BIG CHECKMATES ?????

[Big Red]

Where are all the big Checkmates Convincors and Zt's. I am not knocking the smaller ones. But is Checkmate even selling anything with footage anymore. The 2400 is nice but would suck on the rough lake I boat on. Has any dealer even sold one in the last year? Are all the big boats going down in history? I see all this talk about the new outboard rigs but no new inboard set ups with footage. The last one I seen was the ZT with twin small blocks. And to me I would not look twice at it. Why have 2 babies when you can run 1 big daddy.

 

[Sean Tieben]

Big Red I am with you on your thinking. I do like the smell of 2 stoke in the morning but would and always will prefer the rumble of 8 ponies.

I think alot of the issue has to do with the gas prices and people loosing jobs. Everyone is not as fat dumb and happy as they were a few years ago.

 

[jlroeder4]

I have a 300 convincor and would not trade it for the two outboards. I was speaking with Mike Combs and he says that he has not build or sold anything big this year. I just think it is the market we are in and everyone talking recession. I also know that a large baja dealer cancelled 65 boats for the year cause they were not selling much. I love my boat and am glad it only has one 496 H.O.


Jason

 

[Big Red]

To be honest I don't think they sold much last year either. I am not knocking the outboards I have had my share of them and to be honest they are easier to deal with. I know sales are bad this year but I was judging from the past couple of years also.

 

[Big Red]

I have a 300 convincor and would not trade it for the two outboards. I was speaking with Mike Combs and he says that he has not build or sold anything big this year. I just think it is the market we are in and everyone talking recession. I also know that a large baja dealer cancelled 65 boats for the year cause they were not selling much. I love my boat and am glad it only has one 496 H.O.


Jason

Smart choice with 1 engine. One healthy big Block in a 300 will carry the mail.

 

[WILDMAN]

Everyone's going to the new outboards due to gas prices. They are alot faster and better on fuel due to the weight also. For that reason, I don't stock any I/O's. They just don't seem to sell in Florida anyway.

 

[senator-holland]

Are all the big boats going down in history?

i bet mercruiser has bet on the wrong horse. they are/were gambling big
on the big engines and the smaller blocks was not important. i think/read different sounds of the market. it is gonna be hard for big engine brands.
fuel prices and the american recession and a possible fall of the us dollar are not the times for this.
smaller blocks with lower emissions, more efficient is the future.

if i was mercruiser, i was more investing in green boating with hi tec research. with less ponies do more.
(mercuiser with hybride hi tec. build a engine with a electric engine. let the electric engine work on slower speeds with the energy of the big engine.)

for fun i love the sound of V8; but the money is turning my mind... overhere they are working on emissions tax for boating also. that and the fuel prices (7.37 euro a gallon on gas) is not so nice for the choice of a V8.

 

[Big Red]

I don't know how to tell how much fuel I am burning but my boat my goes a hole lot longer on 25 gallons than the boat I had with a 200 merc. on it. I don't think outboards get better fuel mileage at all.

I think the people that got suckered in buying under powered boats are the ones taking the beating. Like the pontoons with a 40hp on it and a 24 foot Convincor with a small block. They think they will get good gas mileage because the engine is small but it has to work twice as hard to move the boat they bought.

 

[Big Red]

if i was mercruiser, i was more investing in green boating with hi tec research. with less ponies do more.
(mercuiser with hybride hi tec. build a engine with a electric engine. let the electric engine work on slower speeds with the energy of the big engine.)

That electric engine stuff is useless. The factory they build the batteries in is so far out in the middle of knowhere people can't live miles from this place because it puts out so many toxins in the air it will kill you. They don't tell you this part. And the disposal of thease batteries are bio hazzards. Hybrid is useless in my book.

 

[chinaride]

hybrids are only good in cars! not to mention that that the battery puts out to close to 400v. dont think i want that around me on the water. and there is no real good way to recharge them on the water. the hybrids use a combo of brakes, coasting by use of the wheels, and generator to recharge their 3000 dollar batteries. and once their dead they are dead. the only real way to save on gas is to buy a snail boat, but who wants to go slow!!!!!!!

 

[smallblockford]

Smart choice with 1 engine. One healthy big Block in a 300 will carry the mail.

i really liked driving that 30 with twin 320 hp mercs but red you are right one good well built modest but above average big block will make a check scream.

