Re: Baja 30OL or Sunsation32SS
 

I cannot comment about the ride of the 32 SS but, between my old baja and my 288. The Baja rode better and handled a bit better, the layout of the cockpit and cabin door were cleaner and a better fit, it was slower and didn't have any wood in the layup that I could find. The sunsation is most definitely faster, has some carpeted wood in the construction that I am not thrilled about,, and the notch, pad and step that make it faster also make it ride rougher than the baja would. cockpit comfort and room were about equal cabin in the sun is alot nicer.

Re: Baja 30OL or Sunsation32SS
 

Unsane.... nope.... my buddy just bought that boat from Hideaway. He ran it for the first time that weekend in Jax. I was his rope biotch for the run. Like I said earlier... I was very impressed with that boat.

Re: Baja 30OL or Sunsation32SS
 

I am sure i will use this quote :D ....in the near future... :evilb:
Best Regard's

Re: Baja 30OL or Sunsation32SS
 

I've had 4 of them ( from 91' to 02') if that's the case, you'd
think that I'd have gotten at least one of them( the junkers :rolleyes: )......not the case here.

I drove a 30 OL last month, liked everything about it
except for engine access.....it's tight.....when you
do your own work on your stuff, these things matter.

Drive them both, pick the one that suits YOU.

Re: Baja 30OL or Sunsation32SS
 

Hi Chris........What size of Baja did you have? I had a 25OL with a 502. I'm not real sure either what the difference in ride between yours and the 32SS will be......I leave in the morning to fly down there (going to a dealer since my visit dates didn't work with the factory and vise versa) so hopefully by Wednesday night I'll be a little more educated on the Sunsation!!........and with any luck, have my delivery date confirmed........gotta tell ya, I'm gettin excited about it!! What kind of power do you have in your Sunsation and are you happy with it overall? Talk again in a few days.

JaayTeee.......I'll let you know what ride I like the best on Thursday or Friday. Thanks for your input.

Re: Baja 30OL or Sunsation32SS
 

The 288 and 32 Dominator are TOTALY different boats than the 32SS. The 32SS has a completely different hull.

JaayTeee.... 4 of them?!?!?!? Man...your stuck in a rut..... ;)

Re: Baja 30OL or Sunsation32SS
 

I would have bought another Baja in a heart beat,, just wanted something different... I had the 232 and for it's size it handled bigger water pretty well, I test drove a 275 and liked the ride, handling, cockpit, cabin was sparse and not as nice as the 288... We visited the factory before we ordered ours and like I said, they use carpeted wood in places that I was not too thrilled aobut, after 2 seasons and about 110 hours, I dont have any complaints except the ride is a bit rough in the chop where as the 275 was a bit smoother. Customer service at sunsation is top notch, you can call anytime and speak w/ the owners. great bunch of guys, were a pleasure to deal with.

Re: Baja 30OL or Sunsation32SS
 

Don't jump the gun too fast Dun Canoen, If you live beyond a certain distance from a Sunsation dealer, you can buy Factory direct and save some $$. I saved close to $20,000 but I lived more than 300 Miles from the closes dealer. Good luck. :drink:

Re: Baja 30OL or Sunsation32SS
 

If you work hard for your money and you want your moneys worth their is one choice. SUNSATION....... :drink:

Re: Baja 30OL or Sunsation32SS
 

Sorry but being a past owner of BOTH, I have to say 1 more time



SUNSATION :D

Re: Baja 30OL or Sunsation32SS
 

Wada ya gonna do ?......You buy something,
it treats you right.....time to move up.....
you like the product.....the dealer treats you right
.......you buy it again :drink:
( not to say I haven't had engine or drive problems,
...thats not the boats fault)

Re: Baja 30OL or Sunsation32SS
 

First off welcome to the board. Glad to have you on here, there are a lot of great people here and there is a lot of boating knowledge to pull from.

You are where we all like to be, “Shopping for a NEW boat”. Enjoy the experience and pick what fits your personal needs best to give you and your family the most enjoyment.

Personally I have never met a boat that I did not like. I only have two friends with Sunsations and they both like them. There was a dealer for them on Lake Norman a couple of years back and he could not make a go of it. There is just no brand recognition for Sunsation in this area.

On OSO and many of the other forums everyone has an opinion and that is what you get more often then actual facts. There are a lot of folks that like to bash Baja and many of them I have found do it just because they think it moves their brand up a notch to bash another and they seem to think that it is politically correct to do so.

