Contessa 43
Description
The Contessa 43 is a classic performance-oriented sailing yacht from the Contessa line, designed by renowned naval architect Doug Peterson and built by Jeremy Rogers Ltd. in Lymington, England, starting around 1977. It was developed as a competitive offshore racer, with versions available as a flush-deck racer or a more practical cruiser-racer with a coachroof. The boat gained significant fame when Moonshine (a Contessa 43) was selected for the British Admiral's Cup team in 1977, where it performed exceptionally—finishing as the top-scoring inshore boat and contributing to the team's success (and placing 2nd overall in some accounts). Only about 15 were built, making it a relatively rare and sought-after classic today, with a reputation for speed, seaworthiness, and elegant lines. It's a masthead sloop with a fin keel and spade rudder, offering strong upwind performance and good handling in heavy weather—true to the Contessa heritage of blue water-capable designs.
Construction Details
| Designer | Doug Peterson |
|---|---|
| Builder | Jeremy Rogers Ltd. (Lymington, England) |
| Length | 43.000 ft |
| LOA | 42.750 ft |
| LWL | 34.330 ft |
| Beam | 12.500 ft |
| Displacement | 21000 lb |
| Max Draft | 7.250 ft |
| Year Built | 1977 |
The standard boat dimensions
| i | 57.10 ft |
|---|---|
| j | 18.33 ft |
| p | 50.50 ft |
| e | 13.50 ft |
| p2 | - |
| e2 | - |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 57.10 ft | 18.33 ft | 50.50 ft | 13.50 ft | - | - | - | - |
Sails
Contessa 43 - MAINSAIL
| Luff | * 50.5 ft - (15392 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 13.5 ft - (4115 mm) |
| Leech | * 51.55 ft - (15712 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 88 ° |
| Diagonal | * 51.82 ft - (15795 mm) |
| Head (inches) | * 6 in - (152 mm) |
| Area | * 351.55 ft² |
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Contessa 43 - JIBSAIL
| Luff | * 47.98 ft - (14624 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 24.29 ft - (7404 mm) |
| Leech | * 41.64 ft - (12692 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 115 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 21.08 ft - (6425 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 12 ° |
| Area | * 505.69 ft² |
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Contessa 43 - GENOA
| Luff | * 56.97 ft - (17364 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 29.62 ft - (9028 mm) |
| Leech | * 53.56 ft - (16325 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 150.03 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 27.5 ft - (8382 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 4.02 ° |
| Area | * 783.3 ft² |
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Contessa 43 - DRIFTER
| Luff | * 56.97 ft - (17364 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 30.81 ft - (9391 mm) |
| Leech | * 51.11 ft - (15578 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 150.03 % |
| Length Perp | * 27.5 ft - (8382 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 9 ° |
| Area | * 783.38 ft² |
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Contessa 43 - ASYMMETRICAL
| Luff | * 56.97 ft - (17364 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 30.24 ft - (9217 mm) |
| Leech | * 52.41 ft - (15975 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 165 % |
| Area | * 1292 ft² |
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Contessa 43 - STORMJIB
| Luff | * 32.98 ft - (10052 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 13.74 ft - (4188 mm) |
| Leech | * 27.08 ft - (8254 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 60.01 % |
| Length Perp | * 11 ft - (3353 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 19.02 ° |
| Area | * 181.38 ft² |
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Disclaimer. Boats are not all the same -- even when produced in the same factory of the same model. Sailrite does its best to publish accurate dimensions, but we often find it worthwhile to have our customers measure their boats carefully before we produce kits for them. You should take the same precautions, especially when the data is not from Sailrite. The information on this site is not guaranteed to be accurate. Sailrite offers this content as a service to our community, but takes no responsibility for the reliability of the data provided.
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