Interested in a 1992 Sunsport. Need opinions. [Archive]

trayson

03-27-2013, 11:58 AM

EDIT: Thanks for everyone's help and advice. I did end up buying the boat. This thread will continue to be updated as a build thread to document and share the modifications I make to the boat as I own and enjoy it!
Hi all. I've spent a lot of time around boats, but am considering pulling the trigger on actually owning my first one.

Here is what the ad says:

Price reduced - $10,900/offer. I need to make room for my new boat!

1992 Supra Sunsport
Same hull as original Supra Launch
Just turned 500 hours
All fiberglass construction - no wood/no dryrot
Tandem axle trailer

Updated with many wakeboarding features:
Supra OEM tower and racks - tower folds down for storage
Auto ballast system for a bigger wake
Perfect Pass Wakeboard Pro! (cruise control for a perfect wake)
Low pitch prop to push around extra weight (original prop as backup)
Bimini
Custom cover that fits around tower feet
Heater for those cold April mornings
Fiberglass swim platform
Standard stereo/cd deck with 4 speakers
Dual battery with Perko switch

If you're looking for a budget wake boat, this is an excellent option. Do some research and you'll find that the best wakeboarding boats in this price range are:

Supra Sunsport - became Supra Launch
Ski Nautique model 2001
Sport Nautique - became Air Nautique
Mastercraft ProStar 205 - became Mastercraft X-star
Malibu Sunsetter - became Malibu Wakesetter

I am open to any reasonable offer as I bought a new boat. I need this one gone!

And these were the only two images with the ad:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-46xg22WpQz0/UVMT-ExP3ZI/AAAAAAAANtA/zAjhSvLzkYs/s800/Supra1.jpg

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-J0R47-fa0pA/UVMUBVcZPnI/AAAAAAAANtI/v-YOGM6ijtw/s800/Supra2.jpg

So, what do you think? What would be a good price/value for this? Anything to look out for? I've emailed to get better pictures and more info. He's had it for sale for quite a while (I swear I remember seeing it at the end of fall/beginning of winter) and the price has come down...

Here is his reply to my inquiry on the boat:

The boat is listed as 20'6" on the registration.

I can send some pictures tonight, but the boat has a rear bench seat with storage underneath (this is where the large ballast bag is stored). The trunk behind the rear seat has room for another ballast bag. And the rear platform is white fiberglass with black rubber matting.

It does not have a hot water shower.

Engine is PleasureCraft Marine (PCM) built off a Ford 351 V8.

Biggest issue is that the rear seats are badly cracked and should have the vinyl re-done. Estimated cost from Bentley's in Milwaukie was ~$300 total for new vinyl on those seats. All other interior is in pretty good condition for the age. Mechanically, no issues. New starter last year. New belts a couple of years ago. Engine oil and transmission oil changed at the end of the season last year during winterization. New brakes on the trailer. Boat is turn-key and ready to go other than the cracked rear seats.

I'd like to believe that I've found that "amazing" deal but I've been burned before with things too good to be true.

It seems to have what I'm looking for in a tournament boat. I love to wakeboard and have done wakesurfing a few times and would adore doing more of that. I can slalom but it's not really my passion. I like that it has perfect pass and a ballast system listed. Obviously the tower/bimini. Heater is nice for here in the Pacific Northwest.

I have a wife and we get to see my 7 year old son 2 weekends a month and half the summer. We'd tow the boat with the Wife's Honda Ridgeline RTL with the factory tow package.

So, please give me any insight and advice...

haugy

03-27-2013, 12:29 PM

Okay, here we go. Don't have a lot of time so this will be brief and short.

First off, if this boat does exist, and is in good running shape. JUMP ON IT.

First things first. The Sunsport DID NOT become the Launch. The Launch is a completely new hull design and boat. While it looks the same in size and general appearance, that boat is nothing like a Launch except size.

But it will still throw a great wake, ride well, etc. They guy is harping on that pretty hard, just wanted to clarify it.

The tower is a Supra OEM tower (New Dimensions). That tower would easily cost you over $1,000 if you got it on a boat that didn't have the tower. So that's a big plus.
Everything else is run of the mill nice. The trailer looks to be the original. So check out it's condition before hauling a long distance.

Check all the electronics on it, and I mean every switch, light, button, doo-dad, etc.

The only thing that would worry me is the lack of more pictures. See how bad the rear is. But in all reality, a boat like this that seems to be in pretty good shape, with those features would normally probably go for $11k-12K. So he's not out of the realm of a realistic price.

Get him to $10K and you have a helluva deal.

kvand347

03-27-2013, 12:36 PM

Edit--**What Haugy said!**

I would not say that the deal is "amazing" as much as it is priced right. My best advice is to take the boat out and run it through it's paces before purchase. That way you will know that it does and has everything it says. From there, you can negotiate on price. It wouldn't hurt to do a compression test either so you know the motor has plenty of life left. Ask for any maintenance records.

FWIW--I bought my '93 2 years ago for the similar price they are asking with less features. The boat is great to wake and surf behind. I have 1800lbs of ballast and the boat handles it just fine.

I'd be curious to see pics of the auto ballast system...something that's on my to do list.

trayson

03-27-2013, 12:42 PM

Well, sounds like Kevin spoke to my next question: "Would it do a realistic job as is (single ballast bag under the rear bench) for wakesurfing? I wouldn't expect the most epic experience ever from a direct drive, but I'd like it to at least be an option..." Although I doubt that a single bag under the bench is going to be 1800 pounds of ballast! :o

I'm really tempted (as I just did our taxes and have a bit of a return coming plus some money I saved from last year). It has some of the things that I'd want to do anyway (ballast/perfect pass).

kvand347

03-27-2013, 12:48 PM

You would be hard pressed to be able to surf that boat with one bag. It needs weight!!

See pics here: https://forum.supraboats.com/showthread.php?11320-Surf-Pics&highlight=kvand347+surf

trayson

03-27-2013, 01:08 PM

You would be hard pressed to be able to surf that boat with one bag. It needs weight!!

See pics here: https://forum.supraboats.com/showthread.php?11320-Surf-Pics&highlight=kvand347+surf

Well I guess I shouldn't be surprised. obviously, a v-drive would be a dream; but I don't see myself getting one outfitted like this in this kinda of price range... :-)

I'll see what happens when he sends me the pics tonight. *so tempting*

kvand347

03-27-2013, 01:57 PM

trayson

03-27-2013, 02:15 PM

Perfect pass is going to be awesome to have on it! It's at the top of my list right now for my boat. Only $300 to go until I can afford it...that is, if the wife doesn't make me buy a new HDTV instead! Decisions, decisions!

I'd say you probably won't be disappointed if you purchase it. I absolutely love my boat and am itching to take it out. This time last year I was already out riding! This year it looks like I won't be able to get out until May. :(

Well, I *do* suffer from Recreation A.D.D. I have toooo many hobbies and never enough time/money to enjoy them all.

In the wintertime, I am up skiing and snowboarding with my family pretty much every weekend. I'm up to 24 snowboard days this year!

When the weather turns nice, my fairweather activities include my other toys. I have a sportbike (2005 ZX6R), my 1998 BMW M3 Convertible, and a 2000 Jeep Wrangler that was built for rock crawling. I also have a little Chalet camping trailer (obviously can't tow that and the boat at the same time though!! Arg.) But I'm not one that has any desire to have a big huge tow rig. So, I'd imagine that we'll use the boat locally mostly. We have a lot of lakes and rivers here, so that's not a big problem. My poor Jeep hasn't been getting much use at all. And I have a feeling that if I get a boat, it's going to be my newest love. I also started to get back into bicycling last year, but who knows how much attention that will get, LOL.

