Question for Coop

[wickedrister]

Coop, I think it's really cool that you have saved so many older Checkmates from the bone yard. How many Checkmates do you think you have had over the years, how long have you done this and what was it that got you started???? http://www.checkmate-boats.com/graemlins/thumb.gifThanks http://www.checkmate-boats.com/graemlins/thumb.gif

[cooperider]

This could take a while. Let me think, wow this March it will be 20 years.

I helped build thousands of them. In fact if you own an 86 to a 91 Checkmate, and a lot of 93's. Then I probably helped build them.

Now in 89 to 91 I had my own repair shop. Four others from Checkmate and myself went together and opened a shop. The other 4 worked days at Checkmate and I worked 2nd. So I did stuff at the shop during the day. Then went to work, then came home and did a little more at the shop. The others usually came round on the weekends. We moved a lot of boats through that shop. Didn't make tons of money, I can remember searching the car many times for enough change to go get Crazy Bread up at Little Ceasers, you got twice as much on "2for Tuesday"

I wish I could have taken more pictures back then but film was not cheap, and money was tight. I did take some and a lot of them are on here somewhere.

There were a lot of boats that went through that I don't even remember. Some I do, I put a new transom in a 50's era Sea Star, the old guy that brought it in was tickled with the new one we put in, it was heavy enough to put a 200 on. Might have been a little overkill on that one.

There was alot of boats like that that got new paint, sometimes Gel Coat sometimes Imron, and sometimes a new Urathane we were working with.

I rebuilt a Sea Sprite twice, the first time was just a paint job, the second time it was a deck off restoration and most of a paint job. The owners buddy, took it out and wrecked it into another boat. I made a lot of money working on that boat.

There was a late 60's V161 that we worked on, took the deck off and recored the underside of the deck, and repainted the whole boat, there are some pictures of that one in the original Coop's Garage thread. We never got that one back together before the shop closed.

I started having to hunt up these "partners" to get there share of the rent. They all started drifting away from the shop. The wifes wanted them home more, or they spent too much time at the bar instead.

This place was more of a hang out than a business, we didn't even have a phone, people just showed up with work for us, there wasn't even a sign up outside the door. They just showed up.

It was fun while it lasted. But it was too much to keep going by myself.

One of these guys still works at 'mate, another drives a truck, another worked at 'mate until sometime this year. He has Parkinsons now and can't work. And the last one I don't know where he is and I don't care where he is.

Now give me a little bit of time to think of all the boats between then and now. http://checkmate-boats.com/graemlins/surf.gif

[cooperider]

Ok, here are all the boat companies that I have worked for.

Checkmate
Lyman
Sea Raider/Nissan
Imperial (twice)
Baja (89 days and they walked me to the door)

Got hired at Stratos, and Bomber. Never showed up to either one.

[Boston Predictor]

hey coop you Probably had a hand in the making my two mates http://www.checkmate-boats.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif
Thats awsome. I bet you have had alot of fun and alot of great memories from your career.
YOU should change your name to Checkmate God. http://www.checkmate-boats.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif

I am thinking about taking classes at MMI in Florida and learn how to work on four strokes and become a marine tech. It seems like now a days the marine industry is really picking up and the demand for techs is getting greater. I love boats so much that i might end moving to florida and working on them the rest of my life. this is just an idea for now but every day it seems like a better one.

[cooperider]

Checkmate God has been taken.


I thought about that school down in Florida myself, just never had the cash to go.

[Boston Predictor]

I'm still looking into it but i know they have financing options. My current degree is going to cost over 64k http://checkmate-boats.com/graemlins/Eyecrazy.gif so Im thinking about making a new move.

[cooperider]

Now I haven't saved every boat from the boneyard, in fact I have sent several on their way to it. I have 2 boats sitting right now waiting for their ride to the dump. One is a Trimate II and the other is a Prototype I built back in 1990.

[wickedrister]

Cool history Coop. You may have worked on my 86. I'm glad to see that you are still into it and going strong. I had never worked on any boats in the past. It all started for me when I got this one. As a kid I remember thinking that Checkmates were really cool so when I decided to get a boat I started looking for an older Checkmate. I had no plans to work on this one but the closer I looked the bigger the problems I found. Wet foam, rotted stringer and well you know the deal. The funny thing was once I got started I liked it. I had a good time fixing it up. Now I feel like it's time to start another project . Now I know what I want to do after I retire. Never really wanted a hot-rod or a fast bike but this boat thing has got me hooked. Keep up the good work Coop and thanks for the help and advice you offer people who are just starting http://www.checkmate-boats.com/graemlins/thumb.gif