1989 SUPRA COMP TS6M- Newbie Questions

[darkstar144]

Hi,
I have never owned a boat before. My neighbor has his 1989 SUPRA COMP TS6M up for sale, only has 250hrs on it. He is the original owner. Has always been on a lift or stored indoors. I took my buddy over to look at the boat. It is brand new looking. I took my buddy over to get his opinion on the flooring. He had told me about the floor/stringer issues these boats have. The floor does not seem spongy at all. The bolts mounting the engine appear to be solid. The owner did tell us that he had replaced the pan near the drivers seat. I cant remember why he said he did that. The one thing that we could find was the driver seat is not tight. A little wobbly.

Is the seat mounted to the stringers?
Is there anything else I should be looking for?

My other concern is that I do no have a boat hoist and the boat would be sitting in the water for the next couple months. Plan on getting a hoist next year. What this be a problem for this boat??

The owner of the boat would probably sell it to me for under $6000. I'm thinking even if the entire floor and stringers had to be done sometime down the road, it might be worth it???

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!!

Thanks

[chrisk]

1989 with 250 hours is a pretty attractive number.

Good that you checked the engine mount bolts, that is where you would likely see stringer cracking and rot. The driver seat being loose is likely related to the seat mount itself, not the floor or stringers. I'm guessing the pan was replaced because the floor around it rotted or the plastic itself cracked... but I'm leaning towards the floor around the pan.

Leaving it in the water that long is not ideal but can be done. You will have to make sure the automatic bilge function is working and reliable... maybe even consider putting in a brand new pump just for safety's sake.

I think, without looking at pictures, and assuming it's bone stock, I would start my negotiating at $4000 and meet in the middle somewhere.

[firstdogriver]

$6,000 sounds like a good price to me if it is in "LIKE NEW CONDITION". I wouldn't leave it in the water or tied to the dock for that lenght of time . If your not going to use it for any length of time I would recommend putting it back on the trailer until you get a lift. In addition you'll want to keep a cover on it to prvent rain and sun from from doing what they do best. A cover with vents in it is the best way to go. I have a 1989 Conbro and it is in solid conditioin because I practice good preventative maintenance.

As always pictures of the boat is always a good thing on this site.

Good Luck.

[Jetlink]

I will echo the previous replies about leaving it in the water. My comp is always on the trailer unless I am using it except for a weekend in July and a week in August when it is on a morring buoy and the only reason for this is that the launch is a pain to deal with at both locations on a daily basis. Trust me when I say, taking it out and leaving it on the trailer when not using it goes a long way in preventive maintenance as you are limiting your exposure to the elements and also minimizing exposure to a swamped boat due to a failed bilge pump and or battery.

[SquamInboards]

As long as you adjust the stuffing box correctly to minimize the drip coming into the boat, you can leave the boat in as long as you want. A second battery with a switch is the easiest solution for inboards that are left in all the time. My boat stays in the lake from March through October or November, I have two pumps, two batteries, and no issues.

That being said, I do have to clean the boat below the waterline thoroughly each fall because of the scum that forms over the course of the year.

I guess the only thing you didn't mention was a water test, have you been for a ride in it? When was it last run? If it's been stored a long time and not run much, it could need carb work, or at least a tune-up. Is the steering nice and easy at all speeds?

It sounds like a really nice boat, but boats that have been sitting unused can have issues, too, just trying to cover the bases.

[darkstar144]

The boat did run great. Test drive was fine. I passed on this boat. He had another buyer interested, so I told him to go ahead and sell it to him. We live on a canal, so I don't want to trailer my boat after every use. I think I'm gonna look around and try to get a used boat hoist. I'm looking for a boat in the $7000 to $10000 range. Been looking at malibu responses in the 1995-1999 years. I really want a 1993- Supra TS6M, but I don't see many of those up for sale.

[calliemay]

Supra TS6M is an awesome boat. My uncle used to have one when I was younger. Im in the same boat as you darkstar (pun intended). I cannot find any of those boats for sale around me (Boston area).