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I am new... Can you help me?

B

btrbill

Member
Hi all!

I am new here, from south Louisiana, and love this site! I never knew alot about Checkmates, but have certainly fallen in love with what I have seen here! I think I am converted...

Anywho, this is where I need help... I have a friend that has a 1988 Checkmate that is about 19 feet long, with a closed in bow, I/O. He does not remember the name of the model, but it looks like to me it is a Sportfire or Starfire. I am leaning toward Starfire since it looks like a longer boat, especially in the online brochure posted here. I will have a picture of it hopefully tonight or tommorrow. In anycase, he is giving it to me... Thats right, giving it to me! Right on! Jackpot! WOO HOO!!... well, not exactly...

Currently, the boat is in his boathouse at his camp, half sunk. I will post a picture of that as well. Not sure how it happened, but he thinks while it was raised on the lift, the water came up at the camp and lifted it free of the strap and dropped the back end into the water. When the water went down, the back end did as well and the angle it was sitting at (bow high) caused water to go over the sides and flood the boat. It was in about 4 feet of water and the bow was held high. In any case, he didn't notice it for quite some time since he didn't visit the camp for a while due to overtime. When he found it, he figured it was trash, and let it sit.

This is where I come in... I know the boat is waterlogged and probably has substantial damage to the wood. The engine is probably trashed, but I have an Olds 350 I could use if it can be made to fit. The interior was out of the boat, as was the electrical system due to the fact he was going to redo it all. Now here it sits...

I have never done fiberglass work or rebuilt anything this extensive, but hey, the price is right. I have seen some of the threads here where folks are rebuilding boats, and it seems doable for a layman with basic skills. But what are your opinions? I figure a budget of $8-10,000 would be realistic with some friends to help.

Any advice is welcome, and if anyone lives near the Mandeville/Slidell area of Louisiana wants to help :sssh:, that would be great!

Thanks for taking the time, and I look forward to chatting with your guys over the next several months... or years...

Bill
 
Sounds like it'll be alot of work, but it's always great seeing Checks restored rather than trashed.
You may get lucky with a few things and not have to replace them- best to get it out of the water ASAP and take a closer look!

Good luck!
 
The best thing to do is leave the boat in the drink. The boat is not worth sticking 8-10 grand into. You say the interior and electrical was out that means its already worn out. And then you toss in water logged. Run fast and never look back.

Yes you do see on here where people restored some boats ground up. But I guarantee half of them would not do it again. And the other half would say the boat needed more work then they thought.

If you had to do a little patch or some interior work or maybe a engine I would say ok. But to take a mud turtle and redo the rotted wood, rebuild engine and drive, all the wiring, all the interior, and god only knows what else that you will find I say walk away.

The olds 350 won't just drop in all the accessories bolt holes are different and if I am not mistaken the bell housing bolts are in a different location. Then you can toss in the fact it cost twice as much to build as a chevy 350

You can really find a nice boat for the 8-10 grand your thinking about putting in this boat.

Just my 02 :bigthumb:
 
I do agree with Big Red, but I would want to pull it out and see what I'd be up against in the restoration.
 
Big Red may be right. BUT get it out of the water give it a bath take a good look. All it will cost at this piont is a little time and labor. You have nothing to loose and maybe a boat to gain...... GOOD LUCK
 
Sunk boats are bad news! alot of money and work putting in wood and a new transom. i agree with Red and unless your doing it for a hobby id leave it go. there are plenty of good boats out there:bigthumb:
 
I would have to agree with the others I would also pull it out. I would let it air dry then I would toss the wires back in it and some new bleached indoor out door carpet and put the seats back in it. I would give it a quick wash and the stick it on craigs list. Unless it did not have a trailer, if I had to buy a trailer I would definitely leave it.
 
Thanks all for the replies so far. I did stop by and take some pics of the boat on the way to work, and will post them when I get home. The boat has slipped and the starboard rear has fallen back into the water. We are planning on lifting it onto the trailer July 4th weekend. I will have a much better idea of where I sit then.

Since the price is right, I will take it home and look at it. I realize there is no way to recoup ANY investment in this project, but that is not what I am looking for anyway. IF, and that is a big IF, I decide to take on this project, it will be to learn and practice skills I might not otherwise get.

I guess the make or break for me will be the transom. I feel OK replacing the stringer and floors, even the engine area, but I am not sure I want to tackle a transom. But hey, who knows.

Hopefully, you guys will be able to tell from the pictures exactly what model it is. Keep the advice and replies coming!

Bill
 
Well, I have pics, but for some reason, the Mods have my account set so I cannot create an album to post my pics here.

Anyone got any other ideas on posting them?

Bill
 
finally...

After some email issues last night, I finally got the pictures off to Big Red this morning. Once he gets them posted for me, you will see what I am up against.

Thanks Big Red for doing this for me...

Bill
 
MATE DOWN!

Yikes. I feel bad for the thing. Whatever you do, don't get emotionally attached. If you decide to take this on, it's going to be A LOT of work, and it will be expensive. AND you probably won't get it on the water until late next year if you work fairly consistently.
If you pull it out and decide that you don't want to do anything else to it though, you could always sell it as a project boat- I'm sure you could get at least $300 for the trailer and boat.

FOR THE LOVE OF GOD someone please get that poor mate out of the water!
 
WOW thats a rough one. Mine looked somewhat good when I got mine, and it even ran so some of the parts I reused. That is a total wash out. At best you only have a shell, nothing more. I would get it home and clean the crap out of it and go from there.

You asked if I would do it again in the PM. FUK NO..........well maybe!! I got so much money and time into it that if I was a thinking man, I would have bought a newer boat that was turn key. The plus is that there is not another mate like mine anywhere. It is 100% my personality and not someone elses boat. The only way someone can do it is if they can do everything thereself. Even then you can buy one cheaper and it wont take a year to build it. Another good thing is I knew nothing about I/O's when I started, now there is nothing I cant do to them by myself or with a lil help from the forum guys or my neighbor.

Good luck either way you go as if you do do it, it will be a love/hate relationship:cheers:
 
OUCH!!!! LEAVE IT ALONE!:poke:

YOU WILL HATE THAT THING ONCE YOU GET IT OUT OF THE WATER!!!!!
 
looks like it was in pretty terrible shape before it sank. You can find a lot of mates for cheap that need a whole lot less work than that one.
 
Plan A

I agree pull it out put it on the tralier bolt what you can back on it wash it and sell it. Ask 800 when the buyer comes out tell him you just lost your job and 500 bucks will get it today only. And if he offers 400 hundred cash tell him you will split the differance 450..

Plan B

Keep the boat and buy one just like it and use it for parts and sell parts to people here on the board.
 
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