Contender 35ST Boat Review

Let's take a closer look at the Contender 35ST in this boat review.

The 35ST sitting squarely in the center of Contender's line up from a size perspective offers a number of advantages. A 35-footer puts you into the size class that makes fishing on those unpleasant days where you just have to go- much more comfortable. The 35ST delivered the easy ride this brand is known for and accomplished this while its dual step hull showed an impressive 1.6 MPG cruising efficiency out of a pair of Yamaha XTO 425 outboards.

Another plus is the fact that this deck layout and size- although plenty big enough to handle the big weather days is also very easy to control single-handedly both at the dock and on the water while managing a spread of baits.

The deck layout is very similar across the line-up on Contender boats for good reason, they've found a system that uses all available deck space and it just plain works. The 35ST we ran had three insulated holds below deck forward and another accessible under the coffin seat.

The massive center deck fish hold and port and starboard boxes flanking the lounge seat would be all most people would ever need but an additional pair of large fish boxes in the cockpit add more options for extended trips offshore.

As is customary on the larger Contender models, the 35ST comes with a pair of 55-gallon live wells on the transom and if necessary, an 80-gallon tank in the deck. This is all the capacity any tournament competitor could possibly need. The remaining compartment in the cockpit deck is a large access point into the bilge area which offers you an easy to work in space for any maintenance to bilge pump systems or to control your raw water system and through hull supply for the bait wells.

For a single handed operable center console that will fish a large group comfortably and show you big weather performance like this model does combined with fishability features consistent with her larger siblings, you'll be hard pressed to find anything missing from this 35ST from Contender.

Contender 35ST

Length: 34-5

Beam: 9-10

Draft: 22”

Deadrise: 24.5 degree

Weight: 13,500

Max HP: 1200

Fuel: 400

Base price: 211,084

www.contenderboats.com