Toronto Boat Show

[Persuader183]

I was at the Toronto Boat Show yesterday and went straight to my dream boat, the Pulse 185BR. I have to say I was somewhat disappointed. I have always loved Checkmates and am extremely proud of the interiors (I currently have a '95 Persuader 183). The buckets seemed to be at least a 1/2" thinner than mine and the vinyl felt like a lesser quality. There was some poor trim work as well on the windshield and around the bottom of the cockpit. And, it appears that the price has gone up on top of it. I didn't talk to an order taker, but the sign said $48,000 Cdn. Add a $2,000 trailer and 15% Cdn taxes and you're looking at $57,500 ($36,000 U.S.). Hard to justify for 3-4 months use/year. I think I'll be hanging on to my '95.

I'm a huge fan of this site. Sure helps me get thru the winter. Sorry that my first post is a negative one, but I was not impressed. Maybe I should just go back to dreamin' about Claudia Schiffer?

[JW]

Welcome Persuader183!! I just sold a 1995 Persuader 183 (all red with white/black stripes) and looked at a Pulse 185BR myself. I decided to save the money and get my dream boat though, and I found my current 1995 Pulsare 2100BR.
That $36k equivalent USD price is terrible! For $36K down here you can get a new Pulsare 2100BR with 300X after some haggling!
We loved our Persuader, but the 4.3 four barrel was too slow for my tastes, had to go back to outboard power. I toured the factory this past spring, I didn't notice any skimping on the seats. Wonder what's going on?

1995 2100BR/1995 225 Promax/23" Tempest

[Chris]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Persuader183:
I was at the Toronto Boat Show yesterday and went straight to my dream boat, the Pulse 185BR. I have to say I was somewhat disappointed. I have always loved Checkmates and am extremely proud of the interiors (I currently have a '95 Persuader 183). The buckets seemed to be at least a 1/2" thinner than mine and the vinyl felt like a lesser quality. There was some poor trim work as well on the windshield and around the bottom of the cockpit. And, it appears that the price has gone up on top of it. I didn't talk to an order taker, but the sign said $48,000 Cdn. Add a $2,000 trailer and 15% Cdn taxes and you're looking at $57,500 ($36,000 U.S.). Hard to justify for 3-4 months use/year. I think I'll be hanging on to my '95.

I'm a huge fan of this site. Sure helps me get thru the winter. Sorry that my first post is a negative one, but I was not impressed. Maybe I should just go back to dreamin' about Claudia Schiffer?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>Persuader, welcome to the board!

Was it a Dark Blue one?

I would be careful about taking Pride's price as reflective of the market. I know, if you shop around you can do much better. I once got a quote from Pride of Muskoka on a Pulse 185 B/R and then got another price from another dealer and they were about six thousand dollars higher and the competitor was including a trailer. This was a few years ago...Pride quoted me 38K with a 175. The other Canadian dealer quoted me 32K and included a trailer. And yes, I was comparing apples with apples. The moral of the story is....shop around!
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[Persuader183]

Hey JW! Ya, I'm familiar with your Persuader. We exchanged e-mails back when you had it for sale. It was a beaut. In fact, I probably still have some pics of it on my home harddrive. I'll post some pics of mine one day soon.

I also miss the performance of an outboard and that's what keeps me looking. I started looking at new boats only because I couldn't find any used 185BRs in Canada or the U.S. I almost drove to Sioux City, Iowa but the guy took his boat off the market because he couldn't find a nice 2100 Pulsare to replace it with.

Chris, it was a white/dark blue one. Have you been to the Show yet? I'd like to hear another opinion from someone who saw what I saw.

[Persuader183]

Chris, who was the other dealer that gave you that quote? The only Ontario dealer I know of is PofM. That's who I was refering to when I said "order taker". They gave me a price, take it or leave it, and further insulted me with a lowball trade-in offer on my Persuader183. I spoke to Mainland Marine at the time but they told me they only handled the big lake boats, 24 ft and up. I'm curious who the mystery dealer is. When I was seriously considering new a couple of years ago I would have bitten at $32K.

P.S. In one of your previous posts you mentioned you were looking for a 26" Laser II. I have one from my old XR4. Mint condition. I was saving it for my new 185 B/R.... I'm in Whitby.

[Chris]

Persuader, it was Mainland Marine. Sorry, I wasn't trying to be mysterious, just purposely vague. http://www.checkmate-boats.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif

But, it was probably two or three years ago. I spoke to Mainland earlier this year and they told me they weren't carrying Checkmate any longer, only clearing out a couple of boats they had left. http://www.checkmate-boats.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_frown.gif

Back when I spoke to both these places a couple of years ago, Pride claimed I had to take a boat from their inventory or wait until the next spring, as they do an order once a year, and it is too expensive to order a single boat due to shipping etc. I don't know whether that was some tactic to try to unload one of their instock boats, but it sure sounded like one. Mainland told me at the time they would order any Checkmate I wanted and it would be made to order. They were also 6K cheaper and were throwing in a nice trailer.

