I grew up spending my summers at my parents house on a lagoon on Long Beach Island NJ (LBI). We had a Mako 20 with a 115 Evinrude and a Glastron GT150 with an Evinrude 85. I remember my Dad and I took the Coast Guard Auxiliary class. He wouldn't let me take out the boat alone until I passed it. It was actually something fun we did together and now that he's no longer with us I have fond memories of him coming home early from work to take me to the class.
We did a lot of fishing but I really liked to get out in the old GT150. I don't know how fast it was but it was quite a bit of fun. Probably did high 40's or so. Thng is that boat was really too small for the Barnegat bay, you really had to pick your day to take it out. Usually evenings after dinner were a good time. But even then you'd hit some pretty good chop here and there not to mention boat wakes and such and the little guy took a pounding.
Two years after we'd bought it (new) I noticed an ugly looking crack on the transom. We took it to the local fiberglass repair guy for a look and he said it's simple. That boat wasn't made to take that kind of chop. "What do you expect from a mass produced chopped glass boat." Then he said if you want a real performance boat you should look into something like a Checkmate or Allison. Checkmate? I never heard of that.
The next winter at the NY Boat show we got a look at a Sportfire and it looked so cool. I didn't push the issue because that's the surest way to turn my Dad off so I just let it be. A few weeks later he said lets go to our local Checkmate dealer and have a look. An hour or two later he purchased a brand new Sportfire with an Evinrude 140. At that time the boat was rated for 150HP but it seemed nuts that you could put that big old V6 on a 850 pound boat!
As it turned out the Sportfire was also a little small for the Barnegat Bay on most days but the Checkmate was not built like the Glastron. End grain balsa core construction, lots of stringers, what looked like a 2x4 glassed into the transom in the right direction to resist bending, and a steel plate over the transom. After 8 years that boat was as solid as the day it was delivered. And what a boat. Although it wasn't that fast by the standards of the boats around here, in our neck of the woods it was one of the fastest boats around. I don't know how fast it was, perhaps mid 50's?
And boy could it handle. You could litterally whip the wheel and the boat would just kind of dig in and turn... HARD! If you weren't ready you'd be slammed against the gunwale. Yeah I loved that boat.
We sold that boat around 1990. My Dad sold the shore house in 2003. But I still spend every summer on LBI in an apartment. We just had a baby girl and I want her to grow up with a boat like I did. Lots of after dinner cruises, water skiing, and fun day trips. I've been thinking about a center console all around type fishing boat but you know what? I really don't want to do a lot of fishing. I want to relive that experience of cruising along at 3000rpm, mashing the throttle and feeling that acceleration again. I got to be an expert at trimming that engine all the way up and counter acting the chine walking using the steering wheel. Hell it was my job. Well actually my first job down there was dishwashing but that was to pay for the gas for the boat.
So here I am. Trying to figure out how I'm going to fit a Checkmate into the budget.
I'm loving the 2100BR. I'd rather not do the BR thing but our little girl has cousins that will want to ride up front with her. I do have a few questions about these new Checkmates I'm hoping some of you experienced owners can help me with.
Why is the beam on the 2100 5" less than the 2000? Seems like the bigger boat should have the bigger beam. In addition the weights are nearly identical. Seems like give identical power the 2100 could be nearly as fast?
The 1850BR seems really heavy for it's size compared to the 2000/2100 no?
Assuming I went with a 2100BR how much power would I need to hit 70mph with say 4 adults on board? I see on this forum reports of nearly 90mph with a 300. Definitely not into that! I'm wondering what a 175/200/225/250 does on this boat without any radical setup.
Finally I was looking around the Honda outboard site and they tested this boat in 2001 and it only did 61mph with their 225HP four stroke. I don't know perhaps they had the wrong prop on it (14-1/4x23) but that seems really low compared to what I'm reading here. Are the 4-stroke outboards really dogs?
Also I don't want to start any wars here but what outboard brands are currently hot and why? Since our local dealer was Evinrude that's all we ever used and with good results. I have no allegience to any brand though and just want something strong, fuel efficient, and reliable. I'd rather pay a little more now and have less headaches later. I'm looking more for solid reliability and good manners than top speed.
