Re: why all the Baja questions???
 

From a total noob
<------

I am interested in a Baja24-29 for this reason. Financially I would not even be able to consider any of the "big dogs" but with a solid plan I can have the cash to buy a used Baja by this time next year. They are sharp looking boats, and I do not plan on running in any major heavy seas. For me it will be cruising up and down the gulf and tampa bay.

just my $.02

Re: why all the Baja questions???
 

is it possible for a 22 to be in those conditions? i sure wouldnt do it...

Re: why all the Baja questions???
 

Not saying anything, just using that as an example.

Re: why all the Baja questions???
 

Point, and Counterpoint.

Re: why all the Baja questions???
 

I have run the Ocean, The Gulf and Lake Erie....Erie is nothing to sneeze at !...Short,steep,confused..It will make you wonder what the h*ll am i doing out here ?!...
Funny thing..when-ever I am out in bad Erie water I still see Bajas out there running. Not sure what that means tho... :D

Re: why all the Baja questions???
 

This, is then the PERFECT boat for you.
Something to get you started on the water (or maybe you have experience (?)), relatively inexpensive, and a chance to learn for a few years about what you like and don't like about the boat. You'll still look good docking up at the restaurant and impress your friends (if that's your thing). Baja was a good entry level for me. It taught me alot.
I don't have the scratch to run with the big dog's either, but I know I know what I can afford, and I'm holding out for the type of boat I like to run. In the meantime I'll just keep mooching rides...
It's a good boat, it's just not what I'm after next time around
:D

Re: why all the Baja questions???
 

I have a small center console (cheap with less than 5K invested, and nothing fast - about 45mph), and I grew up boating in Jax, FL and Seattle, WA. I have a fairly good idea of what I want. I do feel that it is a great option. I keep seeing 24-25 Outlaw SSTs for about 30-35K which is my goal.

Re: why all the Baja questions???
 

The factory must be close by! :drink:

Re: why all the Baja questions???
 

Depends on the 22, I ran my Whaler cuddy in stuff like that and have no problem doing it again if I still had it............


My old neighbors recently sold their 32 Baja that they owned since 1985. My Dad had just sold our Silverline 19' cuddy and I was trying to talk him into either a Baja or Donzi 22 classic and he saw the Whaler and bought it!!!! I took over the Whaler but secretly wished it was at least the Baja......... :cool:

Re: why all the Baja questions???
 

Rg3, know what ya mean, seen some pretty nasty stuff on the east end of lake ontario, wouldn't want to be in any boat when its over 4'. been stuck coming across our bay 4-6's and it seems like an eternity, comes up fast and seems like out of nowhere sometimes. try to be sittin on the porch watchin the spray hit the windows when its like that :drink:

Re: why all the Baja questions???
 

I own a 272 baja with big power,the boats general original rigging was very poorly done and I had countless problems with parts literally falling off the boat. I fixed the majority of the flaws though,overall the boat has a pretty solid hull for being a mediocre production boat.After close to 400 hours I have virtually no stress cracks in the boat and I have been out in crap that I shouldn't have been in pounding on the boat.As far as rough water handling,these smaller Bajas suck,I laugh when guys try to tell me they are out going 60 mph in TRUE 3-5 footers. When my boat was brand new and still stock I took it out in the bay in 4-6's that turned into 6-8' that turned into 8-10's. All I could do was run the motor at 2200 rpm's and keep the nose way up and hope the dam thing kept running or I would have been dead. True 2-3's pound the boat like its going to come apart,its obviuos this thing is just a lake boat but I have had it up on top in 4 foot rollers before,that was fun except when you slam the rogue wave and get catapulted into oblivion. Overall I hated this boat the first few years I had it but I have grown to like it and accepted its limitations,Smitty

Re: why all the Baja questions???
 

Have you thought about putting k planes on your 272. out here in the ocean I went from bennets tabs I ripped them off 2 times in the first season I owned the boat. Then I went to 280s k planes for 15yrs now have the 380s k planes I wish I had them along time ago. you can run 60 in 3 footers with the right tab. thats 280 or 380.

Re: why all the Baja questions???
 

Lucky Devil go with a 25 OL WITH K PLANES THATS THE HOT SET UP The 25ol has a full bulkhead at the dash, where the 24ol don't they have panel's screwed in :eek: THATS WHY I am putting in full ones in front of the motor and dash and a ring one in the cabin area to stiffen up the boat the hull is a great ride. and like I said before I have seen stress cracks in alot of boats fountian,cig, formula and others.

Re: why all the Baja questions???
 

I want to know how you guys measure waves because true 4'-6' waves are no fun no matter what you have.

And yeah, 2'-3's will pound a 272...been there done that.

Re: why all the Baja questions???
 