I was at Pride of Muskoka this summer a number of times. On one occasion, I spoke to one of the sales people. I asked him about a Pulse 170 and he told me they weren't made anymore, which they are. He told me that a Pulse 185 B/R with a 150 would be 38K loaded and it would be a few more thousand dollars to put a 175 on it. My math indicates that would be about 40K no trailer. Boat show price now 48K huh? And I know that is what he quoted me, because I wrote the price down on the back of the brochure at his desk, using his pen! http://www.checkmate-boats.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_rolleyes.gif

Persuader, shop around! You can always go back to them and see if they'll match or beat your best price. And if they don't, it's a neat adventure when you have to go on a 10 hour drive to get your new boat! It's one of those things you never forget! It's what I did! http://www.checkmate-boats.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

As far as a prop, I might buy a laser II at some point this year, but I'm not sure of the pitch I need. We are going to figure it out when spring comes.

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[BayviewRick]

Persuader 183, check your private topics. Rick

www.Bayviewmarinecenter.com (http://www.Bayviewmarinecenter.com)

[JW]

I figured that was you Persuader183!! I had a 26" Laser II on my '92 XR6 150/'92 Pulse 171 and it was a good prop for it. Chris should try it. Need a jack plate though!!

1995 2100BR/1995 225 Promax/23" Tempest

[Chris]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by JW:
I figured that was you Persuader183!! I had a 26" Laser II on my '92 XR6 150/'92 Pulse 171 and it was a good prop for it. Chris should try it. Need a jack plate though!!

1995 2100BR/1995 225 Promax/23" Tempest<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>Chris is going to spend the least amount possible on his current Mate and save for a bad boy 21' Pulsare. http://www.checkmate-boats.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif

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[Noodle]

Cruised the boat show last night, not many "Checks" at the Pride booth, way to many $$$$, I don't know what these guys are doing. I guess they think they OWN the checkmate market up here and us stupid Canucks have no other options, NOT! I go for the long tour south anytime to save big $$$$. http://www.checkmate-boats.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_cool.gif
http://www.checkmate-boats.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_mad.gifAnyways, my younger son went for his opertors card, what a bunch of s..t, talk about a $$$ grab, there were five booths down there, he failed the first test by 1 point, so we went to the next booth and viola, he passed. I wonder how many people go from booth to booth and eventually get the card, gotta happen sooner or later?
I totally agree with the safety aspect and the concept behing the card, but they SHOULD NOT have free testing. If they charged $20 bucks for the test, then people would think twice about writing it, perhaps they would read the book first, even if they absorbed 10% of the book, its better than taking a crap shoot at the test to see if you can pass or not, enough harping on, this is been bugging me all day, perhaps the gov't will enforce some type of structure to this thing, if not, then the people who don't have cards and wait till the 11th hour will be paying BIG bucks for their card. http://www.checkmate-boats.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_mad.gif

[Z06]

http://www.checkmate-boats.com/6/ws/,s,8626072361/Graemlins/thumb.gifI feel your pain and anger. There are basically no dealers in Canada for us Canucks. And if you find one, the $'s will be out of your mind, something with us and money, who knows... I took my course at a local Fire Station in Ottawa. It was a 5 Hour course and they used a large hall with an overhead projector and showed all the things we needed and proper techniques for everything. You were allowed to ask questions or say comments whenever you want and it was a great course. It cost $40.00 and it was well worth it. After the course, you wrote the test and everyone in the room was certain to pass because they taugh it so well... we got to keep the real book, plus their own copy that shows all the pages that were on the overhead! Thanks to the Ottawa Fire Rescue service for setting up the course, as I did learn many things I never knew before... http://www.checkmate-boats.com/6/ws/,s,8626072361/Graemlins/thumb.gif

Checkmates may not be the fastest boats on the water, but they are the nicest looking!

[Chris]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Noodle:
Cruised the boat show last night, not many "Checks" at the Pride booth, way to many $$$$, I don't know what these guys are doing. I guess they think they OWN the checkmate market up here and us stupid Canucks have no other options, NOT! I go for the long tour south anytime to save big $$$$. http://www.checkmate-boats.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_cool.gif
http://www.checkmate-boats.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_mad.gifAnyways, my younger son went for his opertors card, what a bunch of s..t, talk about a $$$ grab, there were five booths down there, he failed the first test by 1 point, so we went to the next booth and viola, he passed. I wonder how many people go from booth to booth and eventually get the card, gotta happen sooner or later?
I totally agree with the safety aspect and the concept behing the card, but they SHOULD NOT have free testing. If they charged $20 bucks for the test, then people would think twice about writing it, perhaps they would read the book first, even if they absorbed 10% of the book, its better than taking a crap shoot at the test to see if you can pass or not, enough harping on, this is been bugging me all day, perhaps the gov't will enforce some type of structure to this thing, if not, then the people who don't have cards and wait till the 11th hour will be paying BIG bucks for their card. http://www.checkmate-boats.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_mad.gif<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>Noodle...they have free tests? Where?

