Roader

Going to look at a 2001 Baja 272 with 454 Magnum MPI engine this weekend. (I'm located in Tampa/st Pete FL area)

Since this will be my first boat what should I look for and what should I expect wear and tear wise? Owner stated it has approximately 60 hrs on it which sounds very low for the age. Also stated had a complete engine reporter last year. Are these warning signs to stay away?

Lastly, what price range should I be looking at? I've posted the sellers description below and it does come with a aluminum 2007 Tandem axel trailer.

Baja 272 with brand new 454 Magnum MPI engine. It has 385HPand tops out between 62 to 65 depending on wheight and fuel. The boat is in over all good condition with upgraded control levers and gauges, quick and quiet exhaust, upgraded stereo and amp. Lots of maintenance done at the end of last season. including complete engine repower. ALL genuine Mercruiser parts!! No knock offs and no truck engines. Full marine motor!!! Only has apprx 60 hours on it. All done by certified mechanic with receipts for all! The boat was not abused, just one of those freak cases of a small repair that turned into an overhaul.

nailit

Get survey and engine scanned.. I believe they started with 496's in 01... curious why they have a 454 may in there.. great motor,, just curious.. ( I have 2 in my 33ol and had one in my 25 ol)
Survey will get moisture reading on hull a and get all documents from rebuild.


Price.. 25 to 29 k depending on overall condition and vinyl.

Roader

Thanks, guess ill be doing some more research. Also found a 2005 25ol I want to look at but it's a three hour trip one way. The baja line seems to be pretty good from all reviews I've read so looking to stick with this brand

Ebay Ed

i think the 60 hours is on the new engine

Roader

I believe you are right. After I reread it i realized that, just hadn't heard back from seller yet when I asked to clarify.

ajnoe3

Nailit is correct, this boat likely came with a 496 if it's a 2001. The 454 is a great motor but the 496 that came with it would have been slightly more powerful and I believe the boat should be a little faster than they advertise. It weighs 1,000 less pounds than my Islander and isn't too far off in the horsepower, makes me wonder if the new motor really has the power claimed. On another note, after looking at nearly every brand on the market and disecting every boat I have come to the conclusion that most boat companies make a good product and Baja does as well, the most important thing with a used boat and it's value is how well it was cared for. A 10-year old boat that was very well cared for is far more valuable than a much newer one that was neglected. The 272 is a great boat because even next to today's new boats the lines look up to date and this can be said for most of Baja's late 90's-newer boats.

knockld

Baja still offered the "legacy" motors for some of its 2001 products. Case in point my 01 Outlaw came with a 502. 2001 was a transition year so it may have indeed originated with a stock 454. If the 454 is a Magnum EFI from what I understand this is a strong motor to build on. If not a mag EFI not so much room left for improvement. As far as the survey the moisture check is the really useful item, they will also identify non-stock, non-marine conforming items. Don't expect a compression check or anything other than visual inspection on the engine. The moisture check they do by tapping the hull and listening for dead spots. Be present at the survey.

Escrowdog

If this is your FIRST boat and you can afford it, get something newer...the newer the better. An 05 is going to be far more stock and sano than an 01. Not to say there aren't some cream puffs from the turn of the century and some complete crap that's 5 years old.

My first foray into big boats (aside from fishing and ski) was a 97 hour 2005 Monterey twin engine. Basically a new boat that just required regular maintenance. The boat had been professionally winterized, guy had all the records, original owner, regular oil changes, filters dated, etc. I took a gamble and bought it without a mechanic or survey.

In contrast, my latest boat is a 99 Baja 33 Outlaw. I couldn't get my mechanic there fast enough to check it over!! 550 hours, very clean interior but it had been kept on a ****ty lift, had obviously been down and sitting in the water frequently because the lift leaked, hull stains, water in bilge from snow/rain blowing, etc. It all checked out good structurally, but it had the original plugs, wires, cap and rotors! Engines tested out fine, it ran decent even with the lack of tune ups, needed some things fixed, drives serviced, etc. But in the end I got a smoking deal on a terrific boat. But it's something that appeared JUST sketchy enough to pass up, even for the price. Fingers crossed, so far, so good!

One thing I will also tell you is, within reason, listen to your mechanic! Or if you think something sounds fishy, just pop on here and ask! These are not cars. The "suggested" service items they try to jam you with at Jiffy Lube or a dealer like transmission fluid changes, radiator flushes, etc. are usually not critical items. On the other hand, replacing sea pump impellers, getting your drives pulled/serviced/aligned, frequent oil changes, etc are a borderline MUST on a yearly basis!! So if it bugs you to pay for maintenance items (or you blow them off) on your car...then it's going to really turn you off when it's many hundreds of dollars to fix things that aren't broken on a boat. Twin Engines = Twice as much...for future reference. This is on a NEWER boat. Get an older boat and you'll have all that plus all the other little crap that pops up. By buying a newer boat for my first go around it gave me the chance to learn how to do a lot of the service things myself and not get overwhelmed with multiple gremlins or issues. Then when I bought the Baja I knew I could do a lot of the little things that it needed myself, but would leave the shifter cables, drive service and a broken bolt extraction to my mechanic...as I don't have a trailer and the boat stays on a lift.

Good luck! Let us know what you get!!

ajnoe3

knockld, you're right about the legacy motors on some of the 2001.

Even so, I would be concerned about the motor not being as powerful as advertised and would do as they are saying and have it looked over by a mechanic and listen to what he says.

GL@PBC

The boat could have been built in 2000. The 496s were a mid year release as far as model year goes. A lot of manufacturers stocked up on old motors due to production schedules being off the charts back then too.