Waterheater 28' Checkmate Race Boat
12-20-2013, 08:59 AM
#1
Registered
Thread Starter
Waterheater 28' Checkmate Race Boat
Anybody know the whereabouts of the old 28' Checkmate raceboat Waterheater??? Inquiring minds on the checkmate-boats.com site have interest!
12-20-2013, 12:43 PM
#4
Racer
Racer
I would guess that it was still out west some where. I haven't seen Shapiro since he won the open class in Key West with his 40' Skater, Iguana Bay Iced Tea
12-20-2013, 12:47 PM
#5
Racer
Racer
just found this from way back.......
Super Hero, Super Hero Boats, Super Hawaii Racing etc. are probably my fault! I intoduced Kitami to offshore racing in 1988 and we purchased "Waterheater", yes, a 28' Checkmate from Alan Shapiro. Kitami and I (and a cast of dozens) raced the boat in POPBRA was a year and then Kitami's desire got huge and the rest of the story unfolded. For the next few years, millions were spent on his boat racing, boat manufacturing, cars (15 AC Cobra's!). Kitami always kept me as his "friend" and right hand man. He also had a desire to have the best and spared no expense to hire the best he could, or advised he could. Fabio Buzzi, Bill Sirois, the list is long! It all came to an end in the early 90's when Kitami's brother was arrested in Honolulu on financial corruption charges in Japan. It was reported close to $100,000,000.00 was bilked out of Japanese banks and investors through Kitami and his brother.
I do know the history on some of the boats, but there wewre so many! There are 2 40' American Series here in Hawaii in a junk yard: One is my old boat with stars and stripes that was on the cover of PowerBoat. Both are wasted fiberlass shells full of termites! Great, fast and furious times. My wife has a condo on the intracostal a few hundred yards from Shooter's in Fort Lauderdale. I love to sit on the lanai and watch the boat parade by: just last November, a 40' SuperHawaii cruised by and I though I was back 20 years when we tore up the intracostal in the blue 34' and red 40' based out of Everglades. Back to reality! Joey, we'll keep in touch. Aloha, Steve Carr
Super Hero, Super Hero Boats, Super Hawaii Racing etc. are probably my fault! I intoduced Kitami to offshore racing in 1988 and we purchased "Waterheater", yes, a 28' Checkmate from Alan Shapiro. Kitami and I (and a cast of dozens) raced the boat in POPBRA was a year and then Kitami's desire got huge and the rest of the story unfolded. For the next few years, millions were spent on his boat racing, boat manufacturing, cars (15 AC Cobra's!). Kitami always kept me as his "friend" and right hand man. He also had a desire to have the best and spared no expense to hire the best he could, or advised he could. Fabio Buzzi, Bill Sirois, the list is long! It all came to an end in the early 90's when Kitami's brother was arrested in Honolulu on financial corruption charges in Japan. It was reported close to $100,000,000.00 was bilked out of Japanese banks and investors through Kitami and his brother.
I do know the history on some of the boats, but there wewre so many! There are 2 40' American Series here in Hawaii in a junk yard: One is my old boat with stars and stripes that was on the cover of PowerBoat. Both are wasted fiberlass shells full of termites! Great, fast and furious times. My wife has a condo on the intracostal a few hundred yards from Shooter's in Fort Lauderdale. I love to sit on the lanai and watch the boat parade by: just last November, a 40' SuperHawaii cruised by and I though I was back 20 years when we tore up the intracostal in the blue 34' and red 40' based out of Everglades. Back to reality! Joey, we'll keep in touch. Aloha, Steve Carr
12-20-2013, 04:45 PM
#6
Registered
Thread Starter
just found this from way back.......
