Checkmate idea

[770guy]

Love my Checkmate first and foremost. Still a little confused as to what's going on with their business. I live down in Georgia and used to see a few dealers that would sell them but havent in forever BUT I keep thinking about a market that I feel noone is tapping into.

I also have a wakeboard boat which I bought in 2006 brand new (centurion avalanche). Great boat. I got it before the wakeboard boat craze..40k out the door. I was 25 yrs old and it was my first boat that didnt belong to my dad lol. You may think I'm going to say they should make a wakeboard boat but that's not even close. I think that market is so saturated and overpriced.

Real cool idea would be...

24ft boat - maybe a bow rider and cabin option. Zt, convincer, pursuader...doesnt matter.

Basic boat. Simple but cool graphics. Good stereo.

Engine...LS based motor. So 6.2 or whatever.
A standalone ecm capable of being tuned by any of the million LSX car shops in the country.

Wondering if it could be built and sold in the 40k range.

Seems like you take some of the business from the wakeboard companies and sell a bunch of boats.

Oh well. Just thinking out loud.

 

[karzrus]

Love my Checkmate first and foremost. Still a little confused as to what's going on with their business. I live down in Georgia and used to see a few dealers that would sell them but havent in forever BUT I keep thinking about a market that I feel noone is tapping into.

I also have a wakeboard boat which I bought in 2006 brand new (centurion avalanche). Great boat. I got it before the wakeboard boat craze..40k out the door. I was 25 yrs old and it was my first boat that didnt belong to my dad lol. You may think I'm going to say they should make a wakeboard boat but that's not even close. I think that market is so saturated and overpriced.

Real cool idea would be...

24ft boat - maybe a bow rider and cabin option. Zt, convincer, pursuader...doesnt matter.

Basic boat. Simple but cool graphics. Good stereo.

Engine...LS based motor. So 6.2 or whatever.
A standalone ecm capable of being tuned by any of the million LSX car shops in the country.

Wondering if it could be built and sold in the 40k range.

Seems like you take some of the business from the wakeboard companies and sell a bunch of boats.

Oh well. Just thinking out loud.

I don’t think you can get a 24ft Bayliner for $40,000 let alone a Checkmate. On the website a 2400brx is $80,000+ and the 230ZT is a couple grand cheaper.

While many would sell as buyers would be lined up, who’d want to make them to lose money.

 

[PA-Checkmate]

so... what has driven prices for new boats up? even "entry level" boats are ridiculously priced?

 

[770guy]

I don’t think you can get a 24ft Bayliner for $40,000 let alone a Checkmate. On the website a 2400brx is $80,000+ and the 230ZT is a couple grand cheaper.

While many would sell as buyers would be lined up, who’d want to make them to lose money.

Making profit is a bare necessity. I didnt realize how much new boats cost. I think my father paid 62k for our zt260 in 1999, might have been high 50s.

The wakeboard boats are crazy expensive although they have a bunch of options. 80-200k for a ski boat.

The consolidation of boat companies is a good thing but maybe there will be someone soon that really creates and markets something affordable but exciting.

 

[karzrus]

I think some of the wake/surf boat companies are doing very well with very large margins because of name recognition. It does not costanywhere near $180,000 to build a 22-25ft wakeboard boat.

Look up “Heyday boats” if you want a reasonable priced, good surf boat.