When two boats share the same hull type — in this case both the Contender 28 Tournament 2013 and the Contender 31 Cuddy 2009 are deep vee designs with fiberglass construction — the buying decision usually comes down to a handful of practical questions: how many people are you putting on the water, how far do you trailer, and what does your tow vehicle weigh?

Size is the most obvious dividing line here. The Contender 31 Cuddy 2009 measures 32,5 feet overall (2009), giving it roughly 4,5 additional feet of deck space compared to the Contender 28 Tournament 2013 at 28,0 feet (2013). Weight tells a clearer story for trailering families: the Contender 31 Cuddy 2009 tips the scales at 1 065 lbs — 1 018 lbs less than the Contender 28 Tournament 2013 at 47 lbs. That difference is meaningful if you're working within a half-ton or three-quarter-ton truck's tow rating, especially once you factor in a motor, gear, and fuel.

Both boats share a closely matched power ceiling — 600 hp for the Contender 28 Tournament 2013 and 600 hp for the Contender 31 Cuddy 2009. Real-world performance will come down more to which motor is actually bolted on, its load at the time, and whether it's a 4-stroke or 2-stroke setup. Fuel capacity breaks the other way: the Contender 28 Tournament 2013 carries 185 gallons versus 24 gallons in the Contender 31 Cuddy 2009. On a lake day that's negligible, but for coastal cruising or long reservoir runs the extra range matters.

For family outings this is probably the sharpest distinction between the two. The Contender 31 Cuddy 2009 is rated for 9 passengers, while the Contender 28 Tournament 2013 caps at 8. If you're regularly pulling extended family or a group of friends onto the water, the extra seats on the Contender 31 Cuddy 2009 could be the deciding factor.