sbshaw3

Hey guys. I'm a newbie to the site and am excited to be here. I've been astonished by boats my whole life but have never personally owned one. I've got friends with boats, mostly ski boats but a couple with bajas and fountains. Im in to drag racing, i have a 1200hp diesel and since I took a Baja for a spin I knew I had to get one. I've been looking at a '97 272 for a while,I think its a 97, looks a little older to me but that's what the guy said. It has a new 502 roller motor in it and runs about 72mph and a new bravo 1 drive and cable steering. The interior is basically shot, needs to be redone bad as well as the gel coat, its chalky. Its been sitting outside uncovered for about 8 months now. The cabin as well is nasty. My questions to you guys are how exactly can I tell what year it is, what would you recommend doing to the boat to make it reliable, and can it be taken in salt water. We have a place on the coast in NC. I also live near a few nice lakes. I'm looking for something my family can enjoy, I'm married with a 5 month old. And I love speed, I don't need a 100mph boat but I also don't want to putt around at 40 like my buddies in the ski boats. Thanks for any input and look forward to hearing from you guys.

Scotty

aquaholic58

First thing to do is get a survey done. Boat does not sound like it has been taken care of very well. Any links to the boat?

sbshaw3

How do I go about getting a survey done? There isn't a link to the boat, a friend of mine was keeping it in his shop for a guy thats in his boat club during hurricane Issac. While the guy was running the boat weekly he took great care of it, I saw pictures of it from alst summer and it looked great, but now it gone down hill bad. I'll try to get some pictures sent to me to post up.

mgoblue06

Make sure to check the stringers and transom.

Bajapred

iTrader: (1)

If it looked that good a year ago, i am sure it can look nice again. You can wetsand and polish the gelcoat back to life. If the interior is just molded real bad, spray nine will clean it up and make it look new again. Your insurance company should be able to help you with someone who can do a survey for you, but it will cost you a few hundies. At the back right corner( strbd back) you should see a serial number molded into the fiberglass... Last two digits indicate year

sbshaw3

Is it a must to do a survey? I live in NC and the boat is in Louisiana. What all does a survey consist of?

offshorexcursion

iTrader: (5)

Just so you know you will want to go faster, we all do. So make sure whatever boat you buy is a smokin smokin deal, then when your ready to move into a larger and/or faster boat it will be easier to sell. Don't waste to much money upgrading a current boat. Some modifications are fun but in the long run its better to just buy one that already has the modifications done to it.

Yes a survey is a good idea

I enjoyed my 272 but love my 33 even more. I also have fast drag diesels.

Good luck

sbshaw3

Thank's for the reply's guys. offshorexcursion.... i know i'll want to go faster eventually, this is going to be an introductory boat for me. I've been around boats all my life but have never owned one nor have I ever ran one with twin engines so that's what I decided on a 272. I know that I'll end up in a 32+ before it's all said and done, probably in a couple years. I don't plan on modding this one much, the motor is already built with only 30hrs on it. The only plans I have for it if the purchase is made is to clean it, wrap it, and re-do the interior. What kind of drag truck do you have?

Here are a couple pictures of it that I've found on facebook. Can any of you tell by looking at what it year it is? The decal design looks like most 94's I've seen for sale.

Baja_342

Yep, looks to be a '94. Someone already did the sunpad. That's not factory.

sbshaw3

That's what i thought. Are there any differences between the 94's to 2000? The deal is great on this boat, that's why i'm leaning towards it. I'd love to get something newer but I think this will be a great one to start with.