16ft Baja with 200 Merc

[Big Johnson V8]

My friend picked up a 1980, I think Baja and we have a 200 Merc in the the shop. Will this combination work? Should we use a jackplate? Does anybody have this boat and will a 16ft hull with no rating hold this moter.

[Checkmate2.5]

Yes as long as the transom is solid...baja's have been known for poor quality. you need setback to reduce chine walk and overall efficiency of the motor. my checkmate handels the power just fine
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v694/checkmate414/th_2003_0106Image0004.jpg (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v694/checkmate414/2003_0106Image0004.jpg)

[jeffbare]

Does the Baja have a pad?

[Checkmate2.5]

It will work without a pad just not as good.

[Big Johnson V8]

it does have a pad. The transom was just replaced and the guy never came back for the boat. It is a bare hull , no interior, no riggings. We plan on pulling the 200 merc off of my brothers Warhawk and using it since he is having JSRE build him a 2.5 right now. I hope to post some pic's soon. Thanks for the info.

[lloyd]

Yes as long as the transom is solid...baja's have been known for poor quality. you need setback to reduce chine walk and overall efficiency of the motor. my checkmate handels the power just fine
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v694/checkmate414/th_2003_0106Image0004.jpg (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v694/checkmate414/2003_0106Image0004.jpg)
I'm the old est baja dealer there is you are Wrong! checkloser's are poor quality boats baja's are built like a tank set the engine back 6' S PROP SHAFT 2-" 3BELOW bottom putty lower drain plug 28 cleaver or choper 75-80 mph I ran a 200 rude on one with trim tab's 89-92 mph try that on check loser you'd pull the bottem and tramson out in a hurry Lloyd's marine 8124245785

[illMATTic]

checkloser's are poor quality boats baja's are built like a tank .I ran a 200 rude on one with trim tab's 89-92 mph try that on check loser you'd pull the bottem and tramson out in a hurry

thanks for the mature reply.

these boats we are talking about here have almost the same hull design. i dont think one is really better than the other. but i guess there will always be the baja checkmate fued going on.

i would like to see some fotos of the baja if ya got em.

ill

[Checkmate2.5]

I'm the old est baja dealer there is you are Wrong! checkloser's are poor quality boats baja's are built like a tank set the engine back 6' S PROP SHAFT 2-" 3BELOW bottom putty lower drain plug 28 cleaver or choper 75-80 mph I ran a 200 rude on one with trim tab's 89-92 mph try that on check loser you'd pull the bottem and tramson out in a hurry Lloyd's marine 8124245785

okay old timer whatever you say.....Im not going to debate something with a guy who can't even spell....:rolleyes:
All I know is my boat is rock solid, fast and looks better than any Baja I've seen. By the way, My Checkmate broke 70mph with NO setback, and the motor sitting flat on the transom w/ 25 SS. If i had a J/P and Chopper prop I'de hit 80 for sure And I never knew that trimtabs give you a 12mph gain....sounds like you need to retire, or I need some of whatever you're smoking

[LakeRaider]

89-92 mph with trim tabs and a 200 Rude? On a Baja? That must be it boys, I need to whack some trim tabs on my Predictor. Raider

[Checkmate2.5]

LOL the funny thing is I dont even think that the tabs are in the water at WOT..OL
Hey lakeraider nice predictor....Gotta love Checkmates

[staylor]

....built with some old molds the Checkmate guys weren't using and if I recall, they gave them away. Frankly, ther're both good boats, and I say that as one who's owned a Baja 186 and a C-Mate 210. I drove each for 9 years and never had the least trouble with either hull- as far as I could tell, both are built "like tanks".
Doug

[supergenius74]

Wow, makes me embarassed to be from the same state as that guy, I guess he was offended by the comment about baja boats. One thing is for sure there are way more baja's in my area than checkmates, new boats that is. There are some old checkmates around and I never see old baja's but I see tons of new baja's. I think they are very comparable boats when it comes to size weight and performance, both my mates are rock solid so puting extra power on them is a good thing, shane.

[Stretch]

What kind of mods does a 200 Evinrude need to push something 90 mph ?........must be the trim tabs

[t town]

What kind of mods does a 200 Evinrude need to push something 90 mph ?........must be the trim tabs


Nope.. it just needs to be pulled on a trailer by a truck on the freeway

[Checkmate2.5]

that guy Lloyd is nuts. some boat dealer he is. misleading those poor saps.

[cooperider]

It will be cool to see where this goes.

[SKATER241]

I Had A 17 1/2 Foot Baja With A 150 Merc On It.this Thing Was A Handful To Drive With Positive Trim.chinewalked Like A Mother.once I Learned To Drive Thru It Things Got Better But I Came The Closest I Have Ever Come To Crashing A Boat With This Rig.i Added Some Weight To The Front End And The Boat Settled Down A Little.if You Carry Thru With Your Plans Be Careful And Play Around With Weight Distribution.everyone I Have Talked To With This Style Of Baja Has Had Chine Walking Issues.

