Baja Boats
 

How do you offshore guys feel about the Baja Boats ....looking at Bajas ...SST and Outlaw and have heard through the grapevine that the boat is of low quaility ???Any thoughts ???

I think the people who never owned one like to bash them, but the people who have owned them pretty much say they are good boats for what you pay for. They are not custom so you will see a lot of the same looking ones around. I like to think of them as the Mustang of boats. Not going to be the fastest, best performing, most options, etc but for how much you are spending compared to the other guys its a nice package.

:poopoo:
Someone get the
:food-smiley-007:

Baja Boats
 

Ive owned 4 Outlaws over the Years and they are great Boats for the Money and have a good resale.I call them a poor mans Cigarette!!If you get an Outlaw series you should be more than happy with it.Good luck in what ever you decide to buy.Hank 36

I have had 3. Alot of boat for the $$$$.

not the fastest ,,,,but ride is great and the room is unequaled

I think they are great boats for the money, and yes, they have a lot of room.

I think with any boat you have to consider the target audience, how much you're paying and what you can logically expect. I have lots of friends who have owned or currently own Baja products. In my humble opinion, if you consider the price point, they're a pretty good product.

Sure, they won't take a pounding like a Skater or Cigarette or most other top tier boats, but then again, you didn't pay nearly as much money for one. From a styling standpoint, they really made a nice looking boat for about the last 10-15 years. (I really thought the earlier ones were kind of ugly.)

If you're looking at all out speed, again, they come up a bit short, but they seem to more than make up for this with a very nice ride.

I might be wrong, but I really think some of the best Bajas were built at the Fountain factory in North Carolina. Reggie does know a thing or two about construction and I think it benefitted the line - before everything went south.

One caution I'd have about buying a used one though would be to check it out carefully. Some folks expect Skater levels of construction, and beat up on them accordingly. As you might guess, they don't hold up well under abuse. ust my 2 cents.

We have had about 6 of them in our family. Everyone loved them and had no major problems.

I too have had a number of Baja's (5), and will flat out say, they are not the "best boat" made, however they are the best value for the money.

Performance is respectable, quality is good, and styling is great.

But without a doubt the best part of owning a Baja is the people you will meet and become friends with. I think your market is more of the Corvette people, not Mustang (but then again I am a Chevy guy). As in Corvettes, it has a good following, basically everywhere you go people notice them and is always a great conversation starter.

The "old" Baja company did a great job of making the boat a stepping stone type boat, ie: start with a Hammer and everytime you get 3 foot-itis they had a model for you to step into. I know this was the plan we followed. This inturn gave a very loyal customer.

When Fountain purchased the company just before the down turn in the market, I personally feel that is where Fountain missed the boat, he didn't know his buyers market. Now....

As I stated in the first paragraph, are they the best boats ever made? No, but they are a great value. Good luck in your looking.

Nothing wrong with a baja.. especially the older ones.. they were made alot better than the newer ones .. they arent the fastest but they give you a very secure and stable ride..and with the right power they run respectabl speed.

I had a 272 and a 32...wish I still had the 32.
Great boat for the coin.

Thanks
 

Thanks for all the great feedback !!!!!!!

They are decent boats and a great value. They are mainly an entry level powerboat.
SST is just an option package on Baja boats.

while i agree that baja's make a great boat for the money and provide lots of cabin space...thats where it ends for me

the quality of the hull and interior is really poor. fit and finish is lacking. the attention to detail is just not there...for me they decided to cut too many corners to hit a price point...

examples:

1. plastic cup holders
2. non-electric bolsters (springs that rust instead)
3. vinyl apohlstery in cabin
4. flimsy plastic glove compartment
5. stress cracks throughout the hull
6. cheap looking cabin lights

I picked up a 1992 260 last year that looks like it just rolled out the show room. When I take it out I have guys with very high end boats that just have to come over a ask me about it. They have nothing but great stuff to say about the 'Older" bajas.

Though I can appreciate your input, I think it is ONLY fair to point out, it depends on what model and years you are talking about with your above list. The SST package addresses the cup holders, electric bolsters (again this depends on the size and model and if they ordered the upgrade) and cabin lights., as far as vinyl in the cabin, I guess I dont understand that one, which boat manufacturer uses anything other than Vinyl??? I'll give you the glove box and the stress cracks are not universal, but really depends on how the boat was treated and taken care of. ANY boat manufacturer will have that if it is abused.

