Looking at buying our first go fast... Have had pontoons, center consoles and now ready for a go fast. Our budget is 70K and looking on some of the online boats sites it appears Baja would fit the bill and budget.

It's a great entry level performance boat, do your home work, there are some years to steer clear of, and get it surveyed, good luck

I bought three brand new Baja's when I was younger. They were perfect for what we were doing with them, no major issues and resale was incredible. Fantastic entry level sportboat.

I bought a couple of new Bajas ,,they were good boats and had fun with them,,I would buy another one ,I do not think people give them the credit they deserve.

What are some other entry level options? It seems there are a lot of Fountains in my budget price range...

Agree, I love mine and it fits what we do currently, but if I was going to spend 70k, I would shop around a good bit. There are a lot of deals to be had...

Have you heard anything bad about the 2001 Baja Outlaw 29s? I am close to purchasing one and would love to hear feedback before I put out the money.

Thats a pre liner boat, should be OK just check it for moisture in the transom and engine hatch, really any place they put wood, is it a single or twin ?? If its from your area its probably a salt boat

What years should you stay away from?

I guess I'm a Baja fan. We have a 2001 252 and the boat has been perfect for us. The boat is solid and seems to do a multitude of jobs very well. Too many boats are too specialized. In short I cannot think of a better boat for us, even to this day. I believe 2001, to site your example, is a good year for Baja's. They are not without faults however. One particular issue that can be a major problem, and this is with any boat but is a known concern with Baja's, is that many of the screws used to attach items to the transom and stringers were not properly sealed. This would allow water into the wooden cores of these components which would then rot. My boat was not affected by this but I know of several that were. This is not a comment limited to 2001 models or just Baja's. It can be a major problem and expensive to fix so at least remove a couple of screws on the trim tabs and wiring looms on the stringers and look for water or dark wood on the screws. Be sure to seal them when you reinstall them so you don't end up creating a problem that wasn't there. As mentioned before a survey is a good idea but remember even that is no guarrantee.

It is my understanding that when Baja switched to a "liner" construction method, which I beleive occured in the 2005/6 timeframe, some disbondment of the adhesive between the liner and the deck or hull occured on some boats. I have no personal experience with this issue nor do I know of anyone that has.

As far as the 29 OL goes I have ridden in one and it was a great boat. One of the smaller twin engine boats available, it is fast, has a good ride, not to big to tow, roomy, solid. Probably my biggest complaint is a lack of space in the engine bay for maintenance, but this is pretty much true of all Baja's and many smaller boats. You get cockpit space as a tradeoff. As they say, you pays your dues and you takes your choices. You could do much worse than to buy a nice example of a 29.

Just my two cents worth. Have fun.

Dan