Find it to be a complicated formula that varies quite dramatically :rolleyes: :D Some pics of solid 10 footers on Lake Mi. and a pic from few weeks ago of 410 Dancer that bailed out in 7's before the lake laid down.

Re: why all the Baja questions???
 

See a lot of Baja's out on lake mi. The old 240 Sports were like tanks.

Re: why all the Baja questions???
 

Honestly - waves are measured from a horizontal line that is mid way between the crest and the trough (consider it the natural "level ground"), a 3' wave has a difference of 6' between crest and trough - 3' higher than level, and 3' lower than level. The "wave" is only 3', but the trough is also 3' - meaning, if you launch off a 3' wave, you have 6' of air below you - before you crash into the next one.

You're right, true 4-6's aren't a lot of fun.

Re: why all the Baja questions???
 

Below is your answer.......
""
Honestly - waves are measured from a horizontal line that is mid way between the crest and the trough (consider it the natural "level ground"), a 3' wave has a difference of 6' between crest and trough - 3' higher than level, and 3' lower than level. The "wave" is only 3', but the trough is also 3' - meaning, if you launch off a 3' wave, you have 6' of air below you - before you crash into the next one.""...bouyhunter

See now it's clear, you have to take what they say and divide by two. :D :evilb:

Re: why all the Baja questions???
 

Gotcha Casino, Thats what i thought, because i've been out in what i consider 3 to 5's and got my azz beat all over the place. I guess it's kind of like the big fish theory, next year, they will be 10 to 12's and the boat will be a 18 footer with a water skier behind it ............

Re: why all the Baja questions???
 

So .. based on this post and casinorunners math ... you really were only in 1s to 3s? :D

Re: why all the Baja questions???
 

so now the Baja questions have been changed to waves? Maybe thats the reason Baja had that coke can wave on the sides of them for all those years :rolleyes:

Re: why all the Baja questions???
 

Arctic nailed it ... set your expectations properly and you'll be happy with your Baja. It isn't a Cigarette or an Outerlimits or even an Apache resin bucket (kidding, kidding, kidding, just having a moment of fun), but it costs a whole less.

We all know new boat prices are out of hand. Think of the two or three white-hot European sports cars you could have in your garage for the price of one high end Skater.

Within the context of crazy new boat prices, a Baja presents good dollar value. But you should adjust your expectations for the conditions you'll be running in, and use discretion accordingly. At least if you want a production boat, any production boat, to last.

Re: why all the Baja questions???
 

Whats up RG? :D See you in OC next year??? :drink:

One way and an accurate way, we "East Coast" / Atlantic Ocean boaters determine the water conditions besides using our judgment is by clicking the link below and then clicking on our area.

http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/marine/atlantic.htm

People have posted in the past "rough water" conditions but with no concrete evidence to support the so called run. Next time someone posts that they are out in 10 plus footers with heavy winds and traveled several miles ..etc.... I wish they would just post the daily weather report. Too many on here posting that they run in these crazy conditions. I worry that a new boater reading this may think it's the norm and get them-self killed. I usually wouldn't respond to this kind of stuff but now that the formula (math) has been posted I realize it was just a misunderstanding. :cool:

Way to go, all you 10 -16 ft wave /40 mph wind boaters that have to make a figure 8 just to jump your own wake for fun. You have no idea how violent the sea could be!!! Luckily we have Capo on this site to get his crew to save your azz... :D

Re: why all the Baja questions???
 

Sorry, didnt mean to get off topic.

Re: why all the Baja questions???
 

take the topic anywhere you want, thats what this is all about. all I wanted was some opions on why all the sudden people are compareing Bajas to everything else. Now it seems that compareing wierd s##t to even wierder s##t has taken hold, so be it :eek: P.S. I"m not real fond of Bajas myself :rolleyes:

Re: why all the Baja questions???
 

Hey Darlin! You know Ill be there :drink:

I understand what your sayin .. Ive never seen 10s and 12s and certainly wouldnt go out in a 22 foot anything in such water but I do know idiots who have... but they do lots of other things I wouldnt do either :p

We use the national weather service to determine the waves .... I suck at judging size (hehe) ... BUT I also hate people who have never been on the Great Lakes sayin we dont have big water. I would never call bull**** on what somebody says if I wasnt there to say I saw different. But .. maybe thats just me .... :drink:

Re: why all the Baja questions???
 

RG- the ones that say we don't have big water up here in the great lakes don't know big water. I have never been on Erie but I have spent time on Onterio and have had the stuff scared out of me to where I do my best to stay off it if I can. it can be like glass on min and the next its HUGE the dam things sucks up 200ft ships, bang and they are gone!!! :eek:

Re: why all the Baja questions???
 

