91' 10th Anniversary Edition Supra Pirata PCM 454 White Whale

[Adrenalin]

I'm new to the site. I have a 91' Supra Pirata 10th Anniversary Edition with a PCM 454. The boat is completely white, interior and exterior.

We are into wake boarding a great deal. I'd like to add a tower to this pirata but am torn if i should keep it original or add a tower. The boat has been cared for a great deal and is in good condition considering it is now 22 years old. I am the 2nd owner but have ridden the boat since it was purchased brand new by my old man in 91'! It has not been cut up/hog'd up/bling'd out what ever you care to call it. It is completely original except for the drivers seat.

So basically what I am asking for is, is it worth putting a tower on a nearly 100% original 10th anniversary edition supra 'white whale' or better to keep original? I was also thinking of just adding an extended pylon onto the existing pylon, but am not sure how that would work since the pylon is at a decent angle pointing towards the rear. Has anyone done this?

If i do put a tower on it, how much reenforcing is required to have enough strength for the tower? Any idea what the current thickness is for the top fiberglass?

[Adrenalin]

http://s18.postimage.org/4qz8iws95/46869_1362894880616_7139079_n.jpg (http://postimage.org/)
pic upload (http://postimage.org/)

http://s17.postimage.org/ddikxpnov/31662_1265752892127_1867119_n.jpg (http://postimage.org/)
image (http://postimage.org/)

http://s7.postimage.org/662dlnnqz/48000_1362894400604_5794059_n.jpg (http://postimage.org/)
photo sharing sites (http://postimage.org/)

I should be ashamed, but these are the only photos i have access to currently. Pic's taken after a weekend at the lake, its never that dirty!

[gogger]

I have a 1989 pirate, I have been using a skylon pole, but am now adding a tower to the boat. If you decide you would rather just use the pole let me know I will make you a deal on mine.

[supraaddict]

Welcome to the forum!

[TitanTn]

At the end of the day, it's a personal opinion, but I don't think you're cheapening the boat to add a tower. If we were talking about tubbing out a '63 Vette, then I might feel differently, but a 1991 Pirata deserves the right to be used as ski boats are used today. Do it!

You shouldn't have to "reinforce" the fiberglass top, but you should use backing plates as large as you can make them.

[haugy]

DO NOT TOWER IT!!!!!!! PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF EVERYTHING SUPRA DON'T DO IT!!!!!!!

Many in here know of my love for the white whales. They are my favorite boat of all the Supra's. They are very rare, and are extremely special. If you put a tower on it, you can't go back. People will say you can refill the holes and other such crap. It's very difficult to color match them and go back. Unless you are wakeboarding every day and have the intent to be really big into wakeboarding, I would strongly advise against it.

That boat will have more value to a purist as it is. Get a pylon for the days you want to board.

I regret putting a tower on mine, but it was for space utility and a good bimini. But I still prefer them tower-less.

By the way, welcome to the site, and YOU HAVE TO POST PICTURES. I want to see this beauty.

[TitanTn]

Just to clarify, Daniel, I wouldn't put a tower on yours either. It's too unique. And maybe this 'white whale' is too, but I just don't see it that way. I see it like mine. It's just another old Saltare. It's not even a collectible amoung Supra aficionados. I don't regret putting a tower on mine for a minute. I'm really proud of the fact that I have a classic boat, with classic lines, etc, but it's also just as functional as the new boats. I like that when we go to the lake no can say, "let's leave Rob's boat anchored since we can't board behind it." Not to mention that I love the extra storage room the tower gives me and the opportunity to free-float my bimini.

I get what you're saying about keeping it original, to me, your boat is closer to the '63 Vette example than a '91 Pirata. Just my two cents.

[wotan2525]

You've just met the only two "purists" in the country. haugy and ngavdba like their boats original. Do they want to offer you a premium to keep yours that way? If not, I'd recommend you do what will make the boat as functional as possible for you.

The tower will only add to your resale value (again... unless a "purist" is willing to pay a premium for an "original" boat.) These boats are not valued as collectors items so it is all about what you like. A tower is a very nice upgrade and if you're planning on keeping and using the boat for years.... I'd do it!

[Salty87]

behind a white truck, too...nice touch.

i say go for it. the white whale trim package may be rare but so is the buyer willing to pay more for it. at the end of the day you've got a 20+ yr old boat with stringers that rarely last much longer.

a nice tower looks alot better than an extended pole. more functional too.

