Fox’s has just completed an extensive refit on a classic 1970’s Contessa 32, which included a complete respray, repairs to delamination in the hull, osmosis treatment, new winches, new windows and painted decks. Her owner is delighted with the work carried out and took the trouble to tell us about his experience.
“Buying a Contessa 32 has been something I had been wanting to do for many years. Eventually I decided to bite the bullet and, having seen a few boats in various states of disrepair, settled on Wight Wizard, now renamed Venga. She was in a slightly sad state of repair and had been kept in Sweden for many years, only sporadically used and then brought back to the UK by her owner. The survey revealed a rather daunting list of work that needed to be completed to make the boat seaworthy. I also had a long list, formulated over many long winter nights, of things I wanted to do to really bring the boat up to scratch.
The fact that she was in the Fox’s yard, with the full set of skills and facilities Fox’s offers, meant that I could realistically complete the work list. I don’t think I would have purchased a boat that needed so much work had it been in a yard without the reputation and capabilities of Fox’s. Ralph was incredibly helpful in coordinating things, responding to my sometimes inane questions and communicated my wishes to the team doing the work. In addition, I was able to come up to the boat and work over the weekends to do some jobs that I was able to do myself.
I think you will agree that the boat looks fantastic. I think she is probably one of the best Contessa 32s around at the moment!
We had a great delivery trip from Ipswich to Ramsgate, then Boulogne and finally Eastbourne where Venga will be kept. The new winches Fox’s installed got a good work out on the way out past Harwich and we had the opportunity to check the windows were watertight – watch the video!)
Thank you once again to all the guys who coordinated the work and worked on the boat, I am very grateful to everyone at Fox’s.”
Henry Willmott
Owner, Contessa 32, Venga
