Returned from a “sympathetic redo” fixed the nicks and scratches replaced the floor new interior. The old merc 2 stroke was still good. We removed the failure prone oil injection did. A carb rebuild and a few other bits. The motor now is like angry bees, needs a prop with more pitch as it’s bouncing off the limiter at 63 mph. The other boats like an suv comfy good for cruising skiing and trips but not much fun to drive. The old checkmate been in the family for 34 years so happy to have given it some tlc. They simply do t make that style of boats anymore. There is a certain pleasure when The mood strikes to just drop it in the water and blast about for 20 mins, clears the mind. The small lightish outboard trimmed out skipping across the water a feeling of flying as the majority of the hull releases, getting the trim just right always an experience. course now I wnat to add something g faster, much faster. Maybe a progression 22 with a new 300. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Exactly - that’s a keeper …. The old Hydrostreams, Allison’s, STV’s, Checkmates, Glastrons, etc …. are becoming harder and harder to find - I use to love those boats 30-40 years ago …. Tell us more about it - how long and what motor ? MDS
My father bought it in Dec 91 I think for 15,500, as boat and motor were leftover 91s. Its a 91 merc 200 a 2.5 which is apparently the good one. For the first few years my parents and 'guests" used the boat so it aquired nicks scrapes etc. Around 2000 the old man felt too old for boating so wanted tog et rid of it. I took the boat and associated expenses over. Until 22 it lived in a shed on a shelf 2 stories up. It was always used pretty sparingly maybe 3x per year for a week at a time in briney to sea water. Whenever I put it away it got a through wash, fresh water flush motor spayed liberally in wd40. Kept up on all annual maintenance. I think we rewired the motor 2x over the years. the biggest issue was the steering cable going dry with he boat sitting so much, replaced those maybe 4x. Something quite liberating about a boat with scratches and dings, never had to worry about barnacles on poles etc. When Wife and I moved to fl in 22 it became our primary boat and we didnt get anew boat until 24 due to various issues not least waiting almost 2 years fort the new boat to get built. the checkmate soldiered on, but the rear seat made of plywood was really rotten and the fronts were not too far behind. No one in Fl wanted to work on the boat because the economy as too good and they could make more painting a 30 foot center consul etc. One day i was way upriver in the mangroves where I waterski and there was this immaculate 15ft hydrostream wiuth a merc racing two stroke oin it. In coastal fl any two stroke is rare these days and a carbed motor well i though i had the only one. Turns out the guy was a merc 2 stroke specialist for the small boat clan in his spare time. A year later when the new boat arrived, the motor guy said he had to get the boat last as once the motor was done it had to be run, couldn't sit etc. I first took the checkmate to a local upholstery guy who took the seats out and used the rotted bits as patterns for new seats make out of some new synthetic stuff, the deal as he'd do it in quiet hours as long as was not in a rush. Then took it to the a fiberglass guy I met, he did it after hours in his garage. The wood in the boat was great, after leaving it in his hot garage for 4 moths over summer we did cover an exposed areas and screw holes. Even the floor which was thin plywood glass sandwich was fine, but the area below the front seat plinths which had plywood blocks for lag bolts was mushy, so we just replaced the whole floor with synthetic from the dash back, removed foam etc. the then boat sat covered on trailer from sept till about Nov when the upholstery was finally ready, the motor guy was busy till Jan, but it took him only 10 days, compression was still great, nothing like all that 2 stroke oil slinging about inside to keep bores etc corrosion free,. It was as exciting as waiting for a new boat to get it back again. I know that boat like the back of my hand, been driving it so long. I can just look at changing water surface while zipping along and adjust trim by feel, as well as for speed turns etc, even for that matter depending on gas or passenger load. There's a lot to be said for the feel of cable steering too. As Fl not really a place to enjoy speed on land its great having a boat that is reactive and can move. The speed gene in me is finding multiple days per week for outlet on the water which gets the mind to thinking about something thats really fast by todays standards and something that could potential run in the ocean on calm day as I'm on a river but 15-20 mins from an inlet. cats i know are really fast and can chey up chop, but from what I understand they dont turn great or ramp wakes. The river, quite wide where I am, downriver is to an estury and into the ocean, upriver is where they filmed the boat chase in moonraker and its unchanged from then so 50 there is fast and a boat needs to turn and have acceleration, even 80 here would be quick and there is the occasional yacht downriver making lovey wakes to ramp coming the other way. Id love an Allison grand sport, but you cant find them, and its a rebuilt 2 stroke(great place in Canada that makes near new mercs), wish Allison made a sportboat version of one of their 21 footers. . People here tell me the tuff boats are fast but not super durable or great at turning. Seems like a progression 22 with new 300 would work well and cover a lot of bases, although that deep v prob wont give the skipping across the water feeling, there is the Chaudron and also a neat nordic 21, but the progression seems fastest of those most rugged and simple interior. But maybe one boat cant be all things and i need a 24ft deep v or skater and an Allison grand sport or hysdrostream to round it out. Ive got room though for prob a 3rd boat on the dock/lift area. Really enjoying the lifestyle addition of having two boats now each with different purpose. If the right Allison came up id buy it, otherwise Ill see. its going to be track season in the Ne soon and thats my summer moths + malibu on a lake. Wife would prefer me to be less passionate about the track, and each year were spending less of the summer in the NE. I can see some priority changes and maybe going furher down the boat rabbit hole. Given my druthers could see selling the lakehouse in CT cutting down on some cars and spending the summers on a biggish boat. But wife has assured me that if I want to do that then it will "have to be with my new hot young wife" . Ive been at pains to explain to her that the budget only stretches so far as the boat and cant afford the hot young wife too, so were at a stalemate on that one. Maybe in the short term just need something small light and fast to take for a quick run on calm weekdays when the surface is perfect and or going upriver, what could that be 15 ft hydrostrem?
