Poll 29OL v 292 Formula
 

I put this same post in the Formula section. Whats the Baja guys opinion? I know the 292 only has the 377 small blocks. I am ok with 70 MPH. Throw that out the wildow. Who builds a better,"long lasting" boat?

I think the best thing for you to do is take a ride in both boats.I'm sure the Baja guys and Formula guys are going to tell you there brand is best. I love my 29OL, but I have not ridden in a 292. I do think Formula's are a very well build and have a great design. So go take some rides and have fun buying that new boat.

Not so ez here , I am on the west coast, and "real" offshore boats are far and few between. Ya sure there are alot of calif. customes around me, but they do not have a deep v and most have a delta pad.

I went through the same process a few months ago. Was leaning towards to Formula but ended up with the Baja. A few things I didn't like about the Formula or liked better about the Baja:

Formula has very little storage space, was worried about being able to fit all my crap in it. Formula is slow to plane with the small blocks. Formula has less freeboard than the Outlaw. Resale on the 292 appears to be pretty bad. Can't get K-planes on the 292, most of them don't even have indicators for the bennet tabs.

On the other hand the Formula is probably built a little better and will hold up better in the long run.

Just read the Formula thread, I am still laughing, the Gentleman's boat.Ha,:Whatever: I had my pick when I was shopping this past spring, didnt care for the glass windshield or the integrated platform they offer, go ask them how they run in the rough stuff. They say no comparison, I really beg to differ.
It's going to boil down to what your looking for in a boat, but I love mine and haven't regreted the investment for a moment.

I am looking for "Bullet Proof" I want to be able to drop it off a bridge and it wont break. I am really leaning to the Baja 29OL, but there is a great deal on a 08 292 with 0% financing, and I could trade my old boat there. I have to just be patient and get my Daytona sold then get a 02 or 03 29OL like I want.

Formula all the way. The quality of the workmanship on the two cannot be compared. I have owned a baja and you will find the fit n finish isnt that great. I think bajas are a dime a dozen now anyway.

I just traded in my 29OL (you may have seen my threads. I felt it was bullit roof. Ran great. No problems. I would take it to the keys today. If the seas faired ;)
Prices are kinda scattered. My opinion. Under a 2001 w 454/mag. %0-60k 2002-2004 with 496 mag about 60-70k. Add a few k for HO's. I was willing to let mine go for 72k with mag ho's.

You'll want the speed!!! Never say never. Trust me!!!! 496 are great relaible engines. If your boating in saltwater than Go for those.
Sorry no comments on the Formula. Really dont know about the 292.

Very difficult to compare apples to oranges. The 29 Outlaw is an offshore and a bit of a want-a-be. Nice boat but not built or rigged anywhere near a Cig or Apache or any of the other real offshores she's fashioned after.

The Formula 292 is a family oriented preformance boat and unless optioned to the max is a bit of a want-abe as well.

Fact of the matter is simple. Buy what you like. But neither boat is worth a sack of poop without K-planes, full hydraulic steering, 3rd party performance exhaust and many of the other options that make a boat of that size considerably more expensive but noticably more seaworthy none-the-less.

I've owned both.

I agree with the above advice. Go drive both boats and decide which best suites your needs. Everyone has a different opion on what the perfect boat should be.

Personally I am not a fan of small blocks and I think Formula is built very well. Happy shopping.

tbirklakemo,

You know there are several hundred Baja owners on this forum daily and I have to ask why you fell the need to come over here and insult all of us that own a Baja when this question was asked on the Formula thread also. I know it is your opinion and you are entitled to it just like the rest of us but when you cut down a brand you cut down each and every person that owns that brand.

For the money I have not found a boat that I like and enjoy more then any of the three Baja's I have owned. I can spend a LOT more money, but I cannot have any more enjoyment then we have had with our 36 Outlaw.

If you look at these pictures you see that fit and finish did not help this boat stay together any better then others across a large cruiser wake.

They are all wood and fiberglass when it comes down to it.

Dock

I just love these comparisons of
Baja vs. (insert other performance boat brand here)

It's always so predictable.

On the "other performance brand "portion of the site,
it's always what a P.O.S. the baja is, and that their slow,
blah, blah, blah.

While the Baja guys generally just list the
qualities of their boats and not put down the
opposing brand.

I'm on my 4th, none of them have been a P.O.S.,
or broke in half, or fallen apart like the storys you'll hear.

Do like several above here have said,
drive both, buy the one that suits YOU.

