Contest 35S Sailboats for Sale

Layouts on the Used Market

Every 35S shares the same essential plan: a molded cockpit coaming running aft for back support, an all-wood interior with marine-grade plywood fiberglassed to the hull, and a double stateroom tucked under the cockpit with separate doors per side. The saloon carries a long port settee and an L-shaped starboard settee, both usable as sea berths, while the forward cabin gives length but little headroom at just under six feet. The head sits aft to port under the bridge deck with direct access from the aftercabin. The galley is compact with minimal prep space, and the icebox is small by American standards—factors to weigh if you cook offshore. A nav station sized for a once-folded chart anchors the passage, and some boats show the period Dutch-tile galley trim.

Equipment and Common Upgrades

On the used market, solar and wind generators are commonly fitted, reflecting the 35S's cruising role and the need for independent power away from a dock. Teak decks, autopilot, and chartplotter are also common, with autopilot a real asset given the well-balanced but manually steered rig. Heating and AIS are often seen, the former suggesting northern-European use and the latter a sensible addition for coastal or offshore traffic awareness. Buyers should confirm the original 28-hp Volvo diesel's insulation and flexible coupling are intact, as vibration control was a deliberate design choice rather than an afterthought.

What to Inspect

The 35S hull and deck were built of chopped strand mat, cloth, and woven roving cored with end-grain balsa, with the joint glassed and through-bolted under a teak rubrail anchor; check that rubrail and stainless strip for impact damage that could expose the seam. The rudder hangs on a full skeg, so verify the skeg-to-hull attachment closely, since a poorly attached skeg defeats the feature's purpose anchor. The wet locker aft of the head is difficult to access, so test the door swing and surrounding joiner for swelling or blockage. Inside many stowage compartments the hull was only spray-painted, so lift locker lids to judge how much cosmetic refresh you are taking on.

Availability and Buyer's Takeaway

The typical markets for the Contest 35S are Greece and Germany, where her Lloyd's-certified construction and warm interior have aged into the local brokerage stock. For a buyer, the short checklist is: confirm the skeg attachment and hull-deck rubrail, inspect the teak rubrail for damage, verify the Volvo's coupling and insulation, and accept the small galley and low forecabin as fixed trade-offs. She rewards the careful shopper with a stiff, well-mannered cruiser that few will out-number at anchor.