When two boats share the same hull type — in this case both the Contender 27 Tournament 2008 and the Contender 28 Sport 2013 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 27 Tournament 2008 at 29,0 ft versus Contender 28 Sport 2013 at 28,0 ft. Weight tells a clearer story for trailering families: the Contender 27 Tournament 2008 tips the scales at 545 lbs — 498 lbs more than the Contender 28 Sport 2013 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.

Both boats share a closely matched power ceiling — 600 hp for the Contender 27 Tournament 2008 and 600 hp for the Contender 28 Sport 2013. Real-world performance will come down more to which motor is actually bolted on, its load at the time, and whether it's a 4-stroke or 2-stroke setup. Fuel capacity breaks the other way: the Contender 27 Tournament 2008 carries 265 gallons versus 185 gallons in the Contender 28 Sport 2013. On a lake day that's negligible, but for coastal cruising or long reservoir runs the extra range matters.

For family outings this is probably the sharpest distinction between the two. The Contender 27 Tournament 2008 is rated for 9 passengers, while the Contender 28 Sport 2013 caps at 8. If you're regularly pulling extended family or a group of friends onto the water, the extra seats on the Contender 27 Tournament 2008 could be the deciding factor.