question, do we get looked down on since we own baja's???
01-23-2002, 08:06 PM
#61
Platinum Member
Platinum Member
ANYONE WHO BASHES SOMEONE ELSE RIDE BECAUSE ITS NOT UP TO THEIR STANDARD, IS NOT SOMEONE YOU WANT TO HANG AROUND ANYWAYS. LIFE'S TOO SHORT, ENJOY THIS GREAT SPORT, WHO GIVES A CRAP IF YOU DRIVE A BAJA OR A ACTIVE THUNDER LIKE ME, IM JUST GLAD TO BE ON THE WATER. DIFFERENT STROKES FOR DIFFERENT FOLKS 
01-24-2002, 10:30 PM
#62
Registered
Eric, the differences in construction that you speak of is where the difference in quality lies between some brands of boats. Since you asked, I'll see if I can help you out on fiberglass construction techniques.
Remember, with a mold, boats are built from the outside in. The gel coat is sprayed into the mold first before any glass is ever laid.
Then, there are two main types of construction.
1) Chopper Gun - most inexpensive boats (read: B-liner - no offense anyone) are/were constructed using this technique. The fiberglass mat (mat is the fiberglass cloth that resembles wafer board - multi-directional strands that easily pull apart) and resin/hardener mix are both fed into a form of spray gun. The gun actually chops the mat into fine pieces and blends it with the resin as it is sprayed into the mold (hence the name - chopper gun). Fine for a river runner but not how you would want your offshore rig to be constructed. The construction is much like that of a uni-body car. As long as everything is in one piece, it's fine. However, one "dent" and it could compromise the strength of the entire unit. The cost savings are in the manhours required to lay up a boat and in the cheaper fiberglass mat. You could have several molds with one guy going from mold to mold spraying on the mix of mat/resin. As the first one is ready for another application of mat he starts back at the beginning.
2) Hand Laid - Each layer of fiberglass cloth is, as the title says, hand laid. Continuous rolls of woven fiberglass cloth are laid in the mold from bow to stern in one piece. Resin is applied and either squeegeed or rolled until all cloth is soaked with resin and laying flat. No voids or air pockets. Incredibly strong since the cloth is made of woven strands and is continuous for the length of the boat. Cloth comes in different weights and there are also different types of resin. Some manufacturers offer lay up with a resin known as AME 5000. This is an incredibly strong, more expensive, resin that also happens to be lighter than typical resins. Want to really get crazy? Lay one up in carbon fiber. We once had a STV tunnel custom built for drag racing. 20 feet long and 425lbs out of the mold. Strong as steel. Race weight with a 200lb driver, Merc 2.5, 5 gals fuel etc was about 1075.
There are some other differences worth mentioning. Is the hull and deck joint screwed together or bonded with glass AND screwed/bolted? Makes a difference. How about motor mounts? Lag bolted into the stringers or through bolted with 1/2' stainless hardware and backing plates on the other side? Many things factor into the price of the toys we play with. Take your time and look at all the details. Nothing is free. However, when you get into the boats of which we usually speak on OSO, most of the things I mentioned should be standard fare. You should'nt find any disappointments when looking at the Bajas. I can't speak for CM. Don't have any down here. Good luck and hope this wasn't too long.
Remember, with a mold, boats are built from the outside in. The gel coat is sprayed into the mold first before any glass is ever laid.
Then, there are two main types of construction.
1) Chopper Gun - most inexpensive boats (read: B-liner - no offense anyone) are/were constructed using this technique. The fiberglass mat (mat is the fiberglass cloth that resembles wafer board - multi-directional strands that easily pull apart) and resin/hardener mix are both fed into a form of spray gun. The gun actually chops the mat into fine pieces and blends it with the resin as it is sprayed into the mold (hence the name - chopper gun). Fine for a river runner but not how you would want your offshore rig to be constructed. The construction is much like that of a uni-body car. As long as everything is in one piece, it's fine. However, one "dent" and it could compromise the strength of the entire unit. The cost savings are in the manhours required to lay up a boat and in the cheaper fiberglass mat. You could have several molds with one guy going from mold to mold spraying on the mix of mat/resin. As the first one is ready for another application of mat he starts back at the beginning.
