Contender Boats for Sale
Contender builds semi-custom offshore fishing boats in South Florida. They are tournament boats first, and used ones usually come with big fuel tanks, big fishboxes and a lot of horsepower on the transom.
Joe Neber and the first Contender 25
Joe Neber grew up free diving and spearfishing off Miami. He went to work for a boatbuilder, and when that company changed hands and went downhill, he started Contender Boats in 1984. The first boat was the Contender 25 Classic. Neber still owns and runs the company.
Contender has two plants in Florida. Homestead is the headquarters and builds the larger boats. Fort Pierce builds boats of 32 feet and under. The company offers 14 base models from 24 to 44 feet, on stepped or deep-V hulls, and every boat is built to the buyer's order. That means two used Contenders of the same model can be rigged very differently, so read each listing's equipment list closely.
ST, FA and CB
ST models (35ST, 39ST, 44ST) use Contender's stepped hull and are pure fishing platforms with the most fishbox space. FA (fish-around) and CB models trade some of that for more comfort in the console and seating. Contender's own spec table:
- 35ST: 34'8" LOA, 9'10" beam, 1,200 hp max, 400 gal fuel, 208 gal forward fishbox.
- 39ST: 39' LOA, 10'10" beam, 1,600 hp max, 500 gal fuel, 260 gal forward fishbox.
- 39FA: 39' LOA, 10'10" beam, 1,600 hp max, 460 gal fuel, 175 gal forward fishbox.
- 44ST and 44CB: 43'10" LOA, 12' beam, 1,800 hp max, 600 gal fuel, 340 gal forward fishbox.
- 44FA: 43'10" LOA, 12' beam, 1,800 hp max, 575 gal fuel.
The 39ST up close
The 39ST has a 24.5-degree deadrise, a 24-inch draft and weighs 15,400 lb ready to fish. Below the deck are the 260-gallon forward fishbox, a 145-gallon second box, two 105-gallon aft boxes and two 40-gallon transom livewells. Sport Fishing tested one with triple Yamaha XTO 425s and got 45.5 mph at 4,000 rpm and a range of 432 miles with a 10 percent reserve. Options include joystick piloting, a Seakeeper 3 gyro and a second-station tower.
What to check on a used Contender
Engine hours on every motor. Twin, triple and quad rigs are common. Ask for compression readings, lower unit checks and dealer service records for each engine, and check whether any Yamaha or Mercury warranty is left.
How it was used. Tournament boats run hard and far. Look at the hull bottom and steps for repairs, and check the hardtop and tower mounts for cracks from pounding.
Fishboxes and livewells. Run every pump, macerator and livewell. Check fishbox lids, gaskets and drains.
Electronics and wiring. Saltwater boats with big electronics packages need the wiring looked at behind the helm. Corroded connections are common and expensive to trace.
Survey. On a boat this size, get a full survey and a separate engine survey.
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Frequently asked questions
Where are Contender boats built?
Homestead, Florida, for the larger boats, and Fort Pierce, Florida, for boats of 32 feet and under.
Who founded Contender?
Joe Neber, in 1984. He still owns the company.
What does ST mean on a Contender?
ST models use Contender's stepped hull and are set up as pure fishing boats.