As I stated earlier, fit and finish of the Baja line is that of a "production" boat, and this was why the original price point was less money than the "custom" compitition. I will say though I may not have the fastest boat on the lake, but, when the water gets rough, I am right up and stay in the front of the pack.

My only real complaint over the years has been the quality of the cuddy materials, spacifically the cabinet doors, in my opinion the hinge assemblies were just not strong enough and the doors were made too thin or made of press board, which caused the poor quality issues. We run in rough water all the time and after a hard weekend of running we have to go back and tighten everything back down. (Takes about 10 minutes) Other than that our boat looks and runs like new. It is amazing how well a boat will last if you take care of it.

As I stated earlier, Bajas are more than just the boat, they are also the group that you meet with it and I think you will find this group VERY helpfull should you ever need help, there is actually a couple other web sites out there spacifically for Baja Owners. Good luck.

granted the bolsters are upgrades, on other boats this is a standard feature

other manufacturers use leather within the cabin instead of vinyl. to me the comparison is like buying a car with cloth seats vs. leather. the vinyl inside is unwelcoming and stale.

i tend to think bajas are notorious for gel coat cracking near the corners on the helm area...fountains have similar issues.

I've had 4 of them.
Brians ( Bajaholic) comments are spot on.

My only complaints with the boats are with the rigging.

Could be a little cleaner.

Just be careful when looking at any of the newer models with the liner hulls. (before Reggie) More then a few had issues that they went back to the factory for and some more then once.

The 25 Outlaw is one of my favorites in the Baja line-up. Nice styling, good ride. rigging and attention to detail could ahve been better for the price IMO but overall a nice 25ter

Since I served a good portion of my working life at Baja Boats, and Baja Marine from 1984 thru 2008 when the company was relocated, maybe I could add to this thread?

I will have to come back to this one later (after a few beers) but keep one thing in mind. How could a company do everything WRONG and own as much as a 40% "Performance Boat market share" (even in 2008) like Baja did for all those years?

XT

Owned 3....2 Outlaws and 1 SST
24, 29 and the 33...had hp500's in the 33...and a great ride..
I only had a few spider cracks on the 29...but they repaired it under warrenty....other then that...no problems at all...
For the money...you could not beat it...

I know a bunch of guys with Baja's. As it was stated pretty much already.. Good boat for the buck. Mass production... OK ride..
You need to evaluate what you want.. and where you want to be...? Do you want to be "just another Baja owner" ? or you want to stand out, ? and have something different.
Where do you boat? On a lake with a few chity chops once in a while? or you out on the Michigan and geting the chit beat out of the boat every time?
I do a lot of Poker Runs, and while my boat is not the fastest in the circuit.. it passes the Bajas and Fountains routinly in big waters. Think about your boating environment, and research the hack out of your purchase.

it's a respect issue

Yes please comment on this a little more.

It might not take three years to sell a Baja, Peter.

lol. Very good point. No argument. I have nothing against the boats. They are what they designed to be. Good boat for the $, well known, and a bunch of them around. But.. ! with the current boat sales market., I think for about the same $.. better boats can be found.
The thing with my .02 (and that's just my .02) I rather be in something that's a bit more unique, and not just a nother Baja, Fountain, or "just another Bayliner".

XT so would you reccomend a 23,26,30 liner boat to someone? Are you suggesting there were not major issues with this design?

I think that I have avoided the Baja liner issue threads ever since 2008 for a couple reasons. #1 - All salaried employees signed termination contracts to keep your mouths shut on anything related to Baja Marine. #2 - It is not worth the fight.

But, if you want my honest opinion...I think the liners are a much more advanced design than wood stringers that rot. The obvious liners get all the blame for issues in Baja's, but there is a much LESS talked about construction method called "Scrimp" that you can find in some of the Baja brochures. With this method all the layers of construction (except the skin coat) are placed in the hull mold DRY. A plastic liner/material with vacuum lines are put in place, then the resin is sucked into the hull starting in the keel, and sucked all the way to the rub-rail. As new models were developed at Baja with liner designs, they were built using the "Scrimp method" on the hull layup. Without saying too much on the subject, put two and two together. Normal open mold resin is too thick to suck through all those layers, so it is a thinner mix. :eek:

All I know is that many other boat builders have built boats with different liner designs that work great!

