GSC is putting me in touch with the owner. The boat is not on-site, it is indoors for winter storage. They have not been able to contact the owner. I will have a better 'feel' for the boat once we see it. Right now the only sticking point I could see would be the switch plate. We'll see how it looks in person.

If that switch panel is all that is hanging you up that could easily be remade like others have said out of black plexiglass or aluminum and then painted black to match. I can put you in contact with a couple of people that could remake that affordable and you'd never know it was done.

Also Nightlife has nice 280 he has forsale if you decide to pass on this one. I've seen it in person and is a very clean boat and runs very well. Easily in the upper 60's to 70 on GPS

I have the complete CD of all the pictures Baja took during the photo shoot.

I knew a "lake friend" on Table Rock who had a 280. He had HP420's in it & it was a 75 mph boat on a good day.
He said he really enjoyed the boat.
Jimmy's boat is a good example of what can be done to an older boat, given time & money.

Is Nightlife selling his boat, or knows someone selling a 280?

I am hoping to see the boat next weekend. If not it will be a few weeks since I am going out of town on business.

I have been searching on quite a few places for Baja's or a Fountain Fever under 29. I know the F word is not liked in this forum.

Ask GSC if they would be willing to fix the slighty warped plate for you and at what cost. There are a few ways to fix that panel. Shave the length and a few more properly placed screws correct the problem too.

Granted you starte at that panel all day, but don't let that panel steer you away. I can tell you that boat is really nice. That is one of the only few flaws. You won't find a much nicer old boat that that one. The current owner has been through almost everything, mechanically and cosmetically. It is well worth a look. Runs mid 60's all day on that power.

Unless you REALLY know what to look for in the hull get a survey, all older boats are known to have rot issues, not trying to scare ya but be certain it is good, The market is great for buying right now, for that money I would want to make sure the hull is sound.
Do you want to stay 28 foot? would bigger hurt you? I have seen a few 320 ES and Forces around for 25,000 ish, also 292-311 Formulas and 30-34 scarabs.
I alway say... buy the biggest you can for the money! cannot beat the ride!!

Nightlife is selling his boat.

I have mine listed. If you want you can call me about it.

http://bajaboatsforsale.com/premiumc...ieds00462.html

I really did not want to turn this into a sale for my boat. I don't feel it's right to do in someones thread, but I thought I would give you a little more info on mine.

I bought the boat in 06. At that time the cockpit had just been redone. It has updated graphics that you can see from the pictures. Some of it is vinyl and some of it is paint. As the boat had 800 hrs on it I had the engine and drives gone thru since then. Those are in perfect running order and the boat runs great. Boat comes with 454 mags 365hp each. Bravo one drives with nose cones and Bronson Hill Labed 23p props. Boat also has trim tabs, that I have never used, but I know they work.

I have upgraded the stereo system in the boat. It has a Rockford Fosgate am/fm/cd that can play mp3 cd's as well as an input for an mp3 player and a remote control on the dash. Have installed 2 amplifiers with two 12" subs in custom boxes under the rear bench. I also installed two sets of 6.5" mids and 1" tweeters.

I had the trailer painted to match the boat last summer and replaced any bad bunks.

I had the motors pulled this fall because I was going to paint the boat this winter/spring and wanted to do some additional upgrades to the boat. Lucky me fell off a roof at work and broke my leg so those plans have been put on hold. The one thing I did get done while the motors are out is installed new Corsa mufflers.

The cabin has a V-berth that is plenty large for two adults, and bench seats that could sleep two more. It also has a fridge. There is a storage cabinet that had a sink in it at one time, but that was removed and a hatch was installed in it's place. Makes putting a cooler in there much easier.

Boat also comes with a bimini top that makes getting out of the hot sun real nice.

The boat is in great shap for it's age, as other that have seen it can tell you. It's a great family boat with tons of room for a 28' boat. You can not get any other boat in this size with the room in the cockpit that it has. Six adults have plenty of room to move and relax. We have had 4 adults and 4 kids and still don't feel cramped in it.

We had plans to totally upgrade this boat and keep it for a long time as we really like it. We have just decided to go in another direction.

I found this one from Majicfloat in the Formula forums...

385 Mags, K-planes and freshwater, if you really look at the pics, the condition looks amazing, he is willing to deal according to his Formula thread, I am sure you can get a deal, then you have better engine and K-planes, makes a BIG difference! oh yea... the switch panel is not warped!

http://www.boattrader.com/listing/19...Sport-87585289