When two boats share the same hull type — in this case both the Contender 25 Tournament 2011 and the Contender 28 Sport 2012 are deep vee designs with fiberglass construction — the buying decision usually comes down to a handful of practical questions: how many people are you putting on the water, how far do you trailer, and what does your tow vehicle weigh?
On paper these two are close siblings in the size department — Contender 25 Tournament 2011 at 25,3 ft versus Contender 28 Sport 2012 at 28,0 ft. Weight tells a clearer story for trailering families: the Contender 25 Tournament 2011 tips the scales at 625 lbs — 578 lbs more than the Contender 28 Sport 2012 at 47 lbs. That difference is meaningful if you're working within a half-ton or three-quarter-ton truck's tow rating, especially once you factor in a motor, gear, and fuel.
The power gap is worth calling out. Rated to 600 hp, the Contender 28 Sport 2012 has a 200-hp advantage over the Contender 25 Tournament 2011's 400-hp ceiling — enough to notice on acceleration and at cruising speed, particularly with a full passenger load.
For family outings this is probably the sharpest distinction between the two. The Contender 28 Sport 2012 is rated for 8 passengers, while the Contender 25 Tournament 2011 caps at 7. If you're regularly pulling extended family or a group of friends onto the water, the extra seats on the Contender 28 Sport 2012 could be the deciding factor.
Bottom line: Choose the Contender 28 Sport 2012 if your priority is putting more people on the water — it handles 8 passengers and at 28,0 ft it has the deck room to back that rating up comfortably. The Contender 25 Tournament 2011 is the smarter pick if you want a lighter, easier-to-trailer boat rated for 7 that costs less to run day-to-day.