CTSIShawn
New member
Hello all,
Well I kind of stumbled across this forum a couple weeks ago as I have just become a Checkmate owner. I am out of Portsmouth, Virginia but have family right around the corer from the Checkmate factory in Ohio, so when I called them and asked their opinion they gave me the inside scoop. This is the 2nd boat I have owned (really the 1st one that's water worthy) and so far have had it out on the water twice this year and have had a blast. This thing has been a real learning curve as I do not really know much about boats (hence why/how I stumbled upon this forum) and I am a sucker for information so when I take a liking to something mechanical I want to learn as much as I can about it. I've been a gear head all my life working and racing circle track race cars. Anywho, from what I have gathered about the boat (maybe some people I'm sure on here know more than I do) but:
-1988 Checkmate Exciter
-1999 Mercury 200HP
-New odds and ends so far such as Kenwood Radio, 400W amplifier and speakers.
I was told 1999 Mercury 200HP power head to which based on internet research I have gathered to be the 2.4 or 2.5L. It is 6cyl of course and has 200 stamped on a freeze plug. For the life of me I cannot find the serial number to confirm. This one took me FOREVER to figure out as I have never heard of this. Made me feel real dumb when I learned of it's popularity... But it has a bob's nose cone conversion done on the lower unit.
I originally came across the boat as an investment opportunity but I hate and love to say it at the same time, but I'm really starting to fall for this thing. Seems to be easy and fairly simple to work on and a blast on the water. But I am really torn about upgrades and their priority. I know 1st thing is I want to reupholster and re-carpet. So far the only real wood rot I have found is in the seat bottoms/frames. Hull seems to be in amazing shape and surprisingly I have not seen any fiberglass cracks like I have seen in pictures on this site of restoration projects. Another add-on I have been contemplating is a jack plate and maybe hydraulic steering. As anyone would assume, that motor is a workout to handle... But with me being a newbie and learning the boat, I did end up GPS-ing a speed of 56mph with an unknown prop with plenty more to go. And one day I'll get there, just don't want to jump over my head and the dang things starts dancing on the water on me. Then a restoration/sanding/buffing on the gel coat, new gauges and a few more cosmetic items should about round out the 1st round of items. I will see if I can get some photos to work. Look forward to many more great articles like the ones I've already found here and look forward to becoming a part of the Checkmate family!
-Shawn
Well I kind of stumbled across this forum a couple weeks ago as I have just become a Checkmate owner. I am out of Portsmouth, Virginia but have family right around the corer from the Checkmate factory in Ohio, so when I called them and asked their opinion they gave me the inside scoop. This is the 2nd boat I have owned (really the 1st one that's water worthy) and so far have had it out on the water twice this year and have had a blast. This thing has been a real learning curve as I do not really know much about boats (hence why/how I stumbled upon this forum) and I am a sucker for information so when I take a liking to something mechanical I want to learn as much as I can about it. I've been a gear head all my life working and racing circle track race cars. Anywho, from what I have gathered about the boat (maybe some people I'm sure on here know more than I do) but:
-1988 Checkmate Exciter
-1999 Mercury 200HP
-New odds and ends so far such as Kenwood Radio, 400W amplifier and speakers.
I was told 1999 Mercury 200HP power head to which based on internet research I have gathered to be the 2.4 or 2.5L. It is 6cyl of course and has 200 stamped on a freeze plug. For the life of me I cannot find the serial number to confirm. This one took me FOREVER to figure out as I have never heard of this. Made me feel real dumb when I learned of it's popularity... But it has a bob's nose cone conversion done on the lower unit.
I originally came across the boat as an investment opportunity but I hate and love to say it at the same time, but I'm really starting to fall for this thing. Seems to be easy and fairly simple to work on and a blast on the water. But I am really torn about upgrades and their priority. I know 1st thing is I want to reupholster and re-carpet. So far the only real wood rot I have found is in the seat bottoms/frames. Hull seems to be in amazing shape and surprisingly I have not seen any fiberglass cracks like I have seen in pictures on this site of restoration projects. Another add-on I have been contemplating is a jack plate and maybe hydraulic steering. As anyone would assume, that motor is a workout to handle... But with me being a newbie and learning the boat, I did end up GPS-ing a speed of 56mph with an unknown prop with plenty more to go. And one day I'll get there, just don't want to jump over my head and the dang things starts dancing on the water on me. Then a restoration/sanding/buffing on the gel coat, new gauges and a few more cosmetic items should about round out the 1st round of items. I will see if I can get some photos to work. Look forward to many more great articles like the ones I've already found here and look forward to becoming a part of the Checkmate family!
-Shawn
boat looks great welcome to the forum!
