Contest 50CS

Design

Naval architect

judel/vrolijk & co

Summary

Best Suited For

• Liveaboard

  From the published figures: LOA 16.36 m · 3 cabins · fresh water 700 L

Tags are derived from certified class, length, sail area, accommodation and tankage using the criteria described on the Sources page; an editor may add or remove one.

Sailing Ratios

Classic yacht-design ratios worked out from the builder's published figures, each shown against the bands designers read it by.

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.

Tanks

What the builder publishes about how fast, how strong and how much the boat carries.

Dimensions

LOA

53.7 ft (16.36 m)

Hull length

50.7 ft (15.46 m)

LWL

47.6 ft (14.5 m)

Beam

16.1 ft (4.9 m)

Draft (min)

7.7 ft (2.35 m)

Draft (max)

—

Air draft

80.7 ft (24.6 m)

Displacement

46,077 lb (20,900 kg)

Ballast

—

Cabins

2–3

Heads

—

Berths

—

Sail Plan

Main sail

786 ft² (73 m²)

Jib

—

Genoa

646 ft² (60 m²)

Sail area

—

Downwind sail area

—

Rig type

—

Engine and Tanks

Engine

110 hp (Yanmar)

Engine count

1

Engine manufacturer

Yanmar

Propulsion type

—

Fuel capacity

185 gal (700 L)

Fresh water capacity

185 gal (700 L)

Black water capacity

—

Construction

Mast material

—

Hull material

—

Deck material

—

Keel type

—

Rudder type

—

Steering wheels

—

Builder's Own Figures

Engine, Yanmar

81kW / 110hp

Genoa 106%

60m²

Length overall (hull)

15.46m

Mast height above waterline

24.60m

Length including bowsprit

16.36m

Draft standard keel

2.35m

Films of this model from the builder's official YouTube channel (Contest Yachts). They are the builder's own; the figures above are the reference.

Videos whose title names the Contest 50CS, from the channel the builder's site links; last checked 9/30/2026. Playing one loads YouTube's player, which may set cookies.

About Contest Yachts

Semi-custom

Dutch builder of semi-custom centre-cockpit cruising yachts, founded in 1959 by Ed Conijn and still family-run in Medemblik.

Contest was founded in 1959 by Ed Conijn, who joined the 'Con' of the family name to 'test' for a name that travelled; the Gerard Luyten-designed Contest 25 was the first sailing cruiser and an immediate export success, with 300 sold into the USA alone. Dick Zaal drew the boats of the 1970s, from the Contest 27 Mk II to the 48, one of the largest series-built yachts of its day, and from 1972 every Contest has been certified by Lloyd's Register. Fritz Conijn took the helm from his father in 1974, adopted the wing keel just months after its America's Cup win, which the yard's timeline places in 1979, and in 1995 made Contest one of the first yards to refine vacuum resin injection; centre cockpits and wheel steering became the marque's signature. Arjen Conijn, the third generation, has led the family firm since 2003 -- the 62CS flagship, the first motor yacht (the 52MC of 2011), the 72CS, the 42CS that won European Yacht of the Year in 2014, and from 2016 the design partnership with judel/vrolijk & co that produced the 67CS, the 26-metre 85CS and the 55CS, European Yacht of the Year in 2021. The Medemblik yard passed 3,500 yachts at its sixtieth anniversary in 2019.

The Contest Yachts Range

Every model Contest Yachts publishes, by length — where this one sits in the range.

1. Contest 85CS87.9 ft
2. Contest 72CS75.7 ft
3. Contest 67CS71.2 ft
4. Contest 63CS67.4 ft
5. Contest 56CS59.4 ft
6. Contest 50CS· this model53.7 ft
7. Contest 49CS52.8 ft
8. Contest 42CS42.2 ft

By the Same Designers

Boats this boat's designers also drew, for other builders too. Credits are grouped only where the names clearly agree, however each builder spelled them; an unclear one is left out.

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