Happy Hour's Pulse 211

[Chris]

http://www.checkmate-boats.com/6/ws/,s,8626072361/MemberBoats/TomPulse.jpg

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Webmaster
Checkmate-Boats.com-The Fanatics Home!

[Chris]

http://www.checkmate-boats.com/6/ws/,s,8626072361/MemberBoats/TomPulse.jpg

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Webmaster
Checkmate-Boats.com-The Fanatics Home!

[Chris]

http://www.checkmate-boats.com/6/ws/,s,8626072361/MemberBoats/TomPulse2.jpg

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Webmaster
Checkmate-Boats.com-The Fanatics Home!

[happyhour4pm]

Thanks Chris for posting my pictures. This is my 1992 Pulse 211 with a 1992 Evinrude 225hp V6 Limited Edition motor. It has a manual 6" set back PowerLift jack plate and a 4 blade SS prop of which I am not sure the size as I sit here. Still going thru the "getting to know you" phase. Just purchased it last fall, ran it a few times and stored it away in the garage for the winter. By the upgraded aftermarket speedo it will go about 67 mph with 1 foot chop. Need to verify someday with a gps. We searched high and low for a red hull boat and finally found one. It l http://www.checkmate-boats.com/6/ws/,s,8626072361/Graemlins/thumb.gif http://www.checkmate-boats.com/6/ws/,s,8626072361/Graemlins/thumb.gifooked new sitting out on the lot! I am so glad we found it because I have been really impressed with the quality built into the Checkmate boats. Thanks for letting me share my boat with you all!! I look forward to seeing everyone else's boats and SPRING!!

[Chris]

Excellent!

I love your boat! http://www.checkmate-boats.com/6/ws/,s,8626072361/Graemlins/thumb.gif

Welcome to the board! http://www.checkmate-boats.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

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Checkmate-Boats.com-The Fanatics Home!

[Bill]

I highly recommend you try an OMC Raker prop when spring rolls around. I would probably start with a 24p and I believe the diameter is either 14.25 or 14.50. That much power on that boat, no need for a 4 blade. The Raker is a great prop, that is what I ran. When you get a chance, you should check the height of the motor, you should be running faster than that, probably about 62 on a gps is what you are running now and if you do not have a water pressure gauge, put on in. You can buy one for 50-60 bucks and only takes about a half an hour to install.
Bill

[JW]

Boat looks GREAT! Welcome to the site. My last boat (a Persuader) was that color, my favorite http://www.checkmate-boats.com/6/ws/,s,8626072361/Graemlins/thumb.gif
Very nice package. I have a 225 Mercury Promax on the back of my 21' Pulsare, it runs 70 on the GPS spinning a 23" Tempest prop. (a little less when it's hot and muggy) I also have the single 5.5" manual set back jack plate. This spring, my plans are to add more setback to better balance the boat (less motor trim). I'll bet you have to trim the motor well past neutral to get your best top speed like I do? From all I've learned on the ScreamandFly.com web site, our big Checkmates need about 12"-14" of setback to fly properly. You have the advantage of a heavier motor, you may not need more than 10"-12" of setback on yours.

1995 2100BR/1995 225 Promax/23" Tempest

[Bill]

If I remember correctly, your boat is only rated for 185hp, so putting 10-12 inches of set back, in my opinion, would be detromental. From what I can see in your pics, your motor is too low and like I said earlier, your definately have the wrong prop, the Raker is the only way to go for you. You must remember that your pulse is a deeper boat than the Pulsare or even the Diplomat I had, so you will lose some in performance because of that. You might be able to benifit from an extra inch or two of set back, but somthing many people alway forget, will your steering system take the extra length or do you need to relace your cables and what type of steerig is it? Single, dual cable, or hydraulic? Your best bet about questions on set back is to call Mike Combs at Checkmate, he is their performance guru and he will be able to tell you if your transom can handle the weight safely.

[Chris]

It looks like it has a jackplate on it. Look carefully on the overhead shot.

