1979 Checkmate Predictor Project

[Check_Jo3]

Hi I'm Joe. Wanted a boat and my old man was not ready to give up his 21 Checkmate Startflite so I hunted around and found a Predictor to redo.

I was already going to be near the boat for work so the timing couldn't have been better. Went to get the boat and after two hours in the rain of pulling the boat out of a dirt boat yard with a forklift with no brakes, getting new tires on the trailer and getting the trailer lights to work at the place next door.. I was on the road and had six hours to hold my breath hoping the trailer would be ok. Made it back in one piece and now the long road of restoration lies ahead.
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The plan is to get the engine off, get it off the trailer, flip it and make a cradle for it, Strip it down to the bare hull and rebuild. The cap is likely going to come off and the stringers and transom are going to be remade in coosa. Pretty much a newbie with fiberglass so slow and steady is the plan. She's pretty rough but its been sitting outside for 7-8 years the guy I bought it off said. He brought it down to lake Norman, NC from Buffalo, NY and never put it in the water. The trailer has a sticker from 1999 on it so it could have been sitting for even longer than that

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I'll probably have to ask a million questions but hopefully I can provide some good content with this thing in exchange. Thanks Scream and Fly!

[cameronj]

Good luck with the build. IMO the rougher and wetter the better for stripping all the old core etc out. I had a Vmate 2 and loved it, it was a very fun well built boat which never gave me an issue.

[Check_Jo3]

Thank you. Got it pulled into the garage now and starting to clean it out before the cutting starts! It is still funny to me that I can roll this thing around by hand.

Getting ahead of myself but I modeled some new name plates that go on the sides under the windscreen :D
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[Check_Jo3]

Slowly making progress getting this thing un-rigged (Day job and a 3mo baby). The trip home in the rain really got this thing wet and then froze. With the temps in MD being in the 20sit been difficult getting it to thaw out even in the garage! The last few days have been a bit warmer which has helped. Was working on getting the steering out yesterday but with how the cable comes out the rigging hole the engine will need to be lifted off before I can get it out of the engine clamp. Should be picking up an engine hoist today I found on FB marketplace (what a godsend). Still toying around with ways to get the hull flipped over after I get the tank, gauges carpet, steering, engine etc. off. I was considering a method I saw on here I think.. taking full sheets of plywood and making a big circle, bolting that to the back of the transom with the engine holes, Put a strap on the bow eye with the hoist and rolling it over.

[Check_Jo3]

Got the tank out last week. Looks like the original tank? Says it is 16 gallons which seems like a pretty nice sized tank for this boat. Don't think I'll be able to use it cause I want to but knees on the transom and this was almost butted right up to the transom. If I move it forward then it will be in the way of the back seat (will have to make one). Seems like I'll need a shorter but longer tank when the time comes.
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Cleaned the inside out a bit as it was full of dirt and leaves. It was very wet and was clogging up the ol shop vac so I stopped and let it dry out more. I started to try and back out the screws for the ski pole mount in the middle of the floor with the drill.. but realised it was so soft i just pulled it out by hand. Looks like it was held in with drywall anchors?? Second pic is what I think was some kind of nest down in the bilge area and the nest that was under the cowling of the engine.. no wonder it was taking forever to drain out.
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501395Made in China...

501397Got this 2-Ton engine hoist for $175 on FB marketplace.. only to see one for $100 the next day . Oh well, a new one would be a lot more.

501398Built an engine stand for the 140 Evinrude
501401Jacking around lol

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Engine stand plans came from some generic drawing I found on the internet.. I beefed it up a little bit and made a few pieces bigger.. still a little small but is actually stable surprisingly.. I'll make a bigger one for the Merc 2.5:D. I was going to see if I could rebuild this one but I am not sure if it is worth the effort? Next steps are get the windshield off, take a few more things off/out and figure out how to get it off the trailer and upside down to make a cradle.

[Check_Jo3]

Progress is slow, a house project has taken my time lately.. but I have a line on a real nice complete XR6 150hp.. the price seems a bit high but the guy made a good point in saying well you can get one of these or get a newer one for more $$$.. wondering if i should go with this vs waiting on a 2.5 200... seems that they are harder to come by.. any thoughts? I figure that when its all said and done that low 70s with the 150hp will still be a blast vs 80 with a 200hp

[Pilotryan]

An XR6 makes more than 150 HP so I think you'll be alright. Many guys running light checkmates with XR4/XR6 and are very happy with their performance. It may be an unpopular decision here, but the difference between 70 to 80 is like a C to a D cup. There's still plenty to work with and you're bound to have as much fun both ways.

