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Amel 50.2vsContest 50CS

Compare specifications, dimensions and sources side by side.

Anyone with the link sees this comparison.

Key differences

Worked out from the published figures below — arithmetic, not opinion.

The published figures don't set these boats far apart — the table below has the detail.

At a glance

Dark icons are the standard layout; faded ones are what the larger layout adds.

Length : beam is length divided by beam — the higher it is, the slimmer the hull. Multihulls read low by nature.

A figure marked with a quote mark was read from the builder's page. Open it for the exact line, the page and the date.

Model
Amel Amel 50.2
Contest Yachts Contest 50CS

Contest Yachts

Contest 50CS
Overview
BrandAmelContest Yachts
ModelAmel 50.2Contest 50CS
GenerationUnknownUnknown
Hull typeSailing MonohullSailing Monohull
PropulsionSailSail
Production statusIn productionIn production
Production start yearUnknownUnknown
Production end yearUnknownUnknown
DesignerBerret-Racoupeau Yacht DesignUnknown
Dimensions
LOA54.8 ft53.7 ft
Hull length51.8 ft50.7 ft
Beam16.4 ft16.1 ft
Draft7.2 ft7.7 ft
Displacement48,325 lb46,077 lb
Accommodation
Cabins32–3
HeadsUnknownUnknown
BerthsUnknownUnknown
Performance & Rig
Main sail764 ft²786 ft²
Jib291 ft²Unknown
Genoa689 ft²646 ft²
Upwind sail areaUnknownUnknown
Downwind sail areaUnknownUnknown
Engine power150 hp110 hp
Engine count11
Materials
Hull materialUnknownUnknown
Deck materialUnknownUnknown
Mast materialUnknownUnknown
Keel typeUnknownUnknown
Rudder typeUnknownUnknown
Sources

10 of 12 figures here carry the builder's own words

Figures read fromcontestyachts.com/model/50csread 9/13/2026

Size, to scale

Each boat's published length and beam seen from above, and its mast height and draft from the side, all drawn on one scale.

From above — length × beam
0 ft10 ft20 ft30 ft40 ft50 ftAmel 50.2: 54.8 ft × 16.4 ftContest 50CS: 53.7 ft × 16.1 ftAmel 50.254.8 ft × 16.4 ftContest 50CS53.7 ft × 16.1 ft

Outlines are schematic; the dimensions are the builder's.

From the side — height above and depth below the water
WaterlinePerson, 5.9 ftAmel 50.2: 83 ft / 7.2 ft83 ft7.2 ftAmel 50.2Contest 50CS: 80.7 ft / 7.7 ft80.7 ft7.7 ftContest 50CS

Speed, power & tanks

What the builders publish about how fast, how strong and how far — each figure on one scale for every boat.

Tanks

One scale per liquid across every boat: a tank twice the height holds twice as much.

  • Amel 50.2

    Fuel177 gal
    Water159 gal

  • Contest 50CS

    Fuel185 gal
    Water185 gal

How they sail, in numbers

Classic yacht-design ratios worked out from each builder's published figures. They compare boats; they don't grade them.

Sail area / displacement

How much sail the boat carries for its weight — its power in light air.

ModestCruiserPerformanceRacing162024Amel 50.2: 17.5Contest 50CS: 17.8
  • Amel 50.217.5· Cruiser
  • Contest 50CS17.8· Cruiser
How it is worked out

sail area (ft²) ÷ (displacement as ft³ of seawater)^⅔

Amel 50.2: mainsail + genoa, added up

Contest 50CS: mainsail + genoa, added up

Displacement / length

How heavy the boat is for its waterline length. Lower is lighter and quicker; higher is steadier and roomier.

UltralightLightModerateHeavyVery heavy100180270350Amel 50.2: 185Contest 50CS: 191
  • Amel 50.2185· Moderate
  • Contest 50CS191· Moderate
How it is worked out

displacement (long tons) ÷ (0.01 × waterline length in ft)³

Ballast ratio

The share of the weight carried in the keel — a rough guide to stiffness, though how deep that weight sits matters as much.

LowModerateHigh3040Amel 50.2: 28
  • Amel 50.228· Low
  • Contest 50CSnot published: ballast
How it is worked out

ballast ÷ displacement × 100

Comfort ratio

Ted Brewer's measure of how gently a boat moves in a seaway. Higher means a slower, easier motion.

LightCoastalModerate offshoreHeavy offshoreVery heavy20304050Amel 50.2: 35.3Contest 50CS: 35.4
  • Amel 50.235.3· Moderate offshore
  • Contest 50CS35.4· Moderate offshore
How it is worked out

displacement (lb) ÷ (0.65 × (0.7 × LWL + 0.3 × LOA) × beam^1.333), lengths in ft

Capsize screening

A guide from the inquiry after the 1979 Fastnet race: below 2 was taken as suited to ocean passages. It ignores hull shape and where the ballast sits.

Below 22 and above2Amel 50.2: 1.80Contest 50CS: 1.79
  • Amel 50.21.80· Below 2
  • Contest 50CS1.79· Below 2
How it is worked out

beam (ft) ÷ (displacement as ft³ of seawater)^⅓

Hull speed

Roughly the speed a displacement hull reaches before it has to climb its own bow wave.

  • Amel 50.29.4 kn
  • Contest 50CS9.2 kn
How it is worked out

1.34 × √(waterline length in ft), in knots

Most builders publish a light displacement. The ratios were defined on a loaded boat, so every boat here reads a little lighter than a surveyor's figure would — all alike, which keeps them comparable.

Worth adding to this comparison

The boats most like the ones above, by hull form, size and use.