We're just breaking into spring here (Portland/Vancouver area). In fact, the forecast is spring fever for Saturday: Sunny and 74!!! Makes it hard to think about playing on the mountain with weather like that! Of course, if I actually had this boat, I could do a "double board" day--and snowboard in the morning, wakeboard in the afternoon. That'd be some serious weekend warrior action!

trayson

03-27-2013, 11:47 PM

Here are some more pictures...

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ZbIBJSBK3sE/UVO5SFV_l8I/AAAAAAAANtg/FkbKDnHpPgA/s800/%255BUNSET%255D.jpg

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-hDutLxr9yj0/UVO5YISmcWI/AAAAAAAANto/WBuilTiNznY/s800/photo%2520%25282%2529.jpg

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-GzCR4qUVZ7w/UVO5Yte-5fI/AAAAAAAANtw/FbQLCi225vI/s800/photo%2520%25283%2529.jpg

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-vNvzJE4jYO8/UVO5ZBloX-I/AAAAAAAANt4/84VMCv9nnWs/s800/photo%2520%25284%2529.jpg

trayson

03-27-2013, 11:48 PM

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-_a_1aMlQ6-o/UVO5Zi-05RI/AAAAAAAANuA/x5BNN1hp_dI/s800/photo%2520%25285%2529.jpg

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-WEMEW6vporE/UVO5aN2GJtI/AAAAAAAANuI/kPMmd8GG44g/s800/photo%2520%25286%2529.jpg

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-RNMWp2rH2Yg/UVO5aiq_FRI/AAAAAAAANuQ/y-WPVyGAmCc/s800/photo.jpg

Any more feedback?

2500HD

03-28-2013, 09:01 AM

I don't know if your willing to travel but i found this one in boise.
http://boise.craigslist.org/boa/3690749263.html

Salty87

03-28-2013, 09:05 AM

Any more feedback?

grab a drysuit ad your board and take a few sets.

if it checks out mechanically it looks like a good deal. motivated seller, maybe you can get him down a little bit.

haugy

03-28-2013, 09:15 AM

grab a drysuit ad your board and take a few sets.

if it checks out mechanically it looks like a good deal. motivated seller, maybe you can get him down a little bit.

^^^This.
Sounds like he's ready to sell.

And those seats will cost more than $300 to fix. At least here in Nashville they would. My guy I go to would probably charge about $125 per main square cushion, and it cost me $200 to have the rear hatch done. Other than the rear seats, if that boat checks out mechanically and electronically, it looks to be a great boat.

kvand347

03-28-2013, 09:54 AM

Yep. Check it out. Run it through its paces. Negotiate the price and buy it! I don't think you will regret it.

Looks like they cut the partitions out of the rear bench to be able to fit the ballast bag. I'd just double check to make sure the bench is structurally sound. My boat has three separate compartments underneath each seat base. Other than that, some upholstery work and she is good to go. Or throw a towel over it and nobody even notices!

Jetlink

03-28-2013, 11:51 AM

If you snag this for a decent price, I would personally switch from a three piece rear bench to a single solid rear bench like I did. I like it much better than the original three piece design and it is easier to clean up and dry at the end of the day.

kvand347

03-28-2013, 12:20 PM

haugy

03-28-2013, 02:44 PM

How did you do that? Did you make your own? Pics of it with cushion on and off?

I imagine it wouldn't be hard. Take the three to a good vinyl person and say, make this into one base and one cushion, and cover with no breaks in the stitching. You could still get the same piping and trim, it would just be one big honking rear seat. I like the three-way split so if someone is sitting, all they have to do is slide over to access underneath them.

Jetlink

03-28-2013, 02:45 PM

Here is what my rear bench looks like now after I had the upholstery redone two years ago.

1195511956

Jetlink

03-28-2013, 02:46 PM

I imagine it wouldn't be hard. Take the three to a good vinyl person and say, make this into one base and one cushion, and cover with no breaks in the stitching. You could still get the same piping and trim, it would just be one big honking rear seat. I like the three-way split so if someone is sitting, all they have to do is slide over to access underneath them.

That is something I don't have to worry about with the comp though, I guess if I wanted to store a napkin or one paper towel under my rear bench I could but that would be about it.

haugy

03-28-2013, 03:45 PM

:D :D True, but I used to keep my docking ropes and ski lines under there. That's about it.

trayson

03-28-2013, 04:18 PM

I am gonna try to hook up with him and take a look at it this weekend. The forecast calls for a high of 69 this weekend (but I don't own a drysuit and have no idea what water temps will be). He said it is still winterized but week only take a few minutes to get it ready to hit the water. I already talked to my credit union and it sounds like they will give me 5.99% on a 5 year loan and would probably make an exception to lend on a 1992 since I would be putting 30 - 40% down.

I did ask for more details on the ballast system. Curious to see what all be has going on there.

This boat definitely has a lot of the good extras that will add to the experience. Doesn't seem to be lacking anything that's a deal breaker (since I don't see myself getting a comparable v-drive for the money).

Oh, and here is his latest reply :

The bimini, boat cover, and snap-on bow cover are all made of black sunbrella material.

Boat has been stored outside. I have a Costco structure that I park under during the winter.

Auto ballast is a reversible impeller pump based system. There is 1 ballast puppy mounted under the rear seat that feeds the fly high Pro-X bag under the rear seat. I had a second pump that fed the Pro-X bag in the trunk, but I removed the second pump and the trunk bag to put in my new boat. I left the switch and the wiring for the second pump, so you could easily restore the 2 bag system by purchasing a Pro-X tube sac (fits nicely in the trunk) and a new pump (Tube sac is $130 and a Johnson pump is $180 at Wakemakers.com). You could also just buy a sac for the trunk and tee off of the single ballast puppy for both bags--I did this for 4 years with no problem, just a little slower than having 1 pump per bag. I also have a bag that you can have that fits nicely in the cooler (the space under the rectangle cushion in the bow walkthrough), but it isn't hooked up to a pump. Finally, I have 300lbs of sand bags you can have that I kept in various storage spaces. Fully weighted with the rear seat sac, trunk sac, cooler sac, and sand bags you are running ~1200 lbs of weight fully hidden in compartments.

Give me a call this weekend if you want to take a look.

trayson

03-28-2013, 05:24 PM

I don't know if your willing to travel but i found this one in boise.
http://boise.craigslist.org/boa/3690749263.html

Good to see a comparison of others on the market. But honestly, I'll rather take the tower, Perfect Pass, low pitch prop, auto-ballast system, lower hours, etc that this one has. Getting the extras for less than the price I could buy parts for is nice.

kvand347

03-28-2013, 09:57 PM

The only v-drive I can think of in that price range is going to be a Nautique Excel. That was the other boat I was looking at and ended up buying the Sunsport because it had more options (Excel was complete stock). Funny thing is that 3 months after I passed on the Excel, the owner dropped the price by $2,000! When I talked to him he was firm on price. Such is life!

Take pics of anything you have questions on when you are out on the boat.

