That's a good looking boat. The 24's and 25's (which seems to be how you are leaning) are great boats for their size. Big enough to handle big(ish) water, small enough for easy towing, launching and storage. With an HP500 a 24 should run 70ish, I think springs are about the only thing that need done on the carb HP500, sooner than later depening on hours.

My suggestion, and I don't mean to keep harping on this, is to get in and out of the cuddy half a dozen times when you look at the 24 and decide if you want to be doing that all day to get stuff in and out. I was in my mid-20's when I bought mine, now 10 years later I've had enough of crawling into it on my hands and knees. It's a good place to pass out, that's about it. The advantage that the 25 has over the 24 is worth the extra money in the long run, in access and the two little couches and head room. I absolutely dread having to unpack my cuddy after a weekend at the islands...I had a buddy with a 25 and I was so jealous of how much more user friendly his boat was.

c_deezy - thanks for emphasizing the Baja 24/25ft difference. In my 50's, my crawling period is long gone. I also like the "bench seating" in the cuddy, great place to watch a football game or read a book!

That thing is butt ugly

What he said! dont buy a pos hacked together boat. Bajas are fair to poor quality built boats... you dont see many old ones around cuz they arent worth restoring when they get older and are water logged, they get junked.
Look at magnums cigs any decently constructed 24/7 donzi,magnum, pantera splash. These hold up to relentless pounding in big water and hold their value. My .02

Based on my experience listing/selling a boat online, if your budget is 18k, you should be looking at boats in the 35-50k asking range. :evilb::stooges:

32 fever - Are you saying that when haggling over price you are looking to beat the asking price down by 50+%?...that just doesn't seem rational, I would certainly accept that deal? If this is the case, is it a rule of thumb that can be applied broadly, or is this only true within certain types of niche markets?... if nothing else, i'll pay you to negotiate a deal like that for me! :-)

In what context would it make sense to tie an alpha 1 drive with horsepower greater than even the stock 454 hp (330)?

I took his post as a combination of that and the fact that most people simply list their boats to high....way too high in some cases Some people are living in a fantasy land when it comes to what they believe their boat is worth. Whether they are simply upside-down or invested a bunch of money in aftermarket stuff that they think should raise their boats value dollar for dollar. Most aftermarket upgrades only raise the value of the boat about $.25 on the dollar, so if you install a $4,000 sound system don't expect it to raise the value of your boat by more than say $1000. Some mods such as supercharges and engine mods/rebuilds will net you maybe closer to $.60 on the dollar. When I was boat shopping last year I looked at a lot of boats and it was unreal what some people were asking, two identical make, year and model boats with similar hours and condition yet their asking prices were 35% apart. If you are a cash buyer it can give you a little bit of leverage during negotiating, whipping out a backpack full of cold hard cash suddenly makes your lowballish offer look more enticing and real to some buyers. You don't know the selles reason for selling, you don't always know how long the boat has been listed. You might be the first person to view the boat in weeks or months, they might be super motivated to sell and will take you offer or at least counter offer you somewhere close. That's how I landed my boat, got it for 25% less than the sellers listed price. I had to drive 250 miles for the boat and was prepared to pay a little more but my plan worked out. When I was driving home I was kicking myself in the ass for not making an even lower initial offer. At the end of the day I think both the seller and myself were happy.

My dentist/good friend has a 1994 Baja Bandit 24' 454 for $12,500. I highly recommend it not because he is my friend, because it has been well cared for and maintained with an open wallet. New upholstery within the last few months. New transome. Send me a PM and I'll give you his number. Goes for anyone that would be interested.

Partlowr/32fever - I totally get what you are saying. Ironically, today I found a boat I liked enough that I started to think about what I would offer, how to present it, how to close it. It really makes me love ebay even more!

I'm sure you're not an idiot but when dealing with a cash deal don't let the buyer know you're bringing cash and make sure the seller has a title in hand. Before you go to see the boat find out what state title was issued and do some homework on studying that states boat titles online, this will just be insurance to make sure you're not getting scammed. Most sellers are honest but that 1% of scamming dirt bags require you to do some work.

