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page 58
SUNDANCER YOU’VE
BEEN WAITING FOR!
ANNIVERSARY YEAR
50th
®
| July 2006
sTeAl of
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BaJa 26

BoatTest2419
Baja 26 Outlaw
CaNDy GIrL
Hot out of the box. By eric colBy
Consider two boats built by the same manufacturer.
One is a foot longer than the other. They
weigh the same and have identical beams, but
the bigger boat is faster. The first thing most gofast
enthusiasts would think is “stepped bottom.” In the
case of the new Baja 26 Outlaw, that assumption would
be as wrong as a size 14 thong.
When Baja retired its 25 Outlaw and introduced the
26 Outlaw, the builder stuck with the old-school, tried-
wIth ItS hotrod StyLING ANd StroNG PErformANCE, thE
outLAw wILL StEAL your hEArt. toP ENd: 66.3 mPh.
and-true, deep-V design. Here’s the wrinkle, though: The
25 Outlaw had 1 1 ⁄2 strakes per side; the newer, bigger
boat has 2 1 ⁄2 strakes.
They’re called lifting strakes for a reason—they provide
lift. And as you know, lift reduces friction between
the wetted surface and the water. The 26 Outlaw runs a
competitive 66.3-mph top speed (about 1 mph faster than
its predecessor ran on the same power) while keeping the
boating magazine J U LY 2 0 0 6
As seen in
Celebrating 50 years as
The World's Largest
Powerboat Magazine
more predictable handling that comes with a nonstepped
bottom design. Combine the extra strakes with all the
drag-reducing tests that Baja conducts on its boats and
the University of Michigan’s wind-tunnel tests and you
get the most efficient straight V-bottom around.
The boat planed in 5.4 seconds and held plane at 17
mph, proving it can handle the task of towing toys and
boarders. In midrange acceleration tests, the 26 Outlaw
ran from 30 to 40 mph in 4.6 seconds and from 40 to 50
mph in 3.9 seconds. Our test boat had the optional labfinished
prop ($920), but Baja says it only nets about
1 mph difference.
I cranked the boat through turns at 50 and 60 mph
and whipped it into slaloms at 50. It responded predictably,
thanks in part to chines that are turned down five
degrees.
How competitive is the 26 Outlaw’s top speed?
Fountain’s 27 Fever ($79,593 with the 496 MAG HO
Bravo One X) runs an estimated 68 mph on a single-step
design, but remember, it has a molded swim platform
and a 2' bow extension, resulting in a 24' running surface.
The Baja has a flat transom, making it a true 26' boat.
The Advantage 27 Victory ($88,400 with the same
power) has two small steps and runs 65 mph.
LIVING SPACE Besides being superior to the 25 Outlaw
on the water, the 26 Outlaw has a better cockpit, too. On
the old boat, the gap between the bench seat and the bolsters
was so tight you couldn’t stand up straight—bent
knees were required. Honestly, it was more comfortable
to sit back down. Baja put an additional 4" of space
between the bench and bolsters on the 26 Outlaw, so you
can now stand up or stretch out your legs and brace
against the lower bars of the front seat’s stainless-steel
frames. The bolsters also have handholds built into the
backs for security. I liked the wraparound lumbar support
on the bench seat but would have preferred a wider opening
on the inwale grabrails. I could barely get my fingers
in there.
The 26 Outlaw’s cockpit is also a few inches wider, giving
the boat a much bigger feel overall and allowing for a
cavernous locker in the bench-seat base. Borrowing a
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PHOtOs FOReST JOHNSON

BOATING
Certified Test Results
Baja 26 outlaw
thE hIGhS Conventional V-bottom design that’s nearly as fast
as a stepped bottom and handles better. Larger cockpit is always
a bonus. Love the stout motor mounts. A cabin that can sleep a
family of four.
thE LowS Stern cleats should be on transom, not on hullsides.
Grabrails for the bench seat passengers are too tight to get
a hand around. Glovebox is too small.
SPEEd EffICIENCy oPErAtIoN
naut. stat. n. mi. s. mi. run sound
rpm knots mph gph mpg mpg range range angle level
1000 5.1 5.9 2.8 1.8 2.1 166 192 0 72
1500 7.0 8.0 4.6 1.5 1.7 137 158 3 78
2000 9.5 10.9 6.6 1.4 1.7 130 150 5 86
2500 22.4 25.8 8.2 2.7 3.1 249 286 1 87
3000 28.7 33.0 10.6 2.7 3.1 246 283 2 88
3500 35.8 41.2 15.5 2.3 2.7 210 242 2 92
4000 41.8 48.1 18.9 2.2 2.5 201 231 2 95
4500 49.1 56.5 27.5 1.8 2.1 162 187 1 98
5000 57.6 66.3 34.6 1.7 1.9 151 174 0 99
Advertised fuel capacity 101 gallons. Range based on 90 percent of that
figure. Performance measured with two persons aboard, half fuel. Sound
levels taken at helm, in dB-A.
