anotherrunner83
Active member
I had stated in another post that my dad had decided to let Checkmate refurbish his boat, something that he had been attempting for several years, but it seemed Checkmate never had the capacity. This year, it just all worked out and the boat is in the factory now.
A little history of the boat. My parents bought it new in 1990 from Webb's Fiberglass and Sports in Rocky Mount, NC. I remember when we came across the boat in their storage lot. It was sitting beside a black and green Starliner, which wasn't really their speed. They opted to buy the black and blue Starliner, and, not wanting to wait for another engine to come in, opted to hang a new, '89 Johnson 200 hp GT V6. We enjoyed a many of summer days running up and down the Pamlico River, mostly from Washington Park to down around Bath and Blount's Creek.
Fast forward several years. We moved to Cincinnati, OH in 2000. Other family friends that had relocated told us to leave the boat in NC and use it on return trips because there was no where to use it "up North". Little did we know, there are several lakes within a very short drive and the Ohio River really isn't all THAT bad! However, the boat remained in NC for 9 or 10 years. I believe the boat only saw water 2 or 3 times in that long span. At some point in this time, the boat cover was damaged by snow and the boat sat, uncovered for, what appeared to be, quite a while. We thought that leaving it in the storage facility ran by my uncle was a safe move and he could keep an eye on it. We were wrong! This exposure caused the interior seat backs to all but disintegrate. The vinyl was still in great shape, so dad and I cut new seat backs for all but the captains chairs. The decision was finally made to order a new trailer for the old girl and bring her north. This new trailer decision was fairly easy, the last time it was in the water, the bunks came off the trailer with the boat. I was in the water at the ramp holding bunks in place while dad slowly winched the boat up.
After getting the boat here, we had no clue what to expect from the old engine. Much to our surprise, the engine spun freely when we installed a new battery...but that's all it did, we had no spark. All signs pointed to the power pack, so we ordered a new one. A touch of fresh gas and a new power pack was all it needed. We were back in business. I believe it was the first or second trip out we realized that the seat backs weren't the only damage caused by the prolonged exposure. The floor was a little soft, but it held up for a couple of years, until the captains chair went. And by went, I mean it pulled out of the floor. Ouch. Luckily we weren't at speed and it was more of a head shake and "dammit" moment. Dad was able to "repair" it, but we knew it would be a short time before something major had to be done. The repair finally gave it up this summer. Luckily, Checkmate was back in business and shortly after contacting them about a refurb, the boat was on it's way to Bucyrus.
Now, if i can only figure out how to post pictures....
A little history of the boat. My parents bought it new in 1990 from Webb's Fiberglass and Sports in Rocky Mount, NC. I remember when we came across the boat in their storage lot. It was sitting beside a black and green Starliner, which wasn't really their speed. They opted to buy the black and blue Starliner, and, not wanting to wait for another engine to come in, opted to hang a new, '89 Johnson 200 hp GT V6. We enjoyed a many of summer days running up and down the Pamlico River, mostly from Washington Park to down around Bath and Blount's Creek.
Fast forward several years. We moved to Cincinnati, OH in 2000. Other family friends that had relocated told us to leave the boat in NC and use it on return trips because there was no where to use it "up North". Little did we know, there are several lakes within a very short drive and the Ohio River really isn't all THAT bad! However, the boat remained in NC for 9 or 10 years. I believe the boat only saw water 2 or 3 times in that long span. At some point in this time, the boat cover was damaged by snow and the boat sat, uncovered for, what appeared to be, quite a while. We thought that leaving it in the storage facility ran by my uncle was a safe move and he could keep an eye on it. We were wrong! This exposure caused the interior seat backs to all but disintegrate. The vinyl was still in great shape, so dad and I cut new seat backs for all but the captains chairs. The decision was finally made to order a new trailer for the old girl and bring her north. This new trailer decision was fairly easy, the last time it was in the water, the bunks came off the trailer with the boat. I was in the water at the ramp holding bunks in place while dad slowly winched the boat up.
After getting the boat here, we had no clue what to expect from the old engine. Much to our surprise, the engine spun freely when we installed a new battery...but that's all it did, we had no spark. All signs pointed to the power pack, so we ordered a new one. A touch of fresh gas and a new power pack was all it needed. We were back in business. I believe it was the first or second trip out we realized that the seat backs weren't the only damage caused by the prolonged exposure. The floor was a little soft, but it held up for a couple of years, until the captains chair went. And by went, I mean it pulled out of the floor. Ouch. Luckily we weren't at speed and it was more of a head shake and "dammit" moment. Dad was able to "repair" it, but we knew it would be a short time before something major had to be done. The repair finally gave it up this summer. Luckily, Checkmate was back in business and shortly after contacting them about a refurb, the boat was on it's way to Bucyrus.
Now, if i can only figure out how to post pictures....
