Contender has been building sportfishing boats out of Florida for more than 40 years, and the 39ST is one of the clearest examples of what the brand is known for. It is a center console built for anglers who fish hard, run fast, and expect a boat that holds up in a tournament as well as it does on a week-long run to the Bahamas. For 2026, Contender redesigned the console, hardtop, and leaning post, giving the 39ST a sharper look while keeping the fishability that built the brand's reputation.

Contender builds every boat semi-custom, so no two 39STs leave the yard looking exactly alike. Buyers work with the factory on power, electronics, upholstery, and rigging to match the boat to how they actually fish. That approach has made Contender one of the most decorated names on the tournament circuit, with the company stating that more tournaments have been won aboard its boats than any other brand.

2026 Contender 39ST Specs

• Length overall: 39'0"

• Beam: 10'10"

• Draft: approximately 24" (1.97 ft)

• Deadrise: 24.5 degrees

• Dry weight with power: 15,400 lbs

• Fuel capacity: 500 gallons

• Fresh water capacity: 40 gallons

• Max horsepower: 1,600 HP

• Test power: Triple Yamaha XTO 425 outboards

• Available power: Triple Yamaha F350s or Mercury Verado 400s, up to 1,600 hp combined

• Test speed: 45.5 mph at 4,000 RPM

• Max range: 432 miles with a 10 percent fuel reserve

• Certification: NMMA
  
  

What's On Board

The 39ST is set up to fish hard and hold gear for a long day offshore. Highlights include:

• Redesigned sport console with a wraparound clear Isinglass windshield and a portside entry door leading to a head and interior storage

• Triple SV-style Llebroc helm seats at the helm station

• Dual Garmin displays with navigation, radar, and sonar

• Optional hardtop on stainless steel supports with six rod holders and two kingfish rod holders

• Optional tower with a second station or stand-on platform

• Bow coffin box with cushion top and electric lift

• Leaning post with four rod holders, two cup and rod holders, and a padded bolster

• Gunwale-mounted rod holders around the boat plus under-gunwale rod racks

• Transom livewells, twin 40-gallon models with clear lids and a stainless pump box

• 260-gallon forward fish box and a 145-gallon secondary fish box or dry storage compartment

• 105-gallon in-deck fish boxes on both port and starboard

• Joystick piloting for docking

• Seakeeper 3 gyroscopic stabilization

• Livorsi 950 trim tabs
  
  

How It Feels on the Water

Step onto the 39ST and the layout tells you right away this is a fishing boat first. The cockpit gives a crew room to move around the fish box, work the livewells, and fight a fish without tripping over gear. The gunwale rod holders ring the boat, so rigging for a spread or setting up for a bottom drop doesn't mean digging through a locker mid-bite.

At the helm, the new console puts the driver in a position to actually run the boat, not just sit behind it. The wraparound Isinglass windshield cuts wind and spray at speed, and the triple Llebroc seats keep the crew planted when you're pounding through chop on the way to the grounds. With triple outboards pushing up to 1,600 hp, the 39ST gets on plane and holds a cruise that eats up miles fast. Sport Fishing's test with triple Yamaha XTO 425s clocked 45.5 mph at 4,000 RPM, and with a 500-gallon fuel tank, that translates to a range over 400 miles, enough to run offshore, fish all day, and get home without sweating the fuel gauge.

The Seakeeper 3 gyro stabilization is one of the details that changes how the boat actually fishes. It cuts down on roll at anchor or while drifting, which matters when you're trying to keep bait pinned or work a chunk line without everyone on board getting tossed around. Combined with the 24.5-degree deadrise hull, the 39ST is built to handle a chop offshore while still giving anglers a stable platform once you shut down and start fishing.

This is a boat that rewards a crew that fishes often. The livewells, fish box capacity, and rod storage are built for tournament pace, but the cushioned bow seating and optional second station mean it works just as well for a family run to the islands.