Contest 31 Owners

[gerardkane]

Good morning from the US.  I have owned our 1972 Contest 31 (Van Essen design) for 20+ years and just completed a major refit.  Not a project I would do again, but I certainly learned many things about the boat!  I met Arjen this past fall at the Annapolis Boat show aboard their new 42 (gorgeous boat!).

I would like to find other owners of the 31 in order to compare notes and pictures.  I still have some aspects of the boat that need some work and it would be useful to have discussion specific to this model.  It would also be interesting to find owners both in the US and abroad -- I am curious to see how many of the 31's are still in service.

Best to all, a great forum!

Gerard

[BJ]

Hi Gerard, welcome to this forum. Please feel free to share your experiences refitting your Contest, it could be a benefit to many other members. There are several C31 owners active on this forum, not sure if one is located in the US though.

[AndyT]

Hi Gerard,

I have the same model but based in the UK. We have spoken on email I beleive?

More than happy to discuss as I am working through the boat to make her just right. I'm getting rid of the old Volvo MD2B this winter and replacing with a Westerbeke 30B three.

Andy

[theKurp]

I just recently purchased a 1972 Contest 31 (Hull # 48).  I'm located Florida.  Prior to my purchase, the boat was repowered with a 2009 Yanmar 3YM20.  Other than that, I'm not exactly sure what is original versus what has been modified over the last 40 years (I am the 4th owner).   I would very much be interested in sharing notes, pictures, etc., so that I may acquire a bit more knowledge about this boat.

[pieter2]

Gents,

We would appreciate it if you would use the forum to do the exchange of information, instead of direct mails or personal messages. In that way, more people may be able to use this information and comment on it.

Thanks,

Pieter

[theKurp]

Guess I'll start by posting a picture.

[BJ]

Nice pic, thanks  :-)

[pieter2]

Do you have a winch mounted on the foot of the mast? Not a bad idea!

[Niels]

Nice picture!! I own number 113 which is almost the latest since 114 is the last 31 classic. Mine was 100% original untill I fitted a new engine last winter. Sailing her for over ten years has given lot of experience with this contest type

[theKurp]

Do you have a winch mounted on the foot of the mast? Not a bad idea!

I can't take credit for the winch mounted at the base of the mast.  The boat came that way.  So, since you noticed, in what ways can I best utilize a winch in this location?  (Be kind, I am new to sailing.  )

[BenFarmer]

Hello, everyone! I live in Chicago and I purchased a Contest 31 a few months ago. I just had her taken out of the water for winter storage and I am in the process of planning my projects for the maintenance season. I’m excited to find other owners of the 31!

[pieter2]

Do you have a winch mounted on the foot of the mast? Not a bad idea!

I can't take credit for the winch mounted at the base of the mast.  The boat came that way.  So, since you noticed, in what ways can I best utilize a winch in this location?  (Be kind, I am new to sailing.  )

@TheKurp: Sorry, I overlooked your question about the winch. I would say you will use this winch for reefing the mainasail. Because the winch is near the deck you can use it while sitting on the deck, which is much safer than standing (bad weather, large waves, etc).
I guess you have another winch in the mast for hoisting the sails?

[gerardkane]

Sorry I have been offline for a while -- too much work!  I will add some pictures.  Total refit - both interior and exterior.  She has been in the family for over 20 years, so I took the time over the last 2 years to restore everything.  Still some details to address, and some additional canvas and roller furling, but 90% done!

Gerard

[theKurp]

I would definitely be interested in seeing more pictures of your refit Gerard.

[gerardkane]

I will post more pics -- unfortunately, I shot all at a high resolution and need to convert them to lower res to work for the site.

BTW, as a recommendation, I suggest you take pictures of everything now.  I took over 1,000 pics prior to the refit of every little bit.  I think printed 4x6 pics and made an album.  It came in handy as I put things back together.  I stripped down the entire boat, including removing all windows and deck fittings.  Lots of work, but I expect to get another 10+ years out of her.  The Contests are well built!

Gerard

[pieter2]

Hi Gerard,

Now we are even more eager to see your pictures! 1000 might be a litlle too much, but a few per part of the project would be great

Thanks!

Pieter

[theKurp]

I will post more pics -- unfortunately, I shot all at a high resolution and need to convert them to lower res to work for the site.

Gerard

See my image I posted above.  Don't be so quick to down rez your images since the detail which may interest your readers could be lost.  For instance, I wanted to look at the standing rigging in your most recent image but the image is too small.

Of course this will mean using a photosharing website and then embedding the links to the images in your posts, but your efforts will be very greatly appreciated!

[rmcnabb]

Hi - Just wanted to throw my hat in here and post pictures of my C31 (Van Essen) - 1972, Hull #5.  There aren't many here in the US but they do turn up.  I'm currently refurbishing her bit by bit although she is in really solid shape.

Replaced the marine head with an AirHead composting toilet, rebuilt the head/shower area floors.  This head is a good fit for the somewhat cramped compartment in the C31, and I'm happy with the choice.  I am also replacing two of the large non opening port lights with Gebo opening hatches. 

Complete paint job topside and bottom.  Replaced the old barely functional front deck hatch with a Lewmar Ocean 30 (which was a near perfect fit - needed to shave about 1/4" off of the back edge of the opening. 

She already has a basically brand new Yanmar 3YM20, 250 hours, and it's a great engine for this boat, size and power wise. 

New suit of sails from Latell and Ailsworth in Deltaville, VA.  I can highly, highly recommend them for folks in the US that want the services of a full hand made custom sail loft at fantastic prices.
 
All new running rigging.  All new Dyneema lifelines.  New Mantus M1 35 pound anchor and rode - it's too big, which means it just right, as far as anchors go.

Next I'll be replacing the original winches with Lewmar 30 self tailers which make her much easier to single hand.

I'll try to figure out how to make my photos of a size suitable for posting here and include them.