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Current Caldwell Checkmate production

Glenn Kornett

Active member
I have heard rumors that a few people have waited well over a year for their new Checkmates. Other rumors are circulating that Caldwell Marine is involved in some type of litigation that may be holding up the production of Checkmate boats. Hopefully these are all unsubstantiated claims? I think they have made some positive improvements and could certainly sell more boats if they could produce them.
 
Hope Caldwell gets the legal matter straightened out soon and gets back to building new CMs. I was pretty impressed w- the pics of the few boats he did build and liked the upgrades. Seemed like he was asking a premium price for the boats but I’m sure there is a demand right now.
 
I have heard rumors that a few people have waited well over a year for their new Checkmates. Other rumors are circulating that Caldwell Marine is involved in some type of litigation that may be holding up the production of Checkmate boats. Hopefully these are all unsubstantiated claims? I think they have made some positive improvements and could certainly sell more boats if they could produce them.
Hi Glenn,

It's not a rumor. I'm one of the ones waiting on my boat since last April. The boat was supposed to be done last summer. Then it was to be done this February. Then all communication stopped. We haven't had any updates and it's near impossible to get ahold of anyone. I've tried emailing Caldwell as well. I spoke with my dealer, who said they were having "investor problems." But to confirm your suspicion, there are serious delays. I was 4th in line for a boat several months ago. And I'm still 4th in line.
 
Hi Glenn,

It's not a rumor. I'm one of the ones waiting on my boat since last April. The boat was supposed to be done last summer. Then it was to be done this February. Then all communication stopped. We haven't had any updates and it's near impossible to get ahold of anyone. I've tried emailing Caldwell as well. I spoke with my dealer, who said they were having "investor problems." But to confirm your suspicion, there are serious delays. I was 4th in line for a boat several months ago. And I'm still 4th in line.
Thanks for the update and confirmation. I hope everything works out and you get your boat. Sad to hear that this company appears to have improved on an already good product, and now cannot meet the demand. Hopefully they will get it sorted out soon.
 
Thanks for the update and confirmation. I hope everything works out and you get your boat. Sad to hear that this company appears to have improved on an already good product, and now cannot meet the demand. Hopefully they will get it sorted out soon.
After deep diving this a bit. It looks like there is some litigation going on between Caldwell and the former owners.
 
The former owners were Global Marine in New York (which builds Hustler boats). They share the same upholstery shop in Bucyrus that does the interiors of Hustler and Checkmate. Wonder what the litigation could be when it is taking so long? It appears that one party feels the other has violated some terms of whatever the sales agreement was? Or perhaps they did not live up to the financial agreement of the sale?? For it to be dragging on this long, it suggests neither party wants to budge, or it is held up in the legal system? Anything is speculation on my part at this point, but again I hope they resolve it quickly and we have new Checkmates back out on the water. I was lucky to get my 2020 Pulsare as the 2nd last boat Bucyrus built.
 
The former owners were Global Marine in New York (which builds Hustler boats). They share the same upholstery shop in Bucyrus that does the interiors of Hustler and Checkmate. Wonder what the litigation could be when it is taking so long? It appears that one party feels the other has violated some terms of whatever the sales agreement was? Or perhaps they did not live up to the financial agreement of the sale?? For it to be dragging on this long, it suggests neither party wants to budge, or it is held up in the legal system? Anything is speculation on my part at this point, but again I hope they resolve it quickly and we have new Checkmates back out on the water. I was lucky to get my 2020 Pulsare as the 2nd last boat Bucyrus built.
Fun fact: The Bucyrus upholstery location is no longer a thing. It's ALL in North Carolina now. That's a change made not long ago.
 
Do you think there might be a dispute on how they share the costs of that upholstery shop? Even if there was, they could still build boats and have the upholstery done somewhere else, even if it cost more?
 
Do you think there might be a dispute on how they share the costs of that upholstery shop? Even if there was, they could still build boats and have the upholstery done somewhere else, even if it cost more?
I would tend to think that this is deeper than just the upholstery shop...
 
Over on The Hull Truth website is a thread detailing the sinking of a 2021 260 SeaCat as a result of hull separation. I suspect, unfortunately, that fallout from that situation may be the cause of production delays.
 
I should add that I DO NOT mean to imply that Caldwell Marine Designs is in any way responsible for the boat sinking. However, as builder and warranty provider for SeaCat, I think it's safe to assume they are entangled in the resulting legal aftermath - bound to have some effect on day-to-day operations. Hoping this is resolved quickly and to the satisfaction of all impacted.
 
Is it just me messing up the web search, or is the Checkmate Power Boats website gone?
 
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