Contender 31 Open Specifications
- Builder: Contender Boats (Homestead, FL)
- Model Years: 1995–2008 (HMY)
- Length Overall: 31'3"
- Beam: 9'4"
- Draft: 18"
- Dry Weight: About 5,200 lb
- Fuel Capacity: About 240 gal (up to 400 optional)
- Power: Twin outboards
- Deadrise: 24.5° at the transom
- Cover Shipping Weight: 43 lbs
Cover Features
- Fabric Options: 9oz solution-dyed marine fabric or 7oz polyester
- Coverage: T-top frame, console, leaning post, bow, engine platform and twin outboards
- Construction: Reinforced stitching, hem cord at the rubrail, adjustable tie-down straps
- Protection: UV-resistant, water-repellent, breathable
Additional information
Choose Your Cover Fabric
7 oz. Polyester — Our entry-level marine cover fabric, woven from 100% polyester fiber at a 7 oz. per linear yard weight. This lighter option keeps the cover manageable for solo handling while still delivering reliable protection against sun, rain, and debris. Backed by a 3-year fabric warranty. Ships in Black.
9 oz. Polyester — Step up to our heavy-duty polyester, engineered at 9 oz. per linear yard for boats that face tougher conditions or extended outdoor storage. The denser weave adds an extra layer of defense against abrasion and weather without adding unnecessary bulk. Protected by a 5-year fabric warranty. Ships in Navy or Black.
Sunbrella® — For boaters who want the best, our Sunbrella covers use 100% solution-dyed acrylic — the same fabric trusted by marine professionals worldwide. Naturally resistant to fading, mold, and water damage, Sunbrella holds its color and integrity season after season. Covered by a 6-year fabric warranty. Ships in Black, Smoke, or Marine Blue.
Both polyester options feature solution-dyed construction, where pigment is infused into each fiber during production rather than applied to the surface afterward. This process locks color deep into the material, preventing any dye transfer to your boat’s gel coat or finish. The result is a cover that stays vibrant without bleeding or rubbing off. Our polyester is also designed to breathe — it allows moisture trapped underneath to vent out naturally, reducing the risk of mildew and keeping your boat dry. The fabric holds its form without sagging or stretching over time, stays lightweight enough for one person to handle, and stands up to prolonged UV exposure and harsh marine weather.
*The warranty periods above are provided by the fabric manufacturer and cover the material itself. For details on what’s included in the warranty for your completed cover, please see our warranty page.
7 oz. Polyester — Our entry-level marine cover fabric, woven from 100% polyester fiber at a 7 oz. per linear yard weight. This lighter option keeps the cover manageable for solo handling while still delivering reliable protection against sun, rain, and debris. Backed by a 3-year fabric warranty. Ships in Black.
9 oz. Polyester — Step up to our heavy-duty polyester, engineered at 9 oz. per linear yard for boats that face tougher conditions or extended outdoor storage. The denser weave adds an extra layer of defense against abrasion and weather without adding unnecessary bulk. Protected by a 5-year fabric warranty. Ships in Navy or Black.
Sunbrella® — For boaters who want the best, our Sunbrella covers use 100% solution-dyed acrylic — the same fabric trusted by marine professionals worldwide. Naturally resistant to fading, mold, and water damage, Sunbrella holds its color and integrity season after season. Covered by a 6-year fabric warranty. Ships in Black, Smoke, or Marine Blue.
Both polyester options feature solution-dyed construction, where pigment is infused into each fiber during production rather than applied to the surface afterward. This process locks color deep into the material, preventing any dye transfer to your boat’s gel coat or finish. The result is a cover that stays vibrant without bleeding or rubbing off. Our polyester is also designed to breathe — it allows moisture trapped underneath to vent out naturally, reducing the risk of mildew and keeping your boat dry. The fabric holds its form without sagging or stretching over time, stays lightweight enough for one person to handle, and stands up to prolonged UV exposure and harsh marine weather.
*The warranty periods above are provided by the fabric manufacturer and cover the material itself. For details on what’s included in the warranty for your completed cover, please see our warranty page.
| Weight | 43 lbs |
|---|
Install
Please watch the video below for installation instructions!
