Baja Boats opinions

[NChester9189]

Hi all, first time post but I've been browsing the forums off and on for awhile.

Since I was a kid I've dreamed of having a 24 Superboat. Now that I'm in the market to buy a boat I'm seeing how rarely they come up for sale. With a budget around 15- 20k I'm finding that when they do come up for sale they're not the right fit for me. I'd like something a little newer (not late 70s) and updated with minimal work needed on it.

In looking around craigslist up and down the east coast I found quite a few Baja 23-27 footers for sale. A 25 ft outlaw in Staten Island for $15k. I was wondering if anyone has any opinions (good/bad) about Baja and how it might stack up to a Superboat, progression, or similar.

Im not looking to race it. Just go fast on the great South Bay, and something with a cuddy for fire island over nighters.
Thanks

[steve123]

Progression VS. Baja night and day difference. Stick with outboard power. You will have a lot less problems.

[vnemous]

the Bayliner of performance boats in my opinion. Always wanted a 240 sport cause they are inexpensive. JMO

[TooStroked]

First of all, welcome to the site! Hopefully you’ll find some good people with good information here. You’ll also find lots of opinions, so take them for what they’re worth.

If you want my opinion on Baja boats, they’re pretty much an “entry level high performance boat.” That means they have some of the traits of true high performance boats, but not all of the ones that are important to true high performance boaters. On the plus side, they have pretty decent styling, run and ride reasonably well in rough water and are reasonably inexpensive. On the minus side, they’re not designed or built to take the pounding that a true high performance boat should and are not as fast (with the same power) as true high performance boats.

The big difference is design and construction techniques. Baja is a “production” boat builder and uses standard production techniques to build their product. While this leads to a decent looking boat, it’s what’s underneath the gelcoat that really counts in a high performance boat. Standard production techniques tend to lead to a somewhat heavy and inconsistent layup – which leads to a slower, less responsive and ultimately less durable boat.

I own a Progression and have owned Checkmates and many other brands in the past. No Baja even comes close to the light weight, responsive, fast and durable hulls that Progression and many other true high performance boat builders offer. My boat is 23 years old and I run it pretty hard on Lake Ontario. I broke something (sometimes something pretty big) on every other boat I’ve owned. My Progression has never had any type of structural repair. That’s saying a lot for a 77 MPH / 22 foot long boat on the kind of water I run in. You won’t find any Baja that can match that claim.

I’ve talked to many people who own or have owned Bajas and how much they like their boats - and how much trouble they’ve had – tends to be pretty closely linked to their expectations. If they were expecting a true high performance boat, they’re usually pretty disappointed. If they were expecting a boat that just looked like a high performance boat, they’re usually pretty happy.

[Pogo]

The 24 H2X is a good choice for what you want to do...The 25 outlaw has more freeboard and bigger cabin...which slows it down compared to the H2X...The quality of these boats are better than stated in above threads...They have nice glass layup, smooth gel, nice in gel graphics, nice sleek modern looking interiors...Another fine choice is a 25 Checkmate Convincor...They made a ton of them from 1983 on...Great rough water boat, sleek, solid...If you look hard enough they made a few twin engine outboard configurations...

[blacktruck]

Welcome to the forum. I agree with TooStroked. I think in general, Baja is a great family performance boat leaning toward the entry level. They do often have great styling and they made so many models that there is a huge variety. The 25 Outlaw is actually one of the better ones they made in my opinion. If you can go for a ride in a few of the boats you're interested in that would be great to compare yourself. If your'e camping out, you may want something with a windshield so you can put a camper top on it or an overnight??

[NChester9189]

A lot of great feedback, thank you everyone. I guess test driving a few in the spring and seeing ultimately what I'm looking for will help me decide. Most of my time boating has been on my parents Sundancer or Walkaround except for a few times in a 30 ft scarab sport. The scarab was maybe in the 50's and that seamed fast enough for me...I don't need to be going 75+ mph in a choppy bay. Although that does sound fun.

I know many people swear by outboards. And I've read enough threads debating the pros and cons of outboards vs IO so I need not ask again. Having an outboard may lead me towards checkmates over Baja...unless that perfect Superboat comes on the market

[Baja170]

I broke my Baja 170ss and had to scrap it in rough water. Depending on where you run you want WAY more deadrise and a more robust boat than a Baja and your budget you stated could get you a Superboat, Velocity, Shadow etc which in my opinion are WAY better boats for rough water. Outboards are the way to go unless you have a heated garage and don't have to winterize an I/O.

If you do have a heated garage and drain the water from the headers and front end between boat rides, there is nothing that sounds like a big block, just the same as there is nothing that sounds like a couple screaming Mercury racing offshore OB's. No offence to the yamarude guys, your OB's sound GREAT as well.

I grew up on a lake since I was 8. When I was in school the sounds of the performance boats drowned out the teacher in my head during class. It was very theraputic actually. I could still make good enough grades and it pissed them off but WTF, a mind works in mysterious ways.

