I was shocked, I’d always considered then lake boats but he “schooled” me. Anyway, when I asked the simple question, if for whatever reason I didn’t want a Velocity what would he consider to be my best option he didn’t hesitate, Checkmate was his immediate response. That doesn’t translate well when people wanted fancy paint jobs and plush interiors. On one occasion we were talking about the recreational market, one he understood was critical to his continued success but one he was challenged by since his core attitude was, “If it didn’t make the boat faster why do it”. We talked a lot about the competition and Steve being the brash competitor rarely had good things to say about most of them. I spent a lot of time with Steve Stepp learning about offshore boats and racing in general. Every weekend over the summer she was pregnant with me they used to be up on “the lake” (Lake Erie) fishing so the unique feeling of being in a 16’ boat on a lake as unpredictable as Erie was imprinted on me before I was even born.įast forward 40 years, in the late ‘90’s I was focussed on offshore performance boats. My mother used to say the reason I’ve always been drawn to the water and boats in general can be traced back to that boat. Bill used that boat to learn and gladly replaced it with a production version that my mom and dad used for years.
The boat was a bit of a disaster as it had some significant structural issues (they were just learning now to build them). This was before he formally launched Checkmate and was running his dealership / marine repair business.
My family comes from that part of Ohio and back in the 50’s my dad purchased one of the first all fiberglass boats Bill built. Put a 450 on it and it should be a low to mid 80s rig that will keep your attention and scare a few passengers. I was ready to buy it from him at the shootout this year and he decided that it wasn't time yet. Its the only toon besides Brad Roland's that carries itself like a cat and holds air. If you are serious about a tri-toon, let me know and I will connect you with Jim Dorris "Play Craft"-his son has a very special 26 with a single 400 running 76 mph with no hop. Sad day for Checkmate, but Hydrostream went away as well.
CHECKMATE BOAT SERIES
I have a 28 Skater and 1939 Chris Craft barrelback parked on my dock and am seriously considering a Tritoon - crazy how things have changed - my girlfriend thinks I’m too young for a tritoon ( sell the Skater ) but I’m not so sure - lolģ5 years ago, a Checkmate or Larson “Wildfire” w / a 115 Merc “Tower of Power” was the ultimate - now I’m eyeing up Bennington Q series Tritoon’s are everywhere as are wake boats. Hydrostreams, Allison’s, and STV’s are long gone, as are Baja’s, Fountains, and Formula’s. You took the words out of my mouth and my thoughts exactly - I’ve boated on the same ~ 12,000 acre chain of lakes ( the “Whitefish Chain” ) for the past twenty years ( I’m 46 ). Really sad to see this happen but in business today, you either change with the market demand or die. If I was forced to have one boat, it would be a tri-toon with the biggest power I could afford. Regardless of where it was purchased, we can service it.I agree, its toons and or center consoles into today's world and I also completely understand it. We will perform warranty work on any Mercury, MerCruiser, Evinrude and Yamaha outboard powered boat. I hope you will consider us when you are looking for a new or used boat or if you need parts or service on your current boat. We are one of 5 dealers within a 100 mile radius that has achieved this honor. This means our customer satisfaction index (CSI) is above 90% positive. We are a Premier dealer for Mercury and have been honored with a listing on their website. We have a factory certified master technician award for: Mercury outboards, Mercruiser sterndrives and Evinrude outboards. Our technicians attend factory training school every year for all major brands that we sell. This means we have all of the special tools needed to repair your engines. In order to become a service only dealership, Evinrude and Mercury hold us to a higher level of service requirements. We started in business in 1994, as a service only dealership. Thank You for visiting our website! Our number one goal at CR's Marine is Customer Service.