This is the best boat out there in your size and price range, no doubt about it, and will run circles around many of the Bajas or most of the boats mentioned on this thread.

http://www.offshoreonly.com/classifi...ay-o65062.html

The build quality of those Powerplays is second to none. Is it just me or, in the pic of the drive, does it look like theres a trim indicator paner mounter above the drive :confused:

Not just you... I was thinking "where and what am I looking at" still scratching my head

I think the layout and good looks and also the over all big boat feeling you get with the Baja Outlaw is tough to beat.

My question is how solid are they built.is the cockpit liner going to exit through the bottom if you beat the snot out of it? Do they rattle bad?

Or drop your engine in this Active Thunder:

http://fayetteville.craigslist.org/boa/5449392881.html

Good idea here. Especially with the bmax. I wouldn't be caught dead in a Baja. ATs and PPs are much better boats.

I would take an older AT, Powerplay, Pantera, or any other custom built boat, over a newer Baja or any production boat. Not even close in my opinion.

I'm thinking he mounted the indicator on the underside of platform as a polishing guide- keep polishing until you can read the indicator in the reflection. Looks like a nice ride for the money.

If usability of the cuddy is important you will probably cross the 24 Outlaw off your list. Years ago we seriously looked at the 23 Donzi and 24 Outlaw- really liked the Outlaw except for crawling into the cuddy. Bumped my head going in while dead sober and on the way back out and quickly moved on to the next boat. If cuddy access doesn't matter then the Outlaw is a nice ride especially with HP500. That Active Thunder 25 is probably the most boat overall for that money.

If you like the Formulas you might look at Cobault or even Powerquest for other sporty cruiser options.

When looking at an older bigger water boat, how concerned do you need to be about years of beating on the boat? What areas of the boat are susceptible to damage caused by this? Take for instance the 7x24's referenced earlier in this thread. I assuming it's essentially no different than any other go-fast boat ?

The PP and the AT here are nicer and more offshore "cool" than a Baja. Good night the drive looks low on that AT.

Lots of these boats have a tiny cuddy, especially the 25' PP.

I've owned/run cuddies for 30+ yrs and a large/usable cuddy is near top of my list but rare in your list.

Agree on the comments of being careful on the Baja's.

I would have a late '80's - early '90's 25' Checkmate Convincor way up my list. For your price range, you can get one that is pristine.
Lots of them around that are low hr, inside stored etc. Bought right, you wont lose any money either if you move up in a few yrs.
I've sold them and owned them and a clean one is near bullet proof. Local dealer used to shoe horn in big power and go cat hunting.
He had one 25' running 109 or 112 can't remember which.
They have huge cabins (w/the setee's that I also like). As to the cuddies and not mentioned to this point,is a hatch above the cabin door to ease entry.
Very few have these (including the 25' Checkmate) but is a huge asset if you actually use the cuddy. You will find that most don't as evidenced by near new upholstery bellow deck even in 30 yr old boats and most ad's not even showing the cuddy., even in some new boat literature.

Also, check for storage under the cushions on the vee birth. Also rare but a huge plus for storage.

I'd also have the 242 Formula at the top of that list. It does EVERYTHING you are looking for. Clean single motor 24's are in the teens.

W/a 1/2 ton p/u (what I used for yrs) you are smart to stay in the 24/25 range depending on your terrain, trip distance and driving style.

If you are careful w/a small, trailerable cuddy, you can have HUGE fun! We've had ours all over the rivers, small/fun inland lakes, the Keys, and across Lake Erie and its islands a bazillion times.

That Seebold is also a very rare, and well done boat w/a great cuddy. I have a friend in Fla w/twin O/B's on one and is in the low 90's w/it.

Have fun.

