Rebirth of a Baja
 

Rebirth of a Baja

When the wife and I ordered the 36 Outlaw back in 2002 we were very excited and looking forward to many good years of boating but never thought the boat would deliver as much enjoyment as it has. We did consider selling it and we also considered going with another brand but we simply have Baja in our blood and made a decision to upgrade our boat and keep enjoying it hopefully for many more years God willing.

This has been a long time coming now and it is hard to believe that next week before Thanksgiving we should finally be water testing the finished product. Our boat has not seen the water since October 2007 when we made our last run on Lake Hartwell before pulling the 500’s out.

I have so many people to thank and without these folks this project simply would not have been possible.

Ed Sherrard – Boat Menders - [email protected]
Mark Boos – Precision Marine - http://www.pmefi.com/
Dick Tryce – aka “Mr. Gadgets” – Dick’s Performance Marine
Dustin Whipple – Whipple Superchargers - http://www.whipplesuperchargers.com/
Kevin Brown – Lakeway Boat Repair – [email protected]
Stephanie McLeod Lee – McLeod Design Group - http://www.mcleoddesign.com/
Mike McLeod – McLeod Design Group - http://www.mcleoddesign.com/
Dave Leonhardt – XT Innovations - http://www.xt-innovations.com/
Lane Carlisle – XT Innovations - http://www.xt-innovations.com/
Adam Shook – XT Innovations - http://www.xt-innovations.com/
Doug Smith – Checkmate Marine, Inc. - http://www.checkmatepowerboats.net/
Dean Reynolds – Checkmate Marine, Inc - http://www.checkmatepowerboats.net/
Myco Trailers - http://www.mycotrailers.com
Kustom Kolors - Clayton Tackett - www.kustomkolors.us
CP Performance - Mike Mayes - http://www.cpperformance.com/default.aspx

Everyone listed above has been wonderful to work with and I’m proud to call them all friends and owe them all a deep amount of gratitude. I must give a very special thank you to Dave Leonhardt because without him this would not be. He took this project by the horns and made it happen.

Dave is one of the many good folks that lost their jobs at Baja when Brunswick shut them down. He had been with the company many years and I learned sometime back that you could ask Dave any question about any Baja boat and he had the answer. Dave and many of the good folks started up businesses doing what they know best and that is working on boats. When we were talking about my project this summer at the Lake Erie Poker Run it was not long into the conversation that we saw an opportunity to help each other. He had a young business to grow and I was dead in the water with my project and needed some major help. Dave took the “Dock Holiday” project by the horns and has not only done everything that he promised but has exceeded my highest expectations. When he said “Mark I will treat your boat just as if it were mine” he was being 100% honest and has delivered perfection at a very fair price.

Alright let’s get into the project which included new supercharged power, new custom outdrives, fiberglass work, stereo work, a complete new beautiful interior, tons of LED lights and much more.

Enjoy please ask questions and I hope Dave, Adam, Mark, Dick and others will jump in.

It started last October when we updated to a new 2008 model Myco trailer with electric over hydraulic brakes and a drive guard.

Tim and the folks at Myco did a wonderful job and we made a trip down to pick it up and tour the plant.

Then Ed Sherrard at Boat Menders here on Lake Norman let me use his Yard Arm jacks while I was waiting on the new trailer.

Ed also helped me to pull the 500 EFI motor out of the boat, completely strip the bilge and he relocated the stereo into the cuddy for me where the microwave used to be.

He built this enclosure for the stereo, DVD and CD changer and installed it.

Ed Sherrard - Boat Menders LKN

Ed built some really nice speaker mounts for the cuddy with some blue LED lights which were a nice improvement over the sound and look of the speakers Baja had hanging with brackets that always dropped down in rough water.

Whaaat ??? you gots sum splainin to do.

Construction of the speaker boxes.

:ernaehrung004:

I hear you buddy, I'm splainin right now!

Got to earn my 90+ club stickers.