2500HD

03-28-2013, 10:18 PM

Good to see a comparison of others on the market. But honestly, I'll rather take the tower, Perfect Pass, low pitch prop, auto-ballast system, lower hours, etc that this one has. Getting the extras for less than the price I could buy parts for is nice.
I would have to agree with you. Good luck

haugy

03-29-2013, 09:10 AM

Yeah, having that Sunsport loaded with the high end stuff already, I'd go for the black one.

trayson

03-29-2013, 03:02 PM

kvand347

03-30-2013, 10:38 PM

So, all things considered, what do you all think is a realistic amount I could get this for? What should I offer him? What should my top dollar be?
Every bit I bring down the purchase price means a bit that I can put into the "mod the stereo and buy wakeboard/boating gear" fund. :cool:

That is a difficult question to answer. In my situation, my boat was being offered for $13,500 and I was not willing to finance that much due to what I wanted my monthly payment to be. I offered what I could afford which was a few thousand less than the asking price. I was honest and told him that I could only afford that much and he accepted my offer. His boat had not sold all summer, so he was ready to come down on price.

Each situation is different. Offer what you feel the boat is worth after you have looked/driven it. $10,900obo means that he will take his best offer.

trayson

03-30-2013, 11:05 PM

That is a difficult question to answer. In my situation, my boat was being offered for $13,500 and I was not willing to finance that much due to what I wanted my monthly payment to be. I offered what I could afford which was a few thousand less than the asking price. I was honest and told him that I could only afford that much and he accepted my offer. His boat had not sold all summer, so he was ready to come down on price.

Each situation is different. Offer what you feel the boat is worth after you have looked/driven it. $10,900obo means that he will take his best offer.

Well, I went and took a look at it. The ballast system is ready to take a 2nd bag in the trunk. The engine compartment looked decent and didn't seem to have obvious signs of corrosion. there are a few cracks on the center windshield piece. Supposedly the seller has a friend that might be parting out the same model boat, and is going to hit him up and see if we can get that replacement for the cracked glass.

The boat had been winterized, de-winterized 2 weeks ago and started. Then re-winterized. He de-winterized it today and when we put it in, it started on the first try and seemed to run strong. We took it out on the water and the ballast, heater, perfect pass, and everything else worked fine. It had a nice shape to the wake. We also filled the bag and I got to see the wake with the ballast. I didn't take a pull behind it. The water was like 51 degrees and I figured I could tell enough by observing the shape of the wake at various speeds.

The black on the clear coat is a bit cloudy in person and you can see some ghosting from where the OEM supra decals were, but it's nothing I can't live with. He has a depthfinder that he's going to give me that is the type that you don't have to cut into the hull. The stereo deck in there wasn't anything to write home about but it was a name brand (Kenwood I think) and had a USB that would control an Ipod, play songs from a flash drive, and an Auxillary input on the face. it even has Pandora compatibility, so that's sweet. So that will be good enough to have me rockin' on the river. :-D

He seemed pretty honest about where he was on price and other offers he'd been given. He wanted to see $10k for it, but he also wanted to get his replacement boat (Malibu V-Drive) from his parent's place and back over to his house. He said he had been offered $9,500 at the end of last season but didn't take it... So, I focused in on that number and told him that 1st thing Monday I'd be hitting up my credit union if he was willing to do the $9,500 for me. So that was our deal--------->$9,500.

I feel pretty good about it. between a little I'd saved and my tax return, I'm keeping my boat payment really low. So that's pretty awesome.

I think it'll be enough boat to keep me happy for some time! I'll post up more pics after I get it in my possession!

Thanks to everyone that gave be advice. I'm looking forward to being a part of this community.

Ptownkid

03-31-2013, 07:18 AM

If he parts it out and you get the center section PLEASE let me know...I don't care if you steal the glass...but I NEED the frame badly.

$9500 is a great price for this boat with ballast and perfect pass........congrats and hope it all goes through!

kvand347

03-31-2013, 09:47 AM

$9,500 is a great price for a great boat with those options/hours. I would not have any buyer's remorse at all. Think of it this way, you bought a nice boat AND got perfect pass for FREE! If you ever want to rip it out and send it to me, I wouldn't stop you! Hahaha! I just blew my perfect pass savings on a new flat screen TV. I got sick of watching the NCAA tournament on the old school tube TV! Now I have to start the saving all over again... :(

trayson

03-31-2013, 09:40 PM

Well, I've started the update to my RV parking spot. I needed to level it out a bit and have some more crushed gravel brought in. I got some cinder blocks and some garden retaining wall stones today. Definitely having fun with the tow rig!

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-EiVLVLMEWWc/UVjk4tHjHXI/AAAAAAAANvA/xziRLD1YVoE/s800/%255BUNSET%255D.jpg

haugy

04-01-2013, 09:45 AM

$9500 for that boat is a great deal.

Don't worry about the "ghosting" on the gelcoat, it probably just needs a light wetsanding. I bet we can give you tips to bring that gelcoat back to deep black in no time. Let us know if you get it.

Also, find out more about this "parted out boat". Why is it being parted out? What's wrong with it? How much does he want for the whole boat? Please get me more information on that.

trayson

04-01-2013, 11:13 AM

Getting the parking situation handled... this is what I did with the cinder blocks. This area in the back yard will be the new home of my little camping trailer and flat bed motorcycle trailer.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-qjcMLwEceOw/UVmglesUNhI/AAAAAAAANvU/34iPaayVdn4/s800/%255BUNSET%255D.jpg

And added another row of garden wall stones to put a bit more gravel in the driveway RV parking spot (the new home for the boat). Raised up the fence gates to accomodate more rock.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-RinGttkWqm8/UVmjXxIEZfI/AAAAAAAANvc/qIdC7soaRsE/s800/%255BUNSET%255D.jpg

kvand347

04-01-2013, 02:11 PM

Where's the boat pictures?? :)

trayson

04-01-2013, 02:24 PM

Where's the boat pictures?? :)

Ugh! I know. My buddy took 4 shots while we were out on the test drive. This morning, I called the credit union to get the ball rolling on the boat loan. I hope to have it maybe by tomorrow evening...

DAFF

04-01-2013, 10:57 PM

A solid choice. You will be happy !!

timski

04-02-2013, 12:27 AM

I have the same boat model with all almost all the same after market upgrades, but mine is red. I've been having it now for 5 years. Love my boat. If the motor is in great shape you have got a great deal!!!

kvand347

04-02-2013, 09:41 PM

trayson

04-03-2013, 02:27 AM

Brought it home tonight!

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-6IHtdgbbotc/UVu_IJEV_sI/AAAAAAAANvs/cUy0URa1Mco/s800/2013-04-02_19-52-09_249.jpg

haugy

04-03-2013, 09:48 AM

That's awesome man!! Congrats! I think that's a helluva boat. You've already got some really nice add-ons already taken care of.

Now, go through it and find what's wrong or you think needs help and let us know. We'll help ya figure it out.

Piece of advice, check your tower mounting hardware to make sure they used large backing plates under the fiberglass. You never know who installed that thing.

trayson

04-03-2013, 11:59 AM

haugy

04-03-2013, 12:44 PM

Actually it could be either. They still had some left-over carb'd engines then. Open up the top and look in for a carb. If it has a nice shroud cover over the intake manifold it's probably EFI.