[qmaster023]

i guess i should not comment but what the H ll. i had a 1985 sport 160 baja 16 foot boat for years. I mounted a 200 2.4 on the back with a hydro jack plate. i had solid motor mounts and all the safty you could ask for on that boat. I did not have a pad. none. that boat would sit on that little V with no problem. i would drag race that boat with a 24 prop at 87 miles an Hour. With a 30 pitch cleaver that boat ran in the mid 90's everytime. Before anyone says no. I have a lot of people who can back those numbers. yes they were gps #s. I sold that boat to buy my allison and sometimes i wish i had it back. I will say that the 200 did put stress on the transome. I saw gel-coat cracks starting and the owner now has it in canada getting a new transome. a 16 foot Baja will run 70 with the motor on the transome. I have done that too. good luck with your boat. If you want any help e-mail at [email protected] i can send you pictures of mine. see ya

[Checkmate2.5]

I have a 16'7'' 850lb Checkmate Sportfire with a 200+ V6 and 7'' setback. Im shooting for best top end possible. Gonna try a 28'' chopper hoping for anything close to 80. I really want to to break 80mph.

[JWTjr.]

I'm the current owner of Ben's 16' Baja. Ben traded it to me in 2002 for my Allison (of course not straight across!). We then completely derigged it, and re-rigged it with a 1993 Johnson GT100 crossflow as a "first boat" for my then-13 year old daughter.

She beat the snot out of it for three years and the transom finally cracked. I'm sure Ben's years with a 200 didn't help, but it then saw 3 summers on rough Lake George with a 13/14/15-year old behind the wheel. To anyone who says these Bajas are not built well, I can attest that they are (at least this one is/was). It is now, as Ben noted, getting a new transom (and whatever else it needs--yound girls are hard on carpet and rubrail too) at John Spaeth's shop. It will ride again this summer complete with new interior, now piloted by my younger daughter who will be 12 when she first takes the wheel. It still looks almost brand-new. The girls are proud of this boat, as they participated fully in it's re-rigging and also the asselbmy of the outboard (from a pile of spare parts).

I can attest to Ben's handling and driving of this boat. I have seen it perform before I took it in trade, and it indeed run well into the high 80s in a quarter mile, and Ben drove it well. Of course today with 1/2 the power, it "only" runs 54 on GPS with two aboard, but it handles and drives like a dream.

Funny, when I was a kid and into HydtoStreams and Allisons, we used to snort with laughter at the mere mention of a Baja. But, this one is really a great boat. You'd never know it just had it's 20th birthday.

JWTjr.

[qmaster023]

thanks john for the great comments on the Baja. That is a great little boat, and i am glad your kids enjoy it. When I first bought it i took some jokes about buying a Baja but when that little thing went by you look out. Jim tells me you keep it all fixed up and that is great. The allison looks the same. Still inside and still in perfect condition. I bought a quartermaster this year to compliment it. trying to run them both. i guess i am in for some punishment. talk to you later Ben

[Juggernaut]

baja and checkmate are both good companies in my opinion. many people i have talked to who drove a baja and a checkmate always come up with the same opinion. the baja's feel more loose. the checkmates were more stable. also, if you look around, you see old checkmates a lot.(atleast where i live). baja's on the other hand, seem to be harder to find. buyt lets get one thing strait, if i had a choice between the 2, i'd take checkmate, hands down.

[Checkmate2.5]

I got my first boat when I was 9 yrs old. It was a 13' searaider with a 40merc. did just over 40mph. can you send me any pics of yours?.
It is the same boat as a mx 13:D
[email protected]
ps: are you a member of Checkmate-boats.com???

[natzx7]

15 baja w/ a 245 hp carb 104 on the gun. no bs i've ridden in this boat. ain't pretty, but nobody ever suspected it

[mr.clean]

I had a 16ss baja and the boat was absolutely bulletproof! airborne,stuffed the nose numerous times (180 :eek: ),crashed into a buoy,a bridge,hit by a 4runner on the trailer and run over by a bayliner all with nothing more than a scratch. started to walk at about 50mph

[Juggernaut]

I got my first boat when I was 9 yrs old. It was a 13' searaider with a 40merc. did just over 40mph. can you send me any pics of yours?.
It is the same boat as a mx 13:D
[email protected]
ps: are you a member of Checkmate-boats.com???sorry i took soo long to respond.. what is it,5 months? o well. anyways, i have pictures @
http://s102.photobucket.com/albums/m100/juggernaut67/ they are very similar to the mx13, but in another thread i started about a month and a half ago, i found out the molds for the mx13 were destroyed in 1972, so besides looking somewhat similar, they have nothing in common.
on another note, a friend of mine has a 16.5" baja sport with a worked 135 merc on it, puting out close to 150 (im told), and he let me take it out for a gps run. i got 62.5. the boat did best with the engine jacked up about 2", and it didnt take much trim to get it to fly. chinewalking was not bad, but sometimes, the boat would catch, and hook of to the right hard. scared the crap outta me the 1st time it did it. he wants to get a 200. i think it would be a better all around boat (and easier to drive) with a 175. any opinions? im pretty sure he doesnt know he'll be seeing 90's with the 200.

[New Smyrna Craig]

My 16' 1984 baja is only rated for up to 120hp but it's had alot more on it before I got a hold of it. in case your wondering what it's actually rated at baja's web site has old promo for alot of their boats.

Oh and I'd much rather have my brother's 2008 410 velocity it pretty much trumps all. You can check out the pics I took of it on Velocity's web site under a boat for everyone or something like that it's been designed around his wheel chair but it's still tons of fun even with only 850 hp.