Contest 250
Conyplex · Jac de Ridder · 1977
Updated
The Contest 250 is a 7.70 m heavy displacement racing yacht designed by Jac de Ridder and built by Conyplex, first launched in 1977. It races in Class C.
Length
7.70 m
25′ 3″
Beam
2.73 m
Draft
1.51 m
Displacement
2.0 t
Sail area
31 m²
On the podium
Where a Contest 250 finishes when she goes racing.
On the podium
2%
of 40 starts by 2 boats
Wins
0%
Read from 40 starts by 2 boats between 2020 and 2026, counting races with six boats or more.
Recent regattas
The latest events where a Contest 250 was on the start line, named as the organisers publish them.
Τρίγωνο Καλλιθέας2026- "Μακης Πανταζης" - Αγκιστρι2026
- "Αιγινα2026
- "Λαγουσσες - Φλεβες 2026"2026
- Κασίδι2026
Raced one we are missing?
Report a regattaRound the buoys, or offshore
A short windward-leeward and a night at sea ask different things of a boat. Here is how this one does in each.
Round the buoys
—
Not enough data yet: 2 races of 10 NM or less carry a published distance.
Offshore & coastal
3%
of these races end on the podium
Who she races against
The designs a Contest 250 actually lines up with, most often first. The bar shows how those meetings ended.
Some of the boats it races against
How the Contest 250 has fared against each of them, boat against boat on corrected time. Ordered by how often the two meet, not by who wins.
Speed at every angle
The shape of this design's speed, drawn from the measured fleet. Pick a wind and watch it stretch.
Upwind VMG
3.93
41°
Beam reach
6.69
90°
Broad reach
7.38
135°
Downwind VMG
6.53
170°
Speed in knots at 20 knots of true wind. Green marks the angles that pay: the closest useful beat and the deepest run worth sailing.
Where it wins and where it pays
Every boat is judged against its own measurements — length, weight, sail area. The quicker those say it should be, the more it has to deliver just to break even. Going fast is not enough: it has to go faster than its own numbers promised.
It does most things without giving much away. It rewards preparation and crew work more than it rewards picking the right day.
Where it gains
Its best ground is on a broad reach in a strong breeze, where it does more than its size and sail area promise. It holds that advantage on the run as well, so the gain is not down to one leg of the course.
Where it pays
It falls short to windward in a strong breeze, giving away time it never gets back. That is weight that has to be driven rather than released.
Above the line it delivers more than promised and gains on the fleet. Below, it falls short. Move the wind: plenty of boats sit on one side in the light and the other when it blows.
Full width is 0.4 kn either way.
At 10 knots this design makes back more than its rating asks on the upwind.
How fast is a Contest 250
Boat speed in knots, by true wind angle and wind strength.
| Angle | 6 kn | 10 kn | 14 kn | 20 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beat VMG | 2.65 | 3.64 | 4.00 | 3.93 |
| 52° | 4.06 | 5.35 | 5.76 | 5.79 |
| 60° | 4.29 | 5.54 | 5.94 | 6.03 |
| 75° | 4.42 | 5.70 | 6.14 | 6.37 |
| 90° | 4.46 | 5.87 | 6.25 | 6.69 |
| 110° | 4.50 | 5.95 | 6.54 | 7.12 |
| 120° | 4.33 | 5.87 | 6.52 | 7.42 |
| 135° | 3.83 | 5.58 | 6.33 | 7.38 |
| 150° | 3.33 | 5.10 | 6.07 | 7.03 |
| Run VMG | 2.88 | 4.45 | 5.60 | 6.53 |
How they are set up
The range each sail spans across the fleet.
Roughly half carry a folding propeller. Crew weight is declared around 240 kg.
Rigging
Contest 250 rig and sail dimensions
A Contest 250 carries 8.90 m of mainsail hoist on a 2.89 m boom, a forestay 8.48 m above the deck. Typical figures across the 2 boats measured under the current VPP, with the range each one spans.
Rig
Sails