Usually nothing great about the 0% deals, you're paying for it one way or another. If I was buying a new formula I'd be taking the cash incintives and getting financing somewhere else.

WOW Dock Holiday,,, that was caused just from a big jump? scary.

was that a 292 or 312 ?

So the story goes. I copied these photos of of OSO about four years ago and the post stated that this boat launched off a very large cruiser wake and landed wrong causing the top deck to seperate from the hull.

Keep in mind that this can and does happen to almost every brand. I have heard of this with Baja, I have pictures of this happening with a Fountain just this year on Lake Travis and I also have pictures of a 38 Top Gun that delaminated on a poker run that we attended two years ago.

They are all wood and fiberglass and we all need to focus on safety first. As the old saying goes "$hit Happens".

Pick out a good boat, get it surveyed, know it is in good condition, get plenty of seat time and drive within your abilities.


Boat are very strong and beautiful, but fragile at the same time!

I'm pretty sure it is a 312.

Neither

Save a boat load - buy a new 28 pantera......they start at $101K

look whos talking crawl a fountian there chit been there and there to phucking small at the cape race the fountians 29 got there azz handed to them they were just on plane:p , formulas aren't like they use to be my buddy ran f2 racing from 99 to 03 and went through 2 38s breaking stringers, bulkheads,chit the 42fountian yellow f2 boat was sinking at the cape race:p . these three boats formulas the beeker the baja are about the same. if you want super strong 31 ft suphen or 37outerlimits I rode in the 1st one that was built HARRY TURNERS 37 B CLASS BOAT JUMPED THE WAKE OF A FERRY BOAT AT 98 100GPS:cool-smiley-011: That was a strong boat, if you want room a nice ride in rough water the 29ol is the boat plus no glass windshield to break, I put a fairing on mine after stuffing it in the ocean:p . bbs are worth more than sbs for motors so buy a baja and drink out of a fountian thats what Team Apache said after kicking fountians azz in the 03 key west when things were fair. art

if you look at my pics of my baja you can see after 19 yrs it still looks good lets see what a 01 beek looks like in 19yrs come out to the ocean next yr you can stay with me I just you to run me in real water my 20yr old against your 7yr old boat and we will see how fast you are I never lost against a 27 ft beeker up here. :p art ps I took a mean steak and lobster lunch:cool-smiley-011:

Formula or Baja
 

I have a 04' 292 and love it. I do wish it had full hydraulic steering, but not huge issue. It does have mechanical trim and drive indicators which are nice. I had a 25OL before this and we had just as much fun. We stepped up to the 292 to better handle rougher water and it does. The Formula is definitely better built and has much, much nicer fit and finish. Interiors and cockpits are nicer also. You will not find bare wood or fiberglass on a Formula(no offense Baja guys, they are good boats also). My Formula is like a rock compared to the Baja, no rattles or squeaks( I did not push the little 25OL trying to make a race boat either). I actually considered a 29OL also but heard of some handling issues with it compared to the 25OL or the 33OL. I have been in several 33OL and they ride nice. My 292 is like driving a sports car. It may be a little slower to plane than some, but it is fun to have someone take off beside you pulling away thinking they are faster only to be passed very shortly and never seen again. The small blocks do drink a little less than big blocks which is a plus. 292 will cruise @ 48-50mph @3800-4000 all day long. Ran beside a 29OL on a rough day on Lake Travis and the OL seemed to ride much wetter and rougher than my 292 but that could have been driver and trim. Enough off me rambling hope this helps. Like stated previously, both are good boats, have different feels due to bottom design, so drive both and make your own decision and you should be happy with either. 5 yr bow to stern warranty from Formula is nice:) Have considered selling mine, not as much time with 1 yr old.

Dock H., those are some wicked pictures of that Fastech coming apart. I'm on LOTO. I've been having a bit of a nightmare everytime I think about those shots. :hitfan:

(these three boats formulas the beeker the baja are about the same)

Whats a "beeker"?

A "beeker" is slang for a Fountain :cool-smiley-027:

I'm a Formula guy but if the choices are 29OL and a 292 I'd have to really consider the 29OL. It's a bigger boat with BBC. I still maintain the Formula is a better built boat but that doesn't mean the Baja is a POS. It should handle more of a beating than your wife and kids could take.

I wondered if on the formula they count the swim paltform in the length

Yes they do. If a platform is molded in and not bolted on, its counted in the length.

Nice objective and accurate post from the Formula owner.

Ditto

If it doesn't break at LOTO is won't!

Those are the roughest water conditions I have ever experienced.

