Contender 30ST Review, Specs and What to Pay for One

The 30ST, Contender's front door to the stepped fleet

Anyone searching for a 30ST usually already knows the name Contender. The Homestead, Florida, builder was founded in 1984 by Joe Neber, a Miami freediver and spearfisherman, and it built its reputation on deep-V tournament boats that kingfish and sailfish teams trusted in ugly water. The Contender 30ST is where that story meets the company's stepped-hull era. Contender's own site calls it the introduction to its true center console stepped-hull lineup and the smallest boat in the series, sitting below the 32ST, 35ST, 39ST and 44ST.

ST stands for Stepped Tournament. When Salt Water Sportsman reviewed the boat as an all-new model, it described the 30 ST as a stepped design that supplemented the older 27 and 30 Tournament models, and the company claimed an 18 percent gain in efficiency over those conventional hulls. That is the pitch in one sentence: Contender fishability at a size most owners can still trailer, with fuel numbers that make a 60-mile run to the edge less painful.

Contender is a semi-custom builder, so no two 30STs match. The company's option list runs to consoles, tops, seating, livewell plumbing, powder coating, teak, outriggers and additional fuel capacity, which matters when you compare used boats. Two boats of the same year can be very different machines.

Two steps, 24.5 degrees and a 9-foot-6 beam

The hull is a deep-V with 24.5 degrees of transom deadrise according to Contender's current spec sheet (Salt Water Sportsman's early review quoted 24 degrees with no running pad at the transom). Reverse chines knock spray down, and the twin steps ventilate the bottom to cut wetted surface at speed. The 9-foot-6-inch beam is narrow by modern standards, which is part of why the boat slices through a short chop rather than pounding on top of it, and part of why it rolls a little more at rest than a beamier family console.

Contender lists the 30ST at 29 feet 8 inches overall with a 20-inch draft, a ready-to-fish weight of 9,250 pounds, 260 gallons of fuel and a maximum rating of 800 hp. Sport Fishing's 2018 buyers guide listed 265 gallons, a 5,450-pound dry weight before power and a 600 hp maximum, so the rating has climbed as outboards got bigger. If you are shopping a used boat, check the capacity plate rather than assuming the current 800 hp figure applies to an older hull.

Construction follows the Contender recipe: hand-laid fiberglass with multidirectional fabrics, a foam-cored stringer system, vinylester resins and foam flotation in the cavities to deaden drumming. Owners in Sport Fishing's Builder Benchmark survey scored the brand near the top for ride, construction and resale.

What the twin Yamaha F300 test boat actually did

Salt Water Sportsman ran the 30 ST out of Port Everglades with twin Yamaha F300 four-strokes into an 18 to 20 knot southeast wind and a close three- to five-foot swell. The tester settled at 3,500 rpm, where the boat made 38 mph and returned 2.1 miles per gallon, which works out to roughly 18 gallons per hour for both engines. From 3,500 to 5,000 rpm it jumped about 10 mph to nearly 58 mph, and on the run back through the inlet it touched 67 mph before slowing for the no-wake zone.

Those are real figures but not a full certified test, so treat them as one data point. They do line up with what you would expect from a 9,000-pound stepped hull on 600 hp: a comfortable mid-30s mph cruise in a sea and better than 60 mph flat out. With 260 gallons aboard and 2.1 mpg, a theoretical range of more than 500 statute miles at cruise is possible on paper, but a sensible 10 percent reserve and real sea conditions trim that considerably.

The reviewer singled out the quick response of the Uflex steering and the lack of banging when running the tops of windblown swells at a quartering angle. That matches the Contender reputation: dry, predictable and happy to be driven hard.

A deck laid out by people who fish kingfish tournaments

The 30ST has a single-level deck from bow to stern, wide gunwales, pull-up cleats and navigation lights, and a recessed bow handrail so lines never snag. Contender's current standard list includes a 130-gallon forward fish box, a 65-gallon secondary forward box that doubles as dry storage, two 70-gallon aft fish boxes and lockable under-deck rod lockers port and starboard. Twin 40-gallon transom livewells are plumbed with 1,100 gph pumps, and a full transom with an integral dive platform and transom door handles big fish.

Salt Water Sportsman's test boat added an insulated coffin box with electric rams over the forward box, a leaning post with a slide-out Frigid Rigid cooler and tackle storage, and a centerline lazarette giving access to fuel filters, bilge pumps and the livewell sump. Contender is known for gasketed hatches that close quietly and for sump-fed wells that resist air locks, small details that matter on a long tournament day.

Expect to see a range of console choices on used boats. The standard Sport console has a side entry door and cup holders, while the upgraded M-Series console, stand-on console with hardtop and teak console interior are options. An electric head with Y-valve is optional, and the console front seat lifts for walk-in access to the head compartment.

• Fish boxes: 130 gal forward, 65 gal secondary forward, 2 x 70 gal aft
• Livewells: 2 x 40 gal transom wells, 1,100 gph plumbing
• Rod storage: lockable under-deck lockers port and starboard
• Fuel 260 gal, water 21 gal (Contender's spec table), 800 hp max

Who the 30ST suits, and who should look at a 32ST instead

The 30ST makes most sense for a crew of two to four anglers who fish offshore regularly, want twin-engine redundancy, and still want to tow or rack the boat. Salt Water Sportsman noted you will not need a dual-rear-wheel truck to pull it, though a properly fitted trailer matters on any stepped hull.

It is not a family cruiser. There is no cabin, seating is optional, and the narrow beam and deep-V give up stability at rest compared with a 10-foot-beam family console. Buyers who want more bow seating, more fuel or room for a third engine should step up to the 32ST or 35ST. Buyers who want a deep-V without steps should look at Contender's 28T.

Families can still make it work. Contender offers forward seating, rear bench seating, shade tops and upgraded upholstery, and the boat's speed means shorter runs. Just do not expect it to behave like a Boston Whaler or Grady-White at anchor.

Running a 30ST for a season

Fuel is the variable that dominates. At the tested 2.1 mpg, a 60-mile round trip to the canyon edge or the Gulf Stream burns roughly 30 gallons plus trolling time. Owners who fish tournaments and run 150 to 250 hours a year should budget $14,000 to $30,000 annually for fuel, insurance, slip or rack storage, bottom paint if kept in the water, annual outboard service and electronics updates, excluding depreciation.

Twin-engine service is straightforward on outboards: annual service, water pumps every couple of seasons and gearcase oil checks. The stepped bottom needs nothing special, but it does demand a trailer whose bunks are set to support the hull properly, a point Boating has made about Contender's larger stepped models too.

Reading the used 30ST market

Because Contender has built the 30ST for more than a decade with few structural changes, the main price variables are engine generation, hours and options. A repowered early hull with low-hour modern four-strokes can be a better buy than a later boat with tired engines. Tower or stand-on-console boats, Helm Master joystick systems, powder-coated hardtops and Seakeeper-ready rigging push prices up.

Contender's fishing reputation keeps resale strong, which helps the owner who sells but frustrates the bargain hunter. Expect clean examples to move quickly in Florida and the Carolinas. Northern boats that lived on a trailer often show less gelcoat wear and are worth the trip.