Hammer vs outlaw 20
 

Which would you buy:

2005 baja outlaw 20 5.0L 160 hours

Or

2001 Baja Hammer 454 7.4L MPI used in saltwater (kept in dry stack) with 192 hours.



Any thoughts?

hi I had a 1999 hammer with the 454mag in it was truly a great boat I think looks wise the hammer is way nicer hands down.Mine had full glass interior nice for clean up not sure if the 05 outlaw is wood or glass I would assume being an 05 it is but if it isn't definitely something to consider.stock form on gps it ran consistant 73mph and handled very nicely.another option is the h2x same design as the hammer a tad longer with a few more features like a cabin door one thing I really would have liked on the hammer.actually that was the reason I sold it.we wanted something we could over night in.and sleeping with mosquitos just wasn't for me.but I do miss that boat.ran it for 3 years regular maintenance and problem free.never had a 20 outlaw so I cant say how they ride.though I do have a 1996 24 outlaw that is a project boat that I am in the middle of.

I do like the H2x boat, found two different ones not far from me but neither have trailers which make that kinda tough. Definitely going to stick with fuel injected so that one hammer is out but the outlaw 20 may still be a contender!

Where you boat has to factor in your decision. I think the 20 outlaws look really good, and a 05 with the 5.0 would likely be trouble free and are actually pretty fast, like mid 60s fast. But if you boat anywhere that the water is rough it will try to kill you. I have some friend that have one and they where all injured pretty seriously on a large lake hitting a wake. I have ridden in it and it is rough. Fun but rough

Yikes yeah that is the one thing that worries me as I do boat on a fairly large lake here in ga. How big is the lake they were running in? What about a hammer that has been used in saltwater the last couple years? Found a great looking one, 454 mpi kept in dry stack. Although won't the hammer ride about the same as the outlaw 20 in the rough lake chop?

The Hammer and 20 Outlaw are going to ride nearly the same. Not enough of a difference to give either an advantage.

Between the two you mentioned, the 20 Outlaw with the 5.0MPI. Now if the Hammer had a 454MPI, I'd recommend the Hammer over the 20 Outlaw. I went through the same decision years ago and chose a 2006 20 Outlaw with a 5.0MPI. The fuel economy with the right prop was amazing and you could run flat out for a long time reliably. I actually took mine on poker runs and ran it in 1-2 footers. It aired out nicely and was very forgiving on re-entry. You have to be on your game on the throttle though if your running hard in some chop. The boat has enough mid-range punch to adjust the boat's attitude going over waves quickly but being lazy on the throttle will get you a rougher ride or worse.

Thanks yall for all the input. Well now its between this Baja outlaw 20 freshwater, and an 01 hammer 7.4L MPI that's been in saltwater (dry stacked) the last 3 years and freshwater before that. Any thoughts? Really like the hammer but worried with it being in the gulf saltwater that I will have to replace a bunch of stuff right after I get it. Gonna have it checked out, compression test and stuff. Any advice between the two now?

Appreciate it!

If that hammer had a big block I would say hammer. Since it does not, i'll say 20 outlaw.

Yeah the hammer has 454 7.4L MPI, early 2000 model, but it's been in saltwater, dry stacked. Owner said he has had the boat about 3 years, and never replaced the manifolds or risers, not sure but isn't that pretty pricey if I end up having to do that? The outlaw 20 freshwater is starting to sound a little better. Is the outlaw 20 cuddy big enough to crawl in and sleep if it was padded?

We had a 2003 20 outlaw new and it really was a nice little boat, ran pretty hard on our small lakes and was so easy on gas. You could lay down up front, if you put a cushion all the way across and supported it in the middle there should be plenty of room, but it's going to be a little tight height wise.

The 20 is a blast, never driven or been in a hammer so i cant comment on them. The 20 is a boat that has to be driven, it needs constant attention, not a boat you can just throw the throttles forward and sit back and point the bow, but thats half the fun right! I would recommend adding tabs if it doesn't already have and you decide to purchase, it gave me more control over the boat and totally changed the ride in rough water !

Only downfall I think is that you will quickly outgrow it, if possible and in budget I would look at a 25OL, not a huge boat but it has a nice birth, drop out bolsters 24deg dead rise and is something you won't grow out of as quickly or if ever ! Just my opinion...

Best of luck on your search, I'm sure you will be happy with whatever you end up with.

Thanks for all the responses! Looks like I'm going with the outlaw 20, hopefully picking up this weekend if all checks out. Curious though, has anyone who had one made some custom cushions to fit in the storage up front? I was thinking just if I get caught in a heavy downpour (happens a lot in the south summer) I could climb in a chill until storm goes thru.

I never did it but saw pictures of it done and was pretty slick- I'll see if I can find them and I'll post them up !!

Good luck with the new boat !!

That would be great thanks RW! So can you actually craw into the storage space like on the hammer if there is padding in there?

You can but it is a bit tight - my daughter and her friend would stay down there the whole time !!

Is it much smaller than the hammer crawl space? Could an adult climb in and at least lay down?

Err, I could swear the original post said the hammer had a 350 mag. I recant my previous statement. I'd rather have the hammer with the big block. Ideally though i'd prefer something with 24 degrees of deadrise over either.

It did Crossett, the hammer I was comparing now has 7.4L 454MPI but has been used in saltwater last 3 years. So wasn't sure if that counts it out or not. Good looking boat otherwise, except it does have one of the trim tabs broke off, like the plate piece, the rest is still connected to boat so don't think there would be any water intrusion.

In a pinch you could get a few adults under there but it's not going to be comfortable. Two adults could easily lay down in the 20OL if need be just to get out of the rain. I had an 08 20OL and on a few different occasions bad weather set in and 4 of us would get in there out of the rain.