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a Hi-Performance Checkmate Story by Sammie

Thank You John


Thank You John for Your Kind Words. Yes We did have a Lot more fun boating back in the 70's and 80's Than Nowadays where there are so many restrictions and law enforcement officials to uphold them it can be tough to find a place to just let it all hang out in your performance boat. That's Why I had Said Many Times in the past posts of mine John that I Would of Loved to have Guys Like Your Self and Other Fine Checkmate Members here as My Customers Back than where I Could of Shared all that I Had at My Action Marine with all of You and My Action Marine Race Team and Club Members. Have a Great New Years My Friend and Best Wishes to all of You Checkmate Members Always Sammie Action Marine

ps here are a few Pictures of the Merc 400 jet unit and the Merc 600 hp that Mercury wanted Me to Race for Them. Sammie Action Marine







[/urlhttp://checkmate-boats.com/photopost/showphoto.php/photo/4336http://checkmate-boats.com/photopost/showphoto.php/photo/4336
 
Yes Gimme Fuel

Yes Gimme Fuel the Kinsler Injection Merc used was very Cool Looking. Have a Great Weekend Always Sammie Action Marine
 
MR. Sammie.
Still like the 68 super bee pulling the 16 V 161, super cool pic.
Im sure most of us older guys still like the mopar muscle, maybe a
little more info on the super bee would be appreciated, it looked
realy tuff. Bet you wish you still had it, or maybe you do?

Thanks a bunch for everything.
 
Thank You Wrenchmate

Dear Wrenchmate Thank You My Friend for the Kind Words. I was 21 years old when I Bought My New 1968 Dodge Super Bee for $2600.00 plus tax. It was The Best Car I ever had, even More than my 1975 Corvette that I will post pictures of one day in My Action Marine Picture Folder. I had More Girls in that Super Bee than all of my other cars combined lol. It had a 383 CI that I Tweaked a little bit and it would Run 13.50's in the 1/4 mile. Back then I did not have any Extra Money to Spend on Hi-Performance Parts for it, so I had to Make Do with what God gave me. Yes I Wish I still had it Because there were so Many Awesome Memories of the Times I had Racing My Super Bee and the Great Times I had in the back seat of my Super Bee with the Different Girl Friends I had. I Sold my Super Bee 2 years later Wrenchmate when I Started My Action Marine at 23 years old so I could buy my Light Green Ford Pick up to Haul Checkmates back from Bucyrus Ohio. I am Sorry if this little Story is Not as Exciting as You Might of Thought But I was Just getting Started with my Action Marine and I Could Not Afford Both My Super Bee and a New Truck for My Action Marine. Thank You Again for the Kind Words and have a Great Weekend and Best Wishes Always Sammie Action Marine



IMG_0078_NEW-1.jpg




 
Sammy I think we all have a car or truck that we have sold that we wish we still had!! great stories and keep them coming!! I have a boat or two I wish I still had!
 
Sammie, I'm thinking your were the right man, at the right place, at the right time. I'm thinking here in the Detroit area, starting in the very early 70's right thru 80's into the 90's is when they average pay for the auto industry started to climb exponentialy. Thus raising wages in other industies too. Cops,firemen,linemen,ect.,ect.

Giving the avg line worker (man) more discretionary income and more free time to enjoy it. And for many affordable speed boating was the gateway into a better life. (thats were you get involved) And that led thru the yrs of more good times to cabins upnorth, larger boats on the great lakes. again ect. ect.

With the monomania of factory work I could really see the attraction of the relaxation and or the exaltation of being part of a like minded group back then. I'd been there! ;)

p.s. Back in 90' we had one of those enchanter 300 hp merc combos put in at the wyandotte ramp. It was owned by a heavier set man with a beard and the boat was white with with tan or brown coloring. Any Ideals?

Jeff. Merc245
 
Great story Sammie! I appreciate you taking the time to share stories from times gone by. Your love for powerboating is obvious. Feel free to share whenever, there are plenty of open ears ready to learn from a vet like you.
 