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Checkmate-Boats.com-The Fanatics Home!

[Bill]

Yes, Chris it does. Then look a little farter to what position the jack plate is in, almost all of the way down. THe reason why I said I think is that I can't see where the motor is on the jack plate, but even with the motor mounted in the highest point to the plate, the plate should not be in that low of a position.

[Chris]

Actually, yeah Happy mentions it has one. http://www.checkmate-boats.com/6/ws/,s,8626072361/Graemlins/sleep.gif

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[Bill]

Chris,
You are fast! http://www.checkmate-boats.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif

[175checkmate]

It looks like the motor is mounted to a cmc manual jackplate in the full lower position.
Would defently benifit from going up.
Great looking boat by the way.

http://www.checkmate-boats.com/6/ws/,s,8626072361/avatars/rooster_3.jpg

1975 Checkmate Tri-mate 2, 2.4 200+

[Bill]

I love the Metal Flake!

[JW]

And since it's a deep heavy Checkmate, it can definately use more setback. Basically, ALL Checkmate outboard boats need more setback than what comes out of the factory or the dealer will set up. According to John Tiger Jr., boat racer/magazine writer/former Checkmate OB owner, the typical OB Checkmate can benefit from 10" to 14"+ of setback for better top speed. In his and my experience, the single 5.5" setback jack plates make little difference, 10" - 14" make a lot of difference. Sure the cables may or may not be long enough. The sole purpose of adding setback is to balance the boat better, so that the engine weight can bring up the bow of the boat rather than excessive trim angles. Excessive trim angles cause the prop to run at an angle to the water surface, losing efficency. Blanket statement: All outboard Checkmate boats 17' and longer, 1990 and newer, can benefit from 10" to 14" of setback. I'll let you all know what I gain this summer when I go to 11" to 13" from my current 5.5". It's a proven fact. Heavy boats with no aerodynamic lift need engine leverage to float the bow. My litte 2.5 Promax weighs 375 pounds, so I need LOTS more setback. This Pulse 211 has a heavy engine, closer to 475 pounds, but this hull is also heavier than mine. I'd recommend trying 12" to start.

1995 2100BR/1995 225 Promax/23" Tempest

[Bill]

JW,
I am not trying to argue with you, but are you aware of center of gravity and might I remind you, I also have a very extensive racing history of building, driving, and operating race boats of all types and a simple call to Mike will tell you that not all checkmates need or can support that type of set back! These are small family boats that are not designed for that. We are not talking Allsion or STV here. Even when it comes to your Pulsare, it is in a completely different class than the Pulse. Have you ever heard of running out of boat? If you put 12 inches on the back of a little 18 foot Pulse with too much motor on it, you ran out of boat. Also, if 5.5 inches of setback does little, why did it get me 9 mph?!?! I used to teach people how to drive boats like yours and all of the checkmates made. I have hundreds of hours behind the wheels of these things. My experience comes first hand, not off of a web site and where your boat will see some pick-up from a few more inches, not all will. A Checkmate is a Checkmate is a Checkmate is not the case here and not to mention every hull has its differences. Last... the underlying issue: motor too big for the back of the boat so let's move it back even farther, HELL NO!

[happyhour4pm]

http://www.checkmate-boats.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_eek.gif I had no idea I would start such a controversy!!! I also didn't figure on homework but I just had to go uncover her out in the garage to get a few facts!
First off it has a manual PowerLift jackplate with an additional 2" spacer for a total of 7.5" of set back. As far as the vertical lift it looks to be just above the middle of the travel.
Next I had to pull back the cockpit cover.....boy I love that smell...is it spring yet..oh yea...pulled back the cover to check the nameplate and my 21 foot boat is rated for max hp of 245.
The prop is an OMC Renagade 4 blade SS 13.5 X 25. It seemed to run right near the top of the recommened RPM range. It does have a water pressure gauge which I watch! It sucks out of the hole but the guy I got it from liked to run at lake cumberland. I was considering a new prop and changing some setup things for the main reason that my lake is small with a 40 mph speedlimit which I never go over http://www.checkmate-boats.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif. So a little less top end for an improved hole shot and faster planing is acceptable to me. It has single cable steering and I am telling you sometimes it is all i can do to bring it out of hard turn under power!
Thanks guys for all your input.....I will keep asking questions and I am sure I can learn some tricks!

