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Is Checkmate the New Baja?

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Is Checkmate the New Baja?

Old 07-24-2012, 10:44 PM
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Default Is Checkmate the New Baja?

Ive been thinking for awhile about how there is a huge void to fill from not having any new Bajas since 2008 (besides a few misfit Bajas By Fountain). Weather you liked Baja or not, there was a time when they owned the largest share of the powerboat market. It was a smart lineup. Take the Outlaw series for instance. How many newbies went out and bought 20 Outlaws, then within a few years had moved up to a 23 or 26? Some remained loyal and got into the 30 or 35 Outlaws, others moved onto Cigarettes and other big brand names. Bottom line is Baja got them into boating.

2008 to 2012 with NO new Bajas = 1,000s of missing boats from the market. Can Checkmate help fill that void?

Enter Doug Smith. Here comes a guy wanting to get back into the boat business with Checkmate during one of the worst recessions in recent US history. Is he crazy? Probably, and Im ok with that because he has the guts to try something new and get new product out there. With the original Checkmate employees combined with former Baja employees he has managed to hit some homeruns during a difficult time. And from the boats Ive recently seen coming out of Checkmate, they remain the best gelcoat in the business.

99.9% of all Baja's and 100% of all Checkmate's were built in Bucyrus OH. It will be interesting over the next few years to see if Baja owners upgrade and stay loyal to the name that went to North Carolina or move on to other brands.

Here is a collage of the new Checkmate 26 and Bajas new 26. Opinions welcome!



[IMG][/IMG]
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Old 07-24-2012, 11:24 PM
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I have thought that very same thing and if anyone can capitalize on it Doug will. Thats a man who knows his market.
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Old 07-25-2012, 12:14 AM
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He started baja...so it makes sense
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Old 07-25-2012, 12:19 AM
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Great company, Checkmate. Very friendly and helpful with the two boats I have owned in the past. The boats were also fast and light. They take the time to help you when you have any question on there new line or a old boat they built in the 80's.
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Old 07-25-2012, 05:46 AM
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I think its a homerun if you ask me. Only IF Mike Combs and Kip got involved during the build process of these new baja/checkmates. Ive owned both baja and checkmate and I can tell big differences in build and design qualities. Id have to lean toward the checkmate build quality and how fast and light they can build them. I just hope Doug didn't make them heavy like he used to. The weight on the new 26 Convincor isn't to bad,approximately 4340lbs compared to the 270 at 4000lbs. Only time will tell.

Last edited by matthewr; 07-25-2012 at 05:48 AM.
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Old 07-25-2012, 06:49 AM
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Originally Posted by TEAMBAJA
Ive been thinking for awhile about how there is a huge void to fill from not having any new Bajas since 2008....

2008 to 2012 with NO new Bajas = 1,000s of missing boats from the market. Can Checkmate help fill that void?

Only things your argument doesn't address are the lack of demand and dealerships! When Baja was really pumping out inventory they had unprecedented demand and a large dealer network (with floor plans/inventory financed).....Both of which are long gone!

I liked the Bajas, thought the 30-35 Outlaws were great looking boats, graphics needed some updating in the end though. I like the Checkmates they are putting out today, solid performance numbers on those outboard boats and reasonable pricies also.
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Old 07-25-2012, 08:13 AM
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Personally i think baja is an awsome affordable boat to get someone in a performance boat for a decent price, and i havent kept up with them lately but the fit and finish of them is equal to the big money boats
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Old 07-25-2012, 10:19 AM
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One should remember that the very earliest Bajas were actually built from molds Bill Combs (Checkmate) sold to Doug. So there's a long history with both companies.

Personally, I sold and worked on Checkmates for years and have also worked on my share of Bajas. I'd give the styling edge to Baja and the construction edge to Checkmate. I'd even venture to say that the very few Bajas built by Fountain were probably the best built Bajas ever.

Now, with Doug in charge of Checkmate and Baja gone, I see nothing but good things for Checkmate and their customers. More power to them!

Last edited by Too Stroked; 07-25-2012 at 11:00 AM.
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Old 07-25-2012, 10:38 AM
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People bought Bajas because of the price. They really aren't the best looking boats until you see what you get for the money.

They seem to have lost that focus... a new 23 outlaw with a 377 Mag runs something like 90k. add in some options and you are over 100 grand on a brand that is perceived as a price point performance boat.

Checkmate appears to be far less money... so if they stay true to the bang for the buck category they will do very well.
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Old 07-25-2012, 12:26 PM
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Originally Posted by Too Stroked
I'd give the styling edge to Baja and the construction edge to Checkmate.
This is why, for my first performance boat, I picked a Checkmate over a Baja. That and the slight edge on speed. That and I didn't want the same make that everyone else out there has. No offense to Baja, as they make some nice boats and they're styling was more up-to-date than Checkmate, IMO. This point didn't matter to me. I'm a bit of a bare-bones kinda person.

To address the thread... I hope that Checkmate keeps their distinction. If everything coming out looks like a Baja before too long, I'll be bummed for sure. Most importantly, I hope the build quality remains up to the Combs' standards.

My $.02.
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