When two boats share the same hull type — in this case both the Contender 31 Tournament 2009 and the Contender 35 Side 2011 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?
On paper these two are close siblings in the size department — Contender 31 Tournament 2009 at 32,6 ft versus Contender 35 Side 2011 at 35,2 ft. Weight tells a clearer story for trailering families: the Contender 31 Tournament 2009 tips the scales at 1 156 lbs — 1 081 lbs more than the Contender 35 Side 2011 at 75 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.
The power gap is worth calling out. Rated to 750 hp, the Contender 35 Side 2011 has a 50-hp advantage over the Contender 31 Tournament 2009's 700-hp ceiling — enough to notice on acceleration and at cruising speed, particularly with a full passenger load. Both carry nearly identical fuel loads — 31 gal and 34 gal — so range won't be a tiebreaker here.
For family outings this is probably the sharpest distinction between the two. The Contender 35 Side 2011 is rated for 10 passengers, while the Contender 31 Tournament 2009 caps at 9. If you're regularly pulling extended family or a group of friends onto the water, the extra seats on the Contender 35 Side 2011 could be the deciding factor.
Bottom line: Choose the Contender 35 Side 2011 if your priority is putting more people on the water — it handles 10 passengers and at 35,2 ft it has the deck room to back that rating up comfortably. The Contender 31 Tournament 2009 is the smarter pick if you want a lighter, easier-to-trailer boat rated for 9 that costs less to run day-to-day.