Da new rig.....CREEKMATE!!!

[B.Mac]

CREEKMATE!!! :eek: '85 Starflight 21' w/ stepped hull, 10" jack, '89 2.4 MERC w/ documented rebuild in '2000. G- force tuner, cc'd heads, new interior, 32 gal tank, twin batts, stereo, dual swim decks.......can you spell F-A-M-I-L-Y?
no LWP yet though........Shes runnin 67 mph w a 25p Laser II running deep. Gotta get the LU shipped out to Bobs for a LWP jack her way up & slap my 28P Big ear chopper on her!!! Heres a peek..........
B.MAC

[B.Mac]

No mo beatings in da bay:D

[B.Mac]

Tubing!!!

[B.Mac]

da wifeys happy.........:D

[B.Mac]

Move ova OMC

[B.Mac]

Here she is.....she floats but.............will she fly???

B.MAC:D

[LaveyT]

Hi BMac! Nosecones can really suck on a boat that needs bowlift and goes under 80 mph.If you can try someones lower and see if ya like it I would.I lose three to six mph and a ton of accelleration with a cone!Modified waterpickups may be the way to go if you are running an inch or two under the pad.
Good luck,Dave
Almost forgot,I have a best of 85.3 on a stock lower unit!
Modified pickups and tork tab.
And thats with a Johnnyrude,just think how fast a Merc would be........NOT!:eek:

[dan agnew]

b-mac, listen to laveyt. he speaks the truth bro. we had a customer with your boat and power and he had to have a bobs, just knew it would speed him up. we said no way it will slow u down. but the customer is ALWAYS correct. long to short he lost speed!! we became the a-holes cuz we slowed him down.
get someone to take a pic of you doing a close fly by in the wfo mode. all the trim u use and all. look close at pic if you are ANY positive trim with engine when you cone it you will slow down!!! the cone adds length to lower unit and if you use pos trim you will submarine the lower as it tries to drive under. you need to be able to run level with water to use all ur cone.
just my thoughts

Danny

[Tom D.]

Nice boat! I mean nice "Family Man" boat:D Only kidding! Timeless lines, room for fam and move pretty good. Drop the wife and kids at the dock and still fulfill your need for speed. Just a great all around boat period.:cool:

[ncst8er]

Good luck with the new rig. Let us know how it works out. I've enjoyed mine so far.

[B.Mac]

We all know there ain't a 85 MPH OMC out there unless it's on a Ghenoe :D (except for Bruces' & if ya listen ta him tell it, she does triple digits) That does make sense about a non-surfacing LU with a cone slowing ya down......
Maybe I'm dreamin but I had hopes of surfacing this thing???
Shes got an electro-mechanical Jack plate that'll jack her way up does it do any good to surface a LU & prop if your hull is not all the way up & out? Hey Lavey you were pushing a 21' Cmate @ that speed? What was yer set up? Will this thing not come up & out?
I bought this boat 'cause I got spanked by one in my Vector in the rough. I out accelerated the Checkmate in the ripples but when we came out of the coves @ 75+ and into the roughs (1'-2') he blew by me with three passengers all sippin' beer & soda pointing at me getting the snot beat outta me tryin ta keep the shiny side up:eek: He had a canned prop & stock LU too!!
Help!! I can not own a sub 75 boat or BL will have a field day with me:mad:
B.MAC

[LaveyT]

Unless ya got a ton of money ya just cant have it all! i owned a 1987 Valero YT bowrider.If you are willing to power above the GC plate you can make it pass 100.I had a freind who got sued so I took heed and stayed with the 175.I learned alot about bowheavy boats.It was great having all the room and such,but a YT without the bowrider was a good 5-8 mph faster with 175 power.I had three different jackplates ran every prop I could get ahold of, duct tape card board over the Bowrider (1-2 MPH)ect ect.
The Lavey: I am good to go high eightys with the setup I have without blow out.When I get to 88 mph or so Im gonna have to be happy(rite) or add a nosecone and a bunch of H.P. I guessing if I add a cone it will take 20 hp just to get back to my old speeds. Another thing I have noticed.When you speak of surfacing the prop,Im running about 1.5 inches below the pad when the bullet is parralell with the pad.When I trim my gage to the angle I run top speed at the front of the bullet is even with the pad.The prop is at least two inches above the pad.Moral of story,If you are running positive trim you are probably surfacing the prop.I am running a SRX DAH 29" with a bunch of cup.This wheel is only 14.25" diameter but it somehow carries the rig even with a passenger up front.I also have a 28" allison cut Hackney that is a .3 slower.I have run both of these props higher and the loss of my leaverage negates the lowerunit drag.
I have never owned a Mate but I have had two Baja's.
Just try a freinds coned lower before ya do it to yours ,ya never know.I didnt even want to try the SRX because the stock ones suck on heavy boats.I tried on with my Merc/bobs combo.It would not carry the boat.It just lurched/hopped at 80mph.Now ya couldnt pry the SRX away from me(DAH/Extra cup).Keep an open mind,try it all.See Ya Dave

[woodco]

Nice Barge !!!! Ooppps I meant boat !!!!! Hehehehehe .....

That is a great all round boat ... I used to be in love with the early
80's 21 footers wit da 235 OMC's ;) Only down turn to those
hulls is the weight ... It takes alot of nut to get them to move and
the nosecone idea will not help that hull at all ... Unless !!!