If I remember right the 351w EFI is right at about 285-295hp.

kvand347

04-03-2013, 07:13 PM

It should be carb'd and should have the horrible PRO-TEC system installed. I have the 351w HO "Pro-Boss" which puts me at 285hp. If you don't have the HO, then you will have 240hp. The way to tell is using you model # on the serial # plate attached to your engine. I've attached some pics to help.

Here is what the shroud looks like on mine that covers the carb. Mine runs better with it off.
http://i1151.photobucket.com/albums/o621/kvand347/1365029983106_zpsb401813a.jpg

Here is an example of a serial # plate
http://i1151.photobucket.com/albums/o621/kvand347/1365030453871_zps0ab119dd.jpg

kvand347

04-03-2013, 07:36 PM

trayson

04-04-2013, 12:23 AM

Here's how you read your serial # plate using the example plate above: PLD-WV-R20

The L following the P indicates the ENGINE rotation. In this case, left hand rotation.

The R following the V indicates the PROP SHAFT rotation. In this case, right hand.

Now to determine HP.

If you have a model PL&RD you have the "standard" 5.8L @ 240hp (This is the one in the example)
If you have a model PL&RP you have the "Pro Boss" @285hp

Continuous RPM for either is 3600 rpm's
Max depends on which one you have. 4400 for std and 4800 for Pro Boss

89 octane min.
idle speed 650-700 rpm's

If you let me know which one, I can tell you other things...

I think I have the pro boss!

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-L49EiCWMd8s/UVzUKrmy_TI/AAAAAAAANxY/mMr6gPHmVSg/s800/%255BUNSET%255D.jpg

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-wx_1m_F36sU/UVzUNt6O4SI/AAAAAAAANxM/HPgbTV_gUVs/s800/%255BUNSET%255D.jpg

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-6xLP6v-VsGQ/UVzUQOVoSSI/AAAAAAAANxQ/wWk9aTeONFU/s800/%255BUNSET%255D.jpg

trayson

04-04-2013, 12:33 AM

at some point I'm going to want to look at the alternator and see what amp Output it is. I plan on putting in a stereo amplifier or two and maybe some tower lights so I want to make sure I have enough capacity.

I took it out this evening for a maiden voyage, everything went pretty smooth. One thing we noticed while towing it home was that there seems to be a clunk from the trailer as we took off from a dead stop. I am wondering if this is just one of the characteristics of a trailer with Surge brakes as I have only towed trailers with electric brakes. I know we have the right two inch ball... Hmmm..

oh the one thing that we have noticed is that the stereo well sometimes cut out, I mean power like the whole Deck cuts out. the previous owner thinks its because the ground connection and I need to run the ground straight to the battery.

haugy

04-04-2013, 10:24 AM

Check the surge brakes for brake fluid. But yeah, with surge brakes, get used to the clunk feeling. But if it's hammering hard then the coupler may need to be tightened a bit.

That's definitely a carb'd engine.

chrisk

04-04-2013, 11:17 AM

Congrats on the purchase and welcome to the community! That thing will be a beauty when you take the time to mod it a bit and make it your own.

As far as the stereo goes, don't worry about the cutting out too much. Since you say you're planning on adding a couple amps and whatnot, you're going to end up re-wiring most of the stereo setup anyway. A lot of guys (including myself) have eliminated the use of a stereo 'deck'. I did this because the only thing I use to listen to music is my phone/ipod. I plug directly into a Krypt 4200 EQ (the cheaper version of the Wetsounds WS-420). There are other options too. Just trying to give you an idea of the various changes you can make and what is to come. A cutting out stereo is probably just a loose connection and/or ground somewhere but it will be good for you to retrace all the wiring yourself so that you know the ins and outs of your own boat. Part of the joys of boat ownership!

trayson

04-04-2013, 01:41 PM

What gives the pro boss another 45 HP? That is quite a bump.

Salty87

04-04-2013, 05:33 PM

found this on correct craft fan site:
In 1990, PCM introduced Pro Tec - The first electronic engine management system programmed specifically for water ski towboats. Pro Tec's computer module provides engine protection and optimum performance - quicker throttle response, faster acceleration, greater top end and increased fuel efficiency. In 1992, Pro Tec was teamed with PCM's 5.8 high output engine to create Pro Boss - the most phenomenal high output inboard on the market. Thanks to the performance advantages of the Pro Tec, the Pro Boss is rated at more than 300 horsepower.

kvand347

04-05-2013, 08:01 PM

kvand347

04-05-2013, 08:05 PM

What gives the pro boss another 45 HP? That is quite a bump.

Possibly different cam and intake matched with better ignition system = 45+ hp??

trayson

04-05-2013, 11:19 PM

You DO have the Pro Boss! Congrats!

Original alternator is marine approved 50 Amp.

My PCM manual says 285hp @ 4400 rpm. I think the next version of the PROTEC came with MPI and then the GT-40 model came out. Those are probably both 300+ hp with the GT-40 being 310hp. Either way, it has more hp! :)

I don't know much about boat alternator specs, but from a car audio perspective 50 isn't much. I would imagine there are higher amp output options...

haugy

04-06-2013, 10:33 AM

I don't know much about boat alternator specs, but from a car audio perspective 50 isn't much. I would imagine there are higher amp output options...

Yes, if you are going to be running high output stereos you'll want a bigger alternator, but in reality not as much as having two batteries.

THAT IS A MUST. If you run any kind of stereo you need two batteries on a perko switch so you can switch from one battery to another in case you run one down.

If you do want a new alternator, I'm getting my new one from www.dbelectrical.com, they have marine grade alternators. And they have some big power pushers. I'm getting the 160amp since I've upped my stereo this year.

trayson

04-06-2013, 11:45 AM

Yes, if you are going to be running high output stereos you'll want a bigger alternator, but in reality not as much as having two batteries.

THAT IS A MUST. If you run any kind of stereo you need two batteries on a perko switch so you can switch from one battery to another in case you run one down.

If you do want a new alternator, I'm getting my new one from www.dbelectrical.com, they have marine grade alternators. And they have some big power pushers. I'm getting the 160amp since I've upped my stereo this year.

Previous owner did the dual battery w/ the switch already. :-D how much for the alternator you're getting?

trayson

04-08-2013, 06:04 PM

Well, I've already started the purchasing for the Audio system and some LED Lighting enhancements and decals/lettering...

I think for the time being, I'm going to focus on upgrading the "basic" system. Currently it just has a Kenwood deck and 4 speakers. I'm going to keep the deck, since it has plenty of expandability options. Phase 1 will be 2 amps, subwoofer, and new 6.5" speakers. The kenwoods that are in there now are "fine" but are designed to be run off deck power, so if I had more juice with an amp, I'd like speakers that are matched up better.

I plan on running a 10" sub in a sealed box. Stay tuned as I accumulate items and get things installed.

I've also ordered a couple items to add some blue LED to my boat. More to come on that.

Also got some decals and lettering ordered for the boat. And I've chosen a name for it. I'm looking forward to my theme coming together!

As I build, I'll update with full specs and pics. I love modding vehicles and the boat will be no exception.

trayson

04-10-2013, 01:49 PM

You would be hard pressed to be able to surf that boat with one bag. It needs weight!!

See pics here: https://forum.supraboats.com/showthread.php?11320-Surf-Pics&highlight=kvand347+surf

Just for kicks, I thought I'd throw out a pic of my son and I wakesurfing when he was 4 years old. Gotta love the trust of a kid!

