When two boats share the same hull type — in this case both the Contender 35 ST 2012 and the Contender 36 Cuddy 2008 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 35 ST 2012 at 34,8 ft versus Contender 36 Cuddy 2008 at 36,0 ft. Weight tells a clearer story for trailering families: the Contender 36 Cuddy 2008 tips the scales at 1 375 lbs — 1 240 lbs less than the Contender 35 ST 2012 at 135 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 — 1 050 hp for the Contender 35 ST 2012 and 1 050 hp for the Contender 36 Cuddy 2008. 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 36 Cuddy 2008 carries 41 gallons versus 4 gallons in the Contender 35 ST 2012. 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 36 Cuddy 2008 is rated for 11 passengers, while the Contender 35 ST 2012 caps at 10. If you're regularly pulling extended family or a group of friends onto the water, the extra seats on the Contender 36 Cuddy 2008 could be the deciding factor.
Bottom line: Choose the Contender 36 Cuddy 2008 if your priority is putting more people on the water — it handles 11 passengers and at 36,0 ft it has the deck room to back that rating up comfortably. The Contender 35 ST 2012 is the smarter pick if you want a lighter, easier-to-trailer boat rated for 10 that costs less to run day-to-day.