BBYSTWY

So I have seen mention over the years on here that many of you that now have higher end, bigger money, badder boats used to have baja's before. I have also heard/seen first hand a huge hatred for baja's as a whole brand. Just out of curiosity, I always browse and see what's out there for sale and have seen a few 35's and 33's etc for sale at what seems to be pretty fair pricing. I know that baja is not cig or fountain or formula but why all the hate for them? Seems like it's a good way for the average guy to get into the performance world that doesn't have a ton of loot to drop on something bigger, faster, nicer?

On the flip side, I have seen what I would characterize as fanboy types running around in their '88 25 outlaw thinking it's the fastest thing on the water. I don't mind that attitude as long as it doesn't translate into being a douche sandwich when on-land or anchored up or whatever. I'm a huge supporter of being proud of what you have as long as it is in the right manner if that makes sense?

Is this what drives the hate for the brand or am I missing something totally?

Quick story....I was at a boating event 2 years ago in my Nordic and looking for a place to tie up. Saw a few nicer looking boats tied up a little ways out from the drunken mayhem and the end boat was a gorgeous 38 formula...cruised up and did the "mind if I tie up wave" and his wife gave me signals to turn my boat so she could see the side. No biggie as their boat is/was 10 fold nicer than mine, and once she saw the side they signaled to come on and tie up. Got all tied up and asked hey what was the spin dance for?? Immediately...."well if it was a BAJA there's no way we would have let you tie up!" I laughed it off and hung out there for hours...amazing people. Extremely nice, cared for their boat extremely well, not a bad bone in their body as far as I could tell but had this huge hatred for baja and it's not the first time I have encountered it.

Just curious on other's thoughts on the subject. I am not in the market for a new boat right this second so we can keep it to a discussion on the brand rather than recommendations on which one is the best deal hahaha.

Ryanw10

I have worked on quite a few bajas. Mid 80s 20' to early 2000 30'. I have hated working on ALL of them. My favorite was an 87 250 force that I owned for a summer. Fairly easy to work and I liked the layout, but it was pretty wet, just like a lot of the other ones I have seen. Most recently I worked on a 2000 30' and that thing was an engineering nightmare. Very clear the designers did not work on boats and keep mechanics in mind.

i think overall they are just a cheaper boat, which generally attracts a cheaper audience, who generally don't take as good of care as someone with a nicer boat.

JaayTeee

30 o/l’s we’re terrible to work on, the 29 and 33’s, just a couple of bolts
removed and the back seat comes out, makes it much better to deal with.

The riggging and wiring left a little to be desired, but once I found out, when
back in they hey days, the riggers were expected to rig 2 twin engine boats a day, that doesn’t sound fun to me.

I had 4 of them, never had any problems with the boat’s themselves,
on the last one, the other Brunswick products attached to the rear were a different story.

The hate on them was current, now you hear about Formula plexus bond issues and fountain stringer and transom rot issues…..imagine if that was
a chronic problem 20 years ago

IGetWet

Good points. The biggest reason I think they get a bad rap is because they can be the Honda civic of the sport boat world. Most of the time it’s the owners fault, not the boats. Someone gets a hold of one and makes it gaudy and thinks it’s the coolest thing on water. Their lower price point also doesn’t usually translate to proper upkeep.

I just about rerigged my entire 25 outlaw, and given that was a single wi the a lot less going on vs my 38ZR, there are some spots the ZR is almost as sloppy. (I crawl into spots just scoping a boat out that many don’t see during their entire ownership.) Given they were flying donzis off the line in a hurry as well back in 2006.

When I hear someone bad mouth Bajas in a conversation I’ll remind them it’s usually not the boat, it’s the owner, and a lot of us wouldn’t be running the bigger faster fancier toy now without starting with a Baja.

Quinlan

iTrader: (1)

The 29 OL that I bought new and now a 3rd owner has is pushing 12- 1300 hours. 454 Mag MPIs. Never been opened.
Like a dam Timex lol.

SecondWind

As a Midwest teenager/college kid growing up in the 90s Baja was the premier performance boat brand in my world. The Outlaw and Performance series boats had a unique visual appeal and big block sounds. I was always partial to the 272 Boss and 38 Special. I thought both boats had amazing lines and loved the way they looked on the water. I do think the Midwest performance boat buyer is more value orientated than the buyers on the coasts. I'm not entirely sure why, more fiscally conservative, shorter boating season, more likely to have a second home somewhere warm, IDK. I don't think Baja was ever competing for the Cigarette, Outerlimits, Skater, MTI etc customer. They were laser focused on a value orientated performance boater. For a regional performance boat brand I don't think you get more successful in the Midwest than Baja was in the 90s-early 2000s. They were on the top of the their game. I know our local performance boat dealer Grand Sport Center was extremely successful with the brand during that time period. Maybe it's where I grew up boating but I've always admired the brand.

HOSSMAN

Owned many, sold them for years and loved every one. As I said when I sold them "Dollar for dollar bang for the buck you can't beat them". Just about everyone, even the big wheels with the MTI's and OL's etc. started with Bajas. As I tell people, never forget where you came from. I would still own another. When I had my 29 I surprised many bigger brand boats. I'd do it all over again. Doesn't matter what you have, it's who you are that is what matters.

Sydwayz

iTrader: (1)

I don't hate on them. I just complain about how hard it is to work on some of them.

I was 23, and running around on a new Polaris SL1050 like this one, and I thought I was the coolest thing on water.


It was coworkers/couple/friends/' with a 24' Baja Outlaw with a 502/415 that got me interested in go-fast boats at Lake Anna. The hull had some water intrusion issues, and Baja replaced it with a 25' Baja Outlaw the following year. Not long after, I had my Sonic 26' Prowler 500EFI; and it was all over after that. I was hooked. I've spent time on quite a few Baja boats, and they will always be a staple of the used boat segment.

BlueOval

Owned a 235 DVX. Had the camper top package. Had a blast with that boat. My twins are 31 now. They still talk about how much fun they had on that boat. I was aware they had problems with the hull blistering. I sealed that one to prevent any problems. The single was a dream to work on compared to my PQ’s with twins.

Wildman_grafix

Hate on Baja’s?

Have you heard of a company called Fountian?
lol