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-8rdQLcKVk_4/SvEjQITYU4I/AAAAAAAAJgI/dJvRDDsJW2E/s800/wakesurf%2520jax.jpg

kvand347

04-11-2013, 06:06 PM

trayson

04-11-2013, 06:41 PM

I tried to get my boys to ride with me too and both were too scared. My oldest (5) says that he's going to go with me this summer. We will see about that. If he does, I'm sure my 4 year old will do it too since he is monkey see monkey do with his brother! I just showed both of them and my youngest says, "That's me!" I told him it was another boy his age and he said, "That's awesome!"

Glad I could be an inspiration! My son has no fear. Some of that is learned. I had him jumping to me off high objects when he was 2 years old. I taught him he could trust me. :-D

Well, the other day I busted out my new Griot's Garage 6" random orbital that I won at a BMW event last year. It made a big difference, but man, even with the power tool, it's still a lot of work and there's a lot of boat. I'll be putting more work into it soon in anticipation of the new decals I have ordered for it. The side lettering, rear hull lettering and registration numbers shipped today! Woot!

I ended up having to re-wire the trailer plug. When he towed it, the 4 to 7pole adapter popped off, bounced down the street and the flat 4 dragged on the ground for about 10 minutes at freeway speeds. :-( Oh well, cheap fix and lesson learned.

I've also found that my boat cover is most certainly letting a lot of water into the boat. we had a few days where it pissed rain and I hadn't taken out the bilge plug. I opened up the engine cover to find probably 7" of water in the bilge. That was cold to reach in there and take the plug out! So, some "303 Fabric Care" is now on the to do list.

trayson

04-11-2013, 08:47 PM

Craigslist find of the day: Pair of old school wooden kids trainer skis. Cost: a $13 half case of Henry's Private Reserve. ROFL!!

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Ne1EEwGl5bs/UWdV4ShYgeI/AAAAAAAANzA/hZJkfFCOGI8/s800/%255BUNSET%255D.jpg

trayson

04-22-2013, 05:29 PM

Let's see... Time for an update. I found some boat cusions on Ebay that were similar in dimensions to my rear cushions... They were going for $20 a piece with $35 shipping for all three. I figured, what the heck, it would at least get be by.

So, when I got the cushions, there was 1/2 tear on the side of one and an 1/8 inch tear on the side of another. I asked the vendor his thoughts and he jumped up and refunded me all but $10 and let me keep them. So, for $10, I'll make these work as something to get me by until I have a few hundred extra for custom replacements.

http://i.ebayimg.com/t/BOAT-SEAT-CUSHION-WHITE-W-GREY-BINDING-/00/s/MTYwMFgxMjAw/z/FkIAAOxy14VRN2JF/$(KGrHqN,!pUFD2YWw-7-BRN2JFl,tQ~~60_57.JPG

They were about an inch narrower than my rear cushions. So, I stripped off all but the composite bases of my OEM cushions and just attached these new ones to the OEM bases. Basically, they look like the new cushions are sitting in cafeteria trays. But they are comfy enough to sit in and they'll get me by. It's a little ghetto-fabulous, but for $10, it's better than big gaping rips.

I also started working on getting the boat cover up to snuff. the nose of it had a lot of cracking on the vinyl, so I put some black gorilla tape over it to keep it from getting worse. I also used some BMW Soft top cleaner on the cover and will be applying some 303 fabric guard when the temp gets high enough to have it cure nicely (it says over 70 degress on the bottle). I even took a lint roller to the cover because a cat used it for a bed when the previous owner had it and I needed all that cat hair to be gone. Yuck!

More an more of my stereo upgrades have been showing up, so I hope to have time to start tackling some of that.

trayson

05-02-2013, 01:30 PM

Pics from last weekend:

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-jPrhuAOHsOk/UYKfi5VnUyI/AAAAAAAAN4s/5Qqx5ZYXJbM/s800/%255BUNSET%255D.jpg

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-MKazf1vEox4/UYKfa5h_uCI/AAAAAAAAN4U/boYoE2FOrAk/s800/%255BUNSET%255D.jpg

Even though it wasn't warm out, we had some happy passengers:
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-t1WLGxVDvq0/UYKiKy9DoiI/AAAAAAAAN5A/7PDHgKdifQ4/s800/%255BUNSET%255D.jpg

Pic of my friend goofing off, but you can actually see how my rear cushions came out... Good enough to get by.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-oO7X0PMMM9U/UYKiIoHyTXI/AAAAAAAAN44/lZuuN39XDkI/s800/%255BUNSET%255D.jpg

kvand347

05-02-2013, 01:36 PM

Looks like everyone is having fun! Make sure those seat cushions don't fly out at speed!

trayson

05-02-2013, 01:43 PM

Looks like everyone is having fun! Make sure those seat cushions don't fly out at speed!

I doubt that would happen. they aren't exactly light. and they're screwed to the OEM cushion bottoms. But yeah, I guess there's no side tension like OEM cushions would have.

Sirgonz

05-10-2013, 11:11 PM

Here is what my rear bench looks like now after I had the upholstery redone two years ago.

1195511956

Nice I hate how stuff gets stuck down in-between the 3 seats now... only problem the center seat on my boat is the backrest for a swivel seat. :(

TitanTn

05-11-2013, 08:22 AM

Tell your friend "no shoes in my Supra!"

:cool:

2002 LAUNCH SS OWNER

05-13-2013, 04:34 PM

That is a great looking Sunsport it has the same tower as my 2002 Launch SS, my buddy had a 89 Sunsport for 14years and he sold it 4 years ago for around 10,000 and bought a 2004 Launch SS. The only concern I would have is floor rot but seeing it is a 1992 that may be the year they stopped using wood for the floor and stringers. Anyone confirm this as the year they switched to composite floor and stringers???

Nice Loooking boat, just get some vinyl replaced and install some Wet Sounds Rev8 Speakers on the tower along with
some Roswell board racks and Roswell Mirror and that Boat will look and sound as sharp as any other wake board boat
on the water

Enjoy

trayson

05-13-2013, 06:28 PM

Tell your friend "no shoes in my Supra!"

:cool:

Yeah, that won't be happening again! LOL.

That is a great looking Sunsport it has the same tower as my 2002 Launch SS, my buddy had a 89 Sunsport for 14years and he sold it 4 years ago for around 10,000 and bought a 2004 Launch SS. The only concern I would have is floor rot but seeing it is a 1992 that may be the year they stopped using wood for the floor and stringers. Anyone confirm this as the year they switched to composite floor and stringers???

Nice Loooking boat, just get some vinyl replaced and install some Wet Sounds Rev8 Speakers on the tower along with
some Roswell board racks and Roswell Mirror and that Boat will look and sound as sharp as any other wake board boat
on the water

Enjoy

Thanks for the compliments. Tower speakers are probably going to have to wait until next season. But I will defintitely be doing a phase 1 upgrade to my current stereo. A couple amps, new speakers and a sub are in the works.

It is the all composite. 92 is the cutover year and you can tell that since I have the rounded windshield that I'm composite and good to go!

I'm hoping that if I can get some decent weather that I can get the graphics put on. then it'll look awesome!

here's a pic of my boat as I was learning about the fun of launching a direct drive in the current. (the prop spun my stern towards the dock on the starboard side and the current was flowing the other direction so it was pushing my nose away from the dock. We were taking my mom out on the boat for mother's day weekend, so she just watched me struggle and took pics! ROFL!

