epandell

Hey everyone, I'm new to the forum and wanted to get some in put on the Baja 442. Im looking at purchasing one and was wondering if any one owns one or could just give me their in put on bajas. I was wondering what their quality and performance is like. Thanks!

huskyrider

iTrader: (1)

I don't have a 442 and have never ridden in one, but I did see one in person. It was friggin huge and had an awesome salon below. One thing I noticed is that the cockpit was a lot smaller than I'd of expected. I guess the extra room necessary in the engine compartment for the third engine really gobbled up the space in the rear of the cockpit. I'd guess this boat to weigh 15000 lbs and be a super gas pig at any speed over cruising, heck it's probably a gas pig cruising too, LOL!!!
I'd bet it would be hard pressed to see 60mph unless it had supercharged powertrains.
This would be my kind of boat if it was equipped with a trio of diesels under the hatch.
If you purchase a Baja you'll join a rather loyal fan club to the brand but will be marked by some other boat owners for a little bit of ribbing. It's all in fun I'm sure but some boaters seem to take their dislike of the brand a little over the top.
It's no biggie to me, I just wanted a boat to serve my purposes. If you want a boat that will overnight very well, have plenty of headroom in the salon, and have all the amenities of an effeciency apartment jump on one.

Post some pic's of the boat your looking at, chances are high that a member will recognize the unit. I had great luck doing this during my search.

Welcome to OSO, you'll find the membership here to be a great source of quality info about powerboating.

See ya,
Kelly

kr1276

I have a 2003 442 and love it. Not sure but it may have been the last one built. We had a 38 Special prior to the 442. Have gotten very spoiled with trips. It will get on plane with just two engines any combination. They are heavy (14,400 dry) so if you want to run over 70 you will have to put some big power in it

US1 Fountain

iTrader: (1)

A buddy had one with trip 575's. 10 of us in the cockpit was not a problem. huge boat that liked gas.

epandell

Thanks guys for the info! I did take a look at one and it was huge! It needed work on the interior and a new paint job though. Enginges were fine and only had 148 hours on them. Just concerned about the quality. The guy that service my searay who is one of the best mechanic I've talk to(searay corp uses him for jobs that other mechanics cant fix) said to stay away from bajas. Said they have a lot of problems. I'm willing to spend a little bit to fix it up since its 12 years old, but not double the price by rebuilding the whole boat. Just wondering if you have had any problems like leaks, cracked hills, ect.

ozarkdevil

If the 442 fits your needs/wants (price, size, speed & money to get it the way you want I say go for it. I have had 4 Bajas 27' - 40' & I loved them all.

kr1276

I had a leak in the cabin and turned out I did it to myself. Once you truly understand the boat and the way they built it you can resolve many of the pesky little issues easily. I have 500 hours on mine and the hull is fine with no stress cracks. I really appreciate having the triples as there are no 10 knot cruises home if you have an engine down. Came in quite nicely when I broke a drive over 50 miles from land and continued at a good pace to This spring we replaced the transom plates due to corrosion. This was caused by Baja not grounding them properly. Your SeaRay buddy forgot that both companies were under the same umbrella for a number of years by the way...I have many friends with SeaRays and they are far from perfect.

epandell

Thanks again KR and Devil! I'm probably going to end up buying the thing if I can get it at the right price. And yes I understand... I have had some issues with my sea ray and its only an 07! Please post some picture of your boat, I would love to see them. I'm in Naples btw so I hope to see your guys out there sometime!

kr1276

Send me your email address and I will send you some. Are you buying the red/gray/black boat in St Pete that is for sale?

epandell

My email address is [email protected] and there is that one and another a few minutes away. The dealer said we would have to replace the engines and that they're on their last leg. Also the interior was falling apart in every place imaginable. What do you think is a reasonable price for one of those? I think 80,000 is way to high if I'm paying just for a hull. ... Just my two cents worth.