I can tell you first hand that Baja builds a good boat. We have owned three, a 1999 Baja 212 Islander with 454, a 2001 Baja 272 w/ 502 Mag and a 202 Baja 36 Outlaw with 500 EFI’s. We stayed with the brand because we like the styling, the price was right, the ride quality is excellent and we have received very good service from the dealer and factory.

We have friends with almost EVERY Baja model including the 20 Outlaw, 212 Islander, 232, 272, 275, 29 Outlaw, 30 Outlaw, 33 Outlaw and 38 Special.

I love boating and we get around. The 36 was ordered new and we have 360 hours on it, and over 40,000 miles on our trailer towing from Lake Cumberland, to Lake Travis to Key West. My boat has been to Florida over 15 times and has run in 20 Poker runs to date.

My point is that we have met a LOT of very happy, very satisfied Baja owners. The brand is well known and there is a large dealer network across the country, and personally I have not ever had any major problems with any of the boats we have owned.

We did the Lake Travis Ski Dock “Baja” poker run this last April, and there were over 80 Baja’s there and a lot of very happy and proud owners.

I have driven the 30 Outlaw myself and also the new 35 Outlaw. All I can say is WOW. These are two awesome boats and now you have the Baja 23 and the all new 26 Outlaw made the same way with a liner construction and wind tunnel tested. Baja has spent a lot of R & D and their new products show it. I know three people with 30’s and they love them. It is a real sweet boat. Baja just delivered a new 30 in Tennessee with 600 SC’s and it is way fast.

We drove Baja’s new Poker Run 35 Outlaw “Poker Face” in Jacksonville weekend before last and it GPS’d at 89 MPH on the St. Johns with stock 525s and four people at 90+ degrees outside. The fit and finish are great and the boat is rock solid.

As one guy mentioned you cannot talk to the owner of Baja, but I have found that the National Sales Manager, and many others at Baja from Customer service to engineering are very easy to contact and have been helpful in everyway that I have needed.

Recently a friend bought a used 302 that had a damaged sunpad. The graphic’s pattern has been discontinued do to the age of the boat. He asked me if I could help and one phone call later Baja was pulling the old patterns on file and were cutting the material for him to repair his sunpad back to original. That is what ALL manufactures should do to take care of all customers. Too many don’t, and I can give you an example of a friend that sold a Baja 36 Outlaw for a 36 Eliminator and you would not believe the problems he is having. His boat is back in California for the second time and he is missing a big part of this boating season AGAIN. And I will not post on here what the owner of that company told him when he called to see why his boat was not back as promised! I assure you no one at Baja would talk to you like this guy did my friend who spent a lot more money then I did.

Baja has a presence at the docks. I have been told this more then once, they look good. There is not a better riding boat, they handle well and they are as safe as boats come.

Most builders owe Baja a big thank you for building a full line of boats from 20 feet up that attract new people to the sport. I promise you can have just as much fun in a Baja as any other brand. They have their own Magazine that show cases the owners and models, the Poker Run tour is awesome with factory support, free shirts, hats, etc. I have found them to be a really good company and they are definitely a company on the move in the right direction. We have enjoyed visiting and getting to know many of the Baja folks at Miami for the last few years and I can tell you that they are easy to talk with and really go out of their way to let you know they appreciate you as a customer.

As for the term “Production Boat”, well I really do not see a problem with that. Boats are all made basically the same way, using the same materials. Baja does have a huge part of the market share and with the new line up that will increase I’m sure. I have been to the factory and it is very impressive to see 25 boats in molds at once, to see the upholstery shop that builds all the interior including the complete frame for their popular Aero Bolters in house. The people in this department only do one thing and they are good at it. All the materials and other components are cut via computer. The entire plant is J.I.T. (Just In Time) to be the most efficient. The electrical department is incredible with trained and skilled workers that only do one thing, Wiring Harness’s. It is impressive to enter the main assembly area where they are rigging engines and drives and putting the top decks on. When we were there I spoke to at least 50 people and they love their jobs, they are proud of the product they are building and each person is skilled at the job he /she is in charge of doing. I see many advantages to what some refer to as a production built boat.

Why do they build so many brands, colors and type of boats? Because there is not one perfect boat that does everything for everyone. Go drive the ones that best suit your needs and decide which you like best.

Good luck and Happy Boating.

Doc

P.S. Sorry for being so long winded

Re: Baja 30OL or Sunsation32SS
 

Baja Alton Blakely House Boat at Lake Cumberland. Great customer appreciation in my opinion.

Free food, beer, shirts, etc.

