Baja Outlaw

[ksmith]

I was wondering what everyones opinion is of the Baja 20' outlaw. I want an I/O that will sit 6 comfortably and is small enough to run smaller lakes and big enough to run the river I'm not sure though if the 5.0 L motor is big enough. I like the 22 calibur but seems hard to find a used one for a decent price.

[Hot Shot Merc]

The 20' is too small.It doesnt handle the ruff stuff well at all.The i/o weight realy slows them down.If yoy want a twenty foot boat get an O/B.Like a progression or an intimidator type.I own the new 23 outlaw with the small block.Its great for lakes rivers and the rough water in the bay or the gulf.With the drop down bolster seats and the dive platform it makes an awsome all around boat.

http://home.comcast.net/~hotshotmerc/b4.jpg
http://home.comcast.net/~hotshotmerc/bajapass.jpg

[David]

I'd take a 21 SOB over a 20 Outlaw in a heartbeat. Much faster, way more cool. 5L is not enough if you go that way.

[Ospreyproduction]

I just bought a 22 Classic like this one for sale on Ebay. I'm really enjoying it.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Immaculate-1999-Donzi-22-Classic_W0QQitemZ330013406025QQihZ014QQcategoryZ31271QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[richsbr1]

Sold it two seasons ago and I still miss her. Used to use it in the big lakes in NH, but I bought a house on the water on a smaller pond and it was just too much for the lake and I didn't see the point of trailering for hours when I could step onto the dock out front. Don't feel too bad for me, though. I have an Allison XS2003 w/ProMax now.

The Caliber was a much "bigger" boat than the 20 and handled bigger water just fine. It was also much bigger to trailer. Not something you pull around with a midsize SUV. Don't know if that's a consideration? I also looked at the Donzi 22, but liked the offshore type controls and the v-berth in the Baja better. Just personal choice.

I'm not sure how big the water gets where you plan to boat and I don't know what you have to trailer with, but I can recommend Baja in general. They don't always seem to get a fair shake, but from personal experience I can say they are great boats. I owned mine for 10 years and my only complaint was that it was a "sit down" boat without bolsters when things got really rough and the seat boxes weren't up to par with the rest of the boat. Looks like they fixed that in the 23 Outlaw above. Nice boat.

Some people have said to get an outboard instead of the I/O. Well, what makes the I/O slower and heavier can make it more "comfortable". It just depends on what you are looking for. My wife still misses the Baja as she finds the ride - even on our little lake - of the Allison much too harsh. That includes when just floating, too. You can get banged around with wakes pretty good in a light boat. We used to spend the whole day on the Baja. We don't do that in the Ally.

I find the extra 30mph ok, though. ;-)

Good luck and enjoy whatever you get.

rich

[ksmith]

The more i look the more i think the 20' outlaw would be to small. It seems like the closed bow is a waste a space because the boat is too small for it to be useful. I do most of my boating on the st lawerence river and towing isnt an issue because i drive a 2500hd with the 6.0L. I'm thinkin somthing in the 22' range would suit my needs better.

[sho305]

Bajas are pretty popular up here, they are a mass produced boat but I've not heard any real bad things about them. Stand up bolsters are way cool for rough water, I'd certainly get those. If you get an I/O check performance carefully and expect to get the biggest motor that will fit in that size boat if you want to go fast. Some hulls are faster than others, be aware of what you are getting. One with a pad for example typically go faster but it may not be as good in the rough. I'd look up lots of reviews and comparisons on the net before I made a choice. We ran a lot of 24' challengers back when I was out a lot. They were a fast hull then and could top 70 with a good 454 and still run the big lake most days. They were bought and I forget who bought them, they used to be made here. They even had a tunnel hull 24 that just had a different bottom that was faster and would run good in chop but don't know if they still have them. Here is a regular 24' supervee http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/1449008/0

You might want to look at checkmates also, not the lightest but they run the great lakes with them here and they don't break. Good all around boats in the 20' range and very popular here. They hold up well. Not as big a boat as the baja but depends on what you are looking for and what you want in a cuddy.