But at least it's a halfway decent on the water pic.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-3pXsN-9q-W4/UZFoLBEFudI/AAAAAAAAN-w/3FIE5rR4kXs/s800/Boat2.jpg

Sirgonz

05-13-2013, 06:42 PM

That's been the biggest challenge in my v drive... mostly the docking, still learning the slow speed maneuvers ...!

Salty87

05-13-2013, 06:57 PM

But at least it's a halfway decent on the water pic.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-3pXsN-9q-W4/UZFoLBEFudI/AAAAAAAAN-w/3FIE5rR4kXs/s800/Boat2.jpg

the boat just wanted to pose for Mom...looks great. ya done real good buying that one!

Zim

05-13-2013, 07:37 PM

Sirgonz

05-13-2013, 09:53 PM

Zim

05-14-2013, 01:55 PM

LOL all that makes sense on paper and in my head.... add current and wind and kids talking and people fishing off boat ramp dock and then put it all in motion while trying to not hold everyone behind you up.... LOL I'll learn I have only had the boat like 1.5 weeks and been out only 5 or 6 times now

Tell the kids to pipe down while daddy parks the boat.. or just throw them overboard ;) Aso for the fisherman, just use the dock as if they weren't there. They're not supposed to be there anyway, if their line gets chopped up your prop, that's their deal. :D The current and wind will just take practice. Just realize that you have no steering in reverse, and the only time you have steering going forward is when the prop is pushing water past the rudder. You cant coast in and turn the rudder and expect any sort of responsive handling with a v/direct drive boat. Learning to bump the throttle into forward and neutral and back into forward and back into neutral is imperative for driving this style boat. It lets you keep your speeds down, and also lets you to have steering control. Good luck.. keep going after it!

trayson

05-14-2013, 04:45 PM

Here's how you read your serial # plate using the example plate above: PLD-WV-R20

The L following the P indicates the ENGINE rotation. In this case, left hand rotation.

The R following the V indicates the PROP SHAFT rotation. In this case, right hand.

Now to determine HP.

If you have a model PL&RD you have the "standard" 5.8L @ 240hp (This is the one in the example)
If you have a model PL&RP you have the "Pro Boss" @285hp

Continuous RPM for either is 3600 rpm's
Max depends on which one you have. 4400 for std and 4800 for Pro Boss

89 octane min.
idle speed 650-700 rpm's

If you let me know which one, I can tell you other things...

Okay, I keep getting confused with rotation because it affects what kind of alternators and starters I'd be looking at.

Is my engine CW or CCW?

kvand347

05-14-2013, 05:33 PM

Okay, I keep getting confused with rotation because it affects what kind of alternators and starters I'd be looking at.

Is my engine CW or CCW?

Not sure if this helps, but you have a LEFT hand or "Standard" rotation engine.

trayson

05-14-2013, 05:48 PM

Not sure if this helps, but you have a LEFT hand or "Standard" rotation engine.

This seems to help. I guess it matters what you're talking about when you're talking about LR/RH CW/CCW.

http://www.ebasicpower.com/faq/rotate.htm

sybrmike

05-14-2013, 06:04 PM

Like Zim said, v/direct drives are a different beast at low speeds. Spend some time practicing the throttle bump. Two useful moves are the sidewalk and pirouette.

For the sidewalk, at a dead stop, turn the wheel all the way to the right (starboard), then alternately bump the throttle forward and reverse. The nose will push to starboard in forward, and the stern will pull starboard in reverse. With a little practice on the timing, you can "walk" the boat sideways to starboard.

To turn around in tight spaces, it's best to concede that you're gonna turn left (port), and perform a pirouette. Again from a dead stop, but turn the wheel all the way left and alternately bump the throttle forward/reverse. With patience, it'll look like you're spinning the boat on the ski pylon.

Good luck, she's a real beaut!

trayson

05-14-2013, 06:15 PM

Always fun docking these things. Whenever I'm at a ramp, I make sure the dock is on my port side so when I come off the trailer, I know I have extra room to maneuver around. I never pull straight to the dock, I usually just back up enough that I can swing the front around and start driving away from the ramp, then position myself to come into the dock on my starboard side. I run a straight 45* angle straight into the dock on the starboard side of the bow, and slowly bump the throttle in and out of gear to keep speeds down, but to keep the boat going in the direction you want it to go. Once you get about 6 feet from the dock, give it some power in reverse and it sucks the boat right up against the dock. Practice that a few times and you'll be a pro in no time haha.

Like Zim said, v/direct drives are a different beast at low speeds. Spend some time practicing the throttle bump. Two useful moves are the sidewalk and pirouette.

For the sidewalk, at a dead stop, turn the wheel all the way to the right (starboard), then alternately bump the throttle forward and reverse. The nose will push to starboard in forward, and the stern will pull starboard in reverse. With a little practice on the timing, you can "walk" the boat sideways to starboard.

To turn around in tight spaces, it's best to concede that you're gonna turn left (port), and perform a pirouette. Again from a dead stop, but turn the wheel all the way left and alternately bump the throttle forward/reverse. With patience, it'll look like you're spinning the boat on the ski pylon.

Good luck, she's a real beaut!

Both great techniques. I like. And thanks for the compliments. I can't wait to get some decals on to make it my own with some personalization!

kvand347

05-15-2013, 12:39 PM

This seems to help. I guess it matters what you're talking about when you're talking about LR/RH CW/CCW.

http://www.ebasicpower.com/faq/rotate.htm

I see what you are talking about now. You have LH rotation of the flywheel (ccw). According to the link, your belts will then rotate clockwise. My advice would be to hop in the boat and bump the motor to make sure your alternator goes cw. Then call the vendor to verify which alternator you need.

trayson

05-21-2013, 12:06 AM

Okay, I finally got my graphics on the boat!!!

May I present to you the "STORMTROOPER". Obviously inspired by the black and white color scheme. (and the fact that I'm a Star Wars geek made it even more fun).

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-4_XkiEDkg8w/UZrt2nd_xrI/AAAAAAAAN_o/HqX8oQxwtiA/s800/%255BUNSET%255D.jpg

As you might be able to tell, all the lettering is done in the "Star Jedi" font, including the registration numbers.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-uVPGtgPzDjA/UZruAAZPq0I/AAAAAAAAN_w/6UUSP0idkOs/s800/%255BUNSET%255D.jpg

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-I0znbNRJ3d8/UZruKBRXMQI/AAAAAAAAN_4/xvQ2jKH28Ko/s800/%255BUNSET%255D.jpg

trayson

05-21-2013, 12:07 AM

I aligned the large SUPRA with what would have been the top of the striping...

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Jc5IYzOMFvg/UZruSzXxIRI/AAAAAAAAOAA/56EPBjtpklM/s800/%255BUNSET%255D.jpg

Boat registration in the Star Wars font.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-ZmSElSDrRX8/UZruZGuWUYI/AAAAAAAAOAI/2Qnv92QTb2c/s800/%255BUNSET%255D.jpg

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Pnos_9efdek/UZruf2XtRII/AAAAAAAAOAQ/MJRhLK-5P30/s800/%255BUNSET%255D.jpg

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-hQtEZSI9HM4/UZrukokUqRI/AAAAAAAAOAY/y7SLb7GqsIg/s800/%255BUNSET%255D.jpg

TitanTn

05-21-2013, 07:57 AM

While not my personal style, it's easy to appreciate the theme and execution. Great looking boat overall. Have you had any people stop you and ask about the name?

haugy

05-21-2013, 10:33 AM

I am a Stars Wars fan, big time.......but.........
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
http://troll.me/images/full-retard/you-went-full-retard-never-go-full-retard.jpg

http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQZyKgkeHNkVHZmYSRmqDUsy_Do4kR81 wTxs8JoBgghR3tfOqrW

.

http://fc03.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2010/340/4/b/facepalm_by_lord_martini-d34cce8.jpg

trayson

05-21-2013, 10:57 AM

While not my personal style, it's easy to appreciate the theme and execution. Great looking boat overall. Have you had any people stop you and ask about the name?

