Checkmate Production Slammed
 

Solid news out of Bucyrus, http://speedonthewater.com/in-the-ne...n-slammed.html.

Great news, wish others would realize there is still demand for a mid performance single engine model

:cool::cool::cool::cool::cool:

good for them!

Hey Sam ~ Does this mean you're not in the market for a twin-engine Formula any longer??? :angry-smiley-038: :lolhit:

wow
 

Hey pantera,ya looking at this post? and i bet they all get theirs before the summer is over...:cartman::lolhit:

Awesome, good for them!!

Ouch

Nice looking boat, but starting with a 380HP, will be a dog, JMO

Yup. Base power should at least be the HO version. Anyone guess how fast the 525 boat will be? Price?

yip

Good to see smaller+ lower cost sportboat,, not everyone is looking for a 100mph 150-500k boat..
By nice to see poker runs organized for the same, tired of seeing runs where every other boat is a 40+ ft million dollar boat..

Great news for the sport as there really was very few entry level boat mfg left.

Curious, did checkmate switch over to the baja bottom on all models or just certain ones?

Baja sold alot of boats that you guys would consider to be "underpowered". Power is optional, you dont have to go with base power. I agree with HTRDLNCN, not everyone is looking for the fastest boat.

Not sure any of them were switched. For sure none of their small boats were since those don't exist in the Baja line up. I am not active on the Checkmate forums anymore, but I do not think they really have anything to do with Baja. My understanding is that the guy that bought the company was just a previous CEO of Baja. Baja was still around when all this stuff took place and had been purchased by Fountain. Now I guess it is possible that Checkmate could have purchased some of the Baja molds now that they have gone under but again I am no longer keeping up with that. I did just go over there recently and checked out the article on their new 43 footer. It came from an Apache mold that was designed to replace the 41 Apache.

have not yet seen the completed boat . maybe its a 24' hull with 2 ft swim platform or a true 26' . it was not long ago the 454 mag was rated at 385 hp and powered a 24 outlaw into the 60's . Checkmate still builds all the same boats they just added a few of the baja molds since Doug Smith bought the company. Great to see Checkmate is doing well with boat orders. they build a very good product at a fair price, but as we all know its often the power packages that drive the costs way up

yup, neighbor here in Lago has a 24 Checkmate with the EFI320hp/377 small block , runs mid 50s and runs forever on a tank of gas, he and his wife like the sporty looks and boat has all the get up and go they require. Bet there are a lot more buyers for that kind of sportboat than the 100mph ones..

Story I heard was when Reggie bought Baja he just came through and tagged what he wanted and left the rest which got absorbed by checkmate.

It says production is filled through june/july for certain models. Curious how long from start to finish on a 24/26? Be cool to see the facility sometime. Open house in the future?

Yes they are using they're molds. Its obvious on some of there newer boats. The convincor lineup is still the same great checkmate hull. Most of theirs are now Baja molds with checkmate Touch ups, but not all of them are baja molds. This is not "confirmed info" but you can tell some of their boats are just that.

http://www.checkmatepowerboats.net/C...ts-ZT-275.html - Baja
http://www.checkmatepowerboats.net/C...ts-ZT-350.html - Baja
http://www.checkmatepowerboats.net/C...ts-ZT-244.html - Baja H2X

After Brunswick sold Baja to Reggie. Checkmate acquired at least three Baja molds.

Baja H2x = checkmate ZT244
Baja 275/278 = Checkmate ZT275
Baja 342 = Checkmate 350

100% agreed.

LOL


Great story Matt!

+1

I can tell you that it is a true 26' hull with a bolt-on aluminum, or nice looking fiberglass swim that is still in development. It is a great looking new model that was designed with input from both Checkmate and former Baja designers, but it is a totally fresh design that the industry could use right now. It is too easy to say now is not the time to invest in new products, but you have to give them credit for rolling the dice.

XT

At least the paint schemes are a little tamer than some of the Baja's. That designer at Baja needs to settle down a bit, and for heavens sake someone please take his flourescent paint away from him:party-smiley-004:

My desk was not far from his and I know what you mean. He has not done any new paint job designs since 08'.

Thanks for the info , i have been a loyal Checkmate owner since 97 currently have a 08 ZT280 which i bought new . i can say for a fact that the boats have gotten some needed updates (grafics & interiors) i hope Doug Smith and team keep the quality up. the hull warranty is 10 years to the original owner which is great . when i was shopping for a new boat a couple of years ago knowing that it would never be an offshore race boat but a nice performance boat my decision came down to price and quality and i stayed with Checkmate.