[cadunkle]

Here's an anniversary edition Sunsport with tower.
https://forum.supraboats.com/showthread.php?10575-91-Supra-Sunsport-10th-Anniversary-Edition

I think it looks nice. I prefer the look without tower, but it's just too practical to have one. More solid than an extended pylon and offers extra storage to keep boards off the floor.

[crystal waters]

meet purist number 3! I am all in with haugy and ngavdba!
You have a relatively rare supra in very good to excellent condition.
Don't put a tower on it! Go with a pole instead and see how much you like it for wakeboarding etc. first.
You might be surprised after the initial thrill wears off how little you use it.
Its much like a tattoo----easy to acquire but difficult to get back to original after the fact ---never quite the same.
Especially on the Anniversary Edition!

[haugy]

It's not even a collectible amoung Supra aficionados.

Crazy, you speak it. :) And you have to look at my boat to see my point. I have a tower, and a bimini. And I'm glad I did it. But it's a black Saltare, one of MANY. The 10th anniversary editions are not many, they are becoming more and more rare everyday. If the guy really wants one, I agree, get one. But personal opinion would be to leave that boat as is. If you do decide to get a tower, please choose carefully. Some towers can really affect the overall look of the boat, positively or negatively.


You've just met the only two "purists" in the country. haugy and ngavdba like their boats original. Do they want to offer you a premium to keep yours that way? If not, I'd recommend you do what will make the boat as functional as possible for you.
The tower will only add to your resale value (again... unless a "purist" is willing to pay a premium for an "original" boat.) These boats are not valued as collectors items so it is all about what you like. A tower is a very nice upgrade and if you're planning on keeping and using the boat for years.... I'd do it!

On the contrary, I make sure my boats all come without all the extras, so I can choose what I want to put on it. I passed on many red Saltares and Sunsports because they had towers already on them.

[TitanTn]

I agree Haugy. There are a lot more tower designs I DISLIKE than ones I do like.

[sybrmike]

While I appreciate the classics in their purest form, unless it had true value (aka, someone willing to pay extra for it in original form) - I say do what you will (within reasonable good taste, of course). It's your boat.

My Salt is also a run-of-the-mill Black & Bone variety, so I bastardized the hell out of her with no regrets (Moomba gauges, Gekko rudder, MasterCraft steering wheel, etc.). It's my boat & built for my intended purposes. However, I agree that a tower can make or break the looks. Haugy's ND swoop is the best looking tower as far as I'm concerned, but I went with a Titan II. Not everyone likes the looks of the Titan, but I was building for strength & the engineer in me was a sucker for triangulated wishbone, stainless, and heim joints. It's my boat.

Also, don't sweat matching the gel if you ever wanted to return to original. A good shop should be able to make the holes disappear.

[ckracing]

No commentary - just hoping to see some pictures...
Love the link to the old post with the anniversary Sunsport!

[Salty87]

value is in the eye of the owner...or buyer if it's for sale. that value isn't always in $s. personally, i value mine more with the tower than when i used a pole. and boats are different than other possessions. old boats have to be VERY special to have historical value...old woodies that are mint condition. fiberglass boats 99 times out 100 don't qualify.

this is a weird thread (not the content, lol). Adrenalin's profile shows 1 post but he's made 2 separate posts in this thread. if you haven't been logged in while viewing, you can't tell that you've missed the pics posted in this second, nearly invisible post:

http://s18.postimage.org/4qz8iws95/46869_1362894880616_7139079_n.jpg

http://s17.postimage.org/ddikxpnov/31662_1265752892127_1867119_n.jpg

http://s7.postimage.org/662dlnnqz/48000_1362894400604_5794059_n.jpg

[kvand347]

No right or wrong answer.

I'm hoping I'm not taking this out of context, but I agree with this statement. Do what you want since it is ultimately your boat...especially if you plan to keep it for many more years to come!

I actually chose my Supra over a Nautique Excel (v-drive) in the same year because it had a tower. Both were the same price, but one had ballast and tower and the other did not. I'm in to wakeboarding and surfing so the Supra fit my wants more. I was not partial to brand but fell in love with the Supra during the test drive and boarding behind it.

[TitanTn]

Well those photos answered it for me. There's no way he'll fit back in that garage with a tower!