A picture of last years 40 OL Poker Run Boat and also our 36 next to the new Baja 405 sport cruiser.

Re: Baja 30OL or Sunsation32SS
 

The 30OL and the 32SS are both relatively new boats. I think it will take a while for their following to grow.

Have you taken a look at a 31 Sonic?

Have you investigated the 33 Active Thunder? The 32 Active Thunder is/was a fantastic boat. Active Thunder recently mini-ed the 37AVH into the 33AVH and its definately a radical boat. There is a lot of info in the Active Thunder forum.

Re: Baja 30OL or Sunsation32SS
 

Get the Sunsation, you will not be disappointed. I love mine!
Oh and go for the blue motors :drink:

Re: Baja 30OL or Sunsation32SS
 

The Baja 30 OL is entering it's third season now. A lot of research dollars went into this boat to make it lighter overall, stronger where needed and faster. Amazing what they learned with the wind tunnel testing.

It is the boat that leads the way for the all new Outlaw series including the 23, new 26, new 35 and the replacement for the 40 coming next year from what I understand.

Re: Baja 30OL or Sunsation32SS
 

My understanding is this is not a policy. Might have happened in the past, but I think they are selling exclusively through the dealers now. This does not imply you cannot get a great deal through a dealer, but I think the factory would probably have you go through one of them.

Re: Baja 30OL or Sunsation32SS
 

[QUOTE=Sydwayz]

Have you taken a look at a 31 Sonic?[QUOTE]

Good point, if I were in you position, I would look hard for a 31 Sonic. Big cabin, very safe hull. Not the quickest, but built well! We use to have a 28 Sonic. Kinda old school design, compared to the other two you are looking at.

Re: Baja 30OL or Sunsation32SS
 

At Lake travis a 30 Outlaw ran 81.2 MPH on a hand held GPS with 496HO's.

They had some real trick props borrowed from Hawkeye Marine.

The following pictures are from a 30 with 525's.

I hear the one just delivered in Tennessee with 600 SC's is a hand full.

Re: Baja 30OL or Sunsation32SS
 

Sweet

Re: Baja 30OL or Sunsation32SS
 

Here are some pictures of my Buddy Raymonds Sunsation when he had it. He tried to be a dealer, but it did not work out for him.

That's my wife checking out the cuddy.

Pretty trick boat, but was set up to run faster then the hull could handle. Boat was not stable at speed and they added spacers in the drives to lower the "X" dimension.

Re: Baja 30OL or Sunsation32SS
 

I've always wanted to drive an Innovator.

Re: Baja 30OL or Sunsation32SS
 

It was awesome, but the SS is pretty much the same. Just a little less technology. It does ride differently than your pad bottom.

Re: Baja 30OL or Sunsation32SS
 

Dock,

Keep in mind the Innovator was a limited production boat (I think 9 were made) and the SS in its first year has been more popular. The Baja line is still a fine machine but is a me too boat whereas a Sunsation due to lower production is still a rare boat.

The company is family owned and has been in operation since 1982 (keep in mind Fountain was started in 1979) so they have an excellent track record as far as customer service and owner satisfaction.
Once this guy calls the factory and speaks with Joe he will be joining the Sunsation family. I bought my 32 sight unseen (it was new) and wrote the check without even riding in one and have been 200% thrilled with my purchase!
I was not actually considering a Baja but a new 35 Executioner was the other boat I was considering. Fountain was faster but I thought it was too old looking with the Executioner windshield and dash layout.

Re: Baja 30OL or Sunsation32SS
 

Whats the price difference in the two boats?

Re: Baja 30OL or Sunsation32SS
 

Sunsation hands down!!!

Once you spend some time in one you will know why.

Tell Joe I said hello.. :)

Jack

Re: Baja 30OL or Sunsation32SS
 

I usually do not get involved in these price questions - but can't resist. I bet I can find a 10 - 20K difference in price just across dealers of the same boat.

My point is this is a very hard question to answer since it assumes that the price you got from a dealer is what you can buy the boat for across all dealers.

Re: Baja 30OL or Sunsation32SS
 

I would go with the Baja over Sunation.

Not a fan of manufacturers who sugar coat their boats length with an integrated swim plattform. The cuddy in the Outlaw is larger. Finally you have the security of a straight bottom. There are "spun out" pics of a Sunsation floating around here.

