Celebratory Effort: Baja marks its anniversary with a special poker-run edition of its new 35 Outlaw.

Wanting to do something special to kick off its 35th anniversary celebration, Baja Marine looked no further than its high-performance Outlaw line and released a new 35 Outlaw in late 2005.

But the Bucyrus, Ohio, company didn't stop there. Baja took the new model a step further with the special poker-run edition it delivered to our Performance Trials in Sarasota, Fla.

Not as refined as some of the models we've seen from Baja - it was not supposed to be - the lightweight 35-footer was built for speed and performance with a flare that is sure to gain attention. With $127,000 tied up in the poker-run package and the dual 525-horsepower engines and Bravo One XR drives, the special edition checked in at $300,000, nearly $140,000 above its base price.

PERFORMANCE
Equipped with a pair of Mercury Racing HP525EFI engines, the conventional, deep-V-hull featured a delta pad that started at the forward end of the keel. Bravo One XR drives with a 1.5:1 reduction ratio put the power to the lab-finished Bravo One 15 1/4" x 33" propellers.

The engine package proved to be a worthy counterpart for the 35-footer, which reached 88.5 mph at 5,200 rpm.

The boat's acceleration was respectable, too. From a standing start, the colorful V-bottom reached 48 mph in 10 seconds and 78 mph in 20 seconds. In midrange drills, it took 4.3 seconds to run from 30 to 50 mph and conquered the 40-to-60-mph and 40-to-70-mph drills in 4.2 and 8.3 seconds, respectively.

Cruising at 3,500 rpm, the 35 Outlaw was running 60 mph and averaging around 1.5 mpg.

Visibility in the poker-run edition was excellent - the low-profile windscreen on the fairing deflected much of the wind from our test team. Plus, it didn't take long to reach plane. With the Mercury Racing 280S K-Planes down, it was on plane in 4.4 seconds.

In slalom drills, the 35-footer exceeded our expectations. Turns at cruising speeds were easy to manage as well. The test driver did notice a slight hop during full-speed turns, but it was nothing unruly.

Tracking was steady in the new model, especially at lower speeds. And handling in quartering and head-on seas was better than average.

Because of the boat's light hull - it weighed 1,200 pounds less than a standard 8,100-pound 35 Outlaw - weight shift and wind direction produced a slight response.

WORKMANSHIP
Baja designed the special edition with a lay-up combination of carbon fiber and Kevlar to produce a strong, yet lightweight boat.

An innovative aspect of the 35 Outlaw was its integrated grid system. Basically the boat was comprised of a hull and deck mold, with everything belowdeck - the stringers, the engine compartment, the fuel tank and the cabin structure - incorporated into another mold. The extensive grid system eliminated the need for bulkheads, in turn opening up more space throughout.

The flashy graphics were part of the custom poker-run package. The model we ran on Sarasota Bay featured a white hull with splashes of red, blue and yellow. The latter color covered the deck and was carried over onto the fairing and into the cockpit.

A black rubrail with a stainless insert was installed precisely to protect the paint job. Baja also included a billet handrail down the middle of the deck in between a pair of Bomar hatches with polished frames and smoked glass.

The remaining hardware, including six Accon Pull-Up cleats and the port- and starboard-side navigation lights, was installed in blue bezels.

The vents on the engine hatch also demonstrated the customization available with the special edition as the low scoops were painted to match the boat's graphics. The engine hatch, which was made of carbon fiber, lifted on an electric screw jack.

Rigging in the engine compartment received good marks from our workmanship inspector. The side-by-side engines were through-bolted to the stringers, and all of the wiring was supported well with stainless cushion clamps.

INTERIOR
Baja made sure to dress its special edition for the occasion, keeping in mind that poker-run enthusiasts don't usually need a lot of amenities in the boat.

As part of the weight-saving effort, the builder went with a bare cabin. A U-shape lounge with padded blue and white cushions was the main point of interest in the cabin that was finished with a layer of gelcoat over raw fiberglass.

Stowage was included behind the lounge and under the cushions. A large compartment in place of a galley was near the smoked acrylic door that led out to the cockpit, which was covered with dark blue snap-in carpet.

Seating in the cockpit was simple. Twin manual dropout bolsters on stainless-steel stands included grab rails on the back for rear passengers to stand up. Passengers could also sit on the rear bench and hold onto the gunwale-mounted anodized blue grab handles.

The poker-run package was carried into the helm, as the driver's dash panel was painted to match the graphics. Sitting in the panel were three Livorsi Marine Monster gauges above a Mercury SmartCraft SystemView monitor with two smaller gauges for oil and water pressure on each side. All of the gauges, as well as the monitor, had blue bezels.

A row of rocker switches were below the panel and in front of the blue tilt steering wheel. Matching blue and chrome Livorsi throttles were to the right of wheel, while the shifters were on the left.

Baja included molded footrests finished in nonskid in front of the driver and co-pilot. Ahead of the co-pilot was a Clarion Performance Plus stereo and a large glove box.

OVERALL
While there was not much to the cabin, we've come to expect that from poker-run models since participants don't usually spend much time belowdeck. The primary purpose with a poker-run boat is that it performs.

With a nearly 90-mph top speed, the special-edition Baja more than performed. Plus its graphics and complementary tunes are sure to stand out.

TEST RESULTS

TEST CONDITIONS

HULL INFORMATION

PRICING INFORMATION

ENGINE & PROPELLER

OPTIONS ON TEST BOAT
Upgrade to twin Mercury Racing HP525EFI engines and Bravo One XR drives ($81,500), poker-run package ($45,833), Corsa Quick and Quiet Plus ($5,967), Clarion Performance Plus stereo ($2,150), Sunbrella cockpit cover ($875), Livorsi Marine GPS speedometer ($817), blue cockpit carpet ($783), freshwater flush ($525) and fender holders ($233).

ACCELERATION

MIDRANGE ACCELERATION

RPM VS. MPH

TOP SPEED AT RPM

PLANING

FUEL ECONOMY

FUEL CAPACITY
185 gallons

TEST CONDUCTED AT
Sarasota, FL

MANUFACTURER
Baja Marine, Dept. PB, 1520 Isaac Beal Road, Bucyrus, OH 44820, 877-321-2252, www.bajamarine.com

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