Pensky

1990 Baja 250 ES sport which is actually 27' 4" in length I am the second owner and I have had her for over half her life. I have extra motor and extra drive for her. The motor in it is fresh. Should I put another ten grand in her for hydraulic steering and recover the seats and new guages or should I start looking for a new boat. Also I have -2 Imco in the garage NOT on the boat yet.
My goal is to run 85 to 90 mph. Will this hull run that fast.
I am running 70 to 73 now WITHOUT my -2 Shorty On The boat.

gofastlvr

There are a few guys out there with straight bottom Baja's running mid 80's and higher and if you have a nice boat and want to keep it go ahead. Just remember it is of an age now that loans to purchase are not readily available and anything you sink in it will likely not be recoverable in resale value. The bank only cares about age and not condition and how much money it took to make it awesome!!

buck35

You're going to need 100 to 150 more horses to get there unless it's propped way wrong, so yeah, if you want to hit 90 start saving and shopping.thats what ive gleaned from this site and many have been there already.
Good luck!

Griff

You will need about 300 more hp to gain another 15mph with your hull.

Rattlesnake Jake

iTrader: (2)

Put 20K into a 20K Boat and you still have a 20K boat as far as lenders and most buyers go.

Pensky

I'm guessing with hydraulic steering and my - 2 shorty and my new motor pushing 750HP @ 6000 RPM I should see 4 or 5 mph. I only run about 5300 rpm so I would guess the motor is only pushing 650 HP. Kinda did things back words hydraulic steering should have been the first project.. Sometimes we learn as we go.

Pensky

I added 200 hp and only got about 7 or 8 mph. I had 415 hp on the stock 502 now I have a 540

SecondWind

Coming from a Checkmate 259 Convincor w/mods to an American Offshore 26 I'd recommend going to a different hull design if top speed is your goal. I'm a value snob and I can assure you can run the speeds you desire safely for less money with a different hull. I put approximately the same amount of money into a 26 Checkmate and 26 AO. The AO is about 30mph faster and alot more stable at speeds above 70mph. I love both boats for different reasons but the AO is hands down faster and safer at speeds over 70 in reasonable water. The Checkmate with tabs slightly negative (aftermarket tabs w/ full hydraulic steering) and the drive even was flat out amazing in rough water for it's size. Both great boats depending on what you're looking for.

272lsformula

iTrader: (1)

I have a 1998 28' boat that is very clean, reliable and runs mid 90s that I would sell for $40k. love the boat but would like to move up to something a little bigger because most of my boating is done in lake Erie and lake Michigan.

Speedracer29

If I were in the OP's shoes, with an extra motor and drive sitting in the shop, I'd just drive the Baja now, sell in the spring, and keep my eyes peeled for a different hull in the meantime. If the spare motor was a stocker, swapping it back into the Baja would be a winter project.