Baja 340 Islander

At the bottom of California, the Baja Peninsula sticks out like a sore thumb. Great precipices crumble into clandestine coves that dissolve into azure water. Lots of fish and almost as many cool fishers call these fertile waters home. After matching wits on the wide blue yonder, you head for margaritas at the marina bars and Mexican girls.

At the bottom of Queensland, the Gold Coast sticks out like a sore thumb. Great skyscrapers stand guard over sandy beaches that dissolve into azure water. Lots of fish and almost as many cool fishers call these fertile waters home. After matching wits on the wide blue yonder, you head for margaritas at the marina bars and meter maids.

Yep, despite what you may think, California and the Gold Coast have something in common - the Baja 340 Islander. The swish boat is the very definition of sportsfishing in the Pacific. It's daring, fast, far-ranging and, well, you can't help but get a little crazy behind the wheel.

Off the Gold Coast, the Baja 34 transported me to a place where I haven't been before. I had the stereo system with subwoofer blaring to the point where I couldn't even hear the engines. At full noise, with barely a scrap of slippery hull in the water, I played the gringo with the performance-bred hull and 450hp on the transom.

I idled away from the marina, sped out the Seaway, and went hell for leather towards the horizon. I lapped a plate aluminium half-cabin slamming its way out to sea, charged up behind a Quintrex tinnie heading for home, and skirted Surfers Paradise beaches on a babe-watch patrol.

Then I buttoned down the big K-planes or trim tabs and ran like a roadrunner for several miles. This I did while calmly holding the wheel with one hand and a grabrail with the other. At 40kt into the teeth of the building onshore breeze, there was nothing to worry about.

When I found bluewater, I put the boat in trolling mode, hauled my derriere up onto the leaning post, and called the Editor on the blow phone to convey my thoughts. The Baja 340 Islander is as exciting as a Mexican port of call.

The streamlined boat has lots of wow-factor backed by performance beyond your average production rig. It should advance angler appreciation for high-speed centre-consoles. Where distance, time and fish are concerned, the boat excels.

ON THE STRAIGHT AND NARROW
Baja, which is owned by Brunswick Marine, has gone in search of a performance edge. All the Baja boats have between 20-24° of deadrise and run sweetest when trimmed to within 2-3° of horizontal. This way the boat offers minimum drag and maximum vee to cleave the waves.

Confident of its hulls, Baja then drop in a monstrous amount of Mercury outboard power. The 340 Islander had twin 225hp 2001 model Optimax outboards. But you can have twin 300hp motors if you prefer. The boat is set-up for it.

All Baja boats are designed on the principle that weight equals drag. Baltek endgrain balsa is used as coring material for the hull and deck, which is hand laid using biaxial cloth. This cloth needs just one application of vinylester resin for every three layers of matting.

I-beam stringers further reduce weight and provide stiffness, while a fully-encapsulated stringer system is glassed in place. The deck is bonded with a special adhesive to the deck. Stainless fasteners are added, but twin and triple-engine rigs also have through-bolts every 25cm along the gunwales.

The deep-vee hull has pronounced strakes and chines to increase lift, while a low centre of gravity located around the helm helps stop porpoising and slamming. The boats have that lean and hungry racing pedigree, with basically a fine entry and not much beam.

Sportiness is further emphasised on the Bajas by a selection of up to seven different graphics kits. The teal-coloured boat pictured hereabouts looked the part with the WAV graphics. Which, I can report, stands for water action vehicle.

Thus, the idea behind the 340 Islander is to create a sporty sportsfisher and a trick social boat with amenities to entice and assuage the 'Brady Bunch'.

The hull weighs just 2745kg and is 2.55m wide, so it is possible to tow into tournaments.

SHOTGUN APPROACH
I rate the console as having one of the best multifaceted layouts I have seen. There is comfortable seating for eight people, a vast uncluttered cockpit once the rear lounge is folded away, a toilet for the ladies, even two berths for overnighting in a lock-up cabin offering secure rod storage.

Needless to say, a lot of planning has gone into the top deck. The mouldings around the back of the little aft-facing quarter seats up front, for example, are shaped in such a way that you get perfect back support. One of the real strengths of this boat is the amount of seating.

Unlike some centre-consoles short on bumrests, where you end-up sitting on the gunwales or laying on the floor, this one offers a place to sit in the shade any time of day. When you are on your feet, meanwhile, you'll find a good grade of non-skid, padded coamings and cutaways, so you can slip your feet under the gunwales.

The coamings include countersunk handrails and drinkholders. With the lounge folded away it's not such a long reach to fight a fish around the motors. There is also a transom door and a smart clip-in swim ladder stowed across the well.

The front edge of the console lifts on hydraulic struts to reveal the porta-potty in a deep storage well. What you don't see are the 38lt freshwater tank, plumbing for the raw-water washdown, auto 1250lt/hr bilge pump, recessed scuppers, and courtesy cockpit lights. A lot of goodies are built into and under the deck for fishing.

There is a built-in tacklebox on the portside of the console, a truly massive livebait tank on the back of the leaning post in which you could keep 50 jack mackerel alive, eight rodholders, an aft sink with hand-held shower for rigging baits, and a stylish alloy T-top with rocket launcher that can tote 10 outfits.

The 340 Islander was also equipped with a windlass with foot-switch on the bow, large K-planes or trim tabs with sight gauges, and an upgraded Clarion sound system with subwoofer.

Underfloor, I found two giant fishboxes that drain straight through to the seas. Each is big enough to hold two 25kg wahoo. Iceboxes for refreshments are tucked away under the forward seats, while the sides are equipped with triple rod or gaff and tagpole racks.

Under the foredeck is a surprisingly roomy cabin for overnighters or catnaps at sea. With the folding door open, the breeze filters inside.

Engine options range from twin 200hp Mercury outboards through the Optimax models to twin 300hp Promax models. We had the 2001 Series 225hp Optimax, which come with Smart gauges that reduce in-dash clutter.

Build quality and finish is a highlight. The moulded liner has been carefully mapped out, the upholstery is tough but lush, and the styling reflects the boat's performance. The dual-like Kiekhaefer controls have separate gear shifts and throttles just like a raceboat.

OFFSHORE EXPLOSION
With the tanks full, the 340 Islander is a long-range weapon. Range with twin Optimax 225hp outboards and the 1030lt of petrol which you can pump underfloor is around 350nm at cruise speed - which is a mere 35kt!

So, with the nose buttoned down and the stereo turned up, I did the Baja bop. About three miles offshore, I stopped to enjoy the adrenaline rush. I had a smile etched over my dial, the kind of buzz you get from, I suppose, bungee jumping or skydiving.

Some centre-consoles are great fishing boats and poor social boats. In my experience, most are also uncomfortable boats for long periods of time at sea. Though it costs a small fortune, the sexy Baja 340 Islander does a great job of beating the centre-console bogey.

The boat's blinding performance will appeal to the young at heart, but all ages will find cool comfort in its logical layout. Dare I say, even the Mexican girls and Gold Coast meter maids will want to tag along for the ride. Cha, cha, cha...