XT

Owned 2 of them prior. Guys that run hard and like to have fun offshore in bigger water will want to be in something other than a Baja. For smaller water like inland lakes, they are fine.

I owned an ran a 2001 29 Outlaw SST and loved it. it was a great boat. Id own another one in a heartbeat. Ive owned 3 Cigs since then, and im not comparing them to a Baja, But I know Baja gets a bad rap at times. I had a good one.

Me thinks you gotta let us know what you are shopping for, price and size. I have had 3, a 24 with a 540 bulldog, a 99 29 with twin 330hps, and a 2003 with 600's in it.

A 24 is tight, horrible use of space IMO. I loved the boat, I was young and all my freinds and all the ladies thought that thing was a bad ass! Unless your budget is tight go for a 25 if you are shopping this size. A foot on paper is like 10 ft between those two boats. However, I would buy a 26 sonic with a full head over a 25 ft baja any day.

The 29 was a great boat, just slow for twins in a 29 ft boat. But it rode good and had decent room.

36- tons of room, lots of options like McCloud bolsters, monster gauges, clarion audio with subs, fridge, pump out, trans shower etc. The boat was very impressive to anyone that did not own a fountain, cig, and any other real offshore boat :) It kinda reminded me of a chevy corvette, in the sense that the average person might put it in the same class as a ferrari, lambo, or porche. Ferrari does not have a cavalier!

However, all these boat lacked a little quality. The 29 and 36 had major cabin issues. The vynil was falling down all over and was cheap cheap. The hatch on the 24 made it 3 years before serious rot. The back seat of the 36 made it 5 years before total wood rot. The 36 bilge will drain into the cabin after you pull it out of the water, the front bilge can not get all the water out and by the time you get home the carpet will be soaked.....one time with oil and water!! (dont ask lol)

I own a lot of Baja stuff, but for me I have to move on. There is more speed and quality out there for the same money now! However, for the right price not a bad boat.

Sorry to dredge this old thread up but I have a quick question: I'm looking at a 1998 Baja Sidewinder. One owner, well-cared for. Any significant issues to watch out for? My first deep-vee boat and I could use a thumbs up or down on this one. Thank you.

didn't even know they made it, cool looking left hand steer, Id call Dave @ XT and get the real story about how they were constructed, good luck

I've owned 3 Baja Outlaws (20, 25, & 29) and they were all great boats. The guys that bag on therm are usually high end boat owners that have never even ridden in one let alone owned one. Yes, they are not the quality of a Cig, Outerlimits, Nortech, etc but the cost is way lower. Kind of like the response you'd get if you went to a Ferrari club and asked them what they think of Corvettes!

I'm not too familiar with the Sidewinder but a quick search shows they are a 20 degree deadrise boat so rough water is going to beat you up a bit. Most offshore boats (including the Outlaws) have a 24 degree deadrise which will cut through the water better. A flatter deadrise boat will go faster in smooth water but pound you in rough water. So, it depends on the kind of boating you will be doing. Small inland lakes or big lakes/ocean where the water kicks up. Also, at just under 20' it's not well suited for big water.

As with any boat, you'll want it checked out thoroughly by an expert. I'm assuming the price is not going to be real high on that boat and a survey will run you a few hundred bucks so if you don't want to spend that money at least have the engine checked for compression and check stringers and transom for rot.

Good luck and post some photos.

I'm trying to drop him a note. The Sidewinder seems like a nice little runabout. I'm just returning to boats after a 20 year hiatus...thought I'd pick up something inexpensive and play around a bit.

Then it would probably be a great little boat for you as long as it checks out.

make sure the transom and stringers are sound, is it a 454 and bravo boat ?? I had a 272 and a 33Outlaw in the past and as BF stated, they are great boats.

Good advice. Didn't realize it was a 20 degree boat but that shouldn't pose a big issue. MOST of the time, it would be in quiet water with occasional big lake use. I'm more concerned with stringer and transom rot, that sort of thing. I know engines well enough to be comfortable. Outdrives...not so much. It's a little 5.0 chevy/merc setup.

How many hours on the boat and engine?

You might want to post this in the Baja section here as well.

BTW, nice '64. My father had a two-door in '64. It was that odd burgundy color they had back then. My older sister backed it out of the two-car garage one day with the passenger door open...took the door off and the brick center pillar out.