Viper 1 said:
Dear Chris, and William I want to Thank You and the rest of you Kind Checkmate Members for all Your Nice Replies and for Clicking that You Liked My Checkmate Story. It is Much Appreciated by Me. Have a Great 2013 Year and Best Wishes Always To You Kind Checkmate Members. Always Sammie Action Marine

PS. Jetmate I am Glad You Enjoyed How I Changed Your Jetmate into the First Super Hi-Performance 18 ft Jetmate Checkmate I/O. You will Find under all the Pictures in My Action Marine Picture Folder here on this Forum Information on each Picture and what the Picture is all about. It has Taking Me a Lot of Time in Telling what Each Picture is for all of You Checkmate Members to Learn and Enjoy. Action Marine Broke 3 NDBA World Records with Your Jetmate between 1972 and 1973 at 79,84.98 and 89 mph. When Mercury Marine Brought out there Mercury Jet back then Mercury wanted Me to Race for Them One of there Mercury Jets and there Mercury Fuel Injected 600 HP Racing Motor in any Hull that I Wanted to Put there Equipment into. Every Thing was Set to GO When Marketing Pulled the Mercury Jet out of Mercury's Line Up Because Back than People were getting into Accidents because of the Poor Slow Speed Handling Problems Jet boats were having with Customers that did Not know how to handle a jet Boat at slow Speed. If My Dear Friend John Butch had Not Gotten Cancer and Died on Me I Would of Pushed His Checkmate Jetmate I/O Well Past the 100 mph Mark back in 1972. Your Jetmate is a Fast Hull with the Right Power and set up. Always Sammie Action Marine
Click to expand...

Sammie, I agree. I too, think the Jetmate has a fast hull. I have had mine since 1981 and with a good pump set up and the Chevy Big block it is hard for even the smaller, flatter, larger engine jets to keep up.

As far as handling it is hard to keep in a straight line at slow speed. You have to constantly over steering when idling in or out of port. It is also unnerving when you back off quickly from high speed and try to turn. The boat will not react at all and will continue to go straight. You have to goose it a few times to get the boat to turn. Later Berkley added a rudder to the bottom of the nozzle on the jet drive. I never drove the newer version, so I don't now how they handle. I am more than used to my setup however, and can compensate easily. Some people I have let drive don't like it. My son's friend doesn't care for the driving part at all, but my son loves it, and took to it right away. Still a fun little boat to scoot around in.
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Thank You all

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I want to Thank all of You Kind Checkmate Members for all Your Kind Words and for Enjoying the Stories of My Action Marine and My Life. I Have Been Really Blessed and I Thank God every Day for Who I am and for all that He has Given Me in My Life. Yes Paul I remember the Mercury Turbine Outboard. Here are some pictures and Information on it. Jeff there were 20 of the 1980 Checkmate Enchanter XS with the Mercury 300 hp that I Built back then. I Don't Remember who has that one right now Sorry. But here is Some Information that You Checkmate Members Might Enjoy Knowing. I Sold the 1980 Checkmate Enchanter XS with the Mercury 300 HP and a Drive on Custom Trailer, that would Run a True 85-86 mph at Lake X for $13,500.00 with one of My Custom Racing Props and a Blue Printed Bottom. I Had these Enchanters Built with a Heavy Duty 26 inch Transom that was 3.5 inches Thick. Here is some More Pricing Information for You Members. the Checkmate MX 13 with a 80 hp Mercury and trailer back in the early 70's I Sold for $2600.00 and they would run 55 plus mph. the Checkmate MX-15 with a Merc 150 hp and Trailer that would Run 70 mph Plus I Sold for $3600.00. I Thought You Members Might Enjoy this Pricing Information. Have a Happy New Years to all of You and Best Wishes Always From Me Sammie Action Marine

