Checkmate Pulsare 2100 Refresh: A New Yamaha V6, New Rigging and a New Lease on Life
When it comes to Checkmate boats, the Pulsare 2100 has been one of the most popular over the years because it is certainly one of the best boats they have ever made. I don’t say that lightly, it is quite fast when setup right, has a great design that still looks sharp, and it was very well priced. You could say it’s the best value small performance boat out there. Sure, some are faster, some are better in rough water, but overall the Pulsare 21 is a well rounded family performance boat. Now that early models are getting on in age, the hull was first produced in 1994 I believe, you are seeing older ones getting refreshed. Here is a beautiful example of a well kept 1994 Pulsare, in classic white with red and black, in need of a repower and some updates.
Riversports Recreation in Ontario Canada has been turning out some amazing classic boat restorations lately, as you can find on their Instagram channel. This Checkmate got their repower and refresh treatment with all new gauges, a Garmin screen to replace the cassette deck, and all new rigging for the big Yamaha 4.2 V6, tuned by Nizpro to 332 HP courtesy of MCR Performance in Ontario.
Almost any boat this age is going to need some attention, so the guys at RSR gave it a complete detail and some gelcoat repairs to go along with the project. It’s amazing how nice it came out, the boat was in decent shape coming in but now is a complete show stopper. They filled some rigging holes at the back of the boat and dash, made some repairs, wet sanded and polished everything. Plus, all new wiring, a new 7” Garmin screen, Livorsi switch panel and steering wheel, along with a new 6” SeaStar jack plate. The floor was also replaced and a new carpet freshened up the interior.
With a beam of 7’9”, and weighing in around 1,400 lbs, the Pulsare was pretty light and the straight 19 degree pad bottom made it a great performer overall. Back in the 1990s, with modest power and the older light 2 strokes the Pulsare handled incredibly well, with very easy to drive manners and incredible turning. With the new heavier big power outboards, some setup is required, but the hull is big enough to handle quite a bit. Some Pulsare’s running 300XS’ were in the 95 to 98 MPH range. A well setup Yamaha SHO with the Nizpro 332 HP tune should be close to that. I think some gearcase work would be needed. The beauty of these Yamaha’s is you have some great aftermarket parts available, from a fat shaft, to solid mounts. It’s not a surprise how popular the Yamahas are becoming in the small performance boat market.
Checkmate built these boats fully cored with Balsa, and wood transom and stringers, when done right this makes a strong light boat. This 2100 is a classic in everyway, I love the color scheme. Checkmate always did nice gelcoat work, with usually pretty tasteful stripes. Checkmate still makes this hull, available today, and it’s mostly just like the original with a few upgrades. All the new Checkmates are full composite as well.
Riversports brought this fabled Checkmate Pulsare back from a 1994 state to 2024 with all the upgrades; and I’m sure the owner, Michael, will have fun with this for a long time. Watch for Michael running this in Muskoka Ontario, should be a rocket. Thanks for Michael and River Sports and Recreation for sharing the story. We will get an update soon when more testing is done.
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