Solid? Yes. Heavy? Oh yea. Good in rough water? Yes. Pushed by a TRS drive? Unfortunately, usually yes. Next to impossible to find? Oh yea. Cheap? Not unless it's a planter in somebody's front yard.

Checkmate builds some pretty decent boats. Almost all are Balsa cored and hand laid. Colors are all in the gelcoat and they're generally pretty quick. Some give up a smooth ride in exchange for speed though. (The early 1980's 24' comes to mind here as well as the 21' Starflight outboard.) While not quite up to the quality of a some custom boats, they're better than almost all "production" boats and you get a lot of boat for the money.

Paint on that boat looks very familiar!

Those seats look crazy high. I had drop out seats in my boat but never stood while driving. I don't think these boats have enough freeboard to be considered standup boats. Not that is a bad thing.

You guys keep posting on what 24/7's are out there for sale. I am a Pantera fan, and have been for a long time. Nothing wrong with a Superboat either, I just prefer Pantera. My father ordered a new one from Pepe in 1978 or 1979 I forget exactly, drove it home in the water from Florida, it had a 330/TRS package ran 63 mph, had a nice cabin, as compared to a 18' Donzi, and 20 " Cigarette, my father's two prior boats.

My father, like you, had a stronger motor available so he blueprinted the bottom, took out the 330 once the warranty expired, and put in an LS6 (about 450 hp estimated), and by today's speedometer it would have ran 74 mph, the speedometer in claimed 79 mph, but that was 30+ years ago.

Bottomline, it was a nice riding boat, did nothing squirrelly, looked good, and created a lifetime of fond memories.. Go get your 24/7, enjoy it, it is still a great looking boat.

i emailed pepe after buying my 79 24SE. cheap. he says the interiors he is making today will fit in my 79 cockjpit. my int will last a couple of years and i will be moving to FL around then. so i am seriously considering having a 79 with an interior from 2016 or so. talk about a timeless design though!

I think I like the looks of the Pantera and Superboat. Only thing, I'm having trouble finding one that I like and the Checkmates seem to be around more. I'm being patient so I'm sure I will find the boat for me eventually

Check this!!!
http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/p...ak-peek-2.html

22 avanti near me. a 24-7 with a foot and a half removed from the length. 502 bravo 7k. i was thinking about this boat when i found my pantera. i also HATE red boats. but i am about to grab a red 22 crownline anyway...link to CL ad... http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/boa/4936222606.html