Thats great. I love checkmates im on my 3rd. Always loved the lines and its one of the only performance boats that I like the windshield. my ZT280 has the same stance in the water as my 84 18' Eluder did. GLad to see theyre doing well.

Agreed! Checkmates are the only boat I like with a windshield. I think mine looks like a corvette sitting in the water sometimes. Love it. Great hull to. Nice to have something no one else has on the lake to.

Did you get to see any of the place when you dropped the Sunsation off or did we just stay outside?

The new 26 is the old outlaw. Same bottom just new deck.

Should have slapped the convincor Hull under it and called it done.

I think the 27 Convincer is still available to anyone that wants one. It would be cool to have a third party do a back to back test with the same power and post the results.

XT

I am a Checkmate dealer and they are VERY busy. I just sold 3 24's in the last two weeks. I ordered another this week and am 5th in line for a 24. I deal mostly with the outboards and order blank hull with my own rigging. I have the 21's running over 96 on GPS with a single 300xs. I also have a new 28 with twin outboards in stock. I can't wait to set up a new 26 with twin 300xs motors. Should run about 90-92! My website is http://liberatorfl.tripod.com

What would be cool is a 32 ft version of the 41 that they are building.

Always glad to hear Checkmate doing well. They've been really helpful when I've contacted them and my '99 283 Convincor has been a d*mn good boat for me. :musik010:

Why 380HP versu 430HP ???????????
 

As an engine builder it still cracks me up that Mercury still keeps controlling performance smaller boat cost like they do.

There is no real cost difference for Mercury to build and deliver a 502Mag 380HP versus a 502HO-430HP to the boat builders like Checkmate who are trying and helping increase the offerings in the 24-29ft performance boat range. Camshafts cost them the same and programming in the ECM cost the same and those are the only two differences between the two model engines! The added cost of catalyst systems required now and their emmission controls have already added enough addtional engine cost to the prospective buyer, why not make the upgrade easier to justify for the new buyers of boats offered by great improving builders like Checkmate.

Obviously interested performance boat buyers and users would opt for the 430HP level engine and its greater performance in these boats, why keep a $5K-$7K higher cost per boat in an industry that needs all the incentives it can muster. this is the same format they used with the 496Mag versu 496HO engines back 2000-thru 2010 years.

If Checkmate could be building and supplying this boat with 430HP versus 380HP for about the same cost, what engine do you think they would select as a builder and seller??

Obviously Mercury likes the added net profit incentive almost any buisness would, but it is not really conducive to expanding and redeveloping the small-midsize performance boat market.
Remember Mercury's future depends on a strong recovering small -midsize boat market also. Sell more boats=needs more engines=Mercury has a bigger market- pretty simple conclusion.

We all know you really never have quite enough power as a performance boater, but the worst thing you can do as a new performance boater is to buy a performance boat with less power than it should really have.

Best Regards,
Ray @ Raylar

Ray,

I have no idea about the new motors, but do they have the exact same internals? It would seem that maybe the 430 hp motors might have forged internals?

If they are exactly the same, and the same price to build, then you make an excellent point and why would Mercury have two motors at two price points?

Crazy stuff.

Can you order a Checkmate with a Ilmor engine?

Yes, they both have the same internals except camshafts (same cost for camshafts), same externals and are both built and assembled at Fondulac on the same line. I honestly think it"s a bit crazy and obviously on some smaller boats it may be somewhat driven by insurance requirements, but in a 27-29 footer makes no sense and I feel is counter productive to growing the boating industry. As I said, if every builder had the choice of buying the 380HP versus the 430HP versions for what should be the SAME price, what do you think their decision would be!? Kinda a NO Brainer! Since the SBC at 260-350HP provides the smaller HP area and the Racing HP525's and now HP565 fill the upper HP area for noramlly aspirated efi engines why does the industry even need a 380HP and 430HP seperate versions anyway? Build and supply all 430HP versions and sell them all for the price of the 370 ! Makes more sense to me but I don't begin to know everything about what and why. Maybe someone from Mercury can explain their reasoning.

Best Regards,
Ray @ Raylar

That is a question that has been bantered around on the Checkmate forum a few times. I don't think one has ever been built, but I would love to have a new 300 with an Ilmor in it. That would be cool.