[Check_Jo3]

Picked up a nice 2.5 200 today. 120-125 on all cylinders. Already has a bobs cone on it with low pickup. However when the seller and me were taking it off we took the steering rod out that he said was part of his seastar kit.. now the clamp is only held together with the center trim ram.. is this part of the seastar kit or did I get fooled

Edit.. yep newb move.. gotta get a tilt tube now

[rgsauger]

I might have a tube for ya. From an older 200

[Check_Jo3]

rgsauger - thanks I have one on the way.. ordered one right before I saw your post

this boat seems to have 1 small stringer down the middle surrounded by foam.. I am thinking that it would be better to have 2 stringers that go to knees on the transom that are on the sides of the pad and ditch the foam. Most likely raise the floor a bit to get some more height on the stringers. I have seen a couple guys on here do up their Hydrostreams like this. Going to hang a merc 2.5 v6.. thoughts? If anyone has pics of different layouts I am curious as to extra bulkheads and what not to stiffen the bottom outside the pad

[Check_Jo3]

Heres the mota. 92 2.5 200. My brothers think I am nuts but I just tell them I wont have the pucker prop on all the time lol. Got it from the original owner.. got pretty lucky too 'cause a bunch of people wanted it but wouldn't make the drive to go get it. Luckily I was only 1.5 hrs away. Its in pretty good shape. Compression is good on all cylinders. It still as the oil injection which will most likely me coming off. The skeg on the lower needs a little work but that about it. Guy said he had a tab welded on? Maybe I can just grind it off. Kinda went backwards getting the engine first but its motivating me to get the hull back in the garage and get the itchy part going.
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[Check_Jo3]

Life getting in the way of the fiberglass portion of this project. I've got the rest of the stuff stripped off the hull. I have a way to lift it so its ready to flip and get a cradle built. I am tinkering with the engine to light a fire under me. Took the oil injection off. and plugged the unneeded ports. Got the lower back on, and have it rigged up to fire on the stand. I did find this vacuum line that comes off the starboard side of the carb and it seems to come off of somewhere but cannot seem to find where it goes maybe someone can help? Also, how difficult is it to repair one of these cowlings? Tthe p/o cracked off the lip at the rear the holds the water seal on. I have been looking around to find another in decent shape that won't break the bank.
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[Check_Jo3]

Got the motor started on the stand. Smokey! (fogging oil). But it did not pee right away so I shut it down.. I did feel some air pressure coming out of the hole but no water came out. Might have to take the lower off and check the impeller. Also, a question this small what seems like a hard rubber tube came out of the lower I think.. was rolling around in my truck bed after I brought it home. I am obviously a total newb at this stuff but my gut is telling me that this connects the output of the water pump to the water intake tube???
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** Think I answered my own question on this one.. gotta put the tube back in between the water pump and the midsection.

[Instigator]

Correct.

The larger opening goes up to make it easier to find it w/the bottom of the cooling tube when mounting the gear case.

[Instigator]

On a big project like that, for me anyhow, to stay motivated is to switch back-and-forth from project project. Helps to keep you fresh.

[Check_Jo3]

Not pretty but I don't have a welder to make a metal plate with a tube. Shout out to tnelson for this setup. I was able to crank the back up off the trailer without much effort. I have a come along for the front with a sling. Should be able to flip it over soon. The pad went back to relatively straight where the roller was pressing up on it. Hopefully, that means everything is soft enough to rip out easily. Just have to get it in the garage now.
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Also gives an idea of how far back the jack plate could be!

[rock]

Nice project. Keep it going. Checkmates are fun boats and a Trimate 3 is what got into this godawful hobby.

Rock

[Check_Jo3]

Got the hull off the trailer and flipped over with surprisingly minimal cussing and frustration. Now it's time to build the cradle. The hull has little support as the 1 center stringer is all mush and falling out. the floor is mostly fallen out in the rear. A ski pole mount was bolted through the floor and held in with drywall anchors that someone put in. The hull is rough. There are stress cracks galore and some seriously sketchy-looking repairs on the back of the pad. Looks like a hole was torn practically clean thru the bottom... yikes. But this hull was cheap.. hopefully, I won't regret that. In the grand scheme of things, this is probably less than 1% of the overall project but this felt like a big win today flipping this solo. Got the pipe in the back in a great spot and the hull almost flipped itself over with minimal pulling. Had to use the come-along, a hoist, the pipe stand, and a floor jack but I got it down on some tires basically drama free. My rigging strap was definitely overkill and barely fit thru the bow eye. Might get a smaller one for next time.:D
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[Instigator]

Nicely done!