You have a big V - 8 on da back !!!! :D

Good luck with the new ride :cool:

[pyro]

See if you can get your hands on a 25" or 26" Trophy plus. I am using one now instead of my 28" chopper, because it's a lot better all-around prop. It seems to work best slightly buried (inch or two under the pad) and gives me lots of good bowlift. You could benefit from one, I think, especially if you make the smart choice and leave the lower unit stock! It will push that rig into the 70's with ease, and will pull a skier, too.

[LaveyT]

Check out what Laker did to his lower!This is basicly what I did to mine.You can also plug the top waterpickup hole on each side of the lower leaving the bottom six (three on a side on OMC) open.this will help with your waterpressure and probably get you within a half inch of where you need to be.If you plug the top two on each side and open the bottom ones up you will be able to go as high as you need to on that rig.See ya Im going to the Lake!:cool:

[Ryan Beckley]

B-Mac hey Ive got a Trophy 26 if you wanna try it. It's for sale too.

[83Enchanter]

Your Boat looks great, I have always loved the looks of Checkmates and their combonation of speed, ruggedness, and family carrying ability, which led me to my Enchanter.

After a few years with this on the lake, I am sure I will get the bug again, and will probably looking at a larger one, that is more capable in the ocean, maybe a Convincer.

Later,

Mike P

[dragonwolfe]

Hope you have great luck with her. I have always loved the look of a Checkmate as well. Just picked up a 110 hp Merc for the back of my MX-14. Should fly pretty good with an inline 6 on the back. Rock on!:D

[B.Leonard]

Good all purpose boats. Is this the one in Missouri? How are you arranging pickup?

I'll tell you what... just to make for good even competition, I won't put you up against the Sterling :D I'll take that 'Mate on with the Lund! Now that's a good match up :D .

Dan --

Good points on the lower unit physics. I've never heard anyone actually explain why that happens. It sounds right.

Dave --

Sounds like the Lavey is getting tuned more and more everyday :) Sounds like I better get on with the tuning myself :D :D

-BL

[B.Mac]

I want a Lobster if I win:D Checkmates in Minnesota goin up in two weeks to tow her to a nice salty pond in Sarasota....
Then I'll be dialin' her in and I aint after da Lobster :D

B.MAC:D

[175checkmate]

Nice boat, I want one.

[B.Leonard]

Otherwise, you'll need a V8 or similar. How bout this idea... :D

Good deal http://adcache.boattraderonline.com/6/1/6/26055416.htm

$2000 for both

-BL

[popeyebob]

Sorry to keep beating this dead hores, but carve the water soaked foam out from under the bow,and loose 200# of dead weight in the bow. Run a trophy 4 blade with 12 to 14" setback. Nosecone slowed me down. Chopper didnt work. D.A.H. will build you a trophy that will work. You will not go 75 mph with a stock 2.4L 200 hp. Believe me, I have tried.No pad and heavy. Great fun boat, though.I love mine, and it is still fun @ 68 HONEST m.p.h.

[us1]

Cool

[Laker]

Great Rig
Gonna need some serious beans to break 80 tho...
From the waters you discribe a check mate will be a good overall hull more on the side of luxury than speed. They are solid and strong but heavy... for any real top end speed.
Danny
I love your thoughts on LWPs and agree ;) A heavy hull seems to have the submarine issues while a lighter one may still loose speed but is due to engine height or crappy prop. (dont run a coned unit deep...... Serious drag)

[B.Mac]

What mod have you done with your LU to keep the pressure up when jacking it high? This rig has an electro mechanical Jack that will lift the motor to ZERO pressure @ WOT if you don't watch the gauge. Is there anything I can do to a stock MERC LU to get an extra inch up or is this even desirable? I know some OMC guys that plug the top two pickups w/ epoxy then drill & add another set of pick ups below the stock ones?

If I'm reading the specs right on this rig the hull weighs in at 1300#.......a Vegas is around 900# & will fly. I understand 400# is alot of difference & the Mod V must sure give the 'Stream added lift. Has anybody ever added a pad to one of these hulls? I seriously doubt I would attempt this as I loath glasswork...but you never know if somebody else has paved the way?

Can anybody tell me the weakpoints of the Starflight? i.e. transom, cores/ saturation etc.?

This SRX DAH.....you got a Pic of one? This is a canned prop I presume? Is there that much difference between a Laser II & a Trophy plus or say a Raker? Right now shes running a 25 Laser II in high 60's. I don't know much about non-surfacing props....I'm not interested at all in versatility I want top end!!!
That tourque shift thing looks like a good sales gimmick but I doubt it does alot for top end....??? Any input?

Older & Slower........but still tryin'

B.MAC:D

[Laker]

B Mac
Check this out
http://forums.screamandfly.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=11325&highlight=Water+Intake

I saw it done years ago on a Merc gearcase at a ModVP race... Others were doing it this way too.
I picked up 2 inches more height ease so far this year over a stock case.

[pyro]

I've heard stories of the flotation pocket under the bow of those getting soaked. A guy in an old post said he drilled into the pocket and water ran out the bottom. he removed his "tip 'o' the bow" flotation entirely from what I remember. Might not hurt to check it out...

[popeyebob]

That was me. I drilled a 3/4" hole through the front bulkhead bottom,
(1/4" ply) and water ran out like it was on a hose. I ripped out the bulkhead, and used a saw to cut it all out (the foam).Took out over 200# of weight in the bow.Glued the bulkhead back in with silicone. I also added a brace, glassed in, from the bottom to the top deck ridge support to stiffen the front deck. It took all of about two hours. A bit claustophobic up under there, but well worth it. I couldnt even drag the bow onto the beach befor.Now I use the prop lift for better things than hauling water.