[looper300]

That is a completely false statement i recently have recently owned a 1987 Baja 220 sport which was rare kevlar hull and raced it in OPA and the boat was a highly dominant boat, strong as all hell and would take rough stuff better than any other boat in the class. I raced against 22 velocitys, 21 superboats, 22 activators and would walk by them on the course . Also not to mention it would beat my buddies progression all the time running the bays once we would hit any sort of chop. It had a 2012 250 h.o on it and would run an honest 77-80 mph any given day of the week. Boat would come back to the docks after racing in 4-6 footers with not a single flaw all depends on setup these hulls do have the potential.

[Baja170]

That is a completely false statement i recently have recently owned a 1987 Baja 220 sport which was rare kevlar hull and raced it in OPA and the boat was a highly dominant boat, strong as all hell and would take rough stuff better than any other boat in the class. I raced against 22 velocitys, 21 superboats, 22 activators and would walk by them on the course . Also not to mention it would beat my buddies progression all the time running the bays once we would hit any sort of chop. It had a 2012 250 h.o on it and would run an honest 77-80 mph any given day of the week. Boat would come back to the docks after racing in 4-6 footers with not a single flaw all depends on setup these hulls do have the potential.

Mine was just a production 170SS not a rare kevlar boat. Those are a bit harder to find. Mine was also a lot older than yours and only 17' long with a built 2.0 200HP Black Max on jack plate with 6" setback or so. (your boat is Kevlar, rare and over 5 feet longer than mine) I broke it on lake james in 2-2.5 footers on the roughest day I have ever seen on that lake. False statement? You comparing apples to oranges and have a boat that as you admit is rare. My boat would run 76 GPS with 2 people in it and a full tank of gas. It was a lot of fun, I had it for 5 years before I broke it.

I noticed the OP is from NY and he also mentions running on a bay so there is at least a 50/50 chance he will be running in pretty rough water. He will need a lot bigger Baja than I had if he wants it to last and also go fast in the kind of chop they run in up there.

The guy asked for info, I posted because I had a Baja I loved and told the truth about what happened to it. I sold the engine for 3500 back then and gave the hull and trailer away. That was over 15 years ago at least.

[looper300]

Wasn't referring the post to you it is for the whole forum how they bash Baja boats. They are one of the only manufactures that are still around and are successfully selling boats. Clearly they are doing something right

[Baja170]

Wasn't referring the post to you it is for the whole forum how they bash Baja boats. They are one of the only manufactures that are still around and are successfully selling boats. Clearly they are doing something right

I loved mine. Only lost ONE race with it in 5 years of running it. My wife called it my girlfriend I loved it so much. I was not bashing just sharing my experience.

[TooStroked]

That is a completely false statement i recently have recently owned a 1987 Baja 220 sport which was rare kevlar hull and raced it in OPA and the boat was a highly dominant boat, strong as all hell and would take rough stuff better than any other boat in the class. I raced against 22 velocitys, 21 superboats, 22 activators and would walk by them on the course . Also not to mention it would beat my buddies progression all the time running the bays once we would hit any sort of chop. It had a 2012 250 h.o on it and would run an honest 77-80 mph any given day of the week. Boat would come back to the docks after racing in 4-6 footers with not a single flaw all depends on setup these hulls do have the potential.

I don't think we're talking an apples to apples comparison here. Your boat is a hand built, custom layup special that is no doubt both lighter and stronger than a standard production Baja. In fact I'd go as far as saying the only thing in common with a production Baja is the mold it came out of and some of the hardware. On top of that, you've spent many, many hours perfecting the setup to get the boat dialed in for its intended purpose. BTW, congratulations on the results of your efforts.

Getting back to the OP's question though, standard production Bajas just aren't up to the standards of the other custom builders he mentioned. How do I know that? Well, almost 30 years in the marina business has given me more than a few opportunities to see and work on Bajas as well as many other brands. The number of busted up Bajas I've seen and worked on unfortunately trumps one custom built race boat.

[Baja170]

I don't think we're talking an apples to apples comparison here. Your boat is a hand built, custom layup special that is no doubt both lighter and stronger than a standard production Baja. In fact I'd go as far as saying the only thing in common with a production Baja is the mold it came out of and some of the hardware. On top of that, you've spent many, many hours perfecting the setup to get the boat dialed in for its intended purpose. BTW, congratulations on the results of your efforts.

Getting back to the OP's question though, standard production Bajas just aren't up to the standards of the other custom builders he mentioned. How do I know that? Well, almost 30 years in the marina business has given me more than a few opportunities to see and work on Bajas as well as many other brands. The number of busted up Bajas I've seen and worked on unfortunately trumps one custom built race boat.

So I am not the only one who busted mine then. Weird thing was the transom was still very solid, where mine busted was right in front of the driver's seat almost where my hot foot was a vertical line down the side of the boat. It went all the way from right under the top cap to under the first strake on the side. I did not even notice it until I put the boat on the trailer and showed my wife (G/F at the time) and told her my second girlfriend had left the building. Actually scared me knowing how hard I had been beating on the boat the whole weekend. There was not a single stress crack on the boat, none in the spash well where Checkmates get them nowhere. I loved that boat.

[steve123]

Call Kevin at Progression. He might know of a Progression for sale. He is very helpful.