As the saying goes, "Don't fix what aint broke!". Active Thunder's single step/pad bottom patented hull design by naval architect, Harry Schoell, is a proven design. Everyone that has ridden in the hull has come away impressed with the ride and performance. This original poster started this thread to compare AT to OL..not Baja. You belittle AT for having an older hull design...how about Baja's very dated traditional 24 degree V hull??? Fountain's step bottoms have remained relatively the same for the past 10 years and yet they still perform great. Many boat companies have not changed their basic hull design for years..Formula, Velocity, Fountain, Hustler, etc...How about sticking to the roots of the original thread without throwing a monkey wrench (Baja) into the equation...

No worries, I made the comment "tongue and cheek".

I've been on two 26's and a 37 AT. The 26' was one of the best handling 26' boat that I've been on in a while. I also liked the 37' a lot. The ride wasn't as smooth as my 36' but I liked the boat a lot. The rigging, interior, paint and cabin were also top notch. We were running about 70mph @ 4K in the 37' AT, it has 525's.

I've worked on and driven a few Baja's in my day. The fit, finish and quality do not even come close to an AT. It's a production boat, plain and simple.

Which one ran 93? Was it a quad step or single??

My friend Jerry's 37' with HP 500's ran 76 mph. My friend Mikes ran 84 with 550's and now runs 103 with 850's. The quad step runs faster but handled like crap and was a handful to drive over 95 mph. The single step is a great riding boat, I like them a lot.. One of my favorite rides.

Na, not at all. Im just trying to keep it friendly. We can talk smack about boats but it should not get personal. Lets keep it fun

I guess thats the big challenge. If you get the boat out of the water it doesn't handle that good, and if you keep it in the water (straight bottom) it sticks like glue.
I can feel the hull in my boat after 75 mph you can feel the steps working and its like a different boat. So you drop the drives in the turns and fly it when its straight. Its a lot of fun to drive. How is your friends at 103?

umm you did not get the memo Sir. The AT is a Skater and Apache in one.. when you want speed its light and fast with small power.. when it gets rough it transforms into a heavy narrow beam boat to cut thru the waves.
Please visit the AT forum for a Gallon of Koolaid cause you`re just not getting it!



Oh boy now they go 88mph with 500efi`s and loaded to the gills.. whats next 87mph with a 454?

His 37' runs like its a raped ape. It was like the 2nd or 3rd one built. It's one of the fastest accelerating boats I've been on in a long time. We have similar power and cruise at about the same speed but as soon as he hits 4k rpm and the step starts working he would leave me in the dust. Its agreat boat.

The 37' AT has a similar feeling at 65-70 mph when the step starts working. You can feel it pitter patter under your feet and the boat seems like its in 4 wheel drive.

Ok, I have been nice and quiet until now. There is not a baja ever built, or to ever be built, that can run in the same breed as Cigarette, Active Thunder, Apache or Outerlimits. You are simply out of our league, mister. Every manufacture has had their issues, 42' Revolution. 36' Gladiator, 42' x, 36' apache. Outerlimits bladder fuel tank issues.No known issues with Active Thunder. Baja, the list goes on, over several models, get off the "The Speed Changes You" crap, and get a real offshore boat. It is, and will always be, an entry level, performance boat, not an offshore boat, no matter what size. You will never win this arguement.

So you drop the drives in and turn the quad-step boat? I assume you wear a swim suit and a life-line when you do this?

Come ride on my boat Or one of the 35 outlaws before you run your mouth. Just because the majority of Baja's were built budget minded does not mean they have never built good boats. If it was not for Baja power boating might not be what it is today. What your doing is comparing a striped down mustang v6 to a loaded ZL1 Camaro. Well Baja has built ZL1 models.

AT is no where near the league of boats you listed OR THEY WOULD HAVE SOLD MORE!

Outerlimits over Active Thunder all day. Coming from someone who can afford a new boat.

No offense but USED boat buyers can not fathom commenting on this thread because your not in the "mindset" of new boat buying. Dreaming about what you eventually want out of a used boat does not build an argument of what a new boat buyer looks for.

There's a reason OL sell more then AT. There's also a reason BAJA always outsold AT.

No one on this thread is bashing AT to explain their point funny how the KOOL AID drinkers need to bash others to feel good about themselves.

Uh-huh. Or it could be because I don't have to feed the family with the next sale.

It is my passion. Get it?

You go buy a boat company, spend several million dollars, and get back with me twenty years later. Oh yeah, and remain in the black.

Last edit: my first two boats were Bajas,