Pulsare 2400 First trip

[gwcpa]

I made a 30 hour excursion from VA to NY this weekend and purchased TCOB's 2400 Pulsare CD/225 Pro XS. Got the boat in the water with the family today for the fist time and had a great time.

Boat is a big change to me after 3 Grady Whites and 3 Boston Whalers.
I still have a 19' Whaler, but the Pulsare will be my weekend entertainment this summer.

I've been looking at Checkmates for months, and this one came on the market and somehow became mine. I boat in pretty choppy waters so I ruled out the 2100 and decided that a 2400 would work best.

This proved to be the case today with a pretty good 2' chop. I was impressed how well the boat handled in the conditions. Better than I hoped.

With 20 minutes of seat time total, I was able to hit 65 GPS running in the 18-24" chop. Have no idea of RPM, and need alot more time to figure out the optimal jack plate and trim settings. Boat was full of fuel, and I did not stay full throttle for very long. Still have alot to learn, but I'm impressed with the Opti.

I was happy also with how well the boat runs loping along at 3800 rpm or so.

Here are a couple pics from today. Boat is in great shape, and thanks again Bob.

 

[claupie]

Congrats !!
First pic should be good for BOTM..

 

[CHECK16]

Very nice! Congratulations on a sweet looking Checkmate.

 

[ross]

i like it!

 

[tcob]

gwcpa, thanks man , you have no idea how much i enjoy seeing pics of this thing . look at the water's reflection on the side of it . i didn't miss the life preserver under the anchor line either . thats going to be one happy boat !

 

[gwcpa]

Thanks guys. Appreciate the welcome. The boat does have a hell of a shine that I'm going to keep on top of. It is a little hairy walking up to the bow though with wet feet!

I thought anchoring would be a pain with the CD, but really not that bad. I've got a 5 gallon bucket that I'm going to cut down to fit the line and slot for the anchor to drop into and store it under the bench.

Already have some ideas to change the rigging and instruments.

On my short list will be to add an amp, speakers, battery and isolator so I can run the stereo at the beach without worrying about killing the battery. Need to determine if the bilge pump has a float switch, if not install one.

Also as you mentioned Bob, I'm going to add a water pressure guage and am thinking about going with Smartcraft to get fuel usage, WP, voltage, etc. Going to remove the pitot tube and install the transducer there.

Eventually I'll re-rig the motor with a separate tube for the motor rigging and steering cables.

I'm also surprised how long the cuddy is. Once you get in there it is pretty comfortable. I'd guess it is 6.5' plus room in there. My daughter has already tested it with a good nap, and I'll probably do the same. The Bomar hatch makes it livable and gets air moving as well as into the cockpit when running.

I'm actually glad I didn't get the BR after running the boat. Plus it will keep too many people from inviting themselves for rides.

Other to do's:

Get the VA registration on the boat. Thinking of red (?) instead of yellow letters, but may just go black. Will get a sign shop to create it.

Determine if the Accon pop up nav light has the drain cup on it. If not, install one. Don't want water to get into the cuddy through there. Ditto for the pop up cleats. The mid-ship cleats look like the have o-rings on them and I don't see where water has ever gotten into the storage areas.

Install a better cup holder at the helm. May cut one into the dash to the port of the wheel. (This may the most important item!)

Any feedback appreciated!

 

[justincase]

Congrats, nice ride!

 

[Gimme Fuel]

that is a sharp looking rig.......love the long decks.

 

[tcob]

can't wait to watch your progress , and see the transformation . i doubt there is any wax left , as the dealer was washing it with soap on a regular basis in the time they had it in their possession . as mentioned , i started to buff it saturday am , but the weather made it impossible . either way you won't have to "bring it back" , merely preserve . glad to see you're not a fan of "beaching".

 

[hotdaddy27]

The Pulsare 2400 is a great boat.

I was so close to getting a 2400 that I doubt myself on the 2100 to this day.

Good luck with her!

 

[Dave T]

gwcpa
Congrats on the new ride .

 

[gwcpa]

Thanks guys. I like the boat so much, I'm even starting to like the horse head. Not the fastest 'Mate on this site, but it is the fastest in my area.

The ride is really impressive to me. I was concerned it would ride worse than it does, but it really rides well and gets smoother the faster it goes.

It won't plow through 3 foot seas like a Grady 205 with the tabs down will at 15 knots, but in everything under that, it will run better hands down.

 

[WILDMAN]

Im like the 24CD more than any other Checkmate. My 24 with a 300XS would run 77.8 on GPS. Very good in rough water for a 24. Here's a video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54U4vx_WzaE

 

[gwcpa]

WM,

You are the reason I bought a 2400. I've watched all of your videos more times than I can count and been on your website and S&F even more. I've studied every darned picture of your new boats.

All the posts of your rigging have me looking at everything on my boat and I'm going to make some changes. Your feedback on how too much jackplate height will drop the bow helped me too...when the bow dropped from jacking too much.

If I can figure it out, I'm going to post a video of my "slow" 2400 running at speed.

Question, why do you run Trophy props? Is there some trade off on top speed (which I doubt with you) for better lift and handling and should I consider one with lower power and speeds?

Have a tempest + 23 now.

 

[tcob]

Thanks guys. I like the boat so much, I'm even starting to like the horse head. Not the fastest 'Mate on this site, but it is the fastest in my area.

The ride is really impressive to me. I was concerned it would ride worse than it does, but it really rides well and gets smoother the faster it goes.

It won't plow through 3 foot seas like a Grady 205 with the tabs down will at 15 knots, but in everything under that, it will run better hands down.

the horse also grew qickly on me . as for the ride , i came from a convincor 283 / 300 and a 251 before that . i was also pleasently surprised . the biggest plus to me was efficiency , or cost of running the pulsare / opti compared to the convincor / built 540 . with some of the upgrades you have planned , this thing will rock .