Nordic vs Baja
 

I may get hammered for asking this questions, but I never been in a Nordic, have 25' Oulaw thinking about going to a 28' Heat. I currently have the 496 HO run 68.3GPS, I would like to go with the 525EFI in the Heat. I love the Outlaw but looking for more speed and a little bigger. What about comparing the Sunsation 288 to the 28 Heat. The nordic I take is not a stringer boat? Have they had any problems?
Thanks

We're gonna be biased here, this is the Nordic area.
Nothing wrong with Baja, they just seem a little more "production" to me. On my 2nd Nordic. It turns heads on most any lake. Best looking boats outside more expensive DCB's or Eliminators.
I don't think a Heat w/ 525 will be any faster than you now, but will be bigger. Nordics are solid as anything out there. Have'nt seen many Sunsations out west.

After owning an H2X,
I looked at:
29' Fountain, liked it, fast
27' Warlock, fast, but old school boxy styling
28' Sunsation, nice styling, good quality
28' Nordic Heat liked it a lot, and bought it
It's like buying a new Mustang, Challenger, or Camaro.......they're all nice cars. You should look at several.
For the combination of performance, styling, cabin space, and features, it's hard to beat the Heat :drink:...
Regards,
Steve

I like the car analogy but let me add my 2 cents.
Baja and a lot of production boats are like the Mustang, Camaro and Challengers of the World.

Nordic's are like the BMW's, Porsche’s and Mercedes. Not only in cost but, the fit and finish is typically a step above a Baja. The gel coats are awesome. Your Nordic won’t look like anyone else’s. In most cases if you take care of them they are more solid after a few years.
I previously owned a Baja Islander but have not been in a sensation, I do love their look.

Great analogies above. Heat is hard to beat for the aforementioned reasons. I love mine.

I will say that among your list of potential new boats, IMO the newer 288 Sunsations are very nice. From what I've read, the 288 is a rock-solid boat, and comes in an open-bow (which for many is an important feature). There are also some 32 Dominators (older) and 32 SS's (newer) that look appealing. Sunsation 32's also come with open bows.

If I were shopping right now for a 28 - 35, Sunsation would be the only competitor on my list, with Nordic very hard to beat.

I2D

Buy the Heat and don't look back! Great Boat.. Funny thing is... Got a 1997 M3 bright red in the garage with 67K miles on it. Got a 2010 RS/SS camaro in the garage. I like the analogy of the class of car... Our Heat is a 01 an is usually the sexiest boat on the water! They are awesome and turn heads everywhere..

Buy the Nordic!

It all depends on the water that you will be running on. The Nordic is a sit down boat, while the Sunsation is deeper and has stand up bolsters. If you are going to run the Great Lakes or the Ocean go with the Sunsation, otherwise your back will be killing you when you get in the rough stuff. My friend has a 288 Sunsation and it handles the rough stuff great.

Correction #1, the Heat comes standard with bolsters.
Note on 288 Sunsations ability to handle rough water. They do, because we've watched several of them run behind us in rough water poker runs this year :grinser010:..................
Regards,
Steve

Give my boat the same power Ur running and will see who's boats in front then.... muhahaha.....

I have electric bolsters in my Heat, and stand or sit depending on water and speed conditions.

I think that the Sunsation 288 is a neat looking boat also...like Steve, I see them in passing...while doing poker runs...kind of a slow hull I think. :lolhit:

Chris

I'm up for it. Come on down and I'll show you around.
Here's your preview..........

Ha Ha... now that is funny!!

Chris

:grinser010::lolhit:
And I was trying to be nice :drink:
Regards,
Steve

Here's a good comparison. I rerigged a 28 Heat open bow and a Sunsation 288 open bow with new 525's last summer. Testing at the same location and similar weather conditions, the Heat ran 72 on GPS and the Sunsation ran 73. I felt the Sunsation had a very harsh ride compared to the Heat This was at 1000' elevation and 100 degree temps, just to give you some information.