Not so far, but honestly, I've had it out 1 evening since I got it done and the river and boat dock were pretty empty last night.

I am a Stars Wars fan, big time.......but.........
.
.
.
.

Well, I obviously didn't do it to impress you, LOL. (and come on man, be nice. Aren't we all here about learning through sharing and enjoying each other's passion as enthusiasts?)

I knew from the start that there would be plenty on this forum that wouldn't like the direction I took it. But I'm totally fine with that. I mean, I can tell that the predominent mindset of those on this forum with the "older" Supras is that it's all about the "classic" look with the Classic wave, and the Classic font and the Classic stripes... Honestly, I could give a rip about that stuff.

The previous owner actually had the Chrome embossed "LAUNCH" lettering on the stern, and I'm not one to be a "badge poser" saying that my boat is a model that it's not (like a 328i owner that badges their car as an M3).

I think it's fun and my wife and son totally dig it, so we're most certainly gonna rock it with pride. :cool:

haugy

05-21-2013, 11:02 AM

I think it's fun and my wife and son totally dig it, so we're most certainly gonna rock it with pride. :cool:

That's all that counts.

whammond

05-21-2013, 11:07 AM

Finally, The search for the stormtrooper that hit his head is over.

Hope gifs work but just in case...Link (http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m1rvnqyHqY1qmlhk8o1_500.gif)

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m1rvnqyHqY1qmlhk8o1_500.gif

kvand347

05-21-2013, 11:09 AM

Trayson--I think Haugy is just jealous he didn't think of it himself! :p Hahahahaha!

Like he just said, if you like it then that's all that matters. Ultimately it's your boat for years to come, and stickers can always be removed. Now if you put on some ugly tower or painted over gelcoat (like my boat), I can see people getting upset!

trayson

05-21-2013, 11:19 AM

Finally, The search for the stormtrooper that hit his head is over.

You guys make me laugh.

Trayson--I think Haugy is just jealous he didn't think of it himself! :p Hahahahaha!

Like he just said, if you like it then that's all that matters. Ultimately it's your boat for years to come, and stickers can always be removed. Now if you put on some ugly tower or painted over gelcoat (like my boat), I can see people getting upset!

Very true. In fact, I know that taking off all the vinyl would be way easier than it was to just remove the mess left over when I took off the "Launch" and that double sided foam adhesive that was used for that stuff.

I certainly didn't have the money for a full vinyl wrap, and again, I didn't think that something with the 'worlds' theme would have felt right.

Really, it all started when we described the boat as having a 'stormtrooper' color scheme, then I figured it'd be a cool name for the vessle and it all kinda snowballed from there. I had originally planned on getting one of those tribal or flames supra decals you see online, but when I found a vendor that had the Star Jedi font, I went with it.

And Yeah, I like it. Maybe it's a bit out of the norm to put a vessel name on a tournament boat, but here in the Portland area, all we see are big cruisers and sailboats dominating our river.

trayson

05-21-2013, 11:24 AM

That's all that counts.

Yeah, my 7 year old is going to think it's the coolest thing ever. When he was born, we'd decorated his room with an "under the sea" theme, and had lots of fish and nemo charaters and the like. When he was about to turn 5, he told me he'd outgrown the Nemo stuff and wanted something different. I asked what he wanted and he said he wanted a star wars room. That was a proud day for me and it was so much fun to completely do up his room in Star Wars.

One of the big reasons I finally pulled the trigger on my 20+ year dream of owning a boat was because I wanted to give my son the same quality of memories on the water that I'd had growing up. It's pretty damn awesome family time, that's for sure.

haugy

05-21-2013, 11:27 AM

haugy

05-21-2013, 11:29 AM

Now if you put on some ugly tower or painted over gelcoat (like my boat), I can see people getting upset!

Yeah, he could have done this:

https://forum.supraboats.com/showthread.php?14808-86-Sunsport-NEW-PAINT-!!!&p=93968#post93968

trayson

05-21-2013, 11:46 AM

1) I'm an a-hole. Let's all just face it. :D
2) I'm opinionated. But I own up to it.
3) I'm blunt.
4)I'm an a-hole.
5)I have no room to really make fun of you. If you saw my shop, you would call me out so fast my head would spin. Everything I own is white and black. And most people refer to the whole place as the "ghost squadron". So who am I to make fun.
6)It's not that terrible, but I try not to miss an opportunity to poke fun, especially at something that kinda deserves it. I mean, come'on, you had to know some of this was coming.
7) Did I mention I'm an a-hole?

game, set, match.

It's all good. Yes, I'm no stranger to these kind of forum reactions. I could tell from the start that your style was the pursuit of "OEM Style Perfection". I get it. Don't change a bit. And I'm damn glad people like you are around this forum, you're a wealth of knowledge and are VERY helpful to us NEWBs. :-D

trayson

05-21-2013, 11:48 AM

Yeah, he could have done this:

https://forum.supraboats.com/showthread.php?14808-86-Sunsport-NEW-PAINT-!!!&p=93968#post93968

OMG.
:eek:

kvand347

05-21-2013, 12:19 PM

Yeah, he could have done this:

https://forum.supraboats.com/showthread.php?14808-86-Sunsport-NEW-PAINT-!!!&p=93968#post93968

What are you talking about? That is totally cool! Hahahahahaha! [heavy on the sarcasm]

kvand347

05-21-2013, 12:22 PM

1) I'm an a-hole. Let's all just face it. :D
2) I'm opinionated. But I own up to it.
3) I'm blunt.
4)I'm an a-hole.
5)I have no room to really make fun of you. If you saw my shop, you would call me out so fast my head would spin. Everything I own is white and black. And most people refer to the whole place as the "ghost squadron". So who am I to make fun.
6)It's not that terrible, but I try not to miss an opportunity to poke fun, especially at something that kinda deserves it. I mean, come'on, you had to know some of this was coming.
7) Did I mention I'm an a-hole?

That right there is exactly why I always thought you must be a pretty cool guy. Never afraid to voice your opinion or poke fun at yourself! Tonight I'm raising my glass to you, sir!

TitanTn

05-21-2013, 01:52 PM

Jetlink

05-21-2013, 03:43 PM

Can we "sticky" this?

Stay tuned...Hahahaha!!!

haugy

05-21-2013, 03:46 PM

Can we "sticky" this?

Stay tuned...Hahahaha!!!

Payback sucks, just remember that. :D :D

Sirgonz

05-22-2013, 01:37 AM

You guys make me laugh.

Very true. In fact, I know that taking off all the vinyl would be way easier than it was to just remove the mess left over when I took off the "Launch" and that double sided foam adhesive that was used for that stuff.

I certainly didn't have the money for a full vinyl wrap, and again, I didn't think that something with the 'worlds' theme would have felt right.