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Frequently Asked Questions
No. Sunbrella isn't offered on the Contender 31 Open cover. Choose 9oz solution-dyed polyester (Navy or Black) for heavy-duty protection or 7oz polyester (Black) for budget-friendly coverage.
The Contender 31 Open center console built from 1995 to about 2008, with its T-top. It is not cut for the 31 FA or the wider 31 Tournament.
Yes. Our cover maker lists this pattern as a bracket boat, so the stern is cut long enough to run past the transom over the engine platform and wrap the outboards in one piece. If your boat has an aftermarket bracket, send us photos before ordering.
Our T-Top style is made for any boat with a hard top — a T-top or a hardtop. The cover runs up under the top and around its supports, so the roof stays exposed. Contenders are semi-custom and tops, towers and outriggers vary, so if your boat has a tower or second station, send us photos before ordering.
Choose 9oz solution-dyed polyester (Navy or Black) for heavy-duty everyday protection, or 7oz polyester (Black) for budget-friendly coverage. Solution-dyed fabric has the color built into the fiber, so it resists fading and won't bleed onto gelcoat or cushions.
No. The cover is designed for storage only — on a trailer, lift, dry stack, or at the dock. Towing with it installed can damage the cover and voids the warranty, so take it off before you hit the road.
Materials and workmanship are covered for 1 year, and the fabric carries its own warranty (3 years on 7oz and 5 years on 9oz). Every cover is made to order, so please allow 1–3 weeks; shipping is a $30 flat rate within the continental US.
Pricing: 7oz $2,750.00 · 9oz $2,980.00 — your final total appears below as you build your cover.
⏱️ Current lead time: 1–3 weeks — every cover is custom-made for your boat.
Questions about fit? Call (561) 677-2628
Questions about fit? Call (561) 677-2628
Contender 31 Open T-Top Boat Cover — Custom-Fit for the Twin-Outboard Contender 31 Open
Contender Boats was founded in 1984 by Joe Neber and is based in Homestead, Florida, where this boat was built. The 31 Open is the 1990s and 2000s version of Contender’s 31 — HMY dates it 1995 to 2008 — a single-level center console on a slender deep-V hull with wide reverse chines and two lifting strakes per side. Listings give it 31’3″ overall, a 9’4″ beam, an 18-inch draft, about 5,200 lb dry and 24.5 degrees of transom deadrise, with about 240 gallons of fuel (up to 400 optional, per HMY) and twin outboards; twin 250 Yamahas were typical. The features a cover has to clear include the T-top, a walk-in console with a marine head, a leaning post with rod holders and tackle center, two 40-gallon livewells, four in-deck fish boxes, recessed bow rails, a transom door, and the integrated platform aft that carries the outboards. This T-Top cover is patterned for the 31 Open with its T-top, and like all of our Contender boat covers, it’s cut to this hull rather than a generic 31-foot size chart.
How It Fits the 31 Open
The cover runs up to the underside of the T-top and wraps its legs, leaving the top exposed. It falls over the console and leaning post, spreads forward over the open bow to the rubrail along the 9’4″ beam, and continues aft over the livewells. Our cover maker cuts this pattern as a bracket boat, so the stern runs past the transom over the engine platform and wraps the outboards in the same piece. On a boat this size, installing is easiest with two people: drape it bow to stern, run the hem cord along the rubrail, and cinch the adjustable strap-and-buckle tie-downs. It’s made for storage on a trailer, lift, dry stack, or at the dock — take it off before towing, since trailering with the cover on can damage it and voids the warranty.
Not the Same as the 31 Tournament
The 31 Tournament that followed the Open for 2008 has a wider 9’8″ beam and a bigger console set farther forward, so it takes its own pattern. The 31 FA, the cabin version of this boat, also has its own cover.
Fabric, Warranty & Shipping
Choose 9oz solution-dyed marine fabric for heavy-duty everyday protection (5–7 year service life) or a lighter 7oz fabric for budget-friendly coverage. Both options are water-repellent, breathable, mildew-resistant, and double-stitched at the seams. Each cover is backed by our warranty (1 year on materials and workmanship, plus 3 years on 7oz and 5 years on 9oz fabric) and ships for a $30 flat rate within the US — every cover is made to order, so please allow 1–3 weeks. For the model that followed, see the Contender 31 Tournament T-Top cover; for the cabin version, the Contender 31 FA T-Top cover.