$
Monthly Payment $650
(7.12% interest with 10% down on test boat power, tax not included;
15-year loan to qualified buyers estimated by Excel Credit)
LOA 26'
Beam 8'2"
Draft (max.) 3'2"
Displacement 4,800
Transom deadrise 24°
Bridge clearance 4'4"
Max. cabin headroom 4'6"
Fuel capacity (gal.) 101
Price (w/standard power) $72,300
Price (w/test power) $79,700
standard power Single 375-hp
MerCruiser 496 MAG Bravo One X
V-8 gasoline stern drive.
ContaCt Baja Marine Corp., Dept. B, Box 151, Bucyrus, OH 44820,
419/562-5377, www.bajamarine.com.
with a clean finish and have cargo nets to help contain
towels and dock lines. Speaking of dock lines, it
would be easier to cross-tie the boat in a slip if the stern
cleats were installed along the transom instead of on
the sides of the deck because the lines wouldn’t have to
wrap around a corner, which could abrade the rope or
mar the gel coat.
Up front, there’s a small draining glovebox in the
boating magazine J U LY 2 0 0 6
optional power Single gasoline
stern drive to 600 hp.
test Boat power Single 425-hp
MerCruiser 496 MAG HO Bravo One
X V-8 gasoline stern drive with 496
cid, swinging a 14 5 ⁄8" x 23" Mirage
three-bladed ss prop through a 1.5:1
reduction.
standard equipment (major
items) Six 6" pull-up ss cleats; acrylic
windscreen; backlit Livorsi Marine
instrumentation, Livorsi Marine
engine controls w/trim on throttle;
tilt wheel; 12v power plug; AM/FM/
CD stereo; 500- and 900-ghp bilge
pumps; CO detector; single battery
in Gil Marine tray; battery switch.
port dash that locks and contains a 12-volt power plug.
To starboard, the helm has Livorsi Marine Platinum
Series gauges set in a carbon-fiber panel, which kills
glare. The trim gauge is on the starboard side of the
panel just ahead of the controls, right where you want it.
Steps molded into the console make it easy to get out
onto the foredeck.
PowEr PLAy Finally, the 26 Outlaw’s engine compartment
is longer than its predecessor’s, leaving more space
ahead of the motor for maintenance or for serious speed
addicts who want to upgrade to the Mercury Racing
HP600SCi supercharged motor (price wasn’t available
at press time for this option). The compartment is also
deep enough to accommodate the taller blown engine
without the need for modifying the hatch.
My test boat’s hatch opened on a hydraulic ram,
revealing the aft end of the single molded liner that
includes the stringers, transverse supports, and both the
cockpit and cabin soles. The stringers in the engine
compartment are cored with fiberglass-encapsulated
marine plywood and reinforced with carbon fiber and
Kevlar for maximum strength and minimum weight.
The bottom, hullsides, and deck are cored with endgrain
balsa and the hull-to-deck joint is bonded with
Plexus adhesive.
You want strength? Check out the motor mounts.
Instead of using L-angle mounts with backing plates,
Baja welds together the L-bracket and 1 ⁄2" aluminum
backing plate, creating a full cap over the bearer, and
then uses 1 ⁄2"-diameter through-bolts to secure the
whole piece to the stringer. Finally, the vertical tab that
the motor mount bolts through is also welded to the
bracket, distributing the load over the 2' length of the
bracket on each side. The battery is secured in a Gil
Marine box to starboard as is the drive trim pump. To
port is the anchor tray into which a Danforth-style
model clips and hangs while you’re running. The wires
and hoses are supported in stainless-steel cushioned
clamps and the routing is easy to follow.
The final spot where the bigger boat outshines the
smaller one is in the cabin where there’s sleeping space
for a family of four on the long V-berth and on the aft
lounges that convert to a second berth with three aluminum
stanchions that support the backrests for the
couches when they’re slipped into place. There’s stowage
under the bottom cushions for the lounges and forward
under the V-berth if you don’t opt for the portable head
!
EXTRA POINT
It’s a good thing the boat works so well because
its bottom will also be used on three future models:
the 272 Islander, a 27' closed-bow model, and a 27'
midcabin bowrider.
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