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Potential Checkmate owner

M

MonteC

Member
Hello all. Ive sent my brother up to Wilmington, NC this am to look at a Starliner for me. We live just a little west of Charleston SC. Would any of you be able to give me a little insight into these boats? What should he be looking for when inspecting the boat?

http://wilmington.craigslist.org/boa/3743520856.html

Seems like a good deal. Ive sent my brother due to owning my own business ive got to be at the shop. Plus Im ate up with boat fever and id probably just toss the cash at the man without even looking! lol. He will probably be a bit more bias than me.

Ive got a four month old little girl and mama wants to get out to the lake and the river with her, and ive been wanting to get another boat for a while. Gotta be an outboard. I had an i/o once.... once was enough. We are trying to spend less than 5k and this seems to be a nice boat for us. Hopefully my jet skis sell soon so I wont be out too much money wise.

Thanks for any help!
 
He had the boat listed several times last summer. Don't know why it didn't sell then. It looks good and has the toys to go with it and what looks like a good price. I would love to look at it but cant afford two boats right now. Always wanted a Liner.
 
Well he says it looks solid. No cracks in the transom. Said the floors felt good. Maybe a small soft spot behind the captains chair, but he wasnt sure.

The rear seat that folds up was rotten, plywood, it fell apart. Rest of the seats structurally seemed ok. The owner said he is going to fix that before it leaves. Seats are dirty, boat needs a detail for sure. upholstery is probably usable for a season or two, but is going to need to be redone. He said the motor started right up and sounded fine. Trailer looks fine. And of course the dings under the boat.

As of now the owner is considering it sold to me. No deposit though. He is going to get the back seat fixed, and Wednesday take it out on the water and get some video of it in action. If all goes well we will meet up this weekend and Ill get a chance to look at it myself before money exchanges hands.

We have agreed on 3500 for now.
 
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Just my .02... if the backseat is rotted, be sure to take as much of it out to get a good look and spend some time inspecting the bilge. My boat was solid as a rock EXCEPT the back seat... which I attributted to years of bathing suits and saw no issue with it. Long story short, someone had decided not to seal the screws holding the battery box to the floor, behind the seat, and this created a penetration for water to get in. I did not realize this until after the purchase was completed and tried to remove the battery for the off season. Bottom line... my Starflite now has new stringers and floor from the backseat to the transom as well as a new backseat.

Keep in mind, the rot being present shows there was water in that area at one time. Gravity always wins, so I would think water has been behind that seat at one time or another. With all of the rigging behind the seat, that area posses the most risk for water damage due to the number of glass penetrations.

You be your own judge... just thought I would share what my experience was with a "solid" boat but a rotten back seat.

GOOD LUCK!

- Mike
 
The year is incorrect for the Starliner. 1993 was the last year for the flite and liner. 1994 and newer was the pulsare 2100 and 2100 BR which took its place.
 
jmshipp said:
Just my .02... if the backseat is rotted, be sure to take as much of it out to get a good look and spend some time inspecting the bilge. My boat was solid as a rock EXCEPT the back seat... which I attributted to years of bathing suits and saw no issue with it. Long story short, someone had decided not to seal the screws holding the battery box to the floor, behind the seat, and this created a penetration for water to get in. I did not realize this until after the purchase was completed and tried to remove the battery for the off season. Bottom line... my Starflite now has new stringers and floor from the backseat to the transom as well as a new backseat.

Keep in mind, the rot being present shows there was water in that area at one time. Gravity always wins, so I would think water has been behind that seat at one time or another. With all of the rigging behind the seat, that area posses the most risk for water damage due to the number of glass penetrations.

You be your own judge... just thought I would share what my experience was with a "solid" boat but a rotten back seat.

GOOD LUCK!

- Mike
Click to expand...


Thank you for you advice. How would you go about checking around back there? I have no money down on it so if I dont like what I see when we meet up next weekend I can always walk away.
 
My 1985 Starflite was in better shape than the one listed here. It needed
much work to put it in good shape. The rebuild material cost was in excess of $2500.00 with out the paint on the sides and deck. I gel coated
the bottom. Replaced bad core, transom wood and stringer/floor.

My estimate for the hull alone would be $500.00 and not a penny more.
Add the value for the motor and trailer to that and go from there.

My guess is, you will need a major overhaul to the hull. Be very cautious.

JMHO
 
JT Patroni said:
My 1985 Starflite was in better shape than the one listed here. It needed
much work to put it in good shape. The rebuild material cost was in excess of $2500.00 with out the paint on the sides and deck. I gel coated
the bottom. Replaced bad core, transom wood and stringer/floor.

My estimate for the hull alone would be $500.00 and not a penny more.
Add the value for the motor and trailer to that and go from there.

My guess is, you will need a major overhaul to the hull. Be very cautious.

JMHO
Click to expand...


Wow. Damn. Are pretty much all of these old checkmates in need of major overhaul? Is it that common of an issue?
 
Is there nothing I can look at that might give me a better idea of what it may or may not need before I completely dismiss the hull as garbage?
 
MonteC said:
Wow. Damn. Are pretty much all of these old checkmates in need of major overhaul? Is it that common of an issue?
Click to expand...


Yes it's common for the older mates. I've replaced a floor and stringers in a 1996 Pulse 170. The 83 Enforcer I had it was a full resto, transom, floor,stringers and knees, wiring and paint. Helped a friend with his Enchanter, new floor, stringers, motor mounts and core.
 
MonteC said:
Is there nothing I can look at that might give me a better idea of what it may or may not need before I completely dismiss the hull as garbage?
Click to expand...

You can click on my signature and review what I did to my hull.

Remember, the hull you are looking at is in the 22 year age range. The flooring/stringers were made with plywood. A good number of them have been left open to the weather. Mine was left open for 3 years and that
took its toll on the wood. The glass work didn't capture all the wood surfaces and through years of intense use the protective resins broke down and exposed the wood to moisture.

Considering all factors these hulls stayed in decent shape for their age.
They can be renewed to return to better that new factory condition by
using the new and improved materials that weren't available back when they were originally made.
 
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