1979 Checkmate Trimate II: April 2013

April 6th, 2013 - Mounting the Mercury 1150

It was time to get the Mercury 1150 back on the Checkmate. First, we had to take the trim/tilt unit off of the Mercury 90 donor motor and move them to the 1150. Then it was time to reunite the motor to the boat.

Looks Great

Cool. I Wish I Had a Good Checkmate Sticker

Mocking up the Seats

Getting Closer!

April 4th, 2013 - The Seat Bases

It has been a while since I posted and I have done a few things in the boat. I have removed all of the electrical system and all cleaned as well as possible. I also finished the floors and foamed under them. Then I rebuilt the front seat bases and glassed them in.

The Bow Floor

Seat Bases Glassed In

The Seat Bases

February 21st, 2013 - Buffing the Deck

With the bottom finished and the trailer restored, we put the boat back on the trailer. It was now time to get to work on the deck. The first step was to wash the deck. As you can see, there was snow on the ground so it was a bit cold but I got it washed. You can see the dull finish on the top. After using Aqua Buff, it came out pretty shiny. Not as good as I had hoped, but much better. I will try to get pictures of that soon.

Deck, Swim Platform

Dull

February 15th, 2013 - Buffing the Bottom

With the boat upside down it was easy to dig in and buff the bottom. It was somewhat scratched but nothing that was going to be structurally dangerous, so I did not fix it. I didn't want to really dig in and remove any gel coat so I just used Aqua Buff and buffed it out until shiny and then waxed it.

Lots of Scratches

Working the Aqua Buff

Getting Closer

SHINY!!

Close Up

January 9th, 2013 - Restoring the Calkins Trailer

After getting the Checkmate off of the trailer, it was time for a tear down and restoration. I only had to buy two rollers and numerous bolts along with paint. I chose a blue Rust O Leum to closer match the boat.

Here is the Trailer, Boat Removed

The Rear Rollers

A Little Surface Rust, Removed With Sanding

Tearing it Down

Rollers and Brackets Removed

One Coat of Blue

A Bit Out of Order but Here is One of the Rollers that Needed Replacing

The Brackets, Fenders and Roller Mounts Awaiting Paint

January 9th, 2013 - Flipping the Trimate

Today we took the Trimate off of the trailer for two reasons. First, it was time to clean and buff the bottom to get it as clean as possible. Second, it was time to restore the Calkins Trailer that came with the boat. We raised the front of the boat with a come-a-long and straps followed by lifting the back with a motorcycle jack. When the boat was in the air, we pulled the trailer out. We then lowered the back of the boat and flipped it over, pivoting it on the strap on the bow. When the boat was upside down, it was easy to go to town on it with Aqua Buff. That stuff really works great.