Wave height is defined by NOAA as: "Vertical distance between a wave crest and the adjacent wave trough."
No more complicated than that.

True 3-5 chop (not swells) is tough for most boats.

Re: why all the Baja questions???
 

I felt I was quite honest in my assessment of how my 272 Baja handled waves-like I said true 2-3 footers beat the crap out of you,true 3-5's your either at a high idle dodging waves or parts are falling off the boat and you are careening out of control. And like I said, I have been out in 8-10's,I left in 4-6's though and started out trying to run the troughs but had water coming over the bow and windshield every time we hit a wave.We came around one of the big points in our bay after struggling for a hour and a half to get 10 miles over to the channel to the river and there were walls of water 8-10 feet high,they were spread out real far apart.Every time we climbed one boat would labor and climb it then go down the other side and all you could see was a wall of water coming 4 times higher than the boat. My wife thought it was fun,all I was thinking was I hope motor doesn't quit or we would have gotten swamped and died,not something I will ever do again in any boat on purpose. Every time some tries to tell me they were in 4-6 footers in their 25 or 27 foot v-hull cruising along at 50 or 60 mph I have to laugh,Smitty

Re: why all the Baja questions???
 

That's exactly the point I'm trying to make. You hit it right there.

I don't know how this turned into a discusision on wave heights, but it's still all fun.

Re: why all the Baja questions???
 

I think he is looking for some reaction so I will start








































YOUR AN IDIOT

Re: why all the Baja questions???
 

Il guess Il just bring up the Eastside poker run from a few years ago....Erie was cranking solid 6's (no I didnt get the yardstick out to measure I was too busy throtteling).

out of a hundred some odd boats including formulas, MTI's, Scarabs, Superboats, Fountains, Outerlimits...ect. ect...most all of them OSO members. the following boats made the entire run:

Myself (28 Cig)
Roger Cambell (36 Apache)
Brad Geller (32 Baja)
Scott Kramer (35 Cig)
Dave Leonhart (29 Baja)
Tim Raddigan (23 Baja)

.....nuff said!



-Thrill

Re: why all the Baja questions???
 

Baja does it for me..............I'll run the 405 OR the 302 in 4-6 footers any day on Erie. It's all about who's drivin' and how much "fun" they want to have.................... :evilb: The water in Sandusky bay is usually a better choice during a wicked Nor' Easter though!! :eek:

Re: why all the Baja questions???
 

Didn't your momma ever teach you if you dont have something nice to say, don't say anything at all?

Baja's dont suck. They are actually really nice boats and even nicer for the price. They are well built and hold together well.

Re: why all the Baja questions???
 

I'l assume that your joking. :drink:




If not, how many different models have you driven or even ridden in to qualify to make that statement?

-Thrill

Re: why all the Baja questions???
 

MAN!!!! all I started this for was an answer to why all the compairing going on lately it just seemed odd to me. I guess we learned alot of other stuff :rolleyes:

Re: why all the Baja questions???
 

cosmic12,

Couldn't begin to guess why Baja comparisons are being done "lately," but in general a Baja presents a good baseline for comparison. Lots of them out, decent performance and reasonable quality (generally speaking) for the price.

Think of of a Baja as a Toyota Camry, not the greatest car you'll ever drive but a true value and very, very popular. If someone says, "Hey, my new Porsche doesn't drive a whole lot better than my old Camry," you know he either bought a lemon or his totally insane.

Thisistank said it a lot better than I did. As for guy who said Baja "sucks," he's entitled to his uninformed opinion.

Re: why all the Baja questions???
 

Thats yours in the current magazine, correct?

Re: why all the Baja questions???
 

Thursday
West winds to 30 knots. Mostly cloudy with a chance of rain showers. Waves 6 to 9 feet. See Lake Erie Open Lakes forecast for Friday through Sunday. The water temperature off Toledo is 58 degrees...off Cleveland 62 degrees and off Erie 61 degrees.

Re: why all the Baja questions???
 

It amazes me that there is all this bashing of Baja's and probably half these people have never either been in one nor can afford one. I am on my third Baja and I have a 2003 442. While it is not the fastest boat, nor the most expensive boat, or best built boat as mentioned many times on this website, I have hung with Nortechs, Fountains and Hustlers in rough water in numerous Poker Runs. My Baja's have been to the Bahamas and Keys and brought me home safely many times and I have not had to rebuild them after each run. I can afford to buy the others but elect not to as I also have other hobbies and want to spend on those also. I believe Baja builds a great boat for the money and would consider them again except they do not build anything bigger than what I already have. Each manufacturer is looking for their niche in the market and profitability is a major player in that decision. I am comfortable with my purchase and I live in a environment that allows me to operate year round without putting a dent in the wallet which creates peace of mind for me! Dollar for dollar they build one hell of a boat!