80' Enchanter/2.4 200 merc

[Checkmark]

I have a 1980 Checkmate Enchanter 20' with a 200 merc
that is stock with the exception of a Land & Sea cone
and jack. It spins a 26" Merc Chopper at approx 5900
rpm, and somewhere in the 68-70 mph range. I am looking
for a Promax 225, 95-97 vintage preferably, but have
a few concerns. What is the deal with the oil gear?
It sounds like a SM gear case is not the answer for
heavier v hulls. Should I look for a TM case? I want
the same kind of lift from the hull that Chris Thomas
gets in that video on the front page. Would love to hear
about his setup. I have to trim out to far in order to
achieve lift. I think my 2.4 is tired. It's an 83. Any
input?

The Torquemaster does appear the best for heavy hulls that need lots of trim, and run below 80 mph. You may have enough horsepower with a 225 Promax, and around 14" of setback, to fly it fast enough to use the Sportmaster gear case. Torquemaster is better for motors that need to use positive trim, and Sportmasters are better for neutral trim and high propshaft heights.

[84exciter]

the enchanter needs ALOT of setback/bow lift,because the cockpit is so far forward.You need to get a prop with alot of rake(i've got an exciter with a 2.6 johnson,so i don't know alot about Merc. props).I run a 25" shooter(omc)tons of rake and over/through hub ext.hope that helps by the way my best friend has an 84 enchanter w/ 200 evinrude

[Checkmark]

Thanks for the input. I'm still struggling with what path
to take. Money is an issue, and the boat needs some work.
The transom could use some work, especially if I want to
hang the engine off a setback bracket. I'm not thrilled
with the idea of that much setback, as it effects other
characteristics of the handling that I may not care for.
I did notice in the Chris Thomas video, that he looks to
be using very little setback and has the boat up and out
with not alot of positive trim. Is the Pulsare that much
different a hull than mine? I've read that the pad on those
is similar in size to the pad on mine. Never tried a rake
or cleaver on my rig, so I could do that. I think if I can
get into a ProMax225 with a stock case or TM, and use
my 26 or 28'' Choppers, that would lift the hull. I'm not
looking for 80mph, as much as I'm looking for overall punch,
and "flying" the hull. If that takes some positive trim
and less efficiency, so be it. Thoughts?

[KG4]

My dad has a 80 enchanter with a 81 mec 225 he was going to go with 12 inches of setback so he called the factory and they said that 12 inches is to much for the older mates because they have a much lwer profile than the new ones they said the motor would go under coming off plane so he went with the 6 inch cmc hydrolic bobs nose cone and low water pick up then he got the exhaust housing and spins a 28 chopper at 5900-6000 rpms.Tested the other day on very flat water and got 75.1 on gps i think he is going to run a little better on a little chop the motor is completly stock.Hope this helps

[Checkmark]

That kind of setback would put the engine in the drink when
coming off plane. I jack and trim out when coming off, just
to keep the cowl from getting a drink. The enchanter is a
lower profile hull, just not sure whether that would aid or
hinder the "flight" of it. Not sure of the weight differences between the two; I know the Pulsare is 1375. Sounds like your dad is having good results with his boat and a stock 225. Very encouraging! Thanks.

[84exciter]

checkmark,
I'd go with the CMC hydro jack,and ditch the chopper it is made to run very high(surface piercing).get a prop that is thru the hub exhaust,you'll get a much better holeshot.The Enchanter,unlike the other Checkmates has more cockpit room thus moving the driver forward.I have an Exciter(19),the Starflight/Pulsare is 2 foot bigger(all deck)your boat is 1 foot bigger(they added the foot between the front seats and the back seats)moving weight forward.Talk to some prop dealers for an over/thru hub prop with alot of rake.I'm sure you'll be much happier with the holeshot and bow lifting ability.I run a Omc shooter,trimmed in for skiing,I'mbreaking water under the drivers seat and it flies the bow great.I've run side by side with pulsares w/225 Ficth at above 70 and can still pull 2 190lb.skiiers out deep water(each with 1 ski).hope that helps,
Drew

[Checkmark]

Thanks for the reply 84'. I guess the thought process here,
is that my current setup, (jacked up for low drag, surfacing
Chopper for rpm's) is actually increasing slip% and failing
to lift the bow. (I get a kick out of this stuff, but it
can be kind of mind bending when you weigh all factors) If I
go with less engine height and a thru hub, I will certainly
increase my 0-30 time, and probably increase my responsiveness to positive trim. What will it do to top end?
I will have to find that out! Need to locate a cleaver
that I can try, not buy. What do you do as far as jacking?
Is that a manual jack? I obviously can't jack up to the
pad with a thru hub on there. Don't want to "get sideways"
when the prop breaks loose either. Thanks for the advice!

