Some questions for the ebst and brightest here. My current salty water ski boat is simply becoming time expired. Its a 21 ft checkmate with 200 merc outboard, latested 25 years int he salt.. What i like about the boat is a small wake for slalon skiing, yet the merc and light hull have plenty of go for seed fun. By the same token if you trim it down its a relatively smooth ride, and you can air it out to go fast, plenty fo freeboard for dealing with ICW traffic. An inboard is out of the question due to tides where I dock and boat. Heres the problem, seems very few if any manufactuers still make outboard powered sportboats, and the current crop of outborad motors seems more designed for centre consols than small fast boats. Mercury still makes a good two stroke and the yamaha 4 stroke seems even lighter than the merc, but no Tq ratings for the 4strokes. Checkmate is still in buisness, and I see there is a company form canada called Tuff boats, although have no idea how they would work in a waterski enviroment. Then there is Dynaski who makes the old Hydroidyne boats, good for skking but have no idea how they would deal with chop or an ocean inlet. Any other suggestions?
A boat fun to drive, fast, that can pull a slalom skier out the water reasonably with a small wake, yet have minimal frippery so it lasts. To put perspective the current 21 ft checkmate with carved 200 merc and 5 blade prop runs up to 60, covers most of the bases, maybe is a skittle slow out the hole for my aging bod while skiing. It has anaologue instruments stainless hardware No fancy transom jacks and as a result has lasted 25 years in salt(with lots of talc) but is now pretty much all used up and falling to bits. The Allison grand sport 2003 looks great but maybe is a little shy on freeboard, but I haven't seen one in the flesh. Checkmate is still around. The merc optimax seems as simple as outboards get these days. Not looking to go 90 or 100 but it would be nice if the next boat were faster than the last, and was still decent for skiing.
I was going to mention the Allison Grandport ( have owned 2 and a SS2000 ) - they are incredible boats, but I'm not sure if that's what you're looking for. Honestly, if you could find a mint Hydrostream Voyageur, I think you'd be in business. MDS
Not really - I skied behind one of my Grandsports one time - it's worked, kind of... I used to ski the slalom course tho with a real boat that didn't move, so it's not really a fair comparison. MDS
Yeah I have an inboard on lake in CT, but for Fl need an outboard for low water and salt+ something that can go fast while still handling chop. More a question of how well it pulled you out the water, any outboard will have trouble holdign speed and move around a lot with slalom, but in salt its freestyle anyway. Its really a comparison between a Grand sport and a 21 ft checkmate, and after 25 years while I knwo a checkmate works something different is maybe in order. At the outer limits mof consideration maybe Donzi 18 but that wake sucks and its an IO, or the new Tuff 21 or the Nordic 21 crossfire, but I have no idea what the wake is like on the last 2. Im figuring 40-60K for a boast that should last me well past my skiing days. The checkmate made it 25 years and Im 54. People say the allison has great ride for a 20 footer. Years ago had a 18 carlson that worked great.
Allison has worked for over ten years with a new 23-footer specially intended for the 3,0 liter outboards after the 2,5 liters disappeared in the mid-2000s... I am a total boat nerd and have been at their factory several times in Tennessee! Awesome products. Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat
I read that on their forums, but no sign of the new boat. meanwhile Im still running the checkmate, amazingly the 25 yo merc still runs ok, but the boat is falling to bits and while the motor runs the mounts are shot, the hydraulics getting weak etc. Redoing the current boat and repowering is realisticaly 30 -40K, lets call it 40k. Much as I am sentimental after 25 years, some things just get used up.. Allison appeals because from what i have read, its THE boat, and yeah I like speed and performance. From what I read more than a few people have put 3.0's on allisons, the 175 is still a 2.5 and the yamaha vmax as light as a 2.5, plus you can go lipo battery.. But yeah its a pity those fast old outboard motors no longer exist.
If you like V’s in the 20 ft range, Allison is THE boat period. You better try one. If you want something bigger, they do make the XB21 models MDS
Interesting too, yesterday merc just announced a new line of v6 4 strokes, 175-225 hp 475 lbs, lighter than the 3.0 optimax..
Totally agree - the hottest things right now in the bigger boat segment are the center consoles and the 30-35 ft Cat's with twin 400R's. The guys with the big inboards are selling because the outboards are so "cheap" to operate. Plus, they're still getting ~ 120 mph with the cats. MDS
The current hull has numerous impending issues that mean its hardley more expensive to start with a new hull. New boat will be outboard, the only question is which one. From what I see the contenders are. Allison Gs 2003 Another Checkmate 21 Nordic Crossfire (is wake ok for skiing) Tuff 21 " " " The first 2 means a boat in the low to mid 50s. The Tuff would come out at 65 ish I assume the Nordic the same.
Id go the Nordic or the Tuff in new or even slightly used. Both good boats. I know of a guy in Florida that buys the Tuff hulls bare and then riggs them and paints them. Always admired his work online. his info: http://liberatorfl.tripod.com/
I saw his site previously when looking at new checkmates. Didnt know he did Tuff. Ill give him a call, thanks.
Saw that earlier. Whatever I get will be new, that way I know what its been through and will last. Also given the salt all hardware needs to be simple and stainless, nothing else lasts. Also every boat I have ever had has been blue or green, this one will be to. Probably the biggest fly in the ointement is I want to slalom off it. To some degree thats prop choice, and if the boat only goes 70 instead of 90 thats fine. What i dont know is what the wake is like on Tuff or Nordic. I do surmise that an Allson wake will be just fine, as is a Checkmate. I know Checkmate covers a lot of the bases because I have had one for 25 years, and in fact the boat before was a checkmate too. I just have a strong hankering to try something different. How does an allison ride compared to a 21 ft checkmate. I knwo the Tuff and Nordic will beat a Checkmate ehre, but they may not be Skiable for me.
I've never been in a Checkmate. Allison will not have much wake. The Allison is an incredible boat, if you like to "drive" - you're not going to get in, sit down, and run 80 mph on your first trip. There's a skill level to driving one and one of the reasons they have a cult following - you either can or can't drive them. MDS