[JW]

Thanks for looking at your boat closer for us, I was sure that Bill didn't know what model we were talking about. Checkmate boats over 20' are tagged for 245+ hp. Sounds to me your previous owner has added setback for a litte more top speed.
Generally, when you run a 1990 or newer Checkmate wide open, and play with trim to find your best top speed, you then look at your motor angle. If it's trimmed positive, (which 99% of Checkmates will be because of the way they are designed and set up), then you'll need to add more setback to allow the engine weight to bring the bow up. The whole purpose of this is to allow the prop to spin parallel to the water surface, for best efficiency. You need less setback if you are trimmed negative at top speed. In other words, balance. http://www.checkmate-boats.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_razz.gif I have well over 1,000 hours playing with the setup of my own Pulse, several hundreds hours playing with the setup on my Persuader, and a few hundred so far on my Pulsare. My experience plus professional drivers agree with the above method of finding the correct setback OF ALL BRANDS OF BOATS.
As for your prop, setback is cheaper. The general consensus is, if your steering can handle the extra setback, do that first and THEN play with props. All props work differently on all boats, and you could very well have the best prop already. Get the boat balanced first with proper setback (if you are interested in top speed, otherwise it doesn't matter) and then fine tune the setup with trying as many props as possible.

Remember, at best trim angle for best top speed, if the motor is trimmed high enough to cause the prop to be 'pointing down', then you don't have enough setback for best top speed for that prop... If you're doing a lot of small lake towing, keep the 4-blade and balance the boat with setback. I also found that the more setback I added to my Checkmate, the better hole-shot I had. The bow stayed lower on take-off, and I planed faster.

[This message was edited by JW on January 06, 2003 at 08:04 PM.]

[Bill]

Sorry JW, Maybe this is why I did not do well in college, for some reason, ans where I came up with this I do not know, but I though I read the Pulse was an 18. So...Jw is correct, More set back would help on top end, but not hole shot. In an ideal world, you would be able to tranfer weight to the bow to get onto plane quickly, and more setback moves the weight back. You can experiment with props at no cost. Go to your local OMC dealer, tell them what you want to do and find out whst they will let you try. I have never heard of a dealership that will not let you try props. Of coarse you will need to leave a deposit, but if you do not like it, bring it back and you are done. No money spent. The first thing I would do and any racing buddy should know this, but change your steering to at least a dual cable system and if you want to spend at least a grand, convert it to hydraulic steering. Let's be realistic, WHy build a boat for maximum top speed if that is not what you are looking for. Would you put a parachute on a Winston Cup car to stop it? This is why I quit selling boats and got into working on them, I was always told by the boss sell them speed, not everybody wants mach 1 they want all around performance and 12 inches of setback is NOT all around performance

[Bill]

Hey JW,do you know what is pretty sad, I got my degree in communication and marketing. Too bad I never learned how to read! Either that or I have been sniffing too much paint again http://www.checkmate-boats.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_confused.gif Do you feel sorry for my wife yet? I do not mean to be an a-hole, I am working on that http://www.checkmate-boats.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

[JW]

Sorry for the wife?? HECK NO!! You sold an outboard 'flyin' on the pad boat' for a nice big solid I/O. Last year I traded a nice solid I/O that the wife loved for another flyin' on the pad outboard http://www.checkmate-boats.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif
I think your wife has the better deal!!!!

