A custom brief for hull number six
Ronstan’s Dutch distributor More Marine has developed a bespoke deck-hardware package for Contest 63CS hull #006 after the owner requested a mainsail traveller arrangement that is not part of the model’s standard specification. The objective was to improve control while keeping the 19m cruiser manageable for a small crew.
The owner had previous experience with a similar arrangement on a larger Contest 85CS and wanted the same level of direct mainsail adjustment on the 63CS. More Marine worked with the project team to adapt Ronstan components to the yacht rather than forcing the standard deck plan to meet a different operating style.
Series 55 traveller becomes the centrepiece
The solution uses paired custom Series 55 traveller cars linked together and fitted with Orbit Lashing Blocks, working with a 150mm Orbit Lashing Block mounted at the boom. The arrangement gives the crew a dedicated traveller system while maintaining the load-handling capacity required on a yacht of this size.
More Marine also supplied Series 42 jib-lead hardware and additional Ronstan blocks around the deck. Together, those components create a coordinated sail-handling package rather than a single isolated upgrade, with particular emphasis on reliable adjustment under load.
Short-handed cruising shapes the equipment choice
The Contest 63CS is designed as a long-range luxury performance cruiser, and hull #006 has been configured around the ability to operate efficiently without a large professional crew. That makes the placement, mechanical advantage and reliability of deck hardware especially important when conditions deteriorate or rapid sail changes are required.
A custom traveller can also give the helmsman and trimmers finer control over mainsail shape without relying exclusively on the mainsheet. On an offshore cruising yacht, that can improve both performance and the ability to depower the sail progressively as wind strength changes.
Supplier collaboration adds another layer of customisation
The project illustrates how production and semi-custom sailing yachts can be personalised through specialist equipment suppliers without changing the underlying hull platform. Contest provided the yacht, while More Marine and Ronstan adapted the deck systems to match the owner’s previous experience and operating preferences.
For buyers comparing yachts below 24 metres, that level of supplier involvement is increasingly relevant. The difference between two examples of the same model may lie as much in sail handling, controls and deck hardware as in interior finishes, particularly when the yacht is intended for serious bluewater cruising.
