Ck1flyer

Guys,

The older 25' Checkmates had a 7'-5" beam, the newer ones (259's and 270's) have a 8'-6" beam. Both models taper down the sides of the hull to a very narrow bottom. My 270 Checkmate is only like about 6'-3" wide at the back at the transom. Looking at the spec sheet on a Checkmate, one might think of it as a wide beam boat. Really not the case if you look closley and drive one. It is an awesome, hull, excellent aggressive strake and chine design and a nothched transom.

Very nice rough water boats. They are rarely criticized for being "not strong". Usually when someone complains about one's build quality, it is someone who knows a guy who's brother's has a some stress cracks, and it's 25 years old...most manufacturer's haven't been around that long. They've been building hand laid, balsa cored boats, for almost 43 years. And they are low volume and family owned, no big corporate entities pulling on their strings.

-Craig

RumRunner

Having owned both types and size hulls its a matter of what you're looking for.
A) What you're doing with the boat. Are you looking to just go out and pound waves, do you hang out with friends, do you want to weekend on it? All of these concerns will a part in your decision.
B) Looks! What hull do you like to look at? You'll spend more time working on it than you're care to think about. You'd hate to be thinking this thing isn't exactly what I wanted the whole time!
C) Quality! We used to call Checkmates Crackmates where I grew up, but their quality has gotten better over the years.

As far as any of the 24/7 boats the hulls are all about the same, Pantera, Sunsation, Super Boat, Python, etc. They almost seem to have that splash... but I digress. You'll be very happy with either the Pantera, or a Super Boat. You can probably get a killer deal on a used Sun up that way as well.

FASTERDAMITT

Rum, I agree with you. But I think all glass boats cracked when we were kids. That was a long time ago. Nowadays there's better flexability in the material.

RumRunner

Fasterdamitt,

I know what ya mean... Heck we all did things back then that we look at now, and go "wow how am I still alive"... You know like the 16' Hydrostream with a 115 Merc jacked up to the moon. Ah to be young ,and dumb(er).

How do you like your Y2K? I keep thinking of getting something different while I redo the one boat, and it's one of the hulls that I'm looking at. How does yours run speed wise?

Panther

I owned a Panther for 5 years, they have an 8.5 ft beam not a 7. Boat is good in 2-3's but anything over that it's a rough ride.

If you buy a boat and want it to hold up in the rough I would recommend Superboat, Activator, Progression, Pantera etc. In my opinion the Checkmate is a production boat, assembly line kind of building unlike the others listed.

FASTERDAMITT

I like the boat alot. Seeing low-mid 90's so far.

Wardey

I can't beleive you guy's are leaving the Extreme 29 Shotgun out !!!! Dave

FX10

PM Superbash. He's owned a 24' Superboat for a few years now. Doing almost 80 mph with a 300 Merc. Loves it !!

FASTERDAMITT

Only because he want's a 24-25' boat! You don't build one do you? Now your included!

AIR TIME

how about the 26 sutphen only a foot longer 8 beam will out handle the others in rough water erines went 94 with 800hp talking about crackes I'VE seen them in a cig bullit, cafe, my best friends superboat 550hp, my 650hp baja, if you run them hard in the ocean something is going to give the sutphens have a 26 degree v which will out handle the above 24to 25 ft boats I've been in the new 32 sutphen with a single 800hp running smooth in 5 to 6 footers at 3/4 throttle doing 75mph thats whats on my list tons of room drove as nice as my friends 37ol check out the 26 art