2) Hand Laid - Each layer of fiberglass cloth is, as the title says, hand laid. Continuous rolls of woven fiberglass cloth are laid in the mold from bow to stern in one piece. Resin is applied and either squeegeed or rolled until all cloth is soaked with resin and laying flat. No voids or air pockets. Incredibly strong since the cloth is made of woven strands and is continuous for the length of the boat. Cloth comes in different weights and there are also different types of resin. Some manufacturers offer lay up with a resin known as AME 5000. This is an incredibly strong, more expensive, resin that also happens to be lighter than typical resins. Want to really get crazy? Lay one up in carbon fiber. We once had a STV tunnel custom built for drag racing. 20 feet long and 425lbs out of the mold. Strong as steel. Race weight with a 200lb driver, Merc 2.5, 5 gals fuel etc was about 1075.
There are some other differences worth mentioning. Is the hull and deck joint screwed together or bonded with glass AND screwed/bolted? Makes a difference. How about motor mounts? Lag bolted into the stringers or through bolted with 1/2' stainless hardware and backing plates on the other side? Many things factor into the price of the toys we play with. Take your time and look at all the details. Nothing is free. However, when you get into the boats of which we usually speak on OSO, most of the things I mentioned should be standard fare. You should'nt find any disappointments when looking at the Bajas. I can't speak for CM. Don't have any down here. Good luck and hope this wasn't too long.
01-28-2002, 10:02 AM
#63
Guest
Posts: n/a
Originally posted by Croozin2:
<STRONG>Eric, the differences in construction that you speak of is where the difference in quality lies between some brands of boats. Since you asked, I'll see if I can help you out on fiberglass construction techniques.
Remember, with a mold, boats are built from the outside in. The gel coat is sprayed into the mold first before any glass is ever laid.
Then, there are two main types of construction.
1) Chopper Gun - most inexpensive boats (read: B-liner - no offense anyone) are/were constructed using this technique. The fiberglass mat (mat is the fiberglass cloth that resembles wafer board - multi-directional strands that easily pull apart) and resin/hardener mix are both fed into a form of spray gun. The gun actually chops the mat into fine pieces and blends it with the resin as it is sprayed into the mold (hence the name - chopper gun). Fine for a river runner but not how you would want your offshore rig to be constructed. The construction is much like that of a uni-body car. As long as everything is in one piece, it's fine. However, one "dent" and it could compromise the strength of the entire unit. The cost savings are in the manhours required to lay up a boat and in the cheaper fiberglass mat. You could have several molds with one guy going from mold to mold spraying on the mix of mat/resin. As the first one is ready for another application of mat he starts back at the beginning.
2) Hand Laid - Each layer of fiberglass cloth is, as the title says, hand laid. Continuous rolls of woven fiberglass cloth are laid in the mold from bow to stern in one piece. Resin is applied and either squeegeed or rolled until all cloth is soaked with resin and laying flat. No voids or air pockets. Incredibly strong since the cloth is made of woven strands and is continuous for the length of the boat. Cloth comes in different weights and there are also different types of resin. Some manufacturers offer lay up with a resin known as AME 5000. This is an incredibly strong, more expensive, resin that also happens to be lighter than typical resins. Want to really get crazy? Lay one up in carbon fiber. We once had a STV tunnel custom built for drag racing. 20 feet long and 425lbs out of the mold. Strong as steel. Race weight with a 200lb driver, Merc 2.5, 5 gals fuel etc was about 1075.
