90' 280 ES-Lickity Split
 

Anyone know this boat? Comments on the 90' 280 ES line in general? Things to watch for?

http://grandsportcenter.com/pop/1990_baja_280_sport.htm


The wife and I are looking to move up. There are a few Baja's in the family, so naturally that is where we started. We looked for some time at the Baja's before buying our "starter" Wellcraft. I have no issues with the Wellcraft, just want to move up now that the wife is hooked. I like Baja's for many reasons value, quality, reputation, and access to a local dealership. I like the overall look and price of this boat listed above. I am concerned about the dash however. How easy is it to get replacement parts? The dash switch panel appears to be warped in the photo. I know if I needed replacement dash parts for my 92 Wellcraft I am S-O-L. There does not appear to be a market for replacement parts from the Wellcraft factory. How is Baja for replacement "factory" parts. Parts appears to be an issue with most used boats older than 10yrs. I would not mind an older boat as long as parts were accessable. I am not handy with creating parts by hand, but replacing things is not a problem. If the dash needed upgrading what would some of my options be?

Thanks in advance for the responses!

I also have an 88 280. We also love the boat has lots of room for the size. Does very well in lake Michigan, and we know how that can be.

Replacement parts are hard to come by on any older boat. The dash panel in that one could be made pretty easy though. The hard part would be with those type of gauges if one is bad getting another might be tough.

If your intrested in them I know where there is another one that could be had for that price range.
http://bajaboatsforsale.com/premiumc...ieds00462.html

Before buying my Wellcraft we almost bought a 89 250ES that was later taken off the market.
I would not want to buy this boat and immediately have to start replacing items. I don't know how to fabricate a switch panel and so far that is the only turn off. I would also not want to start having to replacing gauges. I would guess it would not be as simple as removing existing and ordering some new gauges.
Other than that it looks like a pretty solid boat, I am waiting on cabin photos. We may just take a ride to the dealer if the opportunity arises this weekend.
When you say heavy, does 8000 boat and trailer sound right?

Never done it, have no experience that is why I ask. I would have to find a shop that can do the work. I would imagine then I would have a vinyl shop re-letter the switches.

The 280's hold up well. Takes a lot of power to go fast. as far as guages, my brother has just replaced his guages with gaffrig he has the old ones. Are they square?

I have a 280 as well and did a complete dash restoration. Baja just did a photo shoot of the boat and it's the center fold for Baja magazine Winter 2008 edition. There is a good shot of the dash in the magazine.

Good Luck.

The thing is the dash on this boat is alott different from any of the others I have seen. The gauges are the square VDO's but they are sunk into the panel. It also appers that the pannel is molded into the helm different than I have seen before on the 280. Mine has the VDO's untill i get the new ones in, but they surface mount on the panel. Plus my panel is flat like the switch panel and mounts onto the helm. This one looks like it would be fun to change the gauges out.

I will admit the 280 is no rocket as mine with the 365hp 454 mags runs right around 70. I would guess that this one with the 330's would be in the low 60's. It's not that slow of a boat though mine stays right with 29OL's with the same power, and has more room. But it's a nice solid ride and the wife and kids love it.

Here are a couple of short videos of mine on the water. Just so you can see how they run.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dati5JuLvqg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wK1DI...eature=related

Jimmy just wanted to say your boat looks great.

It's interesting how different the 87 is from the 88. Have you got any more pictures of the boat. I would really love to see what other stuff you did to it.

Well the dash gauge is round, is the square part of the gauge or part of the dash? Can they be separated and another gauge installed?

I am in the process of making an appointment to see the boat. It looks great in the photos. I have not seen the cuddy, and I want a closer look at the dash area as well as the motors.

Once we look at the boat I have to figure out what to do with our Wellcraft. I have the boat up for private sale now, in my opinion being winter there are not that many people looking.

The gauge is square, although the face of the gauge is round. To install new gauges you would have to make something up to fill those square holes then install the new gauge in that.

Not many hours on the boat if the ad is correct. I think that boat may be from the Sioux City, IA area.

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

Nice looking boat. The only things is unless it has upgraded engines the 454 mags of that time were only 365hp.

The pictures of the dash are what most 280's of that time look like. Intresting how much different the 1990 looks. Also has the same cabin as mine.

Still better then the 330's the other one he was looking at has, the 365's will still be forged.

Will have to agree with you on that...:D

28' is not the main sticking point. I am looking at 25-29' boats from Baja, Fountain, Formula, Powerquest & Sunsation. My main points are price/quality and weight.

It makes no sense getting a good deal on a boat I can't tow. I have a tow limit of 8500. Of course the older boats weigh more than the newer. The same size newer boats cost more.

Of course the wife has to like the boat.

We love our Wellcraft, but it is a bit cramped with 3 adults and 2 kids. So moving up to a larger boat makes sense.

Guess that is why it is called shopping.

What is your tow vehicle?

Have you seen the boat?? The owner still has not gotten in touch with me.

06' 2500 Mega Cab Dodge Ram. I will be installing airbags in the rear to keep the ride level. I think going over 30' will cause me to be overweight.

