• Welcome to the Checkmate Community Forums forums.

    You are currently viewing our boards as a guest which gives you limited access to view most discussions, articles and access to our other FREE features.
    By joining our free community you will be able to:

    » Interact with over 10,000 Checkmate Fanatics from around the world!
    » Post topics and messages
    » Post and view photos
    » Communicate privately with other members
    » Access our extensive gallery of old Checkmate brochures located in our Media Gallery
    » Browse the various pictures in our Checkmate photo gallery

    Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free so please, join our community today!

    If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact support by clicking here or by using the"contact us" link at the bottom of the page.

Checkmate Vs. Baja question

I like baja's. Any where you go theres at least a dozen of them, so you always have someone to talk to. The guy with the least stress cracks is always the puss that doesn't run hard enough but they all have fun counting each others. Its always nice to pick up a overtons catalog and be able to replace any part you need or do a ebay search and have 10 million options. My favorite is every winter being able to pull off the stickers and put on new ones and having everyone wonder what fast and furious design you'll have each summer.
 
I was that guy that was "brain washed" that Baja's were bad boats one day. Now that I have been in the bigger boating industry and had the opportunity to run next to a few and chat with the owners I have changed my tune. a certain few were bad hulls but most of them are the same as the next brand. My very close friend runs his 33 outlaw with procharged 500efi's (750hp a side) to 100mph. I have been on this boat I speak of in 2-3 footers and it was on rails! Ran next to him in my 251 in 4-5ftrs and he went by me like I was standing still, he was running 60mph+. this boat I speak of is flawless with ZERO stress cracks! I have gained much respect for the brand!just my 2 cents
 
I get the points being made and may even tend to agree, but

Just because I think one brand is better that the other does not make me wrong. All brands are not created equal even if these two are similar.

Comparing a 30+ foot boat to a 25 foot boat is no way to compare one brand to another but I would agree that not all models or years of a brand are going to be bad either.

Again it's a long winter.
 
I have had about 8 different boats including several bass boats that I liked every single one . Never a Baja but my buddy has had a 24' Baja Sport for at least 15 years and that boat still is in pristine condition and man have I had some good times in that boat. Every time I see a nice Baja (yes there are some) at the lake I check it out and they are always clean and fun to play with on the water. I always liked the looks of the Outlaw but just no plans to buy one. It is fun to talk a little smack about them and just a preference for most folks not always a bad investment. Now if its trucks we are talking about and it starts with an F and ends with a D I would rather walk. Hehe.
 
Last edited:
I got plenty of WTF were they thinking when they built this boat issues with my starfire. I think the most aggravating one is the lower swim platform bolts were behind the flotation boxes so they couldn't use stainless nuts and bolts. The solution was steel lag bolts which overtime rusted deteriorated and allowed water in.
 
I think I still have the bolts. They were rusted/deteriorated so bad they were about half their original thickness.
 
All boat manufactures have their +/-s. I've even seen Skaters with delaminated bottoms (don't tell OG) and read of 80/90s era Cigs that are totally rotted out. To me, it depends a lot on how the previous owner has taken care of a boat. I'm not a big Baja fan but do like some of the Outlaw series and the 70s era boats.
 
I had a 1995 24 outlaw and loved it --My friend had a 98 25 convincor at the time . I would say boat for boat the checkmate was made better. I did like some of the things about my baja better so it is really give and take and what fits your needs and budget best -Key is well cared for and not beaten to death in my personal experiences. I also agree on resale being better on the Checkmate....
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top