When two boats share the same hull type — in this case both the Contender 28 Sport 2012 and the Contender 30 ST 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 28 Sport 2012 at 28,0 ft versus Contender 30 ST 2013 at 29,7 ft. Weight tells a clearer story for trailering families: the Contender 30 ST 2013 tips the scales at 925 lbs — 878 lbs less 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.
Both boats share a closely matched power ceiling — 600 hp for the Contender 28 Sport 2012 and 600 hp for the Contender 30 ST 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 30 ST 2013 carries 265 gallons versus 185 gallons in the Contender 28 Sport 2012. 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 30 ST 2013 is rated for 9 passengers, while the Contender 28 Sport 2012 caps at 8. If you're regularly pulling extended family or a group of friends onto the water, the extra seats on the Contender 30 ST 2013 could be the deciding factor.
Bottom line: Choose the Contender 30 ST 2013 if your priority is putting more people on the water — it handles 9 passengers and at 29,7 ft it has the deck room to back that rating up comfortably. The Contender 28 Sport 2012 is the smarter pick if you want a lighter, easier-to-trailer boat rated for 8 that costs less to run day-to-day.