Re: Baja 30OL or Sunsation32SS
 

Without question..... SUNSATION
I am in my 2nd Sunsation and I am hear to tell you that the service after sell is THE BEST in any line of product I have ever owned. Right now I have a 32SS with 525's. I've had it since Mar and already there is 72hrs on the motors. Been to 6 Poker Runs this year alone. The boat is awesome and the service is even better.
My top speed was at the Tickfaw 200 in LA in early May. GPS Speedo should 95mph. This weekend the baot was running 91.3 with 7 people and fuel. :drink: :D

Re: Baja 30OL or Sunsation32SS
 

There are also pictures of MANY other boats (Cig's) on here as well. Place the drivers names on this site, not the builders.

Re: Baja 30OL or Sunsation32SS
 

Plus... Don't you have to flip up the dash for get in the cuddy or something? A bit much. IMO

Re: Baja 30OL or Sunsation32SS
 

A gentleman asked for opinions between the 30 outlaw and the 32 ss. Simply stating my opinion. I don't see any other manufacurers in question? Do you?

Re: Baja 30OL or Sunsation32SS
 

First, there are three 32' Sunsation Models to choose from.
32 Dominator
32 Innovator
32 SS

Dominator has been around for a long time.
Innovator has the flip up dash, and with a standup/Gladiator type cockpit layout with some radical dash innovations.
SS has a DEEP hull and HUGE cabin.

I have been on a 30' Outlaw, but not in the cabin. However, judging from the pics of the 30' Outlaw's cockpit to cabin ratio of how the deck is laid out, I can't possibly see how the cabin of the 30' Outlaw is bigger than the 32 SS. The cabin on the 32 SS Sunsation is makes it feel like quite a big boat; almost a 35.

And the spun out 32' Sunsation was done so when it was damn near still winter, and there was alcohol involved, and they were in quite shallow water; looked to be 3 feet or less.

Re: Baja 30OL or Sunsation32SS
 

DPT, that flip up dash is only on Innovators (of whick only 9 were built). They build 70-90 boats a year and the SS has a standard cabin entry.

Mike's comment was in response to your note that several boats flipped and Mike thought that was more driver error than manufacturing. Also see the pic from the Philly Poker run last weekend when a guy knocked the nose off an Outlaw. Would it be fair to say that Baja just fell apart even though the driver hit a piling or something?

Re: Baja 30OL or Sunsation32SS
 

damn Philly had a poker run last weekend? :(

Re: Baja 30OL or Sunsation32SS
 

My mistake... I had the inovator confused with the ss with regaqrd to the flip up dash.

Please point out my "note" that says "several boats flipped".

Nine times out of ten accidents with step hull boats regardless of manufacturer are driver error. Bottom line... They aren't as stable as a straight hull. Very simple point I was making. Straight hull is safer than step. That is my opinion... Also a fact.

Re: Baja 30OL or Sunsation32SS
 

Thats cool, I wasn't arguing just trying to clear things up.

2 Sunsations have gone down in recent news. One was in Texas (Clear Lake, I believe) when a guy jumped a tug boat wake in a non stepped 32 Dominator and landed on the side of the boat. Several people on OSO commented on dangers of tug boat wakes. The second boat was a stepped bottom that flipped at a high rate of speed in 3 ft of water.
Bad things can happen to good boats.................. :drink:

Re: Baja 30OL or Sunsation32SS
 

I have no ax to grind about Sunsation. They make a nice boat.

For me I would never own a boat that cheats (IMO) the consumer by including a built swim plattform in the length. I really think thats bull$hit. Again, just my .02.

I have owned a Baja and would buy one 20 times over. A good friend owns a 30 with Mags and that thing runs like crazy... Best of luck.

Re: Baja 30OL or Sunsation32SS
 

Baja does the "length cheat" on several of their models, both past and present.

A 38 Top Gun is only 37' 6" long.
A 42 Tiger is only 41' 7" long.
A 46 RR is only 45' 7" long.
(And yes, I know some of the other Cigarette models are longer than advertised.)

So if a manufacturer cheats this or that in a model number, who cares? I guess I'd rather pay for a molded in platform rather than 5-6" of nothing.

And for the record, I know my 37' Active Thunder is not quite 37' long either. I applaud the newby, Dun (thread starter) for knowing exactly what he was looking into as far as boat sizes. I will admit that I didn't know all about this stuff when I started years ago.

Re: Baja 30OL or Sunsation32SS
 

Your talking 3, 4 inches there... Definately a round up.

I'm talking about a 2 FOOT lack of running surface, 2' +, THAT ISN'T TOUCHING THE WATER! That is simply making the boat sound bigger than it is.