Boat Review - Contender 39 ST

Unlike the Contender 39 FA owner who finds it just as important to put their feet up and enjoy some creature comforts as it is to go hard on the tournament trail, there are those who will stop at nothing to see their way to the podium and demand a dead serious blue water weapon to take to the fight offshore. For that angler, the Contender 39 ST plays a very specific role in the road to victory. Built with one thing in mind, to provide every available advantage for the competitive angler, the 39 ST features many of the tools necessary to hang with the big dogs.

It all starts with the ride. Contender figured out a long time ago that the buck stops there. Starting with the original 25 and continuing through their offshore line right up to the flagship 39, the soft ride of a 24.5-degree deadrise bottom is a proven success and combining this geometry with the twin step bottom has produced a remarkable platform to deliver your crew to the grounds in comfort. Once you get there, the nearly 400 square feet of workspace provides the kind of room necessary to stretch out and get to work. The 360-degree fishability on a platform this size and the ability to cover the largest possible footprint, extends your reach beyond what's possible in a traditional flybridge sport fishing boat of any size. This is a hull that performs smartly whether rigged with the maximum 1600-horsepower and scalding along at 80 MPH, or efficiently cruising at speeds up to 60 with triple 300-HP engines.

Below the decks you'll find plenty of insulated storage space for carrying fish and ice. Forward of the console there's a 145-quart box along with a larger 260-quart box lined up fore and aft as well as a large drink box within the double width forward console seat. Above the deck holds, a split opening coffin box with an electric actuator lift piston offers more insulated storage and a seating area. Two more insulated fish holds; each 105-quarts are also below deck in the cockpit aft. A pair of port and starboard oversized storage compartment/rod lockers flank the fish holds forward offering loads of gear storage.

Any serious tournament weapon, especially in south Florida is going to require lots of baitwell capacity and the 39 ST certainly takes this into consideration. The matching 40-gallon pressurized wells across the transom combined with a Jacuzzi sized 100-gallon tank below the cockpit deck are enough to get the job done under any circumstance. All of these wells are supplied via top of the line Hooker pumps. One trip around the deck on this boat is all it took to tell us we were on a serious fishing weapon. It comes as no surprise that 39 ST owners have enjoyed many trips to the podium and cashed plenty of checks in some of the most prestigious billfish tournaments in south Florida and beyond. This is a boat built loaded with custom options to satisfy someone who knows exactly what they want and who won't take no for an answer.

Contender 39 ST Specifications:

Length: 39 feet

Beam: 10 feet, 10 inches

Draft: 24-inches

Deadrise: 24.5-degrees

Weight: 15,400 pounds

Fuel: 500 gallons

Maximum Horsepower: 1600

Base price with triple-300 Yamahas: $386,000.00