Yeah prolly get a lot of that view following u to the water hole of your choice to meet Ur demise! But I need a 575 first... :-(

I am laughing!:grinser010:

You can go to performanceboats.com and go to the video section and they have some factory tour video's of Nordic and Sunsation, might help a little. I just wounder how the automotive paint they use on the Sunsations holds up on a boat but it must be OK because many high dollar offshore boats use it on the graphics. They also have some video's of the nordic regatta.
John

bsboss-

I just traded my Baja for a 28 Heat CB this summer and couldn't be happier. Mine is a totally stock (for now) 496HO with a stock 26P Bravo 1 prop and will run a strong 70MPH in cool weather. I just ordered a labbed prop from Hydromotive and should get close to 75MPH. I run with a 272 Boss and beat him pretty easily every time. I looked hard at the Sunsation as well but thought that the Nordic was more for the money.

Is that GPS number`s????

When I had the stock 496HO i was lucky to see 68GPS ....
Now I have 525 with a 25PX5 and I have seen 74MPH GPS ....
Now if you have the closed Bow then you would be seeing 2 to 3 more MPH then the open Bow.....
I also have a 1 inch spacer on mine

Let me preface this by saying I own a 35 Nordic with 575SCi's.

I think it was the 2006 LA boat show. I had a long talk with the arrogant
Baja salesman there.

His last snide comment as I walked off was "When you're ready to move up, come and see me."

He no longer exists. At least in the world of boat sales.
His dealership no longer exists.
His manufacturer no longer exists.

Cool guy.

Mind you, Baja's are fine boats for what they are, and people like this
ass only served to discredit them.

Pesky Varmint

I owned a Heat and currently own a 32 Sunsation. That being said I really enjoyed my Heat, sweet looking boat excellent lines drew alot of attention. What I didn't like was the rough water ride, I boat on the Great Lakes and it can get pretty snotty out there. I have plenty of seat time in a 288 and its definately a better rough water boat. Both the 288 and the Heats have there postive and negatives. If I were going to down size I would buy a 288 before I bough another Heat.

Steve,
I hope the 288 Kid would be looking at your transom with the motor you have in your heat:coolcowboy: From what I have seen there are quite a few more big power Heats out there compared to 288's.:drink:

My .02

So can all of us agree here...since this is the Nordic forum...that Nordics rock!!! and that Baja's suck!

Chris :evilb:

288kid
 

well all i have to say is bring it on down to nashville and out of the 19 heats we have here i am sure on of them have the same power as yours if not we will all wave at you on the way by.

19 Heats in Nashville. That's an impressive group.

response to boatingbent
 

Yes, it will run 70+ on GPS (best I've seen is 71), though I have seen more on the speedo when I did not have th GPS out. I guess there are a coule of reasons: It is a closed bow (better aerodynamics and less weight), and it is a 2008 (no wood, less weight). Running a 26p Bravo 1 at 4950 RPM's.

I owned two Baja's before buying my new Nordic and I can tell you first hand that the fit and finish on it is much better than either one (Baja); any one that I'd ever seen in person.

Any of the other boat owners, guys who really know their stuff who've been in the new Nordic comment on the fit and finish.
The elliptical grabs rails, the frenched-in Nav lights, their sweet windshields! Also a big difference is no shakes and rattles, its a tight, tight boat that's really put together solid.

I've never rode in a Sunsation but I have looked at them under tight scrutiny and they also seem like a step up, right there with the Nordic fit and finish that Baja seemed to lack.

I have always heard that the Nordic boats are more of a lake boat, not a true offshore but BUT I've also concentrated my extensive pre-purchase research on their smaller boats.
Also they don't seem nearly as big in the size class compared to the East Coast boats, none of the West Coast boats I saw in Havasu did. Their 25' is more like a 23' around hear, they are all lower, sleeker. Look cool but be prepared when you see one in person.

Either way if you can afford a newer used boat right now, be patient because there are SMOKING deals to be had. I bought my 2009 for way under what I would have paid 2 years ago, picked it right up in Havasu but I wanted to see that place anyway!! Chad Salter

Not sure I would agree with this statement. Maybe the newer Nordics but I have a friend who owns a 2002 Heat and the trailer is rusty, the windshield melted, screws and bolts pull out all the time and the boat just seems average quality lake boat. Probably great for a lake with small chop but anything over 2 footers and I would look at something different--it just rattles and doesnt feel solid like some others Ive been on.

