the bow and stern sections and five for the saloon, all of which can be combined with each other.
Alternatives are also offered on deck: Whether as a cruiser for long legs with a small crew - then with a central winch between the steering wheels - or as a performance version with a long traveller and extra winches, the ship can be adapted to the owner's wishes. In this consistency, the concept is unrivalled on the market.
High standard, reasonable price
Naturally, the Contest 42 is also manufactured using a vacuum injection process with vinyl ester resins and high-quality E-glass scrims - typical of the shipyard. This ensures strength and long-lasting protection against osmosis. In order to be able to offer a wide range of equipment options, the hull itself is so rigid that the fittings do not have to provide any additional strength. This creates the necessary degree of freedom in the interior design. Further points that demonstrate the Dutch shipyard's love of detail can be read in the YACHT test that will follow soon.
Of course, the price of such a ship is not comparable to that of the large series: the similarly sized Bavaria 41, which is also celebrating its world premiere in Amsterdam, costs just a third of the Contest. With an entry-level price of around 430,000 euros, it is in line with the Hallberg-Rassy 412 (four interior variants) or XC-42 (two interior variants). An overview of the interior and deck variants as well as further information on the Contest 42 can be found here here.
Further information about the trade fair, which is open until Sunday 8 September, can be found atIssue 18/2013 of YACHT.
