40 years!
 

Just wanted to let yal know the upcoming 2003 model year will be Checkmate's 40 th year in the performance boat industry!!!! Not to bad for alittle family owned boat company in the middle of nowhere, Ohio!! Thought maybe we could get a thread strarted on your first/and-or best"Checkmate" boating experience? What do you guys think? ..........My first was sitting in my brothers 15 ft race boat at the age of 4 ....My best (G Rated -To Date) would have to be G.L.O.P.R.A offshore race several years back i which me & my bro had the smallest boat (23' EnforcerO/B) and smallest engine single 2.4 Merc and finished 4 th overall .....had a blast!!!................. I'm sure you guys have some good stories to tell!? I'll have to think about the R rated best!!:cool:

With buying first checkmate zt280, which is my first boat period. I would have to say the best memory would be the first time I turned over the motor and knew that it was my boat.

I had a 1974 MX-13 with a 100 h.p. mercury short shaft
engine.That boat would scare the hell out of you!!!
That was my first Checkmate and i am now on my 4th.
Checkmate,even the name is cool!!!-----------Joe

My first checkmate experience was in my 95' 216 convincor. The ride of the 24 degree dead rise got me hooked. I have bought two more since it.

My best experience in a checkmate, although I have gone faster in the newer & bigger checkmates I have had since, was hanging with the big dogs at lake erie with the 216!!!

My first Checkmate got me sold,
Had it for 6 or 7 years and never had a problem with it. Wish I never sold it.It was a 1988 22 ft vision.

My 229 is the first Check I've owned. I have had other boats but none were built better. This boat is solid and looks new after many years of use. I went to look at it not really serious about buying it. When we pulled up to the boat my wife said you're going to buy it, she was right.

229,
My wife said the same thing.

We were looking at a 24 Baja outlaw, when we saw this boat, took a look at the lines, and the dealer gave me a great deal. Too bad that there is not a Checkmate dealer is the Syracuse area anymore. Hey CONVINCOR 300, any plans on having a dealer here anytime soon?

Slapshot
 

What happened to boat house?

Boathouse closed down,Illegal doings,to bad.
Ed always treated me well.

dmann....nice air shot! .......yea...to bad Boat House went under!......We are working to set a dealer in Utica right now......Boats Unlimited.....anybody know anything about them?

Ed Fleming and Scott Grants got in some trouble and are going to spend some time away from all of us for a period of 20-41 months. If I get the chance, I will try to post the news paper article in which the story appeared.

I believe that the Restaurant and bar is still open and still in business

It really is to bad, Both Scott and Ed were great people to do business with. I feel that, in my opinion, there is really no one in this area that has the selection of new or used performance boat that they had. I will probably get some heat from people living in this area, but both Scott and Ed treated myself and lots of my friends right. It didn’t matter is you bought a 10,000 boat from them or a 500,000 boat from them, they treated everyone the same. I also thought that there service dept. was good.

I’m not knocking the other marinas or dealers in this area, I’m sure that they do a good job, It’s just that, I was comfortable with dealing with the Boathouse Marina in my purchases and repairs. I am now going to have Chris Martin of Stern Drive Specialist do my work, which is not a bad thing. He is, in my opinion and others, the best to have work on your boat.

The Boathouse Marina put on a Poker Run every year on Oneida Lake, this was a fun event to attend. Since they are no longer in business, no more poker run on Oneida Lake. Hopefully someone will step up and start an event on this lake.

:cool:
This Checkmate is my first boat after owning two Polaris jetskis. I was looking for an older Baja 220 Sport like my buddy's who introduced us to this awesome lifestyle when I found this one. There is no comparison between the two really. His does ride a little better with being a true 22' and heavier, but it pisses him off when I rip by him with less HP! :eek:

We eat, sleep and love boating now. We've met some great people and what a stress reliever to just hang out with them floating behind the boats and then tearing up the water whenever the urge hits:D

Congradulations to Checkmate for 40 years of fantastic boats.

I traveled from the south side of Chicago to Port Huron, MI to check out a 28' Convincor. I loved the looks of the boat but when we put it in the water and it handled the rough water of Lake Huron with no problem, I knew I was going to buy it. The following week, I was on my way back up there to get it.

Something I will never forget. I was racing a 28' Saber going into 3' waves. We were running flat out and coming out of the water pretty far. He was leading by about a boat length :mad: when all of a sudden his boat shot in front of me. Somehow I managed to miss it by spinning my boat. When his boat shot in front of me I didn't see anybody in the cockpit. He was thrown out at 70+. We pulled him out of the water and yes he was beat up bad but alive. His girl friend wasn't thrown out but took some hard licks from bouncing around. They both healed up and are fine know. The bow of his boat stuffed a wave when he came back into the water. The old sudden stop thing got him. The Checkmate was handling the water better but he had a little more HP than I did then. (I fixed that problem) He was lucky I didn't have more HP, if I was in the lead, I wouldn't be there to pull him out.

How about a 40 year aniversery price roll back:D

40 years
 

ok guys i guess it is time i chimed in here; to bill combs and his family congradulations on 40 years of building the higest quiality boats in the boating industry!! i hope you injoy your continued success . i know your sons kipp and mike will keep the checkmate name at the top of the boating industry!! keep those new hull ideas comming boys!!! " good luck " bill chambers:)