Mercurys Turbine Outboard


Mercury Racing is famous for breaking the rules.
The company won't cheat on the racecourse at
Rouen, but it will ignore conventional design
wisdom. The most recent proof of this is Mercury's
new experimental outboard motor. Pistons,
connecting rods and crankshaft haveall been replaced by a Rolls Royce Allison 250- series gas turbine. It's
bolted onto a Mercury Racing 2.5 EFI Offshore center section and laid on top of a Torque Master gearcase. The
experimental engine was built in an alliance wuth Marine Turbine Technologies (MTT). For those who unfamiliar
with the company, MTT is renowned for its turbine expertise.
We recently tested the prototype turbine outboard (320hp) on a 26-foot
aluminum landing craft built by Munson Boat Works. Start-up is exactly
like a helicopter. Spin the turbine with an aircraft starter motor, add fuel
and fire, and then wait while it spools up. True to the nature of turbine
power, sound levels are high, registering 105 decibels (dB) at idle and
114 dB at wide open trottle. Under way, and at 95 percent power, fuel
flow measured a modest 24 gph, which is considerably better than a
conventional gasoline outboard. According to MTT's founder, Ted
McIntyre, top speed on this particular turbine-powered craft is 40 mph:
that's with four crew members and an old-style M151A1 Jeep (not a
Hummer) as payload.
This experimental outboard motor was developed in resource to a
pending requirement of the U. S. Navy that will forbid gasoline onboard its ships. While the Navy is considering
diesel direct- injected outboard motors in a variety of makes and models, the MTT/Mercury turbine should be
tantalizing. It weighs only 200 pounds- about as much as a 50 hp outboard-and it's narrow enough to pass
through the hatch in a submarine's sail. Finally, the turbine outboard has multi-fuel capability (diesel, kerosene​
and JP4 jet fuel). the cost is estimated at $40,000




 
Gotta love turbines. Lightweight, efficient, multi-fuel capable. The rebuild interval is crazy long compared to piston engines at these hp levels. Downsides are the noise and time it takes to fire them up. I think a 300 convincor with a Turbine Marine Lycoming 1400 hp model lashed to an Arneson surace drive would be a fantastic over 100 mph rig.. For some reason, I love unconventional methods....
 
Viper 1 said:


I want to Thank all of You Kind Checkmate Members for all Your Kind Words and for Enjoying the Stories of My Action Marine and My Life. I Have Been Really Blessed and I Thank God every Day for Who I am and for all that He has Given Me in My Life. Yes Paul I remember the Mercury Turbine Outboard. Here are some pictures and Information on it. Jeff there were 20 of the 1980 Checkmate Enchanter XS with the Mercury 300 hp that I Built back then. I Don't Remember who has that one right now Sorry. But here is Some Information that You Checkmate Members Might Enjoy Knowing. I Sold the 1980 Checkmate Enchanter XS with the Mercury 300 HP and a Drive on Custom Trailer, that would Run a True 85-86 mph at Lake X for $13,500.00 with one of My Custom Racing Props and a Blue Printed Bottom. I Had these Enchanters Built with a Heavy Duty 26 inch Transom that was 3.5 inches Thick. Here is some More Pricing Information for You Members. the Checkmate MX 13 with a 80 hp Mercury and trailer back in the early 70's I Sold for $2600.00 and they would run 55 plus mph. the Checkmate MX-15 with a Merc 150 hp and Trailer that would Run 70 mph Plus I Sold for $3600.00. I Thought You Members Might Enjoy this Pricing Information. Have a Happy New Years to all of You and Best Wishes Always From Me Sammie Action Marine