There are some other differences worth mentioning. Is the hull and deck joint screwed together or bonded with glass AND screwed/bolted? Makes a difference. How about motor mounts? Lag bolted into the stringers or through bolted with 1/2' stainless hardware and backing plates on the other side? Many things factor into the price of the toys we play with. Take your time and look at all the details. Nothing is free. However, when you get into the boats of which we usually speak on OSO, most of the things I mentioned should be standard fare. You should'nt find any disappointments when looking at the Bajas. I can't speak for CM. Don't have any down here. Good luck and hope this wasn't too long.</STRONG>
<STRONG>Eric, the differences in construction that you speak of is where the difference in quality lies between some brands of boats. Since you asked, I'll see if I can help you out on fiberglass construction techniques.
Remember, with a mold, boats are built from the outside in. The gel coat is sprayed into the mold first before any glass is ever laid.
Then, there are two main types of construction.
1) Chopper Gun - most inexpensive boats (read: B-liner - no offense anyone) are/were constructed using this technique. The fiberglass mat (mat is the fiberglass cloth that resembles wafer board - multi-directional strands that easily pull apart) and resin/hardener mix are both fed into a form of spray gun. The gun actually chops the mat into fine pieces and blends it with the resin as it is sprayed into the mold (hence the name - chopper gun). Fine for a river runner but not how you would want your offshore rig to be constructed. The construction is much like that of a uni-body car. As long as everything is in one piece, it's fine. However, one "dent" and it could compromise the strength of the entire unit. The cost savings are in the manhours required to lay up a boat and in the cheaper fiberglass mat. You could have several molds with one guy going from mold to mold spraying on the mix of mat/resin. As the first one is ready for another application of mat he starts back at the beginning.
2) Hand Laid - Each layer of fiberglass cloth is, as the title says, hand laid. Continuous rolls of woven fiberglass cloth are laid in the mold from bow to stern in one piece. Resin is applied and either squeegeed or rolled until all cloth is soaked with resin and laying flat. No voids or air pockets. Incredibly strong since the cloth is made of woven strands and is continuous for the length of the boat. Cloth comes in different weights and there are also different types of resin. Some manufacturers offer lay up with a resin known as AME 5000. This is an incredibly strong, more expensive, resin that also happens to be lighter than typical resins. Want to really get crazy? Lay one up in carbon fiber. We once had a STV tunnel custom built for drag racing. 20 feet long and 425lbs out of the mold. Strong as steel. Race weight with a 200lb driver, Merc 2.5, 5 gals fuel etc was about 1075.
There are some other differences worth mentioning. Is the hull and deck joint screwed together or bonded with glass AND screwed/bolted? Makes a difference. How about motor mounts? Lag bolted into the stringers or through bolted with 1/2' stainless hardware and backing plates on the other side? Many things factor into the price of the toys we play with. Take your time and look at all the details. Nothing is free. However, when you get into the boats of which we usually speak on OSO, most of the things I mentioned should be standard fare. You should'nt find any disappointments when looking at the Bajas. I can't speak for CM. Don't have any down here. Good luck and hope this wasn't too long.</STRONG>
01-28-2002, 12:04 PM
#64
Registered
Eric, the only way you learn is to ask questions(which you have been doing) and do some of it yourself. Some projects obviously require a trained technician but the more you tackle yourself, the more familiar you will become with it. I, out of necessity, have always performed much of my own repair work. Also learned much about the smaller boats (tunnel boats and hydros) from my Dad. Was big in the hydros back in the 50's and 60's. Much of the info transfered to larger boats, though. Just jump in with both feet!
01-29-2002, 12:02 PM
#65
Guest
Posts: n/a
ERIC, IF THIS SALESMAN WAS SELLING A YUGO, THEY WOULD BE THE BEST THING ON THE MARKET. HE IS PUSHING A PRODUCT IN AN INDUSTRY HE OBVIOUSLY KNOWS LITTLE ABOUT. COMPARE FOR YOURSELF THE QUALITY BETWEEN THE TWO MANUFACTURERS AND I THINK YOU WILL SEE THAT BAJA BUILDS A DAMN FINE BOAT, NOT JUST COMPARED TO CM, BUT TO ANY MANUFACTURER. AFTER VISUAL COMPARISON, BE SURE TO TEST DRIVE BOTH BOATS. CM BUILDS A SLEEK GOOD LOOKING BOAT, BUT THEY DO NOT HANDLE ROUGH WATER LIKE A COMPARABLE BAJA, I HAVE SEEN THIS FIRST HAND.