Super Hero, Super Hero Boats, Super Hawaii Racing etc. are probably my fault! I intoduced Kitami to offshore racing in 1988 and we purchased "Waterheater", yes, a 28' Checkmate from Alan Shapiro. Kitami and I (and a cast of dozens) raced the boat in POPBRA was a year and then Kitami's desire got huge and the rest of the story unfolded. For the next few years, millions were spent on his boat racing, boat manufacturing, cars (15 AC Cobra's!). Kitami always kept me as his "friend" and right hand man. He also had a desire to have the best and spared no expense to hire the best he could, or advised he could. Fabio Buzzi, Bill Sirois, the list is long! It all came to an end in the early 90's when Kitami's brother was arrested in Honolulu on financial corruption charges in Japan. It was reported close to $100,000,000.00 was bilked out of Japanese banks and investors through Kitami and his brother.
I do know the history on some of the boats, but there wewre so many! There are 2 40' American Series here in Hawaii in a junk yard: One is my old boat with stars and stripes that was on the cover of PowerBoat. Both are wasted fiberlass shells full of termites! Great, fast and furious times. My wife has a condo on the intracostal a few hundred yards from Shooter's in Fort Lauderdale. I love to sit on the lanai and watch the boat parade by: just last November, a 40' SuperHawaii cruised by and I though I was back 20 years when we tore up the intracostal in the blue 34' and red 40' based out of Everglades. Back to reality! Joey, we'll keep in touch. Aloha, Steve Carr
Super Hero, Super Hero Boats, Super Hawaii Racing etc. are probably my fault! I intoduced Kitami to offshore racing in 1988 and we purchased "Waterheater", yes, a 28' Checkmate from Alan Shapiro. Kitami and I (and a cast of dozens) raced the boat in POPBRA was a year and then Kitami's desire got huge and the rest of the story unfolded. For the next few years, millions were spent on his boat racing, boat manufacturing, cars (15 AC Cobra's!). Kitami always kept me as his "friend" and right hand man. He also had a desire to have the best and spared no expense to hire the best he could, or advised he could. Fabio Buzzi, Bill Sirois, the list is long! It all came to an end in the early 90's when Kitami's brother was arrested in Honolulu on financial corruption charges in Japan. It was reported close to $100,000,000.00 was bilked out of Japanese banks and investors through Kitami and his brother.
I do know the history on some of the boats, but there wewre so many! There are 2 40' American Series here in Hawaii in a junk yard: One is my old boat with stars and stripes that was on the cover of PowerBoat. Both are wasted fiberlass shells full of termites! Great, fast and furious times. My wife has a condo on the intracostal a few hundred yards from Shooter's in Fort Lauderdale. I love to sit on the lanai and watch the boat parade by: just last November, a 40' SuperHawaii cruised by and I though I was back 20 years when we tore up the intracostal in the blue 34' and red 40' based out of Everglades. Back to reality! Joey, we'll keep in touch. Aloha, Steve Carr
So I can't help but wonder if the FEDs confiscated the old Waterheater...or is it also sitting in a yard rotting away waiting for someone to save her!! From everything I read, the Checkmate was very competitive and won many races in it's class!!
11-09-2020, 10:02 AM
#8
yes, my father currently owns it. the boat was raced in long island for ocean outboard in 1986 as “b-75” and to my knowledge it was then in possession of shapiro who raced it on the west coast as “b-76” (Waterheater) . The boat was practically abandoned , sitting in long island where it came from originally. we have done a full restore on it and it has been back in the water for over a year now back in long island. feel free to ask any questions
Last edited by Aj_petz; 11-09-2020 at 06:12 PM.
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Fast Shafts (11-11-2020)
11-09-2020, 12:54 PM
#9
JC Performance Engines
Gold Member
yes, i currently own it. the boat was raced in long island for ocean outboard in 1986 as “b-75” and to my knowledge it was then in possession of shapiro who raced it on the west coast as “b-76” (Waterheater) . The boat was practically abandoned , sitting in long island where it came from originally. we have done a full restore on it and it has been back in the water for over a year now back in long island. feel free to ask any questions