Gary

Formula 272
http://saginaw.craigslist.org/boa/5475581215.html

I think I should offer up my 97 271 FASTech, HP500. Was going to sell it last year when I lost my job, but things worked out in the long run. It was listed for 16,000. Only major upgrade it needs is HYD steering, and headliner work.

email for pics. fastech97 at hotmail

No offense to anyone on here, but I would stick to a 24-25' in a single and look for twins in anything longer than that.I had a 271 fastech with a 496HO and it was a dog out of the hole with little load.
I agree that AT looks like a great deal, especially since you have an engine.
Wellcraft Nova mid 90's either a 25 single or a 26 with twins
Formula 242LS
Baja25 outlaw
All good boats with good size cuddies that can handle any water you encounter.

Good pints and agree w/the addition of the Nova to the list.

On the twins in the smaller boats though, I looked at a bunch and maintenance always spooked me.
The Formulas were the only thing I saw that you could even change plugs in.
The rest looked inner headers would make contact.

I spent 15 yrs between two 24' Sonic twin O/Bs and got the 2 yr ,2' itch regularly.
Problem was, I had to go 30' to get anything that was actually bigger based on them being I/O's.
That also ended my 1/2 ton trucks use and most of my single handing.

I would like to thank you all. Part 1 of my search is complete - identifying which style/mfg of boat to get. I have learned a great deal more about boats over the past several days. Based on need, what I can afford, what space permits, what tow vehicle permits, how it can be used, features important to my family and general availability, I have narrowed my search to 2 boats. If I was a much more patient person or if I had some industry connections I would wait around for one of those harder to find/slicker boats that I would place above these two, but anyways, here are my top 2 pics and I don’t think I can go wrong with either, but Fountain is preferred at this point;

Fountain 27x closed bow - 272 sr-1/Fountain 271 FASTech - I am somewhat meaning towards the twin screws for maneuverability but wrestle with the single vs. twin debate.
Baja 27x closed bow -

Location of the boat does not matter much because I will more than likely have it shipped.

On to part 2 of my search - if you and/or friends have one of these boats they are thinking about selling, please PM me with info….meanwhile I am pounding the classifieds. I would like this boat in Minneapolis, in the water by no later than mid May.

Thanks!

- scott -

I towed my 27 Formula once with a half ton and wouldn't do it again. It had a new Eagle trailer and it was still a lot. I would borrow my cousins F-350 with a 460 and life was better.

+1 with the 1/2 ton truck w/27 Formula. I towed mine (272LS t/5.7's with 1 Ton. 460 & 410 gears. I now have a 242 and tow w/1500 Suburban 5.7LW/tow package and you know for sure it is back there. I WILL be putting electric brakes on the trailer so I can stop it.
On a side note regarding cutty usage, I really like having the opening side windows for a good side breeze, not just the top hatch. Good Luck.

Any luck finding a boat?

Too bad you can't stretch tat budget a little further. Look what I found and it's only 25 minutes from where I live....I am half tempted to make this guy an offer, I love this boat.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1996-WELLCRA...m=172144554419

Did you buy it ? The listing is gone.

The listing I posted a link to? Its still there, I just checked.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1996-WELLCRA...&ul_noapp=true

Nice ride but a couple feet longer than I can accommodate....and i don't want to go that much over budget

I talked to the 272 owner in michigan for you. Not sure how that deal is going for you but he did mention to me the whole buying a boat without the buyer being present kind of weirded him out at first. It's his first boat and first time selling. Good luck if you are still looking at that one.

Here is your new boat dude...

http://www.offshoreonly.com/classifi...rs-o65143.html

You can pull it with ur f150 no problem, as it wont weigh jack chit without engines and drives. Tons of space for ur ole lady to lay out buck nakid and tan in your back yard. Btw should be easy to scrounge up skanks to have a 3 way with u amd ur gal when u tell em you own a world champion 41 apache... just my .02... rm

@ Fischan - thanks. Seller had not returned calls or email, I'll try again.

@ iliveonanisland - nice boat, but I only have dock space for 27ft, besides, I don't need a 41 apache for that :-)

@Fischan - again than-you. We are in touch.