jetskidrewski

Thinking about purchasing a 1998 BAJA 252. Looks good so far from the pictures. 454 MAG with 50 hours. Eagle trailer, drop down bolsters (not sure if these were an option or standard on this boat?).

Whats everyone think? Im look for a quick runabout, something for my wife and I and a couple friends. Eventually take the kids out. Plan to do some water sports, wakeboard, tube.

Anything specific to look out for on this model? (XT I know you'd know)

What's a fair price?

Thanks for the help!

Hook'em

Transom and stringer ROT. How many hours on the hull (and everything else)?

XT-Innovator

iTrader: (1)

Transom, and Stringer Rot!.....also soft spots in the battery platforms, or cockpit floor around bolsters. Tap out the bottom for delamination. Skeg condition, and spin prop to see if shaft is bent at all. Pull bottom drain plug just enough to drain some lube on drive before running it. White/milky lube is not good. Gimbal bearing whine, and anything else you can think of.

XT

jetskidrewski

I'm a little confused. Is this boat known for rot or delamination problems? I need to go look at the boat, only seen pictures so far, but looks pretty clean already.

Wouldn't be my first boat so I know to look for the usual stuff, milky oil, knocks, ticks, that type of stuff.

Is there anything more specific with the 252 to watch out for?

Was the 252 a generally well made Baja? XT what do you think about the boat compared to an H2X or Hammer, generally looking for that a ~22-25' cuddy.

It dosn't seem like there are a lot of 252s out there, any reason?

jeffswav

Any boat can rot, underneath all that pretty gel coat is plywood. Any screw or bolt not sealed perfectly can rot the entire transom. I just rebuilt mine last year, it never sat in the water and always dry stored. The screws on the trim tabs leaked and rotted about half the transom to mulch. Take a rubber mallet with you and tap around on the outside. If its bad you will tell a difference in sound. A moisture meter also works well. Good news is I raised the x dim up 3" and gained about 4 MPH, put it back together better than new.

XT-Innovator

iTrader: (1)

Andrew right?

The 252 is a great model, one of my all time favorites. 1998 is more the issue, because in all the years after SR had the company, that year was the highest number of boats produced (1,970 boats) compared to (854) boats in 2007.

If you are only running small inland lakes in MI. the Hammer/H2x is a better choice for having a fun driving boat, but if you plan on running Lake Michigan, Erie, or St. Clair, get the 252 for sure.

There were (92) - 252's built in 98' compared to (170) - 272's. The cost on the BOM, and dealer pricing was so close that it made the 272 more popular.

XT

jeffswav

The H2x is a fast hull, but its not a very big boat. Not as deep and wide, also the cuddy is really small. The 252 is much bigger but not as fast, power for power.

jetskidrewski

Alright, alright you caught me. Yep it's Andrew.

How are things in Bucyrus? I follow the XT progress and it looks like things are going well - great to see that!

I ran across this 252, was looking at a Hammer X, or 247 but both are way out of price for me. Also thought about a 1st gen P22, but can across this 252 and thought why not.

Anything you didn't like about the 252? I would be using it on Lk. St. Clair and Huron once in a while.

How should it run with the 454?

puzzleboy

Not to hijack your thread, but would you happen to know how many 272's were manufactured in 1996? Just curious!

jfm

208 of the 272's in 1996