Contender 23 Open, a Used Buyer's Field Guide

Finding the right Contender 23 Open

The Contender 23 Open was the small offshore boat in Contender's fleet before the Sport series arrived, and it remains a sought-after used buy for anglers who want the brand's ride in a package that tows behind an ordinary pickup. It is no longer in production, so every Contender 23 Open on the market today is a used boat, and the quality of each one depends far more on how it was maintained and repowered than on its model year.

Contender's 2011 fleet page placed the 23 Open between the 21 Open and the 25 Tournament and described it in one word: versatility. Whether you are fishing a wreck, diving for lobster or giving a sailfish all it can handle, the copy said, the 23 could take you there, rigged with single or twin Yamaha outboards. That is still an accurate description of what these boats do best.

23 Open, 23T and 23 Bay are three different boats

Search results for a 23 Contender lump together boats that have almost nothing in common. Here is how to tell them apart before you drive across the state to see one.

The 23 Open is the subject of this page: 23 feet 3 inches long on the spec sheet with an 8-foot 3-inch beam and a bracket-mounted outboard. The 23 Tournament, or 23T, is a different hull. Contender's 2010 spec sheet for the 23 Tournament lists 25 feet 3 inches overall and an 8-foot 6-inch beam, and that boat was soon renamed the 25 Tournament, the ancestor of today's 25T. The 23 Bay is a modern hybrid bay boat that Salt Water Sportsman tested in 2024, with a double-step bottom, a 12-inch draft and 15.5 degrees of deadrise.

If a listing says 23T and the boat measures more than 25 feet with an integrated transom, you are looking at the 25T lineage. If it has a jack plate, poling platform options and a shallow bottom, it is a 23 Bay. Only the bracket boat with an 8-foot 3-inch beam is a 23 Open.

• 23 Open: 23 ft 3 in, 8 ft 3 in beam, 150 gal, 400 hp, 24.5-degree deep-V
• 23 Tournament (2010 sheet): 25 ft 3 in, 8 ft 6 in beam, 175 gal, later sold as the 25 Tournament
• 23 Bay (2024): double-step hybrid bay boat, 12-inch draft, 15.5-degree deadrise

What the factory spec sheet says

Contender's archived spec sheet for the 23 Open, issued from its Homestead, Florida factory, lists 23 feet 3 inches overall, an 8-foot 3-inch beam, about 2,800 pounds dry, 4,750 pounds ready to fish, an 18-inch draft, a deep-V at 24.5 degrees, 150 gallons of fuel and a 400 hp maximum. The 2011 fleet page gives the dry weight as about 2,400 pounds, so treat the dry figure as approximate. The profile drawing on the same sheet shows a 25-foot 6-inch overall dimension, which includes the bracket and platform aft of the transom.

That overall dimension is worth knowing for two reasons. It sets the length you will need on a lift or in dry stack, and it explains why Contender later marketed the 22 Sport as its first boat under 25 feet. Counting the bracket, the 23 Open was already longer than its name.

The 24.5-degree hull in miniature

Contender's pitch for the 23 was the same as for its bigger boats: the 24.5-degree offshore hull cuts through chop with a soft, dry ride yet stays stable at rest. Contender's legacy literature describes every boat of that era as built on a proven deep-V with a reverse-radius chine, hand-laminated solid fiberglass with biaxial and triaxial cloth, PVC-cored structural components, vinylester resins and foam injected into most cavities for flotation and sound deadening.

A 23-foot hull with an 8-foot 3-inch beam and that much deadrise is narrow and deep by modern standards. It will run into a short inlet chop better than most beamy family consoles of the same length, but it will roll more on anchor and carry less deck space. Buyers moving from a flat bay boat should expect a lively ride at rest and very little spray underway.

Deck features and power choices

Standard amenities listed by Contender included a recessed bow rail, forward recessed gunwale rod holders, a livewell and a walk-through transom to reach the bracket. Like every Contender of the period, the 23 was a semi-custom build, so T-tops, leaning posts, coffin boxes, electronics boxes and seating varied from boat to boat.

Power was always Yamaha. The 400 hp rating permitted twin 150s to 200s or a single large V6, and the boat was marketed as easily trailered. No factory or magazine fuel curve for the 23 Open survived in the sources we could verify, so we do not quote speed or fuel figures here. Ask any seller for a recent sea trial with GPS speed and an engine data readout.

Repower math on an older 23

Many 23 Opens on the market today still carry original or early replacement engines. A modern single four-stroke of 250 to 300 hp transforms the boat: lighter than a pair of old two-strokes, quieter, more fuel efficient and easier to service. Twin 150 four-strokes add redundancy at the cost of more weight on the bracket and twice the maintenance.

When you price a repower, budget for new rigging, gauges or a digital display, and a careful inspection of the bracket and transom bolts. On a boat that is already 15 years old or more, a repower can easily exceed the value of the hull, so it makes sense only if the structure is sound.

Ownership costs and value

Running costs are modest. Our estimate is $5,000 to $12,000 a year excluding depreciation for insurance, storage, one or two outboards' annual service, fuel and trailer upkeep. The boat's 8-foot 3-inch beam keeps it inside trailer limits, and 4,750 pounds ready to fish is within reach of a full-size half-ton truck with a proper trailer.

Values generally fall between $20,000 and $50,000. The top of that band belongs to boats with recent engines, solid decks and a good aluminum trailer; the bottom is project territory. A 23 Open is rarely a bargain if it needs both engines and a deck, but a well-repowered example is one of the cheapest ways to own a genuine Contender ride.