Especially by yourself!

[Check_Jo3]

Started measuring a few things to get the cradle going and the pad goes out about 32" before it starts to become a vee. Should the flat area be longer?

[JV1]

Very cool, you’re giving me some ideas, thanks!!

[tnelsmn]

Looks like a great project! a 32" pad sounds about right.

[Check_Jo3]

Got going on the cradle. My wife and I just had our 2nd child last week so that will slow things down a bit.. but I am on paternity leave so maybe not? I squeeze out to the garage when its naptime and try and make any progress I can :D. Picked up (6) pieces of 3/4" ply wood some 2x6 and 2x4 for support. (~$330). Again, thanks to tnelson for the inspiration on this cradle technique. I've got plenty of measuring to do.. 80-couple measurements (every 1/2") from the center of the pad out to the side. I'll mirror that over and then repeat for each of the bulk heads. Originally thought to space them 16" but am thinking about spreading them a bit farther out to get more support. Any progress is good progress right now!

[Check_Jo3]

Bit of a setback today. After a bunch of time measuring the first bulkhead of the cradle did not turn out with the accuracy that I expected. 100% on me as this method has proven to be successful with others before. I mirrored one side onto the other which made things worse but there are just too many gaps. May have to scrap this one and try again. Starting to think that for me a better idea may have been to make a 'tub' of sorts an then use structural foam to make a cradle as it rising would conform to the bottom. One cool thing that turned up is that this hull has a different deadrise between the strakes.

[Instigator]

On your jig, or cradle, build it straight, level, square and true.
Bolt it to the floor of your shop/garage then strap your hull to it.

Keep in mind, your hull probably won’t like it.
Rotted stringers and setting on an out of align trailer for the last 20 yrs??

I did a Hydrostream yrs ago that one side of the hull hoverd 2” above on starboard side even though port side sat flat on the jig.

I through some pixie dust over my shoulder and strapped it down!

Turned out to be an amazing boat when done!

Sorry for lack of follow up/support on your project but you have stumbled on what was once the premier hot rod OB website of the world but has desolved into a cesspool of political crap, same as many other gear head websites.

[Check_Jo3]

Thanks for thr reply! Yea tonight was one of those "better just walk away for the day and try again with a new plan tomorrow". Got one of those contour tools coming that should help with more accurate profiling of the strakes and what not.
I can't speak to how the site used to be.. I've always been kinda tire kicker on here just reading away for years and years. But hopefully we can put some of that other stuff aside and just focus on going fast!

[Instigator]

Don’t reinvent the mouse trap.

Again, to go fast, make it straight and square.
The strakes, edges, angles etc, May no match.

Move on.

Make it strong, safe and bolt on a motor!

[Check_Jo3]

Slow and steady progress. My mess up (I was able to salvage most of the wood for different pieces thankfully) has made me have to rethink how to go about this. What I came up with is to break down the bottom into smaller, more manageable sections. The sections will overlap on the strakes. Then the sections will go together. This has also really given me more of an understanding of what is going on with the running surface. Flat pad.. 20 deg hull section.. then the first stake actually is not flat (I was surprised) its more like 2 degrees.. second hull section is 17 deg.. etc. pretty cool to figure out. Maybe it'll help me design my own boat one day :D. I'll keep plugging along here in between naps from not sleeping at night with the new baby lol.. Also still waiting on my aluminum plate for the pad support.. 10-15 day lead time.. ugh

[skialot2]

Life getting in the way of the fiberglass portion of this project. I've got the rest of the stuff stripped off the hull. I have a way to lift it so its ready to flip and get a cradle built. I am tinkering with the engine to light a fire under me. Took the oil injection off. and plugged the unneeded ports. Got the lower back on, and have it rigged up to fire on the stand. I did find this vacuum line that comes off the starboard side of the carb and it seems to come off of somewhere but cannot seem to find where it goes maybe someone can help? Also, how difficult is it to repair one of these cowlings? Tthe p/o cracked off the lip at the rear the holds the water seal on. I have been looking around to find another in decent shape that won't break the bank.
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Hi that vacuum line is a vent line that is supposed to connect to the vent switch just below the spark plug on the starboard head. It connects to 1 port. The other port stays open.