Also what options are really useful/necessary on the 2100BR?
Okay, that's all and sorry for the long post!
- Mark
We did a lot of fishing but I really liked to get out in the old GT150. I don't know how fast it was but it was quite a bit of fun. Probably did high 40's or so. Thng is that boat was really too small for the Barnegat bay, you really had to pick your day to take it out. Usually evenings after dinner were a good time. But even then you'd hit some pretty good chop here and there not to mention boat wakes and such and the little guy took a pounding.
Two years after we'd bought it (new) I noticed an ugly looking crack on the transom. We took it to the local fiberglass repair guy for a look and he said it's simple. That boat wasn't made to take that kind of chop. "What do you expect from a mass produced chopped glass boat." Then he said if you want a real performance boat you should look into something like a Checkmate or Allison. Checkmate? I never heard of that.
The next winter at the NY Boat show we got a look at a Sportfire and it looked so cool. I didn't push the issue because that's the surest way to turn my Dad off so I just let it be. A few weeks later he said lets go to our local Checkmate dealer and have a look. An hour or two later he purchased a brand new Sportfire with an Evinrude 140. At that time the boat was rated for 150HP but it seemed nuts that you could put that big old V6 on a 850 pound boat!
As it turned out the Sportfire was also a little small for the Barnegat Bay on most days but the Checkmate was not built like the Glastron. End grain balsa core construction, lots of stringers, what looked like a 2x4 glassed into the transom in the right direction to resist bending, and a steel plate over the transom. After 8 years that boat was as solid as the day it was delivered. And what a boat. Although it wasn't that fast by the standards of the boats around here, in our neck of the woods it was one of the fastest boats around. I don't know how fast it was, perhaps mid 50's?
And boy could it handle. You could litterally whip the wheel and the boat would just kind of dig in and turn... HARD! If you weren't ready you'd be slammed against the gunwale. Yeah I loved that boat.
We sold that boat around 1990. My Dad sold the shore house in 2003. But I still spend every summer on LBI in an apartment. We just had a baby girl and I want her to grow up with a boat like I did. Lots of after dinner cruises, water skiing, and fun day trips. I've been thinking about a center console all around type fishing boat but you know what? I really don't want to do a lot of fishing. I want to relive that experience of cruising along at 3000rpm, mashing the throttle and feeling that acceleration again. I got to be an expert at trimming that engine all the way up and counter acting the chine walking using the steering wheel. Hell it was my job. Well actually my first job down there was dishwashing but that was to pay for the gas for the boat.
So here I am. Trying to figure out how I'm going to fit a Checkmate into the budget.
I'm loving the 2100BR. I'd rather not do the BR thing but our little girl has cousins that will want to ride up front with her. I do have a few questions about these new Checkmates I'm hoping some of you experienced owners can help me with.
Why is the beam on the 2100 5" less than the 2000? Seems like the bigger boat should have the bigger beam. In addition the weights are nearly identical. Seems like give identical power the 2100 could be nearly as fast?
The 1850BR seems really heavy for it's size compared to the 2000/2100 no?
Assuming I went with a 2100BR how much power would I need to hit 70mph with say 4 adults on board? I see on this forum reports of nearly 90mph with a 300. Definitely not into that! I'm wondering what a 175/200/225/250 does on this boat without any radical setup.
Finally I was looking around the Honda outboard site and they tested this boat in 2001 and it only did 61mph with their 225HP four stroke. I don't know perhaps they had the wrong prop on it (14-1/4x23) but that seems really low compared to what I'm reading here. Are the 4-stroke outboards really dogs?
Also I don't want to start any wars here but what outboard brands are currently hot and why? Since our local dealer was Evinrude that's all we ever used and with good results. I have no allegience to any brand though and just want something strong, fuel efficient, and reliable. I'd rather pay a little more now and have less headaches later. I'm looking more for solid reliability and good manners than top speed.
Also what options are really useful/necessary on the 2100BR?
Okay, that's all and sorry for the long post!
- Mark
wish i could help but not much of a "br" guy. there are lots of guys on this site that will chime in soon! you will enjoy this site
OOPS that is the other guy...LOL