[ck1flyer]

Checkmark,

I think Chris actaully has around 12-14" of setback on his Pulsare. (I've chatted with him via e-mail before) That's probably about what it takes to get the best performance out of that boat. Your Enchanter may be a little heavier, A Pulsare also has more of it's weight distributed towards the rear of the hull unlike some of the older Checkmates.... I also have a Pulare with 225 Promax(TM case)and 8" of total setback. I need to use some positive trim but I don't feel it's any more then in Chris' video and he has that extra setback. In my opinion 12-14" will get the best efficiency, but you're not going to see a huge increase in speed by going back that far. With my setup, I'm getting up around 77-79 mph and hitting low 80's with a friend's reworked 26 chopper. I don't think adding a bunch more setback is going to gain me a dramatic increase, I might be missing out on 2-3 mph...Bigger boats like our Checkmates are always going to need some positive trim even with lots of setback. You can't expect it to fly like a 600lb Allison. They are ski-boats not race boats. Most of the Checkmate owners on this board will probably disagree with me, but I think moderate setback(6-10")and a TM or stock case about 1"-3" below pad (depending on model of hull) is the way to go on these boats.

[aaron bjerke]

YES, I agree with you about the fact that these boats are high performance ski boats, not race boats. I just installed a Johnson hyperfoil on my 92 starflight this past weekend. We cut the holeshot time in 1/2 with that. It is an awesome device and will not cut your top end. I am using a 23 p tempest plus for skiing though. I have 6" of setback on a cmc hyd jack. I have never been on gps, but figuratively speaking I believe i am at 66-70 mph with a 24 chopper, only 65 with the tempest.

[Checkmark]

Is the Tempest a 4 blade? As far as the rake props go,
what are the Quicksilver names? I used to have a prop
guide around somewhere that I might be able to dig up.
I think my best option is to hang a 225 on the back with
6-10" offset, and play with props after that. The Hydrofoil
sound interesting. Is that like the "whale tail" part that
bolts to the cavitation plate?

[aaron bjerke]

The prop is a 3 blade, 14 5/8" diameter and is raked and cupped as close to a chopper as possible. It gives pretty good bow lift. The Hydrofoil is available from Scaryfast.com thru baker marine support, look under the online store, it is listed on the main page there. It costs about 100 bucks and is different than you would think. If you read a few issues back in hot boat, they tested hydrofoils and found that for every 1" your hydrofoil is extended back from the existing plate on your motor, you will lose 200 rpm or so. This one really doesnt extend back from your motor. Check it out and see what you think.

[ianz]

Sounds like you are hooked on the ProMax 225. Ever consider a big block 3.0 Litre. I have a 1989 Checkmate Spectra 201 the original motor was a stock 200 and ran about 60 on radar. When I bought the new motor it was good for almost 10 MPH and twice the punch. My first thought was that I should of upgraded to the 3.0 EFI as soon as Mercury released it.

Just for referece I am running a 25 P tempest with 9.5 of setback.

Cheers
Ian

[Checkmark]

I'm not necessarily bent on a Promax. I am entertaining
a 3.0 also, but I was concerned about the weight. The 3.0
is almost 100lbs heavier than the 2.5 and I have about
6" of water between the skeg and the bottom from my hoist.
Just one of the concerns. I like the idea of the stock engine from an overall useage perspective. I can add solid
mounts and a cone later. I actually like doing my own lower
unit work, as I learned a great deal from the first one I
did. To be honest, I think I get caught up in the "coolness"
factor of the older Promax and 2.5 performance outboards. I
just "dig" the cowls. Don't care for the Alien look, but the
mid 90's cowls were awesome. My boat has many issues, and I
still haven't decided whether to stick with it or try to go
for something newer. What engine do you have? Is it a 200
or 225? Your running 68-70 now? Do you have a hyd jack? Nose
cone? Tell me about it.

[ianz]

My original motor was a stock 1989 2.4 200hp. I now have a 1997 225 3.0 EFI. It is on a Land and Sea Hyd. with a step and jack plate which gives me about 9.5" of set back. I have a low water pickup and nose cone. Currrently the best prop I have tested is a 25p Tempest which runs 69.5 on GPS (the speedo says 74). The weight factor was a problem for me when I was making the decision about the 3.0l but once I realized that the extra weight at the back of the boat actually gives alot of bow lift. As for the Touque of the 3.0 it is unbelivable. With 5 people in the boat I still get 65-66 MPH and hard acceleration.

