new here~ DIPLOMAT owner / restoration begins

[RIturbohonda]

Hey y'all.


I AM SO EXCITED that i found this website!!! i had NO IDEA there was this much community for these checkmate boats!!! It is amazing!

I'm a bit of a vagabond... I live mainly in Rhode Island... but i've lived in Iowa for a while, and am now in New Hampshire (college for flight school)

I purchased this Diplomat on a couple different reasons: The price , the weight, and the SHAPE!!! i loved the lines of the hull. (it didnt come w/ an engine, and i'm suprised the trailer made it from cape cod to rhode island)

Well, I've already stripped the entire boat in prep for paint, done alot of filling and sanding on the deck, and stripped the nasty moldy carpet. The transom could probably use a re-vamp... but i dont think i want to put that much time into it... I've never done anything like that either.

I'm a gear head... I turn wrenches real well, and i weld damn good. As far as fiberglass and woodworking... i dont have alot of experience.


Um... introduction of me: My name is Kevin. I've been boating since i was little with sailboats, jon boats, Carolina skiffs, etc. This is MY first boat that i havn't shared w/ my brother or father.
Plans for it are fairly open now... Basically, restoring it cosmetically w/ new paint, carpet, interior, upholstry, new engine / rigging / hardware.

i'm welding up my own trailer for it as well with 2.5 diameter steel tubing, my hydraulic pipe bender, some angle iron, fenders, 3500lb axle, alot of cutoff wheels, and alot of welding wire!!!

My backgroud: I own a 1999 Blazer ZR2 4x4 lifted w/ lots of toys, and a 1995 turbocharged honda civic that turns out 380 horsepower . The civic has a built/forged Acura Integra engine swapped in (rebuit by me, all work done by me)... well, to sum it up, i do all my own work for my toys.

Here are some pictures!!!
I plan on re-painting it red/white w/ black trim, and black trailer... to match my BLAZER that will be towing it!!!


I need to do some fiberglass repair on the chine (previous owners drove it up on the rocky beach too much), and i also have some glass work to do for the front seats, and rear hatch.
Here is what it started like:









and a ROUGH idea of the final project:


a couple pictures of my OTHER toys:
I LOVE my toys!!!!







This engine: RIP
400hp single cam 1.6 liter vtec.... Cracked sleeve in summer of 06.(engine was built to take 500+hp... block was fatigued)







SORRY FOR ALL THE PICS! but just introducing myself!
~ I dont mind if you don't like imports... It is fast, period
~I love my domestic too!!! Rock the ZR2!!!

Lets get this restoration going... I've already read "Gus"s 50+ page thread on his restore, and it's gotten me even more motivated!!!

 

[Jamey]

Congrats on picking up the Mate. You have definitely found the place to be when it comes to getting good information. I just finished restoring mine (first pictures of it completed are posted below) and I swear I got better advice from guys on this site than I ever thought possible. The base of knowledge the people who visit this board have never ceases to amaze me. I've been reading for a while now waiting to see when someone throws out a question that is a stumper ... still waiting! Have fun with the project ...

 

[Big Dave]

Find an xr2 merc for your diplomat and you will love it.
You may need a hydraulic jack plate to set the engine back from the transom and to be able to raise it up.

 

[175checkmate]

Welcome to the board. Congrats on the new project. Nice toys.

 

[JW]

And thanks for saving another old checkmate!

 

[cvx16cvx]

Diplomat

Quickly sell that hull and go out and find an Enchanter 21 I/O . A true gearhead would have more fun with a small block chevy set up than an outboard..Hee Hee

 

[RIturbohonda]

Quickly sell that hull and go out and find an Enchanter 21 I/O . A true gearhead would have more fun with a small block chevy set up than an outboard..Hee Hee

VERY TRUE!!! you have an Enchanter 21' hull i could have? w/ i/o drive?

 

[JW]

Quickly sell that hull and go out and find an Enchanter 21 I/O . A true gearhead would have more fun with a small block chevy set up than an outboard..Hee Hee

Go run out and buy an enchanter with small block only if you want to get beat by a guy with a Diplomat running a 150 outboard

 

[aaronmt]

Welcome to the page, I have built my share of hondas/acuras the last one being a 92 integra gsr it was red as well. I ported the head had je pistons etc. but something never quite turned out right on that so i bailed on it.I have a starflite now that was mess when I bought it as well. I think while you dont have a motor on the back of that just to be sure it wouldnt hurt to put some knee braces in it to stiffen the transom> MY motor is apart on my boat right now so Ill be doing the same myself. As far as selling that boat and going for an I/O boat the simple fact is O/Bs will flat out runnaway from the equivalent I/O boat. You can get mid 80s 150mercs very resonably or if ya want to run something different I highly recomend Yamahas and yuou can get them very resonabily id stay with 87 and newer. I know that everyone likes the big black motor hanging off the back but Yamahas run very fast and are extremly reliable and can be bought for less money. Good luck Aaron

 

[Boston Predictor]

Welcome to the board Kevin. You'll like that boat trust me. I used to own a Sportfire which is the same hull but w/ the closed bow. Check out some of the videos of it in action, it definitely went pretty darn well.

If your transom is soft it might not be a good idea to run it with out fixing it. I'de hate to see my motor at the bottom of the lake.

Anyways, what are your plans for it? Color, motor etc....

I just picked up a boat from the cape too, Perhaps well run into eachother sometime. Goodluck
Geoff_

p.s. Ide chop that windshield in half, but thats just me I hate those tall windshields.

 

[Chris]

Welcome to the board.

I'm glad you found us too.

When you start your restoration, you start up a new thread in the Overhaulin' forum. Restorations are one of the most popular features here on the site.

Welcome aboard.

-Chris