That sho have a rating of at least 12,500 being a 3/4 ton.

That rating would be had on a Diesel.

I got the 5.7 Hemi, I would love the Diesel. However Diesel is almost $1 a gallon higher.

The 3/4 ton gassers max out at 10,800 and that is a Regular Cab/Long Bed 4x4 with 4.56gears
The 3/4 ton diesels max out at 13,650 and that is a Regular Cab/Long Bed 4x2 with 4.10gears

Having the room of my Mega Cab costs me a bit in tow rating. However with airbags I can tow up to my max and still ride level.

I pull my 280 with a Dorango. 8800 on the trailer.

I would have thought the rating would be more about suspension, not engine size, Ford has the rating of 12,500 on both gas and diesel.

I still think you could tow up to 12-13,000 with that truck safely with a 3/4 ton suspension, I have seen alot of guys in the towin g section doing it with no issues, you also have a long wheelbase that helps a ton.

My F250 ext cab shortbed tows my 320 great, I have the diesel but the suspension does the job well. Diesel just means it never shifts out of OD!!

I must be misreading the factory tow ratings???

If you are towing your boat with a Durango...my truck should be just fine.

Most likely, I am pretty sure all 3/4 tons Ford, Chevy, and Dodge are all at least 12,500 no matter what engine it has.

here is some of what I found for 06 Dodge

2500 QC SB 2WD 5.7L V-8 9,200m,b
2500 QC SB 2WD 5.7L V-8 11,200m,c
2500 QC SB 2WD 5.7L V-8 9,250a,b
2500 QC SB 2WD 5.7L V-8 11,250a,c
2500 QC SB 2WD 5.9L TD 13,400m,b
2500 QC SB 2WD 5.9L TD 13,500a,b/c
2500 QC SB 4WD 5.7L V-8 8,800m,b
2500 QC SB 4WD 5.7L V-8 10,800m,c
2500 QC SB 4WD 5.7L V-8 8,850a,b
2500 QC SB 4WD 5.7L V-8 10,850a,c
2500 QC SB PW 4WD 5.7L V-8 10,500m,d
2500 QC SB PW 4WD 5.7L V-8 10,550a,d
2500 QC SB 4WD 5.9L TD 13,000m,b
2500 QC SB 4WD 5.9L TD 13,100a,b/c
2500 QC LB 2WD 5.7L V-8 9,100m,b
2500 QC LB 2WD 5.7L V-8 11,100m,c
2500 QC LB 2WD 5.7L V-8 9,150a,b
2500 QC LB 2WD 5.7L V-8 11,150a,c
2500 QC LB 2WD 5.9L TD 13,250m,b
2500 QC LB 2WD 5.9L TD 13,350a,b/c
2500 QC LB 4WD 5.7L V-8 8,650m,b
2500 QC LB 4WD 5.7L V-8 10,650

According to Dodge.com, the 2006 Mega Cab 2500 4x4 with 3.73 gears has a tow rating of 8,250. With 4.10 gears the rating is 10,250. I currently have the 3.73 gears, for those highway trips. I will be installing the airbags so I figured I could go up to 8,500. I personally think the factory ratings are a bit conservative.

I lose a little in the towing ratings due to the extra weight of the cab in a Mega Cab. However I gain an extra 2.5' of cab space. But if a Durango can tow a 280 Baja then I feel alright with my current setup.


Nightlife send me some more photos. The wife pointed out that with the arch on the 90' it would not fit in our indoor winter storage. I have a max of 8' to get it in the winter storage garage. However I could always shrink wrap it and leave it outside the barn. When winter indoor storage only costs $200, you tend not to complain. However I can get outdoors for free, but would have to pay for shrink wrapping.

I think the truck will be fine for anythingup to 11,000 or so.

Did you look at that other boat I psted? that boat looks very clean, I would at least call about it, it has a few things that are better, makes it well worth a phone call.

Yes we did, the wife saw that one a few days ago in our internet searching. The wife was not really interested in that boat. I am also not interested in traveling that far. I would prefer to look a boat over before buying. We have been looking in the WI, MI, IN, IL, OH areas. Not to say it is not a good boat, but you have to draw the line somewhere. There are a ton of good boats in the Great Lakes area.

I put in a request to Nightlife at his listing for some more photos and information.

Did not get an e-mail or anything from my listing. Give me your e-mail adress and I will send you what ever photos I have.

[email protected]

There is a real bad problem with older baja parts. I just upgraded from a 1989 235 force to a 1998 272 boss and i have found that parts are had to find for this. Older dash parts are on ebay. I found it was easier to up grade the dash , and give it that personal touch.

I am confused...which is harder to find and upgrade your older boat or the newer one??

I am not sure about which boat I will choose, but I am leaning toward Baja. Everything else is a bit overpriced in my opinion.

I am not sure if I want the hastles involved with a gauge change on that 1990 should I ever have a problem. The newer Baja's seem to have taken this into account when designing the dash. So in some ways I am leaning toward newer, of course that means a higher payment and a smaller boat for the higher payment.

Does anyone know this 1990 boat in particular??