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Enchanter running along side 850 HP Wellcraft.

Looks like a really good time. Your boat looks like it is set up very well. What kind of speed are you getting out of her?
 
Its great when the big water lays down to the perfect point for some long hard runs that last! Sometimes those big water/hard long runs last a life time too!:cheers:
 
merc245 said:
Its great when the big water lays down to the perfect point for some long hard runs that last! Sometimes those big water/hard long runs last a life time too!:cheers:
Click to expand...

I enjoy a long hard run on a big girl...oh wait wrong forum

My persuader really turned me off to running a smaller boat in rough water...looks like you were in some 1-2 footers and your boat looks like it handles them awesome maybe I'll consider one of those clamp on boats in the future. This video definitely shows how you can make an under 24 footer handle! Nice run!
 
Thanks for the nice comments and Happy Thanksgiving all.

To answer how it run's:

The prop is a stretched 24 chopper with a bunch of cup. It tops out just shy of 70 with me alone, but i have to keep it a little deeper on the jack to prevent it from revving over 6K. This is my favorite prop for carrying 4 with a 50 lb cooler and all our **** to the beach, and it's quick enough for solo blasts without having to swap props all weekend. If I raise it up, the motor will run 6800-7000 all day long but she is an old girl and i don't want to grenade it. This winter she is getting a full tear down for inspection. Someone built this monster motor a long time ago, I've never been able to even reference the serial number. Can"t wait to find out what she has on the inside, because someone did a very good job.

With a 27 Trophy jacked to the moon, alone on good water my GPS once said 78 but it think it was from hitting a wake not actual speed, 76 steady though.

I took a gamble going with a 14" jack, but this site and S&F made the research pretty easy. At 4k cruise I use zero trim and no porpoise. It carries a load but rides hard in the chop if don't have the hammer down. In the video most of the time we are running low fifties just under 5K RPM and the ride was very comfortable. you can see me playing with the trim and throttle mid video trying to get my buddy to pick up the pace, but he was on a backup lower and didn't want to blow it up.

The Story of a forgotten Checkmate:

I had been looking for a Starflight for about a year, when just before a trip to watch our son's sailing regatta at City Island in new york I decided to check the craigslist in the NYC area. I came across an ad that was about an hour old from a poor guy who took his wife out in it on the sound, scared her and said she wanted a 24 with a cuddy. I had never heard of an Enchanter but it had great lines.

The boat was grey beige and darker gray, the rub rail was hung like garland and the original gas tank was missing but the guy only wanted $1300! I called him up and he said he purchased it from an elderly neighbor and he wasn't a boat guy but he was a motor head and raced stock cars. After 20 minutes of him telling me how he went through the motor and drive before he took it out for the first and last time I had confidence and told him I would give it a good home.

The next day we went to my son's regatta and then I went to pick it up. the super nice guy even went through the trailer bearings, repacked them and tossed on a new set of tires because he was worried about my 450 mile trip home. We ran the motor on the hose and it sounded amazing, I grew up on the water and very few outboards ever sounded that good. I hitched her to the Caddy DTS and off for home we went.

The next day I got 600 grit out and started to wet sand and found out I had purchased a Yellow and Black Checkmate! Three weeks of long hours and an investment larger than the original purchase price my baby was ready to get wet.

The boat has been great but the transom has needed attention, and I have discovered that it was some type of race boat or special edition. it is very light for an enchanter, has no under bow interior ever fitted. you can see the core. Minimal interior with no bulkheads even or interior tabbing. if you climb under and look up it is foam core and says enchanter race in red grease pencil.

To handle the Jack, I have built "Ladder Bars" that bolt up to the inside of the jack and run up to the seat bases. then added gusset bars that end at a 4 foot wide 3 x 3 x .625 piece of angle that is bedded into the repaired transom. On the outside is a .375 inch oversize plate, all out of 6160 aluminum.

We live on the water and the boat is used 3-5 days a week for the last season and have only had to put gas in her. Alot of gas! I don't keep track of it but I did go through 17 gallons of TCW3 this season. Taking her out for the last ride on the Niagara river this weekend and then pulling the mill and blueprinting the pad and going through the motor over winter.

Sorry for the huge post, but if I get out of my chair I'm sure my girl has a huge honey do list before our family gathers! Happy holidays!

Cheers,
Rex
 
Great video.

The last 2 mins were the best as the chop was picking up.
Boat really hangs nice w/that much set back and great job at the wheel.

I've done more on Lake Erie in small, light boats than what most will believe and that's how it's done.
Thumb on the trim button ;)
 
Rex, Can you post a pic of the "ladder bars" that you speak of in a previous post? Very curious. I have a 83 Enchanter, it's really a great little hull.
 
saxmanbrad said:
Rex, Can you post a pic of the "ladder bars" that you speak of in a previous post? Very curious. I have a 83 Enchanter, it's really a great little hull.
Click to expand...

Let me see if I can find a few pictures. I don't have them anywhere but in my phone, I'll try to get them up this weekend.
 
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