I'm thinking about ordering a Baja 20, but the best engine available, a 260 hp 5.0 MPI, has the Alpha drive. Everything I've read on these forums says no "hole shots", or "getting air" with the Alpha. I'm buying this to have fun, and don't want to putt around worrying about the drive blowing up.

I saw some websites which have new, complete Mercruiser 350 Mag with Bravo 1 packages. Baja says it can be ordered without power (not sure what else is missing off this configuration yet nor the price). I am mechanically inclined, so plan on installing it myself. Wiring harness and mounts should be the same, except for the Bravo mounting to the transom.

My question is, is this a good idea, or am I just going to be wasting tons of money and time? Let me know what you guys think.

Thanks,

Michael

I guess it all depends on the price of the package (hull and motor) and if its what you want? I don't think you will have that big of a problem with the drive and if anything just upgrade the alpha drive if thats your concern. The biggest issue you will find with doing this hull only and doing your own install is the resale value. my.02

That should be an interesting project. I'm glad someone else out there wonders why the 20 is only limited to the 5.0L 260and the alpha, when you can shoe-horn that into a Donzi sweet 16 no problem not to mention the 18 classic handling a 350/Bravo setup no problem too!

Cuz the Donzi 16 and 18 hulls are wayyyyyyy better than the 20 OL.

Also the 20' OL doesn't have quite the V as the Donzis.

you might want to look at a custom boat as in a small sutphen,they make a 21, also superboat 21, they would be factory built with the b1 drive. so baja won't build you a 350 b1 for some extra cash?? the donzi 18 is to small compared to the other 3boats.

I have to disagree about being scared of the alpha. I have had no problems, except hitting some rocks , in 6 years. I log a lot of hours and use the boat. Airing the boat has never been a problem , just get off the throttles! I do think the 5.0 is weak but if they are getting 260 out of it , the extra 40 hp might be nice. A lot of expense to do all that unless , like someone posted , the factory would do it. BTW The bravo and the alpha gimbal will just bolt up in the same transom hole with no problem.

You can get a drive other than a Alpha behind the 5.0L MPI. In fact, you can get the Alpha, Bravo I, Bravo II or Bravo III. The question is why won't Baja let you order one with a Bravo I? And when you say Baja will let you order the boat without power, does that mean no transom plates/gimbal housing? You start buying those parts separate and it gets expensive quick.

Baja did build one 20 Outlaw in 2003 with a 350 mag bravo set up. it was built as a study to see if the added speed would be worth the investment to the average consumer. The small increase in speed versus the cost is what killed the option. The hull was not the limiting factor. The boat was designed for 305/Alpha power and the additional weight of the 350/bravo package killed some of the speed that might have been added. Overall they felt a 20 foot boat with over 60mph speed out of the box was the best overall package they could offer when considering cost and bang for the buck.

Keep in mind the 20 was disigned to introduce more people to the Baja line. So far it has been a hit and just as Baja had hoped, it has been a stepping stone for quite a few buyers into a larger boat.

The boat they built is red, and spent quite a bit of time here in Tennessee with a brunswick exec before it was sold to a customer in California through a dealership.

I owned a 20 Outlaw for a year and it was a very nice boat for the money with good performance. I saw a best of 62 (GPS) with the 260hp motor and felt that the hull could handle a bit more.

A 600hp Ford is like 60 real horsepower, RIGHT?

Ernie

With trim tabs added, you can get a decent holeshot. I know you can get some air time with it as well, if you play in the rough stuff! They can be a lot of fun just with the 5.0.