Moose-Not a fan, huh? Dave Pascoe reviewed the Blackfin version of the Cary 33 below. He loved the boat. He uses the phrase “knife through butter” and goes on to say “It's got that certain same "something" as old Bertrams and SeaCrafts do, and which is why we find so many of them being restored.”

Here is the Pascoe report:
https://www.yachtsurvey.com/boatreviews/blackfin_33.htm

Contender bought the mold from Blackfin who got it from Cary. It was popular for quite a while.... 1990-2014 as a Contender. Have you been on the custom pilot house 35 Contender, the one that was your diving buds? What was your take on the down side to the ride? Did the pilot house modification accentuate the 24.5 degrees deadrise roll at anchor? I have heard that the hull CG changes a bit when the 300 plus gallon tanks are low since the hull was originally built for inboards. I have never heard that the ride was bad.

Bigshrimpin posted a great article on the hull truth about Cary and Aronow a while back.

Hey Snookerd, I know a guy who has a Contender 35 side console, and have been out on it a couple of times. My observations, compared to a SC 23. 1. It's a big boat - wide and long, and trailering would be much more of an ordeal. He wet slips his. 2. It handled 2-3' choppy stuff with ease, cruising around 30. 3. Interesting layout, the guy and his GF use it a lot, weekending, 3-4 day cruises in the Exumas, snorkeling and just getting away from civilization. Has a gen and AC. 5. He stepped down from a larger sporty, and absolutely loves it. 5. It felt & seemed pretty solid. Good luck!

Bmaj-Nice! Thanks for the information.....Unplugging from the world is the thought and the Exumas are high on the list. The 35 seemed to be the better offshore boat with gen, a/c, ect. vs. the WA/Cuddy Intrepids. Not a good boat drifting in a sea though.

I spent quite a bit of time on Dan’s and we both shared the same opinion that the hull for its size delivered quite a beating in head and quartering seas. While Dan did lighten it up considerably during the build, the commercial load more than compensated for the loss. I think the boats overall width all the way to the bow created too much lift into seas. This was exaggerated due to wide outer lifting stakes that went all the way to the bow. While the boat has good deadrise inside of the strokes the overall deadrise thru the length of the hull was not enough to allow the bow to “cut” thru the wave. Compare the hull to a 25 SeaCraft with forward deadrise like a knife. This is what the 35 contender lacks. IMHO the 32 Contender rides considerably better than the 35.

Below is a comparison of the contender and his current Tempest hull.

30+ too big for my needs.

Economics are a variable too. If $ were not an issue... I'd own an Everglades. Or, a Downeaster with a diesel.
I have restored a few boats and I really would love to put that type of work behind me. The reason I did my SC is that I wanted a boat I couldn't afford - so, I made one -- with the baseline of a solid SC hull - with the finished product, a fraction of the price ( and A LOT! of sweat equity )

25 Bertram was always an idea - love the hull, but I've heard it does not ride as well as the SC, it can pound, rolls and rocks while at drift.

25' Contender - porpoises a lot - heard the 21' is THE Contender.

And, it's a tough market for buyers ! Not a lot of stock out there. Everyone want to sell their boat for the highest premium.

I'm keeping my ears open... Needless to say, the 23 SC is a tough act to follow ( like having The Stones open up for you at a concert ! )...