A picture of Ed himself while working on the stereo enclosure.

COME ON!! You're gonna leave us hanging like this? :eek:

Get busy posting the rest of the details and photos! :D

Here's the bilge after Kevin was finished with it. The new gelcoat looks great.

We installed two new bilge pumps, two new blowers, a new fire extinguisher and really cleaned up the rigging.

Congrats doc. If you're water testing here on Norman, let me know I'll bring a camcorder and get some video of the rebirth if you'd like.
Can't wait to hear that beast rumble and roar.

Well the docking lights are GONE.

That was the biggest waste of money on any of the options we ordered on the boat. Plus it gives you a big hole that could become a real problem if you stuffed the boat.

We also got rid of the horns on the bow which never worked well and closed those holes.

Kevin is one of the best fiberglass guys around. He has a constant flow of boats though his shop and a strong following of racers which speaks volumes about his work. Some of the before and after pictures of his work are amazing. He also does a lot of hull blue printing for those of you that want that last MPH.

Kevin went over my entire boat with a fine tooth comb checking for any problems, air voids, rot you name it.

I'm happy to report that after 400+ hours my hull is rock solid. He did find one small air void that caved in with the tap of the hammer on the starboard side above the rub rail behind the drivers seat. Look at the pictures and you will see the small area.

Other than that he said the boat was perfect and the stringers are solid as a rock.

Patience my friend I have been waiting a YEAR now!:drink:

Mike,

Thank you very much. Weather permitting we will be testing on the original Baja test lake next Wednesday in Bucyrus, Ohio. I feel that is a fitting place and I want to get some pictures of the boat up there in the reservoir.

I hope to get out on Norman soon and expect to see some warm days before Christmas. I'll let you know in advance when we are coming.

Mark

Well the interior is all gone!

Anyone remember the battery switch box that TEAMBAJA custom made for me?

Well it did not fit because the seat base in the 36 was smaller and tapered at the top unlike the newer Baja's.

No problem Kevin does magic with fiberglass.

The seat base had so many holes in it when we took it out that it looked like a shot gun blast had hit it.

Adam added new speakers which are part of the stereo project he is working on and has it looking very nice.

Okay MOTORS / BLING / HORSEPOWER

I always liked the 36's, your boat is looking really good,:ernaehrung004:

DOC it is going to look good :ernaehrung004:

Doc,

Very nice...can't wait to hear some numbers.

Are those the motors that you had orginally built then put for sale???

Mark Boos – Precision Marine - http://www.pmefi.com/


I just refer to Mark as the legend!

He is a cool guy that loves what he does and does it GREAT. I could not have asked for anyone better to build my engines. He is extremely nice to work with, runs a very professional shop and does incredable work.

MEFI 4B Computer
Dart block
540 cubic inch
Crowler crank
Manley rods
J & E Blower pistons
Baker oil pan
Cometic head gaskets
AFR 345CC coated heads
Inconel valves
Crane GOLD roller rockers
Mark Boos special gring cam
Whipple Stage II polished superchargers
All new Mercury Marine assessories
Hardin Marin oil coolers

715 HP with 3-1/2 PSI Boost at 5500 RPM (4-3/4 blower pulley)
824 HP with 6-1/2 PSI Boost at 5900 RPM (4-3/8 blower pulley
954 HP with 11 PSI Boost at 5900 RPM

We have them set up at 824 HP.

Nice to see someone else out there stimulating the economy. Beautiful job! :ernaehrung004: I love to see these boats put together right.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6aUAEIPSNM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wc-ji...eature=related

Above are some links where you can see the motors on the dyno at Mark's shop.

Well let me introduce the crew.

On the left is the one and only Adam Shook wearing a very nice shirt. In the middle is Dave Leonhardt and on the right is Lane Carlisle.

All three of these guys are from Baja in Bucyrus and have combined a lot of years worth of boat building experience.

