Hello all,
Consideration of this question has illustrated to me that there are tradeoffs to every setup, but here goes my apparent dilemma: I have a 1976 Mercury 1500 that I have painted and added new decals. The motor looks tremendous and is a rebuild with low hours. Initially, I had planned to mount the Mercury on an 18 ft. 1972 Cobia Sportster. The Cobia is deep V hull and very solid. I painted the floor with non-skid paint so no carpet is a plus. It has a 33 gallon built in fuel tank. It has gobs of room for fishing gear, people, skis, coolers, and just about anything else. It has been painted and looks very respectable for a boat that age. My intention all along was to mount the 1500 on it and go enjoy the lake. If I could wind up hitting 35 MPH, that would be fine with me. In a word: versatile
Now enter the 1978 Checkmate trimate 17 footer. I got it off of ebay for a relative steal when the fever struck me in the middle of the engine painting project. It is sort of a burnt orange color with metal flake. It only has a 12 gallon built in tank. I bought it with a blown 78 Johnson 115 on the back that pushed it about 45 MPH. The Mercury properly propped and mounted at the optimum height/trim angle should hit at least 50 MPH I would think. Fast, sleek, and cool are words that come to mind. And couple that with a Tower of Power and you have a truly rock star combo! But, the boat is smaller, has carpet, would be a rougher ride in the chop, and there is really little room to get up and spread out. It's a go fast boat that undoubtedly will look cool doing it, but I also realize that the Cobia is much more versatile. The Mercurys of that vintage go best with the faster, lighter hulls. In choosing which one to mount the Mercury on, it comes down to tradeoffs I know. I'm just looking for opinions or thoughts that might sway me. In short, the Checkmate is the sexy choice, but might it be less the settling down choice, LOL?
Thanks for thoughts, ideas, comments, or opinions!
Consideration of this question has illustrated to me that there are tradeoffs to every setup, but here goes my apparent dilemma: I have a 1976 Mercury 1500 that I have painted and added new decals. The motor looks tremendous and is a rebuild with low hours. Initially, I had planned to mount the Mercury on an 18 ft. 1972 Cobia Sportster. The Cobia is deep V hull and very solid. I painted the floor with non-skid paint so no carpet is a plus. It has a 33 gallon built in fuel tank. It has gobs of room for fishing gear, people, skis, coolers, and just about anything else. It has been painted and looks very respectable for a boat that age. My intention all along was to mount the 1500 on it and go enjoy the lake. If I could wind up hitting 35 MPH, that would be fine with me. In a word: versatile
Now enter the 1978 Checkmate trimate 17 footer. I got it off of ebay for a relative steal when the fever struck me in the middle of the engine painting project. It is sort of a burnt orange color with metal flake. It only has a 12 gallon built in tank. I bought it with a blown 78 Johnson 115 on the back that pushed it about 45 MPH. The Mercury properly propped and mounted at the optimum height/trim angle should hit at least 50 MPH I would think. Fast, sleek, and cool are words that come to mind. And couple that with a Tower of Power and you have a truly rock star combo! But, the boat is smaller, has carpet, would be a rougher ride in the chop, and there is really little room to get up and spread out. It's a go fast boat that undoubtedly will look cool doing it, but I also realize that the Cobia is much more versatile. The Mercurys of that vintage go best with the faster, lighter hulls. In choosing which one to mount the Mercury on, it comes down to tradeoffs I know. I'm just looking for opinions or thoughts that might sway me. In short, the Checkmate is the sexy choice, but might it be less the settling down choice, LOL?
Thanks for thoughts, ideas, comments, or opinions!
