Baja (Whats the Scoop)

[Jraysray]

I was looking at an older Baja this morning and really liked it. Whats the scoop with this boat line?

Pros/cons? "Stay away" or "take a closer look"?

[chappy]

Depends on the model you were looking at. I've owned and driven many. The ones I've ran are 16-22 footers with low deadrise. They were all good flat water runners. The ones I ran wouldn't stand up in the rougher stuff as well as our Donzi's, but for what I used them for, skiing and smooth water speed, they were fun, and pretty affordable.

Good luck

[Jraysray]

I am looking at a 32' Baja 320.
http://newimages.yachtworld.com/1/8/1/5/7/1815747_1_thumb.jpg?1196808759000 (http://www.yachtworld.com/core/listing/pl_display_photo.jsp?&hosturl=americanyachtsales&&ywo=americanyachtsales&slim=broker&boat_id=1815747&boatname=32%27+Baja+320&photo_revised_date=1196808759000&photo_name=Photo+1&photo=1&url=)

[Carl C]

Good boats but no "sex appeal". I wouldn't buy one myself.

[Jraysray]

Good boats but no "sex appeal". I wouldn't buy one myself.

But I still have one of these and one of those. Red bikinis on a red boat???? Sounds sexy to me. Forgive me El Jefe, I tread not on your waters.

[osur866]

Nice pic of the girl but as far as the baja not a donzi get that girl in a donzi and your golden! Steve

[Jraysray]

Nice pic of the girl but as far as the baja not a donzi get that girl in a donzi and your golden! Steve

Dude,
She is tired of the beating I put her on on her in the Donzi. Time to move up i guess
opinions?

[lars]

Dude,
She is tired of the beating I put her on on her in the Donzi. Time to move up i guess
opinions?
Tend to agree with the guys regarding an early 90's Baja. Good production boat, but not high enough quality to hold it's value or give a sense of ownership pride (the newer Baja Boats have come a long way though). I'm going to suggest You take a look at a 1990 Sunseeker Mohawk 29' for sale in Sherman, TX. I bet she's a Lake Texoma freshwater boat. She's been for sale for a little while on BoatTraderonline.com for $58,995. Now she's on offshoreonly.com for $49,900. There's a 1994 for sale in Florida for $49K, so they might have dropped to match the price. I bet You can buy her for low to mid $40's. I know it's $10K-$15K more than the Baja but the Sunseeker is a very high quality English boat as You probably know. If it's good enough for James Bond it's usually good enough for the rest of us. Since boating is about making everybody in the family comfortable I'm convinced that the Sunseeker will fit the ticket. It can handle rough ocean running with ease or just look stunning moored on the lake. It's a full days trip for You to Sherman, but I bet You buy her and keep her for quite a few years. Good luck.
http://www.offshoreonlyclassifieds.com/1990_sunseeker_mohawk_29_039_make_offer-o12349-en.html
http://adcache.boattraderonline.com/6/3/0/86085730.htm

[lars]

Dude,
She is tired of the beating I put her on on her in the Donzi. Time to move up i guess
opinions?
http://adcache.boattraderonline.com/6/0/3/90148603.htm

[BUIZILLA]

lars....check your pm's...

JH

[waxman]

Baja vs. Donzi
A couple of months ago I ran into a Baja meet on Lake Conroe in Texas by accident. I've got a red Classic 22 and got a lot of stares and waves. When I stopped for lunch a group stopped looking at the big Baja and came over and started gawking. I agree they don't have much sex appeal. Donzis on the other hand are like pulling into a Chevy dealership in a Ferrari.
Don

[roadtrip se]

Look for an older Fountain or Formula out there to meet your price point and size requirements. They last forever, there are plenty of nice boats to be found, and built MUCh better than any Baja, new or old.

[LKSD]

IMO, Donzi, all the way.. :smash:

How about looking for a larger used or older Donzi? There are some nice big ones out there that pop up from time to time.. They are built like a tank.. They are also becoming popular to restore.. The Crossbows & Black widows in my opinion still have sex appeal! Its just a classy boat.. :convertib:

BTW: We to have been thru all of the classics, great rides & a lot of fun, but the Zx's fit our space & needs better.. :)

Jamie / Lakeside Restorations

.

[Jraysray]

Well,
It's not a donzi vs baja thing and yes there are many bigger, nastier or sexier boats. The driving issue is $$$$ and the wife loves it. My big question is, are their any real reasons not to purchase other than personal preference.

I am sure I can go to any Baja website to get a rubber stamp of approval but I appreciate the opinions of the board members here.

Merry Christmas to you all!

[LKSD]

Thought that was a reasonable answer....

I agree.. Baja builds a good boat & it is fine for your first perf boat. However there are a lot of older Donzi's, Formulas, Cigs, & fountains out there to be had for a good handshake.. :yes: And the quality in build in them as well as ride is appreciable in my opinion.. ;) Jamie / Lakeside

[Batman's Nemesis]

I too am biased opinion wise towards staying with a higher end older used boat.. :) BN

[The Hedgehog]

Listen to these guys about the older Donzi or Formula idea. There is nothing wrong with old Cig's either (I almost bought one this summer, damn hot boat). If price is the issue step into an older better name brand boat. There are plenty of Baja's on my lake. I know of several times I pulled up to a marina last summer and had folks ask me for a ride in the Big Green Donzi. There were usually a few newer Baja's around. Nobody was asking for a ride in those.

If you want to turn heads and want a quality boat get a Donzi. I have been driving them for almost 20 years and that is not near as many as some on this board, they are the way to go.

It is not that I think that the Baja is a bad boat, it just does not have the same charisma as a Donzi.

[The Hedgehog]

I agree.. Baja builds a good boat & it is fine for your first perf boat. However there are a lot of older Donzi's, Formulas, Cigs, & fountains out there to be had for a good handshake.. :yes: And the quality in build in them as well as ride is appreciable in my opinion.. ;) Jamie / Lakeside

Yes, and Jamie works on all of them and you see what he owns.

[dane mariner]

I worked a boat show back in the 90s selling Bajas. I wanted one until I spent time on the boats. They were not put together very well. The other bad part was the horror stories from people who already owned Bajas. There were several cracked hull stories and a lot of warranty issues. I now have a Fountain.