Contender 35ST for Sale, Specs, Range and Ownership Guide

Why the Contender 35ST for sale listings move fast

Contender describes the 35ST with uncharacteristic bluntness: fast, efficient, powerful and fishy as hell. That line is marketing, but the used market agrees. A clean Contender 35ST for sale rarely lingers in Florida, because the boat hits the sweet spot between the trailerable 30ST and 32ST and the far more expensive 39ST and 44ST. It carries 400 gallons, takes three outboards and still fits on a triple-axle trailer.

The model appeared in Sport Fishing's coverage in late 2011 and has stayed in the lineup since. Sport Fishing's buyers guides note that Contender, founded by Joe Neber in 1984 and based in Homestead, Florida, builds every boat semi-custom, and its 2022 guide credited the 35ST with top speeds around 70 mph and a range of more than 550 miles from its 400 gallons.

Its spec sheet also connects to Contender's past. The 2016 35ST figures (34 feet 5 inches, 400 gallons, 6,600 pounds dry, 1,050 hp) and its fish box sizes match the earlier deep-V 33 Tournament, whose deck Contender reused for its first stepped boat, the 33 ST. Today's spec sheet lists 34 feet 8 inches, a 9-foot-10-inch beam and a 1,200 hp rating.

The 400-gallon range math, from a real test

Sport Fishing tested the 35ST with three Yamaha F300s at a wet weight of about 12,000 pounds. It planed in three seconds and reached 30 mph in six. Top speed was 67.6 mph at 6,000 rpm. The best economy came at 3,000 rpm and 32.7 mph, where the triples returned 1.6 mpg, which the magazine calculated as a 576-mile range with a 10 percent reserve. That is about 20 gallons per hour for all three engines.

The same article compared an earlier test with a pair of F350s. The twins took 2.5 seconds longer to plane, and the extra 200 hp of the triple rig gained only 1.5 mph at the top. The surprise was economy: the triples matched the twins' best mileage. In practice that means a triple-engine 35ST costs little at the fuel dock compared with twins and pays you back with holeshot, the ability to plane on two engines, and resale.

Contender's marketing director told Sport Fishing that the hull's aeration starts working around 25 to 30 mph and estimated a 10 percent gain in mileage from the steps. Boating, which used a rigged 35ST with triple 300s to evaluate a tow vehicle, weighed the boat at 11,560 pounds without its triple-axle aluminum trailer.

Two steps, 24.5 degrees and a sleek flat sheer

The bottom is Contender's patented dual-stepped deep-V with 24.5 degrees at the transom on the current spec sheet (Sport Fishing's older articles quote 24 degrees). Sport Fishing noted the boat tracks well in hard-over turns, an area where some stepped hulls misbehave, and that it did not feel tender at rest thanks to its beam and reverse chines. The flat sheer line gives the 35ST its low, fast profile.

Below decks Contender uses a foam-cored fiberglass stringer system with hand-laid fiberglass in multidirectional fabrics and foam flotation throughout. Above deck there is a heavy-duty rub rail and stainless steel hardware. Earlier Builder Benchmark survey coverage praised Contender's vinylester resins and barrier coats for long-lasting gelcoat, and strakes reinforced from inside before final layup.

Deck, livewells and the coffin box trick

Contender's current standard list for the 35ST includes a 208-gallon forward fish box, a 110-gallon secondary forward box or dry storage compartment, two 115-gallon aft fish boxes, under-deck rod lockers on both sides, a console front seat with cushions and cooler, a Sport console with Isinglass enclosure and side entry door, a 30-gallon fresh water system and cockpit coaming bolsters. Two 40-gallon transom livewells are fed by a stainless steel pump box with two 1,500 gph pumps.

Sport Fishing's 2024 guide adds an optional 80-gallon in-deck livewell aft of the leaning post, with each well served by its own pump in a sea chest, and a forward lounge that lifts electrically to reveal a large central storage compartment. Its earlier review described a coffin box that tilts hydraulically to port at the flip of a switch to expose a storage locker below, and a front-entry console option that tournament crews like for storing balloons and helium tanks.

Options run long: hard and soft tops, M-Series console and leaning posts, towers and second stations, teak console interior, outriggers, electric reel outlets, gulper pumps for the aft boxes, a 50-gallon additional fuel tank, windlass and anchor chute, and seating packages that make the boat more family friendly.

• Fish boxes: 208 gal and 110 gal forward, 2 x 115 gal aft
• Livewells: 2 x 40 gal transom wells, optional 80 gal in-deck well
• Fuel 400 gal standard, optional 50 gal more; water 30 gal
• Max power 1,200 hp; current Sport Fishing coverage mentions triple or quad engines

Twins, triples or quads on a 35ST

Early 35STs were rated for up to three 350s and 1,050 hp. With the rating now at 1,200 hp, Sport Fishing's 2024 guide mentions triple or quad installations. For most owners triples are the logical choice. They plane faster, keep the boat on plane if one engine fails, and Sport Fishing's test showed no penalty in best-cruise economy versus twins.

Quads make sense mostly for teams chasing top speed or carrying heavy towers and electronics. Twins remain a reasonable budget choice for anglers who fish closer to shore and want lower service costs, but they hurt resale. Check that any repowered boat stays within the rating on its capacity plate, since earlier hulls carry a lower number.

What a 35ST costs to buy and run

Plan on roughly $520,000 to $700,000 for a new 35ST in 2026 depending on power and options, and roughly $130,000 to $600,000 used. Annual costs of $20,000 to $45,000 cover insurance, storage, service on three outboards, bottom paint for wet-slipped boats, electronics updates and fuel for a typical season of 150 to 250 hours. Tournament crews running long distances will spend more on fuel alone.

Because the hull has not fundamentally changed, a well-kept early boat with fresh power can offer most of the experience of a new one. Expect the strongest prices on late-model triples with Helm Master, hardtop or tower and full glass dash; expect discounts on twins, high-hour engines and boats with neglected wiring.

Who should buy one

The 35ST is for anglers who fish offshore often, value speed and range over cabin comfort, and want a boat that can run to the Bahamas or the canyons and back on one tank. Families can make it work with forward seating and a rear bench, but there is no cabin, and the narrow beam rolls more at rest than wide family consoles. Buyers who want a cabin should look at Contender's Fisharound models; buyers who want more deck should step up to the 39ST.