When two boats share the same hull type — in this case both the Contender 35 Tournament 2011 and the Contender 36 Fish Around 2012 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 Tournament 2011 at 34,8 ft versus Contender 36 Fish Around 2012 at 36,3 ft. At 135 lbs and 145 lbs respectively, both sit in a similar weight class — either should pair comfortably with most mid-size SUVs and half-ton trucks, though always confirm your specific tow rating with the motor added.

Both boats share a closely matched power ceiling — 1 050 hp for the Contender 35 Tournament 2011 and 1 050 hp for the Contender 36 Fish Around 2012. 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 Fish Around 2012 carries 42 gallons versus 4 gallons in the Contender 35 Tournament 2011. 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 Fish Around 2012 is rated for 11 passengers, while the Contender 35 Tournament 2011 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 Fish Around 2012 could be the deciding factor.