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New to the forum just introducing my self
Hello My name is Alex and am new here, I have an immaculate 1990 Checkmate maxxim 229 with the 502 mag set up. Many questions to ask on here, boat runs high 60s to low 70s depending on weather and lake traffic. The engine uses no oil, it has 544 hours on it, I do not know if the engine is completely original and if it has ever been out for any type of repair. What types of mechanical things should I be looking into doing as time goes on, the gel coat, interior and cubby are flawless. Boat starts and runs amazing, has the bravo 1 drive with a 1:36/1 gear in it. Just a young booster looking to keep this gem up as well as input for the future. |
Welcome to the cult !!!
We have a 2000 Cobalt 226 with a 7.4MPI and Bravo 3 outdrive. At the end of the 2019 season we have 661 hours on the clock. The engine has been flawless. Starts, runs, idles etc., smooth as glass. Best speed has been 63.5 in cool weather and a very slight chop. I'm not a mechanic so take this for what it is. I'm anal about maintenance on our boat/engine. I do exactly what the owners manual says to do - Once a year I change the oil and all the filters and service the outdrive. We are not afraid to run the boat but we don't abuse it. I have this moto - if it ain't broke don't fix it. If there is one thing that I do is that in the beginning of the season - I pour in 2 cans of Seafoam in the fuel (50 gallons). I have never had a fuel problem. Every other tank fill I wash the air intake-- usually is clean - but once again I'm anal. Other than the routine stuffs that's it. All the best 3pointstar |
Welcome to the group. Build up your posts and then let’s see some pictures of it! |
Hi!:ernaehrung004:
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I have been looking into adding a performer air gap intake to the 502 and wondering what prop would also be a good choice. Would changing the valve springs be a good idea, the cam only has .510” of lift per mercury specs. It does sound quite aggressive at idle but definitely not an HP500 by any means. Would changing out the quadrajet to a Holley be worth it as well?? We service the drive with only mercruiser spec oil as well. |
Welcome! I started with Checkmate as my first powerboat. They are solid boats and fun to drive, enjoy! I still have a Checkmate Starfire in my garage that needs some restoration and will be used as a local river runner.
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I have always wanted a 22-24 foot checkmate I also looked at Scarabs, and a few other brands it just seemed to me Checkmate had to me the better boat in that particular size. We have the pond damn resvoirs down here and a bigger boat is kinda pointless.. We can be clear to the other end of Tims Ford in 15 min. Best we have gotten out of her is 72 and that was with a borrowed 3 blade 23p mirage. |
Welcome
My buddy has 2 Checkmates, 21 ft with 383, 8 inch extension box and Alpha drive. Also has blue metal flake paint and custom interior. Doesn't get used very often sits in the garage undercover. The other is a 17 or 18 ft with an outboard and custom interior. The outboard hasn't been on the water in maybe 15 years, and always under cover. |
Welcome to the site,,,,
lots of good info here.. dont be afraid to ask what ever... if i am not sure , i will ask for help. |
The boat came with two props, what appears to be a 3 blade 23p Predator (out of business Michigan Prop manufacturer correct me if I am wrong) and a clue less Sutton 4 blade. The engine pulls only to about 4200 rpm with the 4 blade and blows out real bad on take off. I need a good place to start and what to try first to get this boat happy.. I think mid to low 70s are indeed capable. The Sutton will get me to 65mph but I do not know the pitch of it and it showing large amounts of wear as well.. Any info is greatly appreciated!
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Surprising that it has 1.36 drive. Have you verified your speeds on a GPS??
How many rpms are you seeing with the 23 Predator prop?? You want to spin a 502mag to 4900-5000 rpms at WOT. I would try a Mirage Plus prop. Probably a 23 or maybe even a 21 depending on your rpms. |
My first "performance boat" was a '93 Checkmate 230 Enforcer.. Had a built 516 cid engine just shy of 600 hp..
Boat was a TON of fun.. ran mid 80's with a 4 blade Bravo I 28 pitch.. :) https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...a1bb8c841a.jpg |
Congrats on the new boat. Sounds like eng is running well. I'd shy away from "upgrades" like intakes, cams and carbs for a while. Once you start messing with the induction, it's always a give and take situation and getting a good balance isn't as quick/easy/cheap as it may seem. I'd stick with getting the prop dialed-in and just enjoy a good running boat for a season or 2.
I have a similar vintage boat also in unusually good condition. My first major project/expenditure was to replace all the wear parts for the outdrives like bellows, bushings, seals, etc. Replacing these type parts will help preserve the integrity/reliability of the boat as a whole and keep you on the water. |
Really appreciate the advice from you guy's, in the process of winterizing her, is it recommended to pull the drive off and have everything inspected every so often? It has an unusual drive with the 1:36 gear, this has been our 2nd season on it, we have run Mobil 15/50 higher zinc ppm oil in her and Mercury drive oil. We did batteries, starter relay, distributor module, cap, rotor, plugs ect. I know drives are not cheap to tear down and repair what's something I should look for and be worried about.. My wife and I are definitely going to keep it and bring our kids up on it taking trips here and there with it.
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It's a good idea to pull the drive off once/yr or maybe every 2 years depending on how much use it sees. Clean off the drive input shaft and apply new spline grease. Check U-joints, gimble bearing and bellows while drive is off. Look for drive lube inside the bellows which would indicate a leak. Grease all the fittings while you're at it. Crack the drive drain plug and see if any water comes out. Remove prop, clean off old grease from the output shaft and re-grease. If you don't remove the prop periodically (and re-grease), it can seize itself to the shaft and be a real pain to remove.
It's best to change the oil before winterizing. Drive lube too. In regards to winterizing, everyone does it a little different. Main things are protecting against freezing, don't allow fuel to go bad and keep batteries charged-up. The search function will pull up just about anything you want to know about winterizing. If there's still something you need to know, just ask. |
If U do remove the drive I would have the alignment checked too
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