Contest 35S Buyer's Guide
Shopping a used Contest 35S means looking at a Dick Zaal-designed Conyplex cruiser built from 1988 to replace the earlier Contest 35, with 42 hulls produced through 1998. The boat's documented structure and known weak spots matter more than cosmetics when you are comparing boats, and the points below draw on the survey record rather than market chatter.
Layouts on the Used Market
The 35S is a 34ft 7in monohull of 13,040lb displacement with a saloon settee to port of 6 foot 6 inches and an L-shaped starboard settee that serve as sea berths, headroom running 6 foot 3 inches aft to 6 foot 1-1/2 inches forward. Forward is a large but low V-berth cabin at 6 foot 7 inches long but only 5 foot 11 inches headroom, while a double berth stateroom sits under the cockpit with separate access doors. The head is aft and to port under the bridge deck, and the aftercabin has direct access to it. The navigation station handles charts folded once, and the galley opposite is small with limited counter space.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
On the used market these boats commonly carry solar, a wind generator, teak decks, autopilot, and chartplotter, and they often have heating and AIS fitted. The tested example left the factory with a 28-hp Volvo diesel, well-insulated with a flexible drive coupling, and a three-bladed prop that aided backing out of slips; a fully battened main with Dutchman system and Profurl headsail furling appeared on the reviewed boat. Wing-keel versions save 1 foot 4 inches of draft over the standard fin, a tank-tested Dutch option worth confirming on any boat.
What to Inspect
Survey the hull-to-deck joint, which is glassed over with at least seven layers of cloth and through-bolted and covered by a teak rubrail and stainless strip, since a raised deck helps shield it but impact damage still hides there. Check the skeg attachment for the hung rudder, and note the propeller shaft exits through a solid log rather than a strut, adding wetted surface but strength. Inside, confirm the all-wood interior and marine plywood fiberglassed to the hull, but expect the hull inside many stowage compartments to be merely spray painted, and verify the wet locker aft of the head is difficult to access. The galley is small with little counter space and the icebox is small by U.S. standards per the builder, so assess provisioning fit. Each boat should carry a Lloyd's certificate from build.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
Typical markets for the Contest 35S are Greece and Germany. For a buyer, the checklist is short and documentary: confirm the Lloyd's certificate, inspect the through-bolted hull-deck joint and skeg attachment, verify keel type and draft, and accept the compact galley and low forward cabin as design constants rather than defects.
- Lloyd's certificate present for the hull
- Hull-to-deck joint and skeg attachment sound
- Keel type (fin or wing) and draft confirmed
- Galley size and forward headroom understood as built
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Contest 35S. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 3 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 25 | 1 | $ 66,369 | — |
| Sep 25 | 1 | $ 56,643 | -14.7% |
| Apr 26 | 4 | $ 76,668 | +35.4% |
Where they're listed
Contest 35S listings appear across 2 countries. Greece has the most listings with 4 (66.7%), followed by Germany.
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
6 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeremy Rogers 32 | 32' | $ 33,000 | 65 | 20 |
| Dufour 35 | 35.25' | $ 30,000 | 27 | 6 |
| Contest 38s | 37.25' | $ 65,612 | 22 | 3 |
| Conyplex 33 | 32.25' | $ 24,241 | 14 | 3 |
| Nicholson Nicholson 35 | 35.25' | $ 41,371 | 10 | 3 |
| Conyplex 35SYou are here | — | $ 61,506 | 6 | 0 |