[haugy]

I'm sort of in the same boat as Ngavdba. Many of you think I'm a die hard and I have a must stay exactly bone stock mentality. Wrong. I'm all for modifying things to suit your needs. Where I'm a die hard is the overall finished look. Keep it Supra, or looking like it. Take my Saltare for example. I've redone the well known dual seating captains chair. I hated it, it was too big bulky and took too much room. Removing freed up so much room it's nuts. I added a lifting, swiveling, rotating seat and it's great to have!!! But I made sure my seat matched. The seat I swapped it with is a captains chair from an old Comp. It was re-covered to match the Saltare's trim exactly. So when you look at it, it looks factory original.

That's where I'm a die hard. I like these boats to look all original, but with many updates and mods as possible. I change out many things on my boats that were just an old design and have no use anymore. I'm all for modifying things to suit your needs. Y'all need to understand that. But I'm also a fan of doing my best to modify it for what I need, while still looking very original to the untrained eye (even the trained many times). That's all. If this guy gets a tower, his call. But so many people think it helps with value or resale, when in fact many times it doesn't and many times it makes it worse.


this is a weird thread (not the content, lol). Adrenalin's profile shows 1 post but he's made 2 separate posts in this thread. if you haven't been logged in while viewing, you can't tell that you've missed the pics posted in this second, nearly invisible post:

And where the hell did those come from? I've logged in and out a dozen times, and his second post never shows up????????

[cadunkle]

Some are die hard purists, some are not. Personally a boat with a tower is worth another $1k or whatever to me, when I was shopping a couple years back... But only if it's a nice tower like a New Dimension. Yeah they cost upward of $2k but they are solid and look nice, matching the lines of these boats. A boat with a Monster tower is worth less than a boat with no tower to me, as it'll require removal, patching, and installing a good quality tower. Maybe some of that is subjective though, as some may like Monster towers. Personally I don't, they look and feel more flimsy than the towers I like and they are rounded and do not match the lines of the boat in my opinion.

So to me, adding a good quality style appropriate tower (IMO) would add value, but not as much as you paid for the tower. Adding a cheap tower reduces value over a boat with no tower. At the end of the day, for me anyhow, I do whatever I want with my boats, cars, trucks, bikes, whatever... I don't worry about resale because things go in and out of style and others taste can be very subjective. I keep the basic structure and guts solid and workable and do the rest to my taste. If I ever sell it'll be workable for someone else and they'll buy for the price I want, or they won't and I'll be happy keeping what I have. I don't wnat to live with something for 5, 10, 20+ years that's perfect for someone else but a compromise for me, just because I may get a few bucks less if I ever sell it.

[Adrenalin]

This forum is awesome. Thanks for everyone's input. The garage is no longer a problem. I've moved since those pics and now have a 12' tall garage door/garage/shop to store it. I'd really like a tower that fit the lines of the boat. Is the fiberglass on the cap thick enough on these older supra's for a tower with only backing plates, or is building up the glass recommended?

As far as towers with nice looking lines, what do you guys recommend? Which ones do I need to stay away from? I can't have a rattling tower!

I'm still up in the air about the whole thing. I do not plan on selling the boat anytime soon... A tower will definitely improve the tow, and provide much needed storage to get the boards off the floor.

Let's see some pics of your towered pirata's and saltare's. please include what kind of tower it is.

Ill try to dig up some more pics, it's winterized and wrapped up at the moment....

[TitanTn]

You need as large of backing plates as you can fit. There's no need to build up the fiberglass.

Which tower is a personal choice but I prefer the New Dimension style. This is whats on Haugy's, Michael Hnter's, and mine is a custom tower that mimics a ND.

[ckracing]

New Dimension or comparable custom with strong references.

[haugy]

Saltare with a New Dimensions tower. (Swoop design)

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y164/customcj7/Saltare/DSC_0390.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y164/customcj7/Saltare/DSC_0380.jpg

NOT MY BOAT

But another Salt with a Straight New Dimensions tower

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y164/customcj7/Random/251578_10100131201183763_19224865_46928811_1410596 _n.jpg

[TitanTn]

Here are some more of a New Dimension styled tower that I had custom made.

http://unumemarketing.com/boat/fun/jocassee/8.jpg

http://unumemarketing.com/boat/fun/jocassee/covered_at_dock.jpg

http://unumemarketing.com/boat/fun/bday_lake_boat.jpg

[Salty87]

old school tower on mine made locally. i've had it for at least 10 yrs.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a10/salty87/DSCF0275.jpg