Adam is the brain behind all the poker run boats and the cool stereo systems and the trick LED lights just to mention a couple of things. What he has done with my boat on the wiring, rigging, stereo and the LED's is off the charts.

Dave is simply superman that has lead this entire project and pulled everything together. He is kind of quite but if you listen real close you will hear the gears in his head turning. He has impressed me so much with this project that I don't have words to express it. He did not like how the oil filters were too close to the cables running though the transom for the drive trim indicators and pulled the engines back out and relocated the cables!

Lane is one of the best upholstery guys in the industry period. Because we went back with McLeod he did not get to show off all his talents on this project but has been a real big help and has overseen all the install. If you look at the rear seats on the "Split Decision" poker run boat that is his doing.

Dave and Lane are XT Innovations and they are open for business and ready to help you with any and all you boat repair needs.

Mild to WILD
Small to Large
Stock to CUSTOM

They can do it all and if you read this thread to you will see that I'm telling you straight!

[email protected]


XT INNOVATIONS
4799 STETZER
BUCYRUS, OH 44820

419-569-1984

Hey are you guys aware of the fact that McLeod is offering you a trade in on your bolsters toward a new set of theirs?

Yes any brand bolster can be traded in on a new set of McLeod's.

I think we are the first to take advantage of the new program.

The wife and I rode on "Split Decision" at Lake Erie this summer and loved it. The first thing she said to me was "I want bolsters like these in our boat"!

Well they were the new style bolsters (Agressor 4) and now we have them.

Stephanie was wonderful to deal with and gave us a great deal.

As for quality their product speaks for itself.

They worked with us on colors and the design of the logo we wanted and here they are.

Stephanie McLeod Lee – McLeod Design Group - http://www.mcleoddesign.com/


Here are a few more of the bolsters.

Well if you go to McLeod's website you will see a picture of a really TRICK custom one of a kind triple rear bolster that Mike McLeod made for a friend of his to go on a 36 Outlaw.

It took just a little twisting of his arm but he argreed to do one for us and I'm really pumped about it. They came and picked up my sun pad and did all the modifications in their shop and delivered the finish product back to Checkmate when they brought an order of seats to them.

I think there are only two 36's with this setup. The rear bolster will now go up and down with the sun pad to allow better access to the engine compartment.

We have got rid of the red and the black that was originally in our interior color. I will never do BLACK again on a boat!

We paid Andy and Clayton a design fee to come up with a really trick paint job for "DOCK" but I'm still sitting on the fence with this economy taking a turn for the worse.

I can't post the rendering here because I want to keep that top secret but we are accepting donations if any of you have some extra cash laying around.

All I can say is these guys ROCK and once we gave them a few ideas it was amazing what they came up with.

Clayton Tackett
Andy Perkins
Kustom Kolors Motorsports Graphics
965 Pole Lane Road - Marion, OH 43302
PH 740.387.5277
www.kustomkolors.us

This boat is amazing.

If you have never met Doug and Linda Smith, Dean Reynolds or JR Jenny at Checkmate you are missing out on meeting some wonderful people.

When they offered to allow this project to happen in their plant to give us all the space we needed so the guys could also work on other smaller projects I was beside myself.

I cannot thank them enough for all they have done and for making me feel right at home each time I have been up to visit.

If you ever get a chance to go up to Checkmate please do. They are working very hard to build the company up, add new products and update the existiing ones and I wish them all the success they deserve.

New gauges

Water Pressure

Boost Pressure

We relocated the stereo remote for easy access in the cockpit.

Okay folks that is all I can add today.

The wife and I take all our employees and their spouses out for a pre-holiday dinner each year and tonight is the night.

I hope Dave, Adam, Mark & Clayton can carry on and add some more detail till I return tomorrow.

Thank you all for the positive comments. It's nice to see that folks like it.

We fire the beast up next week!:evilb: I think there will be a party in Bucyrus.

Looks great!!! Can't wait to see more pics.

Very nice. You, sir, are an inspiration! I think I have some modifications to do now! :D

looks good dock.