Signed the 3.0 Guy

[Checkmark]

I got thinking about the way my hull didn't want to fly
like it used to, and I decided to take a closer look at
the lower unit. Sure enough, the skeg was bent. I remembered
that the skeg was welded, (previous owner boo boo) and I
had filed the weld down to "thin" the skeg closer to original when I installed the cone years back. I put a
clamp on the skeg and bent it back to shape, which revealed
a crack. I filled it with liquid weld for the time being,
and presto! The bow lift was found! She was cavitating due
to the skeg being bent. I'm just fortunate the thing didn't
snap off!! At any rate, I am going to have the skeg redone,
and redo the cone while I'm at it. Amazing what you find when you go back to basics!

On the subject of 3.0L vs. 2.5, I see a 3.0L 300 weighs
the same as a 2.5. Hmmmmm......

[Danco]

Checkmark, you should ditch any ideas of a chopper or a cleaver and the PM for that matter. Your rig is just too heavy for those props and the promax does not do well on hulls over 13-1400 lbs. The pro-max just does not have the low end torque you need. I'd go with the 3.0 225 EFI. The Y2K and 01 models are very hot engines and come with low water pickups. Add Mercs intake scoops to the side and you don't need a nosecone which will only slow you down under 80 anyway. The 1.75 gearset is great for what you want anyway. I'd run a 28p Trophy or better yet a Mazco HP4 in 28p. That 4 blade over/thru hub with lots of cup will get that hull flyin. Another good possiblity is the 27 Tempest. Tons of lift and a great holeshot. Get the Bob's machine 10" hydraulic jackplate and put one set of 2" spacers for 12" and your good to go for holeshot, midrange punch and all out flyin. IMHO

[Checkmark]

Thanks for the input. I have heard several good things about
the 3L 225. I have also heard about the ProMax and it's ring
retainer problems. To be honest, I will probably stick with
my engine. I was out by myself last night, (first time in
forever) and really got a chance to take some chances. Have no idea what top speed was (speedo said 78) but I would guess 70 and the only spray was off the transom. Just haven't been really driving the thing with my son or someone
else in the boat all the time. Plus my 200 runs sweet! Idled
for about a half hour at 800rpm's, then let her go.

I do have a question about solid mounts. What does that do
as far as vibration throughout the hull at idle speed? I've
tried to borrow a different prop from a dealer to no avail.
I have a 28 chopper that I don't use that I could sell to
buy a 4 blade.

[ianz]

Just an FYI

the Mecury 3.0 225 weighs 416 lbs.
Promax 300 Weights 467 lbs.
2.5 EFI wiights 375
stock 200 2.5l weighs 416 lbs.

I guess their really is that much differece in the new models of these engines. I know before Mercury swithed to the 2.5 block and had the old clam shell cowel the motors were lighter. I quess they have decided the heavy covers are what the market wants. (Not !!!!)

[Danco]

Solid mounts are mandatory on any rig without power steering. The solid billet aluminum with vibrate through the hull. It's not horrible but still noticable. A company out of California http://www.portaproducts.com sells a hard plastic mount for Mercs that give you the benefits of solid mounts with much reduced longevity. Since you've decided to keep you engine your prime for some tweeking. If you have a few bucks you invest in some 35cc heads, the solid mounts, an exhaust tuner, velocity stacks, louvers and of course the jackplate and a new prop. I assume your motor is carbed and not an EFI. These mods are very inexpensive and can net you close to 250hp still running on pump gas (92 a must). With the 12" plate turning a 28" Trophy you could get into the lower 80's. Nothin prettier than hyperfast Checkmate. Good luck.

[goodsax]

I've been reading your post for a while now. I too have an enchanter with an OMC 200XP. Like you I do not achieve bow lift. Is it your experience that the 12" setback helped or just a theory. I have a 5.5"CMC Hydraulic jack plate and I'm considering adding to it next season.
Thanks, Dave

[Checkmark]

It's more a case of never getting the chance to be in the
boat by myself. I also had a bent skeg due to a previous owners mishap and my grinding work on the gearcase. She flies quite nicely with a 26 chopper at 5900. I glance back
and there is no spray coming from the side, just the transom. Can feel the light chop hitting by my seat. Got some crude video and the one shot I can freeze, shows air
under my seat. Speedo says 78 but I'm guessing 70. Would
like to try a trophy or other 4blade for skiing, tubing,
etc. I only have a land & sea jack, which gives about 2"
of setback. Don't think I could get away with much more than
6, due to the way she squats when coming off plane. I have
to jack and trim when bringing her back to earth to keep the
cowl from dunking. If you don't mind a lousy hole shot, you
will get good lift from a chopper, as long as your V6 is healthy. Make sure you have good clean water to the prop, as
that was what was sabotaging me for awhile. Tell us how you
make out!