• Welcome to the Checkmate Community Forums forums.

    You are currently viewing our boards as a guest which gives you limited access to view most discussions, articles and access to our other FREE features.
    By joining our free community you will be able to:

    » Interact with over 10,000 Checkmate Fanatics from around the world!
    » Post topics and messages
    » Post and view photos
    » Communicate privately with other members
    » Access our extensive gallery of old Checkmate brochures located in our Media Gallery
    » Browse the various pictures in our Checkmate photo gallery

    Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free so please, join our community today!

    If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact support by clicking here or by using the"contact us" link at the bottom of the page.

20' Panther

cooperider said:
I'm thinking the Skimate II evolved into the Exciter/Eluder very good hull that almost anybody can drive. The Enchanter/Entertainer is a very close relative of the hull, in fact building them, with out the name on the side of the mold they could almost be confused with each other. Trust me I was a newbie back then. I'm on the lookout for an Enchanter this spring, if the price is right.
Click to expand...
Wouldn't the Skimate be the hull mate of the Enchanter at 20'? The Exciter is an 18 footer. Either way, cool to hear some of the history.
 
As mentioned in the article Quinn's built the panthers using old Check moulds. If I'm not mistaken, Quinn's was actually the sole Canadian distributor for Checkmate at one time. So any Checkmate that was sold actually was distributed through Quinn's. I think Quinn's had a role in maintaining the Canadian dealer network for Checkmate.

I can remember driving by Quinn's on Kennedy as a kid and rubbernecking. :p

The trade rules were pretty different back in the day, so that might explain the logic in Checkmate having a Canadian distributorship at one time.

I could be a bit off on the story too, my memory is getting a bit sketchy on the old Quinn days...

I thought most of the Panthers were based off of old Check old moulds.
 
panther

I have 3 of these hulls on my lake. They all look great and run strong. My lake is 1 hour north of Quinns marine.

Quinns in fact still have some interior parts on hand as my friend got some handles and accesories from them this summer.

Most of what I have read on this thread is true. Very stable and easy to drive. A friend of mine runs one with a 225 Yamaha and runs great.

I have been told that the panthers are a little lighter than the checks and that they make use of kevlar somewhere in the construction.
 
If you remember your history, the reason the boats are so easy to drive fast is that Bill raced his own hull designs and then built hulls for Mike to race. other people wanted to buy one of his boats, and that is what started Checkmate in the first place.
 
My local used boat/parts guy said he worked for Cheetah? years ago as a builder and he though the hull molds came from Checkmate.
Said they were fast and stable.
 
Big Dave, there are several Cheetahs out there, see if you can get anymore info from him for a new thread on Cheetah. I know of one company out west and one in IL.
 
I will see if I can get more info from him. He is the guy that has all the inline parts. he had an xr2 that I wanted for the trimate before I sold it.
 
Panther observations

I followed one of those OPP boats on a trailer through Gravenhurst this spring, just after ice-out, it was definitely a Panther I/O . My friend's Panther Ski Mate II looks the exact same as the Checkmate V Mate II in the brochures.:thumb:
Steve
 
I got to see a Panther in person this week. I like it. I'll post up the pics after I get them all sorted out.
 
Quinn's Marine still has one mold left, Just called them today. It is a modified Checkmate V-Mate II. The rest of the molds were destroyed.
 
Panther v's Grew

Actually the boats with the hard tops were made by Grew Boats in Ontario
and they were white with some as single MerCruiser Sterndrives and
occasionally with dual stern drives. Panther was made by Ted Quinns Marine starting back as early as 1979 and produced them into the mid 1990's as to what happened to the molds I'm not certain as I have been told though, that they still have them....Merc!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top