skaterjim

in 1996 i bought a brand new 21 ft outboard checkmate it lasted 6 months till the transom broke! just about threw me out of the boat!!! they fixed it at the factory in Ohio. when i got it back i went out for my first ride since they repaired it and it happened again !! almost thrown out bruised or broke a few ribs (didn't go to doctor) when nearly thrown out!! just wanted to get the word out so this does not happen to others! not a well made boat and they obviously did a cosmetic repair. glad my wife and kids were at home.don't buy checkmate !!! My opinion!!

boatn70

wow, never heard anything like that before......

thanks for the heads up, did you buy brand new in 1996?

skaterjim

BRAND NEW from local dealer !!! in 1996

boatn70

Wow!! what motor were you runnin? I have never heard anything like that!! I can understand your feelings about checkmate based on your experience here, but I dont think that it honestly speaks for their boat quality. dont get me wrong, from the sounds of it you had a terrible problem, did it ever get resolved properly? howd you get rid of the boat? got any photos anymore?

baronmarine

i don't think i would use the words don't buy a checkmate. sorry about the problems you had and thank goodness you didn't get hurt any worst. a friend of mine had a 33' with twin 540's which delamiated on the side and sank. checkmate build him a new boat no charge. i have a 28' with a 500hp and i run it pretty hard at times it holds up very well. i'm not saying checkmate is the best boat by no means but you get a lot of boat for the money. a lot of friends of mine have them and love em.

skaterjim

mine delaminated on the transom and they said they fixed it and i trusted they did but they did not !!!!!! thats not a company that I would feel good about recomending!! they sent me back a boat with a bad transom that could have really hurt me and my family!! I was running a stock 225 merc outboard that i bought from the local dealer as a package deal brand new ! I will say again DONT BUY A CHECKMATE ! that motor was almost hanging off the boat by the cables. I always thought checkmate was a good boat when i was young seen them all the time on long island thats why i bought it . NEVER BUY ONE!!!! they did not stand behind a new boat!

dmann

Nobody is perfect. I am sure that there is someone out there for every manufacturer that has had a bad experience. I have owned several of Checkmates and ran them on Ohio River and Lake Erie and never had a problem with the hull. I don't think any water is rougher than Erie. I have seen nothing but top quality from Checkmate. I would not own anything but a Checkmate in a V bottom.

zt260

I'm running a 26" ZT260 with 1300HP at well over 100mph. I've never heard anyone have such problems with a checkmate. I'd buy a checkmate over almost all of the other so called performance hulls out there. Sorry to here you had trouble. You’re in the minority for sure.

fordsofflease

I had a 96 convincer 26' with twin 200 mercs I never broke the boat but I heard every one they built between 94 and 98 broke

JUPITER PULSARE

Hull Failures Exist With Almost Every Boat Manufacturer. Some Of These Failures Are Caused By Owner Ignorance, Some By Extreme Circumstances, And Some By Poor Quality Building. Checkmate Has Been Building Boats For 40 Years By The Sames Owners. Their Commitment To Quality And Their Customer Service Is Top Shelf. Your Hull Failure Puts You In A Very Small Minority Of Checkmate Owners. I'm Sorry To Hear About Your Personal Experience But In Defense Of Checkmate There Are Many, Many, Satisfied And Loyal Customers That Are Fanatics About Their Checkmates. They Deliver A Good Product That Performs Well. There Are Also Numerous Old Checkmates That Are Still On The Water Today Which Only Confirms Their Quality Build And Longevity.