Really, his windshield melted in Seattle? I live in Nashville where our average temp is probably 20os warmer year around than Seattle, and I have never seen anything like that, so I'm calling bullsheet. The company is based in Havasu, where it's even hotter than here, and again I haven't seen anyone's windshield melt :lolhit:.............screws and bolts will loosen on any boat that's run hard in rough water, including mine, but I haven't run into anything beyond routine maintenance.
Hey, how is Powerquest doing? Are they still in business? Nordic is and cranking out boats every week............
Steve

Now now Steve... It gets really hot here in Seattle too.

:food-smiley-007:

Chris

Actually Steve, the windshield melted in Havasu. My friend had towed it down there for their annual regatta in July when this happened. Im not trying to slam the Nordic brand and in fact I like their boats (best looking design out there IMO). I would like to mention that the next year when my friend was back in Havasu (for the desert storm poker run) he brought his boat into the factory and they offered to replace the windshield for free! Overall though most people here in Seattle that have been in his boat agree it doesnt feel like a very solid boat (just being honest). They look great but I wouldnt want one in any area which has big water.

In regards to your question on my Powerquest--its the best boat I have ever owned. Its a solid built boat and is tight as a drum even after 16 years of use (no rattles and nothing has broken on it). Im very happy with it and thanks for asking.

Who's Nordic Heat are you refering to?
I think I know just about every Heat owner in the area.

Chris

P.S. Your Powerquest is indeed very nice....But I like my Heat better! :evilb:

Chris,
Im not going to post full names but first names are Joe and Shannon. They bought their 2002 Nordic Heat in February 2003 at the Seattle Boat show. Its been a good boat for them (they have over 750 hours on it!!) but I know Shannon has said she would never buy another Nordic because of the quality issues with this boat...Joe on the other hand has said that he would buy another one but agrees that its had its problems. They've both been on my boat and both agree it feels 100 times more solid BUT they still like the look of theirs more...
Anyway, Im moving on from this thread. I simply wanted to give some unbiased feedback to someone who was asking and did not mean to hurt anyones feelings.

My Nordic is tight as a drum, doesnt rattle, is built with wood, runs over 70 on stock power with a non step hull thats nearing 20 years old and still crushes wave better than any of the newer boats I've tested. I would put it against any like sized boat in big water.

You're calling yourself unbiased?

Pesky Varmint

Speed ya we got some...... it also has the biggest cockpit and the Baja's are 6 inches wider than most at 8'6" wide. Fit and finish this is a 16 year old boat do you see any issues with fit and finish ????

And its FOR SALE in the Baja section of the classifieds with the rest of the Mercedes and BMW's.

This is the Nordic section...so I still say...That Nordic's rock...and Baja's suck!

Cool looking...sucky..boat though. :lolhit:

Chris

I didn't think fit and finish was something you could ascertain by looking at a photo.

I have been in two 25ft Outlaws, a 1998 with a 502 and a 2003 with a 496HO. Both were nice boats and were solid with how much they weighed in a 25 footer. Next was the 2006 Nordic Heat mid cuddy open bow, lots of more room and can handle rougher water being 3ft longer. I do think Nordic is a step up from a Baja and most would agree. best thing about the Nordic is it turns heads anywhere it goes and it will hold its value. It's supply and demand, lots of Baja's out their so they are easy to come by.

Jt

:drink: I like the motors!

You can`t beat the Bajas for what they do with with their cockpits.. so much more room than any other brand.. their quad seating is awesome imop


The HEAT and Sunsation don`t look like a true 28' boats with those built in swim platforms, I`ve been looking at 30'+ since my AT is a true 25' boat I wouldn`t be gaining much going to a 288 for example. Am I correct in my thinking?

My current favorite is a 30' concept but I can`t find too many for sale.
I like the extra room absent of the I/O