Mercurys Turbine Outboard


Mercury Racing is famous for breaking the rules.
The company won't cheat on the racecourse at
Rouen, but it will ignore conventional design
wisdom. The most recent proof of this is Mercury's
new experimental outboard motor. Pistons,
connecting rods and crankshaft haveall been replaced by a Rolls Royce Allison 250- series gas turbine. It's
bolted onto a Mercury Racing 2.5 EFI Offshore center section and laid on top of a Torque Master gearcase. The
experimental engine was built in an alliance wuth Marine Turbine Technologies (MTT). For those who unfamiliar
with the company, MTT is renowned for its turbine expertise.
We recently tested the prototype turbine outboard (320hp) on a 26-foot
aluminum landing craft built by Munson Boat Works. Start-up is exactly
like a helicopter. Spin the turbine with an aircraft starter motor, add fuel
and fire, and then wait while it spools up. True to the nature of turbine
power, sound levels are high, registering 105 decibels (dB) at idle and
114 dB at wide open trottle. Under way, and at 95 percent power, fuel
flow measured a modest 24 gph, which is considerably better than a
conventional gasoline outboard. According to MTT's founder, Ted
McIntyre, top speed on this particular turbine-powered craft is 40 mph:
that's with four crew members and an old-style M151A1 Jeep (not a
Hummer) as payload.
This experimental outboard motor was developed in resource to a
pending requirement of the U. S. Navy that will forbid gasoline onboard its ships. While the Navy is considering
diesel direct- injected outboard motors in a variety of makes and models, the MTT/Mercury turbine should be
tantalizing. It weighs only 200 pounds- about as much as a 50 hp outboard-and it's narrow enough to pass
through the hatch in a submarine's sail. Finally, the turbine outboard has multi-fuel capability (diesel, kerosene​
and JP4 jet fuel). the cost is estimated at $40,000
Click to expand...
Is that bolted on a checkmate in the picture?
 
Some awesome reading here so far Sammie, good stories!! Love the Super Bee, the Roadrunner/SuperBee 383's area great motors since they used 440 heads and cam to make good power. Running 13.50's with just some tweaking is pretty good too!! Anyway, Just out of curiousity Sammie, did you sell many I/O Enchanters back in the day? I've always wanted to know what mid 80's Enchanter I/O like mine would have sold for brand new.
 
Thank You Checkmate Members

Dear Checkmate Members I want to Thank all of You Kind Checkmate Members for all Your Kind Words and for Enjoying the Stories of My Action Marine and My Life. Its Really Nice to Be Appreciated by so many of You Checkmate Members. Paul will that be Cash or Credit Card on those 2 Mercury's Turbine Outboards? Gimme Fuel You and so many other Checkmate Members here that have Replied and Clicked Like I Now Know for Sure You Guys would of Fit Right In with My Action Marine Race Team and Boat Club Members. I too Gimme Fuel Love to Build and Do what No Others have Done Before. That was the Most Exciting Part of What I Did in the Marine Industry. Paul I am Sorry My Dear Friend That Mercury Turbine Outboard was Not Bolted to a Checkmate. CheckmateFever I am Glad You and the Other Checkmate Members here have Enjoyed the Reading. My Super Bee was a Sweet Running Car. I Surprised a Lot of People with Bigger Motors in there Cars. I Guess CheckmateFever if You have Read this Complete Thread I did the same thing in every thing I Raced. Maybe CheckmateFever that word some Tweaking Should of been a little more than just Some hehe. But Trust Me CheckmateFever with My Super Bee, Checkmate boat and My Motorcycle Payments there just was Not enough Money to go around for Hi-Performance Parts. Now to Your Question CheckmateFever I Sold a Lot of Checkmate I/O's, all with the 260 hp in them. In Fact I Sold a Lot of all the Checkmate Line lol. In the mid 80's the Checkmate Enchanter with the 260 hp and custom trailer sold for around $17,000.00 to $18,000.00 if memory serves me Right. List Price would of been More. Have a Happy New Years to all of You and Best Wishes Always From Me Sammie Action Marine
 
Thank all of You

Thank You Guys I am Glad You all have Enjoyed this Thread. I Want to Wish All of You Checkmate Members a Happy New Years Wish and May All of You Checkmate Members have a Great 2013 and May all Your Checkmates Run Faster for 2013. Your Friend Always Sammie Action Marine
 
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