I think they're decent boats - have to start somewhere, right?

I always thought the larger ones had nice, traditional lines that kept the offshore in them alive and well especially for those on a budget. I've had the chance to ride on the 33 and 36 - lots of room and ran in some good water, too. Upkeep is the biggest thing that hurts them (lack of) and the lack of proper sealing of bolts, limber passages, etc. I'd own one if it was well cared for - but then again, I'm definitely participating from the cheap seats.

Perfect!

Huge bang for the buck but sometimes you also get build/quality issues that price brings you.

I remember reading about, I think on here, one of the last large ones to come off the line that a design flaw caused water to collect between the front of the transom and back of the liner w/no way to drain it!

Being a Checkmate guy, and the brands being so similar in style, built in the same town, etc, I spent a lot of time debating the differences between the two 😉

And selling against them.

I remember one guy telling me about replacing the bolsters in his Baja and they weren’t even close to matching, side to side locations.

Then measured others and none of them were the same!

Also, note how many you see being partied out Vs other brands.

I have one comment, when people say seems a lot with bad stringers, being parted out (Sorry Sonic) compared to other brands I think we need to remember the numbers sold compared to other brands.

In that period from mid 90's to late 2000's I bet there were years they put more boats out in a year then some brands have made.

Again, production boats sure but what, everyone who wants a go fast have to be a high roller? Sure would make a small market even smaller.

No argument from me.

Way more new boaters thanks to Bayliner too.

When that’s all you can afford….., new or used.

Bob Morgan at Big Thunder at LOTO and AJ at Hawkeye Boat Sales in Dubuque, Iowa (on the Mississippi did a phenomenal job of marketing Bajas in the midwest. Great marketing, salesmanship, and solid service went a long ways in making Baja the go to brand. They all had Mercury power so they were pretty solid mechanically. They were on a hell of a roll from the 80's to the early 2000's. Of course this is just my 2 cents and overpriced at that!

I’d own one.

I like the larger ones w/the classic lines.


Really like the 33’s.

Like Bayliner big bang for the buck! Bajas are also a fast hull.

We don't see that many Bajas up here in the Pacific Northwest, but they are known as the Gayliner of the sport boat market here.

I think a lot of the hate comes from the price point. A Baja is one of the cheapest performance boats on the used market for its given size and power typically. This attracts a lot of 1st time boaters and people that don't care or know how to properly take care of a powerboat.

Of course these are all generalizations, I'm sure you have plenty of Baja owners that know how to properly operate and maintain their boat.

In reference to the OP story about the Formula people not wanting to tie up if it was a Baja. If a pontoon that says "RENT ME" pulls up and wants to tie off would you do it? The answer is no because you assume they're a non driving mother ****er that they don't care about the boat they're operating. This is how many people feel about Baja owners.