Yeah, I know the difference, the one im looking at is the 283. I'm guessing that would be better in rough water, right?

I’ve never owned a checkmate or a velocity…but from your initial description….I say keep what you have , install some kplanes if you don’t have them and spend more time running and learning the boat.

good luck !!!

Both good boats keep Velocity!

$33k for a single engine 96 checkmate seems like a pile of money, no?

Anyway, my .02 cents, which is worth less than that..... I have never particularly been a fan of checkmate, for no real reason. In 30 yrs of boating, never drove one, or wanted to, for that matter, until last fall. My new neighbor bought a 30 ft single with a worked engine, and had never driven a performance boat before, so he asked me to take him out. I have to say, all things considered the boat (hull, not his engine) exceeded my preconceptions. It was a windy day with steady bay chop, and I was actually pretty impressed with ride quality. That said, we were alone on the water, so no cross wakes, cruiser wakes etc.. but just the same, I thought the boat did pretty well. It ran out of guts at about 65, which I held it there for awhile (not my boat, so I drove it like a rental) but at speed, it held its line pretty well, did not lean into the wind much at all, and didnt seem to bow hunt, like quite a few boats do when high on plane in stiff winds (my buddies formula 330 SS is terrible in this regard)

Nuff Said.................

Does the 28 Checkmate have a built in swim platform?

Another thing to consider besides being a 10 year difference in age and no where equal in things such as hydraulic steering and tabs. TheVR 1 is still being made. The factory is doing well and Velocity is easy to talk with and supportive to their customers. Frankly I think it would be a big mistake to go from a Velocity to a Checkmate. It is somewhat like trading a Covette for a Camero.

Padraig

I’d rather have the velocity. But for rough water I’d rather have neither. Get a 35+ twin.

7hrs???? That's one weekend of running! Seat time is your friend in this case. Look into a performance driving course. My VR1 is smoother the faster your running.

As mentioned earlier, the VR1 has no wood, vinylester resin construction. Its a far better build setup vs the CM. Velocity's customer service is also second to none.

Checkmate makes a very nice riding performance boat boat depending on the model. Velocity built race boats. Id take the Velocity.