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[Z06]

Would you rather do it without any references to look at. It is one of the ones where you go up and write the test. The point of these courses is to actually teach you things, either through the book or through their own special way, either way it will cost money uless you go to the half-@$$ courses at a booth http://www.checkmate-boats.com/6/ws/,s,8626072361/Graemlins/thumb.gif

Checkmates may not be the fastest boats on the water, but they are the nicest looking!

[Persuader183]

Noodle,

Did you happen to check out the interior of the 185 B/R? I'm hoping someone familiar with the great Checkmate interiors saw what I saw. I didn't get a good look at the 21' Pulsare to see if it had changed.

Chris,

There were several booths at the Show that let you write the test for free and you paid only if you passed ($30-$35). My daughter (13) and I now have our operators card. I did ask the administrator of the test to at least show me which ones I got wrong (4 of 36).

When the requirement for an operator's card was first announced I thought it was a great idea. Considering some of the yahoos you see on the water, the course might have at least made them aware of some of the differences between operating a boat and operating a car, and that maybe they had to think a little more when on the water. Like Z06, my intention all along was to get my family and friends together and do the training, then write the test. But, we took advantage of the sales pitch, wrote the test, and I handed over my VISA. I don't think we're much wiser, but we're legal. Cash grab, you bet!

[Bill]

To me, there is a big fault to that system, you may know everything in the world about navigation and safety, but can you drive a boat in all conditions. You can teach boat ramp ediquete, but do you realyy know how to launch and retrieve your boat. By the way , I am all for boat lisenceing, but until it is done like cars, i do not believe it does much good.

[Chris]

I've been cottaging on the same lake all my life. That would be 35 years! And, I can testify to the fact that since introduction the of the card, the yahoo percentage has not changed, at least on our lake. http://www.checkmate-boats.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

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[Noodle]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Noodle...they have free tests? Where?

Hey Chris, to right the test at the boat show was free, you only had to pay after writing the test and only if you passed! sorry for the confusion, I was just and actually still am a little p....d I guess.
My older son and myself took a classroom course at night for three weeks, great, everyone should have to do this. http://www.checkmate-boats.com/6/ws/,s,8626072361/Graemlins/thumb.gif
Noodle
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[Noodle]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Persuader18
Noodle,

Did you happen to check out the interior of the 185 B/R? I'm hoping someone familiar with the great Checkmate interiors saw what I saw. I didn't get a good look at the 21' Pulsare to see if it had changed.

Persuader183
I had a look at them all three checks, I wasn't overly impressed with the actual bow on the 185, for the price of the boat they could have made the bow NOT look so square, it looks like they cut a big square hole and added some padding. Although, I still love the boat, and if it came right down to it, I'd still buy it, because ALL CHECKMATES ARE AWESOME, oh ya! http://www.checkmate-boats.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif
Noodle

[Z06]

Of course you'd buy it, ITS A CHECKMATE for goodness sake... Did anyone take any pictures of the Show? Or were you not allowed too and I don't know because I wasn't there but some of the ones I have seen you are not allowed to take pictures unless its for Television... http://www.checkmate-boats.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_rolleyes.gif

Checkmates may not be the fastest boats on the water, but they are the nicest looking!

[Chris]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Chevy Corvette Z06:
Of course you'd buy it, ITS A CHECKMATE for goodness sake... Did anyone take any pictures of the Show? Or were you not allowed too and I don't know because I wasn't there but some of the ones I have seen you are not allowed to take pictures unless its for Television... http://www.checkmate-boats.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_rolleyes.gif

Checkmates may not be the fastest boats on the water, but they are the nicest looking!<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>Z, there are lots of pics of the Toronto Boat show over at Scream and Fly. I didn't see any Checkmate pics though.

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[Z06]

I am not too much interested in the other pics but I'm gonna take a look anyways. I was more interested in Checkmate pics but I wonder why there wasn't any... http://www.checkmate-boats.com/6/ws/,s,8626072361/Graemlins/eyes.gif

Checkmates may not be the fastest boats on the water, but they are the nicest looking!

[Chris]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Chevy Corvette Z06:
I am not too much interested in the other pics but I'm gonna take a look anyways. I was more interested in Checkmate pics but I wonder why there wasn't any... http://www.checkmate-boats.com/6/ws/,s,8626072361/Graemlins/eyes.gif

Checkmates may not be the fastest boats on the water, but they are the nicest looking!<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>I guess because nobody took any. We've got so many pics anyway....does it really matter?

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[Z06]

I guess nobody did eh... http://www.checkmate-boats.com/6/ws/,s,8626072361/Graemlins/sick.gif It's a good thing there are so many here or somebody would be mad... http://www.checkmate-boats.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_mad.gif LOL

Checkmates may not be the fastest boats on the water, but they are the nicest looking!