1995 2100BR/1995 225 Promax/23" Tempest

[C-mate 280]

Hey Happy hour, I have owned a pulse 185 bow rider for five years and I have experimented alot to get the most out of it in terms of speed and handling. I can't buy a new boat because my wife would devorce me if I were to come home with a triad or an Allison, so my quest was to get as much out of my pulse as possible.I started with a Merc 175 efi when I bought the rig new, After a year I put on a cmc jack plate and had it set to run 3 inches below the pad. It ran 63 mph with a 23 tempest at 5600 rpm It needed alot of up trim which told me it needed more set back than the 5 1/2 inches the jack plate gave me. I put a new tuner on the exhaust and pluged the top holes on the lower unit advanced the spark by 1 degree and relieved the exhaust (probably more noise than power but it sure sounded cooler) but eventually got 70 mph (radar) out of her with the motor 2 inches below the pad, 5 1/2 inch set back and running a 24 tempest at 6100 rpm but I still needed alot of up on the tilt. I wanted more speed but couldn't get a new boat, however, one black merc looks the same as another so the same boat comes home with a new 280 hp merc last year with 11 inches of set back, a hot foot, water pressure gauge, trim buttons on the steering, a gps speedo, and of course a few props to play with. The result is 85 mph with a lightning ET 24 inch prop at 7500 rpm running about 1/2 inch below the pad. The boat has no chine walking when the motor is up and is much more stable than I ever thought it would be. I don't recommend the lightning prop for your rig because it doesn't have the bow lift you need. I feel the biggest improvement I made in terms of set up was increasing the set back, because the motor ran a more neutral trim which when hitting big waves could cause the boat to get out of shape with too much positive trim. The down side of haveng that much set back is that there is a great deal of bow-rise out of the hole. It is a good water ski boat, has a good hole shot and with the open bow (when I don't have it covered with canvas for 4 mph more speed), I can carry six or seven people for a slow or a very fast cruse. Don't talk to me about gas milage, however, it sucks!!

c-mate-280

[Bill]

Good story 280, I wish I could get away with that. You are a lucky man!

[Z06]

Bill, you don't need to be calling him lucky, you're getting a new ZT with a custom graphic package... Then there is Jim http://www.checkmate-boats.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

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

[Drew Virnelson]

happy,
your most likely runnin around 70 gps if your turnin that 25 rene. @ 6000

[happyhour4pm]

Hey Guys.....sorry we haven't been around in awhile and imagine my surprise when I saw the boat you have on the home page. What an honor!!
The weather here just finally got decent enough to get her out of the garage. I am going to try to attach a llink with somemore pictures. Please feel free to post with my other pictures if you want. The site looks like it stays pretty active and I do get some great info from everyone here http://www.checkmate-boats.com/6/ws/,s,8626072361/Graemlins/thumb.gif Thanks
more pictures (http://photos.yahoo.com/bc/happyhour4pm/lst?.dir=/&.view=t&.src=ph&.done=)http://www.checkmate-boats.com/6/ws/,s,8626072361/Graemlins/thumb.gif

[happyhour4pm]

well sorry, the link doesn't work. I will try again later

[JW]

The link seemed to work, it said I was in your photo album, but there isn't any pictures posted in that album yet......

1995 Pulsare 2100BR/1995 Mercury Promax 225 2.5 EFI/ 1.87:1 Torquemaster/ RapidJack Heavy-Duty manual 10.5" setback/ 23" Tempest worked for ski duty

[happyhour4pm]

ok now it works.. http://www.checkmate-boats.com/6/ws/,s,8626072361/Graemlins/thumb.gif...the folder was set as private. Check em out.....I can't wait to have a chance to get some better pictures....my wife was a little slow on the shutter. These are the best I got....most had just about the first 2 foot or the last 2 foot of the boat in them http://www.checkmate-boats.com/6/ws/,s,8626072361/Graemlins/lol.gif

[seeing clearly]

VERY NICE!So thats your mate I see everytime I get on this site?I'm still trying to figure out who's who,anyhow nice mate.Red does look good! http://www.checkmate-boats.com/6/ws/,s,8626072361/Graemlins/thumb.gif