[Check_Jo3]

Some cradle progress. Hull is not mirrored quite right from the factory one side strake is wider than the other side. I think I will be able to correct it some later on. I try to do a little whenever I get a chance. I have to finish up the pieces for the bottom up towards the bow, then the pieces that will keep the sides from flaring out when the top comes off.

[Instigator]

That looks really good.

[Check_Jo3]

The cradle is 95% complete. I put in about 6 hrs yesterday and boy was it hot (90+).. I just need to put a few more supports to connect up right under the cap. Not bad for a 1 man show. I had a small 'oh chit!' moment as I was standing on the hull lowering the cradle down onto the floor with the rope when my foot slipped. Next is to get the hull in the cradle and gut the inside.

I have seen some recommendations for US composites for getting glass on here.. only thing is that they are in FL and I am in MD.. shipping would kill me unless I pick it up when I am in FL in October. I am also not sure how much 1708 and CSM I will need. I was thinking of just getting full rolls and having some left over for the next project (if there is one). I have been humbled a bit so far. This took much longer than expected but then again I can't work on it every day without getting in trouble :D.

[Check_Jo3]

Got this thing right side up again.. definitely was quite the process. Messed up the cradle a bit so it has a bit of hotrod rake to it. I may fix that with a rolling dolly that goes under the whole thing. The supports that come up the sides have pulled away some just from the weight being off. I can push down on the cap and get the sides to move quite a bit. Seems like I may need to core the sides to fix some of that flex.

[Check_Jo3]

Got the rub rail off.. lots of rivets. I have to assume the top has been off before going by the number of holes in the seam. Also drilled out all the rivets holding the cap and hull together plus a few bolts and screws. The cap is just held on by what looks like some kind of silicone type stuff now. Just need to think up a good way of lifting it off and where to put it. Started gutting what is left of the floor. Plus started to remove the foam. It came up easier than I thought it would.

Also looking for places to get fiberglass. I have seen people get stuff from US composites in FL. I am going to be down there in Oct and could pick it up to save on shipping. I was thinking maybe 30 yds of 50" 1708 and 20 yds of CSM. Going to go with Vinylester for this project. Also I found a place here in MD that sells coosa board for the transom and floor.

[Check_Jo3]

Got some foam out that was below the floor. It was drier than I thought it would be but the bottom was still moist. After some cutting to get a better look, signs are pointing to a wet core. Any second opinions would be great. The seat pedestals did not fair well! I am not sure that my work on this thing will be 100% professional but I have to think that the work done on this thing before I got it was questionable. Since I am digging this far into this boat I was already planning on putting new core in the bottom. The dark areas near the seats have given me some confirmation. I'll cut into soon it to be sure.

[skialot2]

I am not sure that my work on this thing will be 100% professional but I have to think that the work done on this thing before I got it was questionable.

I have redone 3 boats. Judging by the way all three boats were put together by the factory. I am sure anything you do will be much better than factory. The stringers of my Glastron were installed with 3 -18" wide strips of woven roven loosely laid over the top of the stringers. there was 1 foot wide gaps with no fiberglass covering the wood stringer at all. My Checkmate Spectra I just did, the stringers look like they were tabbed on to the floor first. Then the floor and stringers were installed as a unit by just gluing the stringers to the hull and tabbing them to the hull on the inside of the stringers only. There was no fiberglass covering the outside of the wood stringers at all. I cant believe it lasted 34 years and there is not even stress cracks on the transom of the boat. If you are like me, anything you do will be overkill.

[Check_Jo3]

Some more cutting. Sweaty work with a full-face respirator and tyvek suit! Also, the fiberglass eats normal cutting bits on my oscillating saw pretty quickly. Wish I could just get it done in one go but 2 kids under 2 keeps me busy. Still need to figure out where the cap is going to live while it's off. Any tips on popping caps? There are some spots that are still pretty glued on.

[89LASER]

Put a couple of hooks to the ceiling of the garage and hoist it up directly over the boat.

[skialot2]

I used a carbide tip blade on my oscillating saw. It lasted the whole job and still looks new. Your garage looks high enough to do like 89LASER says and hang it from the ceiling. The cap is only a few hundred pounds. You should be able to lift it with a couple of ropes and block and tackles.

[Check_Jo3]

Got the cap off back in January. Have not been able to touch it since. Still have lots of cutting to do. Found out that the sides seem to be 'cored' with thin foam but is not bonded to the hull sides. Easier to see that the core is black in some spots now.