hi guys looking to buy my first boat .I will basically just be using it on the grand river and out at lake michigan .should I use 1000 dollars for a used a liberator 241 or 261 .,or just use my 7000 dollars as a down payment on a bigger boat .your thoughts and why .thanks .

...and instruct him to invest it in really long term assets!

Give it to your wife and tell her to hide it!

Stack the bills up like a house of cards and put a match to it!

These will save you money and keep you sane...

Is your mental abberation to buy a boat a true "first" boat, or a first performance boat?

Is you mental abberation to buy a boat a true "first" boat, or a first performance boat?[/QUOTE][/B]

GIVEN THE CHOICE - BAJA W/NO MNTHLY PAYMENT
BIGGER -EVERYTHING GETS BIGGER BOTH PLEASURE AND PAIN

libbys are heavy, slow, and don't carry much resale value. bajas are a little better bang for the buck.

Two different boats. Baja is much smaller and lighter, and therefore faster. The Lib is a WAY bigger boat. Will be heavier and slower but built better. My point-o-two.

I have a Libby 241. I will tell you it's a wide boat. 8.5 feet wide. Handles good but the Baja being not as wide may be a bit faster and more nimble.
The Libby has a lot of freeboard and the front sides has a curve to throw water off to the side when you cut through a big wave. I was on Lanier for the poker run and had to cut through some cruisers wakes when passing them. Threw spray 10' in the air while cutting wakes passing cruisers.
The Baja or the Libby is a great boat. I'll tell ya the 241 Libby can handle some rough water.
With a bone stock 460 KC My 241 runs mid 50s. I was running 40s on Lanier for the poker run and that was some rough water.
BTW The best boat is one that is paid for.

Boats with out payments go faster and ride better then those with payment books. Ask Dave Ramsey.

true story

What motor and outdrive combo does the liberator have? If it has a OMC king cobra outdrive..stay away from it!!!.. I have a 240 sport baja (same as a 24 outlaw)..its not stock by any means..its been totally gutted at redone..but I tell ya its solid as a rock now..I can run lake of the ozarks any day of the week..and run it hard..

i think either boat will be a good purchase if both boats are in good condition and dont need alot of work. I have an 87 241 libby and a friend of mine has a baja 240 sport. we have the same stk 330 hp 454 and bravo 1 drives. his x dim is raised mine is not his boat will cruise at 40 mine is more like mid 30s for some reason mine is slow on top end should be low to mid 50 but i can only get 45( that is my issue to work through but should be low to mid 50s) his is high 50s to low 60s.

so for speed the baja is faster. but in a 3 to4 foot wave my boat rides better than his( been on both ) My libby has a ton more room on bard. More distance between the front and rear seats, my boat is wider bby almost a foot i would say. I have alot more space and sleeping room in the cuddy. I think most libbys come with a potty and fridge. I do not know if baja in that size have both

So i guees it down to what you think you need from your boat. if you are goign to have 4 or 5 ppl all the time on board, if your going to be staying the nights some place, the space and features might be nice. if you want faster the baja will be faster.

I picked the libby for the space and options i was willing to give up the 10 mph or so of topend to meet my other wants and needs. i am 6'4 300 pound i need space.. i have 8 ppl on my libby before and we went to put in bay the winds picked up and blew and when came home our 2-3 foot was 5-6. we got a little wind spray but most the ppl were mostly dry and we still ran 25-30 in the waves, without beating ourselves or the boat. And i have a large family with lots of little neices and newphews so when they come up the extra space is nice to the fishing and beaching.

boat break out another thousand. totaly true. Had an old timer tell me a boat is a hole in the water in which you through money. so no matter which boat you get there will be extra expensive and maintance. So motor drive combos have issue and parts are hard to get for some so make sure you do your home work. If the libby has and OMC drive could be and issue if something goes wrong. I have a 29 proline offshore too. it has a 460 KC unit has worked perfect for many years no issue. but if something does go wrong some parts are impossable to find..

good luck and hope you enjoy whichever purchase you make. just make sure you try to figure out what you need from a boat and what you will be doing with it first, and make sure the boat fills those. If this is a first boat evey knowing what you need and want from a boat might be hard to honestly answer not having any previos info