I had my 29 out front at LOTO a few weeks ago for the Midwestboatparty fun run. I ran it in the roughest water it has ever been in & I ran it in the upper 80's. It held togather just fine, rode pretty good & never got out of shape. There were more than a few Fountains, Hustler 388's, Cigarettes & Eliminators that were surprised a Baja was giving them a run for their money!
When I got it home I had to tighten up some screws in the dash & some other stuff. It was really no big deal, I think it happens when you get in water that rough.

Never had to do that on my Formulas :cool-smiley-011:

So, when a race boat comes back from a beating & they tear it down & go back thru everything, just to make sure it is tip top for the next go around, that makes your Formula better too?:Whatever:

It was a joke. While I've never had to do that....I usually have the family onboard and don't race it either.

I have a 2006 292 with 6.2's, hydraulic steering and K-planes. The K-planes were installed a year after purchasing the boat and is a great upgrade, especially if you run in the rough. Have never riden in a Baja 290L, but if you have the chance ride and drive both before making a decision. The wife and I spent a lot of time at boat shows crawling through several brands and the Formula just has a quality fit and feel that is hard to explain. The twin stepped hull and small blocks really makes it an efficient and well balanced rig (not tail heavy). Launches and lands nice and level in the rough. I bought this boat for the long haul and have a lot of plans after warranty runs out. I think there is tremendous performance potential with this rig. My long term goal is to have the ultimate 292 sleeper... Plus there is actually room to work on the darn engines!

Good thing your not this guy! :eek: :D

http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/s...d.php?t=132536

The 29 Outlaw is a little limited on engine compartment space.:D

Well I guess so with that much muscle packed in there!:cool-smiley-027: NICE! I imagine you did surprise a few out there on LOTO... That's why I love sleepers...

I don't disagree that the Formula is a nice boat, heck I came close to buying a 2004 292 until I decided I really wanted to stay with a smaller single engine boat. I thought it was a nice boat. It was a heavy sucker and it did take a while to get up on plane. I don't think Formula is as far ahead of Baja as some might think in the quality area. I have found plenty of flaws in both brands when I was shopping. I have owned three Baja boats but I am not as blind to say I would never own anything else. It has just been hard to justify spending more money in order to please other people when the Baja does everything I need it to do.

On a side note, I have never met a finer group of boaters than I have in my fellow Baja owners.

The condition of a used boat has more to do with the way it is maintained than anything. I have seen some 20 year old Bajas that look great and I have seen some that would not make a decent flower pot. I have also seen Fountains, Formulas, Cigs and others that look like hell because they were abused and not taken care of.

Take the time to water test the boats you are looking at. It should not matter if you have to travel to do so. I would not let anyone make a decision for me. Yes, some input is nice as to what options to look for and ACTUALL OWNER INPUT, but that is all. Ultimately, you have to justify your own purchase as being the right one for you.

I can say there are a hell of a lot of boats that I would buy before I would spend what a new 292 goes for special financing or not.

Hmmmm.... this thread is like going to a ford dealership popping your head in the door and saying chevy is a better car than ford and start laughing hahahaha and leave!!!! Thanks to zx14 who started it!!!

Anyways......I couldn't resist to share my 2 cents. When I was shopping in Feb. for a boat I always wanted a formula, but I saw the bajas, and wondered why they were 20-30k cheaper than the 292? So, I was so excited about going to a boat show in Boston and check out the Bajas. My fiance was coming with me , might I add she knew nothing about boats at all. She already saw the formulas and I guess she liked them, but she really never saw anyhing else to compare to. I told her the last 20 years I've been boating Formulas were always #1,.... expensive, luxurious, fast, nice lines, Solid boat. Shes like.... yeah yeah yeah anyways... So we got to the boat show took one look at the baja, and seriously, we left after 10 seconds. I was actually going there to look at them, and buy on the spot!!
Baja owners please don't take it personal these are just expensive toys to go out in and have fun!!! You should know you get what you pay for I'm sure every boat owner has or have had plenty of other toys in there life that you can say the same thing for. And formulas ALWAYS, ALWAYS, have been expensive. They must be doing something right!!!!!

Bajas a nice boat... Fast, fun, sporty, HO motors, But I think in a different class than Formula as in workmanship, quality, and definetly the lines.

Again, just my input on this crazy horrific thread!!

As goes for zx14 don't let anyone deter your decision on what boat you like!!!! These are all experiences and opinions on this forum.....JUST ENJOY!!!

You wouldn't at 75mph! :eek: