ckentling

I am selling my 290 and am going to move up to 38. I have found 2 boats that have piqued my interest and wanted to get some opinions. I know what I will get is biased but still wanted opinions

Both boats are 99s both have genny, AC, ext hyd steering, k-planes etc. both are fresh water boats

The PQ has 502s and bravos
The .38 has 525SCs (good and bad) and XZ drives and has the boss package

Both boats are under 100k sitting on a trailer

Thanks

Powerful Addiction

I have been in both and the PQ wins hands down even with the smaller engines. The ride and performance of the PQ are noticeably better. If you look past the performance differences the attention to detail is the next major difference. The Baja just does not compare when you look at the finish of the fiberglass or the interior. I am biased on PQ but that is only after trying out all the rest (Fountain, Baja, Sunsation, and Formula).

performancemary

I agree with the commemts from Powerfull Adiction but if what you are looking for is cruiser type space the Baja wins. However the PQ has the best interior space available in a true go fast. ( short of Black Thunder) The Baja is kind of a cross over with a slow bottom and fat middle. You will never get much speed out of it . In addition the ride in the PQ is fantistic.

allenk4

I really like Baja's, but the "Hump" on the .38 Special looks bad from a lot of angles.

ckentling

From what I have seen I think I will like the PQ better (I am used to my 290) but I do know that the .38 have a lot of fans as well. My biggest drawback is the 525SCs, I am used to the 502s in my 290 and that all I have to do it turn the key and go and I like the lack of $$$ maintinance that blue motors require over blacks

I am still waiting on more ideas, opinions

SpeedyWho

Yep, I never liked that hump. Makes me hate the whole boat. I'd go for the PQ

Boomer 880

In 2001 I looked at both boats very closely and had the rare opportunity to test both boats within minutes of one another; so the water and weather conditions were the same. There was an in-water boat show ending, and I had both dealers hook me up at the end of the show.

The Baja has a great cockpit and is better suited for more riders. However, the space you gain in the cockpit is lost in the cabin. The u-shaped seating area is very small and only very young kids could sleep here. Also, the Baja had (at the time atleast) several areas around the galley area that had sharp edges. This was a big drawback for us and our small children. Cabin height is better in the Baja, but not bad in the Powerquest.

The Powerquest had better fit and finish. All wires were better supported and the rigging was cleaner.

The test ride was a real eye opener! We were out on Lake Michigan (Racine Wisconsin) and there were 3-4' waves that were very mixed-up, so waves were coming in from everywhere. Both dealers had guys manning the stick that had a lot of seat time in the boats, so I felt that the driver was even. I was able to drive each boat for about 5 minutes, but the dealer drove for about 10-minutes. The Baja was first, and it did not perform well. Not from the aspect of speed, but from the inability to handle the conditions. The taller center of gravity cause the boat to run poorly and it also pounded several times very hard. It was not very responsive to controls (felt like a big whale). I personally would never buy this boat for Lake Michigan boating; we were very turned off by the ride. Next, we were in a 38' Powerquest. The Powerquest handled the water MUCH better and offered us an comfortable and safe ride. The driver was running with a lot of tabs and we even bow steered a bit, as the nose was really down. However, I set the boat to run flat and the boat really performed well with this setting. Overall, the Baja was below my expectations and Powerquest met my expectation. The 38 Powerquest earned a few nice honors from Powerboat magazine in 2001, so take a look for the article.

In the end, we did not buy either boat. However, if we did move up to a bigger boat, the Powerquest would have earned our money between the two (easy choice!!!). With that said, we bought a used 40' Hustler and loved the boat (HUGE cabin) and its performance. I also really liked the ride of the 35 and 38 Formula.

Have fun shopping!

performancemary

But It's The Hump Tha Gives The Baja The Extra Room. Without The Extra Room The Baja Has No Advantage Over The Pq
The only Advantage Of The Baja Over The Pq Is The Extra Headroom And Cabin Width.

powerquest 380

The baja is not even in the Avengers class, other that it being a 38 is not close in any other way. If you want that kind of boat look at a Wellcraft Exclabibur.

SinkorSwim

Never had the opportunity to ride in a 38 Powerquest.. But, we really do love our .38 special..

The extra width of the hull, the extra height in cabin (6 foot) makes it a great boat for hauling family and friends around. The gen and AC are just icing on the cake for us when we cove out.

The weight of the boat does make it slower but alows you to crush a few waves here and there...

We usually have 9 in the cockpit on most weekends.. and are not crowded..