2 Questions

[chris young]

Ok Maybe three.

So as most know I'm a new Rider owner ('84) and I've got a couple of new questions. It's killing me that I have to leave this boat alone until spring.

Firstly, beaching these boats. I've seen several photos of these boats beached, (well tied up at the shore at least) and was wondering just how fragile the skegs, prop, rudder are and what the implications of beaching are.

Second, the swim platform moves a bit on the starboard corner. It's the transom, not the platform. Have you guys who've done cap off work had to do work on this area during your restos? And how easy is it to get to the bolts and maybe just reinforce that area. I want to run this boat for at least a season, maybe two before I go all crazy putting time an money into it in case it's really not worth the effort. I would like a solid platform though, as the primary function of this boat is to ski behind.

Lastly, how easy should the wheel turn when the boat is out of the water.

[crystal waters]

I have never beached my supras in 21 years of ownership. With a bit of due diligence one can determine depths close to shore and anchor off shore accordingly. I am not one to risk scrapping any part of my hull never mind the running gear underneat!

As for your swim platform are you saying you can move the platform up and down slightly as it sits in the bracket mounted to the transom or are you saying the actual bracket it sits in is also moving up and down? Big difference in terms of a fix for this.

[suprasam]

I also do not beach my boat(sunsport), with an inboard to many issues can arise. I go close to shore then anchor the front and back and wade into shore....and my kids can touch/swim as well. I did on rare times beach my I/O boat, but I walked it in...and could raise my outdrive out of the water basically. Like Crystal asked, are your bolts lose, or is the platform, brackets all pressing into your transom as if your transom wood is soft? If it's soft and moving that much......I wouldn't take it out prior to getting it fixed. People standing on the platform can crush it while your in the lake. Your steering wheel should turn fairly easy in and out of the water. If it's not......you might want to look into getting a new cable, or checking your rudder to see if thats the issue prior to ordering a new cable.....all in all it should turn easy with no stress.

[chris young]

It's a soft transom in some way or another. Bolts could be loose, I never though to see how easy they turned, but they didn't appear loose. If they're backed with nuts on the inside, I suppose it could be possible that the nuts have just loosened off, but I seem to remember seeing the transom moving (bulging) when I put weight on it. Port side corner and two centre brackets all seem solid, but that corner moves. I took delivery of the boat very late in the season, and I'm not sure how easy it is to get to those bolts.

So when you say turn easy, like it'll keep moving if you give it a spin, or like baby finger easy or 2 finger? I have only experience with outdrives and outboards and it kind of feels like that.

[Salty87]

i've beached mine. the contour of the lake bed makes all the difference. if there's a nice steep dropoff a few feet from sure and the bottom is nice and sandy i'll do it. my home lake is a damned up river and some spots are perfect. other lakes are too rocky to do so.

about the platform, some are easy to get to and others are not. on my saltare, the bottom bolts are below the floor. on some sunsports the floor does not go all the way back to the transom so they have easy access. ngvbada might be able to help you with this one since he has a rider. if you pull your storage locker (if you have one) you should be able to shine a flashlight and see if you have access or not. you'll have to pull the gas tank eventually.

fixing generally involves drilling the holes bigger and filling with fiberglass. then drilling new holes and installing backing plates inside the transom to spread the load over a wider area. if i remember correctly, the factory didn't use bolts so the screws will just spin instead of tightening. reinstall with locknuts. it sounds painful but the reality is if you need to cut holes in the floor the gas tank will hide the work. it's not cosmetic. it's a good chance to get some fiberglassing practice. that's a good skill to have with an old fiberglass boat.

the steering wheel should turn with 1 finger while on the water and at speed. on land should be just as easy. there might be some grease zerks back there. you might need a new cable. or, your rudder could be slightly bent. several possibilities.

[wotan2525]

I beach my boat but I'm a bit reckless. I'm on a river with a very sandy bottom and when I pull in forwards, I'm confident that none of the expensive bits are going to hit.

Most of the time, however, I'll "back in." I get it close enough to jump off the swim deck and then stake the back and anchor the front. Makes it easy to get from the boat to the beach party and back. ;) Also helps keep the sand out of the boat.

A stiff/sticky steering cable is probably best solved by replacement.

[chris young]

Thanks Guys,

I did have a quick look back there with the rear bench out and I figured I'd have to pull the gas tank, but it's nice to know that if I do, I'll have access. Salty, are you saying that they just used lag bolts into wood for the platform brackets?!! Sheesh.

I've got lot's of glass experience, so it's no biggie, if the tank has to come out, then I'll do it right off the bat.

The steering isn't super stiff, I'd say one finger, but more like peanut butter :rolleyes:

I think I saw some grease nipples on the rudder, if so, I'll do that first to see how that feels.

There is only one spot where I will consider beaching it, and it's sand and weeds, no rocks or stumps, the plan is to have a marine railroad to launch the boat so I was planning on nosing it into the cradle and pulling it partway out at the end of the day, but for just sitting around I'd just like to tie the boat to shore. I was more thinking about my wife getting in and out of the boat in the early spring and late fall when I want to ski but she doesn't want to get wet.

[Blackntan90]

When I picked up my Mariah used in 2001, I could see where the previous owner had beached it. The forward keel had no gelcoat left, so I went and got a keel protector and put it on. It allows me to put the nose carefully onto the concrete boat ramp when we go out late in the season and they have taken the dock out for the winter. I found a protector that matches the color of my hull perfectly(off-white or bone) and it has been a great addition as you really have to look to see it is even there. On my swim platform the bolts run through large aluminum backing plates and are attacched with nylock nuts, but mine is 1990.

[Salty87]

Salty, are you saying that they just used lag bolts into wood for the platform brackets?!! Sheesh.

maybe not lag bolts but i remember the screws would just spin even if there were nuts on the back. corrosion prevented any tightening without getting to the backside.

loose platform is one of the more common problems people have. it was the first problem i tried to fix on my boat and the first thing that made me wonder about the floor rotting. many years later came the rebuild.

one of the other most common problems is water leaking past the exhaust plates on the transom.

[chris young]

Ok,

I was up this weekend to drop some stuff off and get the battery out, but only had time to check out the platform quickly, and prop up the mooring cover to prevent water pooling. Totally forgot about the steering. (The trip to the cottage was for other reasons so I only had a quick couple of minutes to look at things. It looks like the transom isn't moving but the platform is, so I'm thinking first job on this boat will be to pull the gas tank. Anyone know how difficult this is going to be?

Thanks for the input

[suprasam]

Well I know mine is actually easy. Once my seat is out, I can see pretty the whole tank and brackets to my tank. I took my seat out last night actually, if you want I will take a picture and post so it gives you an idea of what you could be looking at once the its open. I have a 86 Sunsport....but won't be to far off from what you have I think.

[chris young]

I pulled the seat and had a quick look just after I winterized the boat in November, and it looked pretty straight forward. So I have an idea what it looks like, but I just thought if someone had done it recently they could shoot me some caveats. The priority will be to get the boat in the water and give it a shakedown before any work begins. I'll just have to be mindfull of the platform until I get a chance.

But if a photo is not a big deal I'd appreciate it.

Cheers

[wotan2525]

When I redid my swim platform bolts, I used great big fender washers and stainless nylock nuts. I had to cut a hole in my floor but it wasn't a big deal (and I didn't even patch them up since they are hidden under the gas tank anyway.)