 

[smallblockford]

ment mercruiser

 

[Big Red]

I am just seeing things for the long hall. I mean after about 4 years when need to start fixing everything its not worth it. I have seen 300 convincors run 80-85 mph on a reliable pump gas build with no type of huffer. I am talking very user friendly that a dumb dumb would have no problems with. Twins to me on a I/O Checkmate are not needed.

Merc engine or not still have seen them run the same. I personally will not pay the extra change so my valve covers will say Merc.

 

[hotdaddy27]

Good Thread

I don't know how to tell how much fuel I am burning but my boat my goes a hole lot longer on 25 gallons than the boat I had with a 200 merc. on it. I don't think outboards get better fuel mileage at all.

I think the people that got suckered in buying under powered boats are the ones taking the beating. Like the pontoons with a 40hp on it and a 24 foot Convincor with a small block. They think they will get good gas mileage because the engine is small but it has to work twice as hard to move the boat they bought.

I agree with you that your 200 probably was a pig on gas, but there is no comparison to the fuel mileage on the new XS motors.

I was as sceptical as you are Red, but now that I have one I am absolutely amazed. I think my boat now gets better mileage then my HEMI towing it to the river (I am kind of serious).

Mercury really out did themselves on this one... My 2.5 280 was the biggest gas guzzling whore on the face of the planet, but this new 300XS will pay for itself in fuel savings over time. (In comparison to my 280, that is no B.S.)

My friends and family have been saying that I am just trying to justify my purchase, but if I had to start justifying my toy purchases I would need a lawyer.

I would bet a good chunk of change that the twin OB 2800 would rival its single engine big-block counterpart in fuel efficiencey... (I don't know about performance, strictly fuel efficiency)

I am not a "die-hard outboard guy" or a "car motor hater". Just stating my experience.....7.5 Hours and 1-1/4 tank of fuel (That is break in mode at 1/2 to 3/4 throttle at all times per the Break in Procedure)

Not many boat motors (I/O or O/B)are seeing that sort of #'s (and definately not during break in). Funny part is that the 300 is supposed to be a "race motor".

As some have posted, that strikes me as a reason people might be leaning towards the smaller O/B boats. Unfortunately, gas prices have started to make people forget about what type of boat is desireable to them an thier lifestyle and purchase based on how it will effect their wallet every weekend.

 

[ezstriper]

I'm sorry, outboards to me just don't seem close on fuel economy compaired to lower H/P IO's, now maybe some of the new ones do but on the average??? and reliability is much worse and when you have serious engine "issues" it's going to cost much more than the auto based powerplants to repair....my .02 worth...Rob

 

[Craig]

The new merc "XS" optimax outboards get really good fuel economy. The 300XS I had last year got 3 to 4 times better then the 300 Promax I had....so yeah the older models are just as crappy on gas as the big blocks.

The 496HO in my 230 right now is getting real good gas milage. I get the same or better fuel economy as other same size boats with 4.3L V6's and small block V8's.

-Craig

 

[RevmanII]

I'm not sure if you consider 27' bigger or not, but I sold mine this year for many reasons. The least of which was fuel price/consumption concerns. I'm still keeping my eye out for a Checkmate in the 17-19ft range, preferably with an OMC V6 on the back of it. Far as I'm concerned, outboards are much easier to deal with. I thought I wanted the bigger boat but found it a PITA to deal with on many levels. Some were financial. Dock space goes by the foot around here. $50+ a foot. If I drop 10 feet, that's at least $500 a year. My old Checkmate, I didn't bother insuring as it was only worth about $6k or so. The 27', I was paying $600+ a year insurance. Then there was the draw. I could get my Check through 12-15" of water. The 27' Baja needed over 3'. I could go on. The only thing the big boat did for me was that I could stumble out of the bar it was docked at and crash in it. That was amusing for the first year. Now I want to get back to a smaller boat, smaller investment, easier to take care of and deal with, and just have fun again. I've made a couple of offers on a nice 89 18' Check, but the guy doesn't seem to want to deal. Everything else I've looked at is faded to heck, motors that sorta run, trashed interiors, etc ....

 

[senator-holland]

the loss of hp is worse in a inboard drive also.

 

[stclairriverblaster]

i noticed on my enchanter my 2.5 l 200 merc gets horrible gas mileage . i dont know if its just my carbs are out of adjustment or what. ( it is running rich)

 

[Big Red]

I am sticking with the V8 I burn no more than 25 gallons a trip thats putting in saturday at 12 noon and pulling out sunday morning. A smaller boat is useless on the lake I boat on unless you wan't to cruse around at 20 mph because your getting beat so bad by the chop. I would only take my smaller boat out during the week.