modification

[belize]

is there anyone out there that have reconstructed a 91 supra sun sport to a outboard motor if so please give me some insight

[wotan2525]

No, but there's an early 90s malibu response/echelon near me that has a 50hp mariner on it. What a head scratcher!

[belize]

what seems to be the issue with it and was it installed with a bracket or the stern was cut

[chrisk]

Why do you want to do this?

[belize]

im running salt water and i go fishing most of the time i have this boat down in belize and fuel prices is really high i think i will do better with a four stroke engine
i love the stile of this boat

[sybrmike]

An inboard ski boat converted to a saltwater fishing boat??? Guess you could mount outriggers to to a wake tower to make it truly dual purpose, though a Sunsport would be a wet ride in the ocean.

Seriously, the transom would need some major stiffening to handle the weight and thrust of an outboard. I know a guy down in Orange Walk that owns a lumber mill if you need some mahogany...

[wotan2525]

what seems to be the issue with it and was it installed with a bracket or the stern was cut

His seems to just have a 2x8 of green treat through-bolted to the transom and the engine mounted to that. I don't know if it's the most elegant solution, but it sounds like you're just looking for a way to utilize this hull in your country and I think it would work. The controls would be easy to route and you could probably even use the existing fuel tank.

[chrisk]

^^^ a 37 gallon tank on an outboard would be awesome

[belize]

His seems to just have a 2x8 of green treat through-bolted to the transom and the engine mounted to that. I don't know if it's the most elegant solution, but it sounds like you're just looking for a way to utilize this hull in your country and I think it would work. The controls would be easy to route and you could probably even use the existing fuel tank.

what would be your suggestion to a project like this one and does your neighbor complain of how the boat handles

[csuggs]

Redo the engine plumbing so that it is a closed-loop system then you don't have to worry about salt water. You can get a salt water conversion kit from PCM. But "change it to an outboard"????? Please - if you do I for one don't want to see pictures!

[Jetlink]

Redo the engine plumbing so that it is a closed-loop system then you don't have to worry about salt water. You can get a salt water conversion kit from PCM. But "change it to an outboard"????? Please - if you do I for one don't want to see pictures!

I'm waiting for Haugy to see this thread and respond... For how much work and materials it would take to get this done, I have to think you would be better off looking for a boat that is better suited for your needs.

[Gregmacdog]

lots of structural changes to make to the transom and stringers

[wotan2525]

what would be your suggestion to a project like this one and does your neighbor complain of how the boat handles

I've never talked to the guy. I can't imagine that the boat handles very well. I haven't been able to tell if he's removed the prop and/or rudder but I would think you'd want to remove these to at least give the boat a CHANCE of handling.

I don't know what all the hate in this thread is about. The guy has the boat and he wants to make it into something that better suits him. If you've ever been to south america you'll understand this.... They make due with what they have. It doesn't sound like an inboard is practical for him to use for fishing so why not try to turn it into something that does work?

It's not your boat -- so why would you care??

[csuggs]

Sorry if I ruffled any feathers with my remarks.

[bdumas35]

How about a longtail?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAmbYjg0_lw&feature=related

[haugy]

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_gWQaU40PH24/TMp9fG0FM3I/AAAAAAAAJn4/0J_rgUM2dGY/s400/181148-triple_facepalm_super.jpg


No, I'm not going to help you. I'm not going to help you sink a perfectly good Supra. And yes, I said SINK. Do you know why? Because when you bolt that motor on to the transom it will buckle once you gas it. And if by some modern miracle you brace the living hell out of it, and add to the transom, it will still sink once you put it offshore in chop. It might survive a lake, but not fishing in the sea or ocean. It's not designed for that kind of structural load.

The Malibu/Echelon posted earlier may have actually been one of their bastard hulls. Mastercraft had them too. They were hulls configured for an inboard but then converted to allow the option of an inboard or outboard. Back in the early 80's everyone thought the best skiboats would be outboards. So many competitions designed them that way. And even if it wasn't an outboard ready boat, with a 50hp that's probably more like 35 in true power, I bet it's not really getting worked, and it's only a matter of time before it goes bye-bye.

Your Supra is not designed for this. Not only are you going to make a perfectly good boat look like a trainwreck, it will most likely end up sinking, or getting someone hurt, or worse just ruining a perfectly good boat. I love helping people fix, repair, modify their boats for their intended uses. I'm not going to help someone who wants to turn his ski-boat into an off-shore fishing boat, because he likes how it looks.