01-29-2002, 12:12 PM
#66
Guest
Posts: n/a
Eric1969, hey man i see your from Suwanee GA. what the hell is there to do down there? I am coming down the week of feb. the 25th. to do some work. Just want to know what to look out for. Is there any water large enough for my 32 i'm looking for some warmer weather to dial it in? 
04-29-2003, 10:02 PM
#67
Registered
Originally posted by diligaf
Those 40ft outerlimits and skaters and pantera's and black thunder's and Cigs are FEW AND FAR BETWEEN where I am from. My Baja gets more WOW's wherever I go. When I volunteered as a patrol boat and took it down to the NYC boat race, one of the guys from KRYPTONITE racing was checking it out and asking me all kinds of questions. Overall, you get a lot of boat for the money with a Baja..
Maybe when you get rid of that PINK stripe down the side people will stop laughing .... 
Just kidding, have fun and enjoy it... not everyone can afford a 300,000 dollar go-fast.
Those 40ft outerlimits and skaters and pantera's and black thunder's and Cigs are FEW AND FAR BETWEEN where I am from. My Baja gets more WOW's wherever I go. When I volunteered as a patrol boat and took it down to the NYC boat race, one of the guys from KRYPTONITE racing was checking it out and asking me all kinds of questions. Overall, you get a lot of boat for the money with a Baja..
Maybe when you get rid of that PINK stripe down the side people will stop laughing ....
Just kidding, have fun and enjoy it... not everyone can afford a 300,000 dollar go-fast.
Us Pantera owners are real nice people..unlike those Fountain people and their gold chains
(just joking, I used to have a beaker!)
Last edited by Von Bongo; 04-29-2003 at 10:17 PM.
11-06-2005, 11:46 PM
#69
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Re: question, do we get looked down on since we own baja's???
A further comment on thisistank comments around gelcoat.
I been looking at the Baja's for a number of years, the sports and outlaws. Just bought a 240 sport, 88. There is virtually no gelcoat cracking on this boat. I've looked at lots of other performance boats, Donzi's, CM's, Scorpion etc. and lots have GC cracking. I looked at 4 Baja's and none had cracking on the hull. One had minor cracking on the upper right transom but looked like it had been bumped. This 88 is extremely solid. I haven't seen the spec's on the 05's but all the 90's models seem to be the same or close weight so the construction must be similar.
There are lots of better quality boats out there but overall, the sleek lines, solid stable dry ride and performance of the Baja's make's them a great boat and a solid purchase.
You might not see Donald Trump in one but hey, his hair might blow off!
I been looking at the Baja's for a number of years, the sports and outlaws. Just bought a 240 sport, 88. There is virtually no gelcoat cracking on this boat. I've looked at lots of other performance boats, Donzi's, CM's, Scorpion etc. and lots have GC cracking. I looked at 4 Baja's and none had cracking on the hull. One had minor cracking on the upper right transom but looked like it had been bumped. This 88 is extremely solid. I haven't seen the spec's on the 05's but all the 90's models seem to be the same or close weight so the construction must be similar.
There are lots of better quality boats out there but overall, the sleek lines, solid stable dry ride and performance of the Baja's make's them a great boat and a solid purchase.
You might not see Donald Trump in one but hey, his hair might blow off!
11-09-2005, 09:08 PM
#70
Re: question, do we get looked down on since we own baja's???
I think we do get looked down upon. That is why I try to surround myself with Cobalt owners. At least I can outrun them.