Really, it all started when we described the boat as having a 'stormtrooper' color scheme, then I figured it'd be a cool name for the vessle and it all kinda snowballed from there. I had originally planned on getting one of those tribal or flames supra decals you see online, but when I found a vendor that had the Star Jedi font, I went with it.

And Yeah, I like it. Maybe it's a bit out of the norm to put a vessel name on a tournament boat, but here in the Portland area, all we see are big cruisers and sailboats dominating our river.

We named our Supra "Envy" ( its green) I like the name and so long as you guys like it enjoy man!

trayson

05-22-2013, 11:20 AM

I don't want to sound racist, but all stormtroopers look the same to me.

Well, I looked at my wake the other day and thought to myself, "Aren't you a little short for a stormtrooper??"

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3134/2896019144_a919aa3169_z.jpg

Sirgonz

05-22-2013, 01:05 PM

Roflmao...

trayson

05-26-2013, 09:14 PM

On the water pics!

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-i8J0bmmhtZE/UaKzNWiDyxI/AAAAAAAAOB0/GfRxGaVK-Ts/s800/923104_501934749855886_1738835765_n.jpg

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-9KQnqgKy8gw/UaKzMy8bEoI/AAAAAAAAOB0/BFxaCfvmTJU/s800/429952_501934996522528_1686861446_n.jpg

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-p_TwtBo1YVA/UaKzMy3tDgI/AAAAAAAAOB0/UjVk_3dNpwk/s800/486312_501934936522534_2145901567_n.jpg

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-wB9Hj92kRzE/UaKzNm8erPI/AAAAAAAAOB0/SZHyhoXAKXA/s800/984051_501934679855893_2075881621_n.jpg

trayson

06-06-2013, 06:00 PM

Been making some progress on the boat. I got my bimini straps all sorted out so everything's just right. I also replaced all the rope on my fenders with nylon webbing that is set to the right length for the mounting points and has quick clips for on/off. I also labeled each fender with a I, II, and III done in black electrical tape so I know easily which one goes in what spot.

I found out the hard way that I needed a new battery. I went out last weekend on Saturday evening and turned around to go out again on Sunday morning. Because I was going out with such a quick turnaround, I left the tow rig hitched to the trailer and just pulled it up in front of our house (so no topping off the batteries). Turns out that the Prev owner had only replaced 1 last season and the other was on it's way out. I was running off the bad one and when it didn't start the boat, I switched to battery #2. I inadvertantly left it on #2 and ran that one down and the boat wouldn't start. We ended up drifting to a sandy beach and were able to flag down another boat that likewise had a dual battery setup. So, I borrowed his battery to get us re-started and we were back in business. We went to costco that night and bought a new battery. $75, not too bad.

I fixed the handle on the trunk with some nylon webbing. I also did a cheap "fix" of the center stitching that had totally come undone on the sundeck. I figured since my boat had black accents and there was a black stripe on the doghouse, then why not on the sundeck trunk lid. You can kind of see it in this pic of my friend doing yoga stretches on the truck. (silly girl). Yeah, it's a poorly stitched instagram pic. I'll do better later.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-vsXna85zzn4/UbEFpVxP9TI/AAAAAAAAODU/XHOLzstcr5U/s800/becca.jpg

I've been making progress on the stereo and interior LED lights too. I'll be doing more of that after work today.

Salty87

06-06-2013, 07:12 PM

the dark clouds only add to the effect. you need some tower speakers to play your theme music.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-p_TwtBo1YVA/UaKzMy3tDgI/AAAAAAAAOB0/UjVk_3dNpwk/s800/486312_501934936522534_2145901567_n.jpg

TitanTn

06-07-2013, 05:50 PM

Good progress Trayson. It's nice to have a battery you can rely on.

Nice to see your friend practicing yoga. Supra is the official towboat of the yoga nationals, so keep posting the pics!

trayson

06-09-2013, 12:50 AM

Busy few evenings of boat projects.

I swapped out the weak kenwood speakers for some MB Quart coaxials that would actually handle some power. I hooked them up to deck power and the boat actually had some decent bass. I added a 4 channel old school Alpine amp (4x50), but unfortunately, 1/2 of it was blown. I guess that's the risk of buying an amp off Craigslist. At least I only paid $40.

So, I'd originally got a Rockford Fosgate Punch 360.2 to use as a sub amp, but figured what the hell--so I hooked it up to the 4 speakers. The amp puts out a lot of power at 2 ohms, so it most certainly rocks. UNFORTUNATELY, this morning when I went out on the water as soon as I turned on the engine the system screached BAD. Talk about feedback. It was so bad that I couldn't play the stereo with the engine running, and I'd even get whine when I used the heater or blower. This afternoon, I ran a ground straight from the deck directly to the battery, and also grounded the case of the deck to the case of the amp. The Amp is already grounded to the battery with a pretty short lead, only 2 to 3 feet. I think this should remedy, otherwise I'll buy a ground loop isolator.

I <3 LED's! So I added LED's as well. I have LED Strips that are on the outside of the speaker grills. They are black strips so you don't even notice them with the LED's off in the daylight. I also have a pair of white strips with blue LED's that are just above the teak steps on the Gunnels. I put a single LED in the bottom of the cupholders as well. And I replaced the passenger seat's court light with a blue LED festoon bulb. It's not very bright, but it matches. I also put a short strip on the trim that's below the steering wheel and another one at the top of the compartment with the little key shelves and the tinted plexiglass door.

Tonight I found that on my heater system that it must have originally had a tube that functioned as a defroster, blowing on the inside of the windshield. At some point in time someone replaced that with a pull out heat tube, but the grill on the heat tube must have broken so it was just an open tube. I was able to retrofit the flaps from the "defroster" tube onto the pull out one and I'm just going to put a cupholder in the spot where the defroster tube was (probably use it to hold my cell phone or something).

I also wired up a lead off the battery to power a pump for ballast bags. I used the type that you see on motorcycles and battery tenders:
http://images.jrgraham.com/webattachments/images/large/DL0693.jpg

I got my 2 new ballast bags. One is a 20x20x50 that fits perfect beside the doghouse. The other is the Fly High tube sack and will go inside the trunk storage locker. We tried surfing today with the big bag next to the doghouse and the under the seat bag and a bag filling the cooler behind the playpen. It was okay, but we still need some work. admittedly I still have the tube sack to add to the mix. Today I realized that I really want some of the quick connect fittings for the pump to bags. That will make life a lot easier. I do have the parts to hard plumb the trunk bag to the Ballast Puppy pump, but that's a project for a future day.

trayson

06-09-2013, 12:54 AM

I've also been chasing down some other problems that I posted in separate threads...

Vent Heater box:
https://forum.supraboats.com/showthread.php?14980-The-vent-heater-box-is-crumbling-Heater-still-works-What-is-the-fix-and-how-hard

Slipping Transmission with low fluid:
https://forum.supraboats.com/showthread.php?14921-Transmission-fluid-capacity-PCM-351-ProBoss-%28-amp-slipping-tranny-would-love-insight%29

I do have another question:
I know that the Court lights are for the light below the passenger seat and the lights below the rear cupholders. What is the switch labeled "Int Light" for?

trayson

06-09-2013, 09:51 PM

Looks like they cut the partitions out of the rear bench to be able to fit the ballast bag. I'd just double check to make sure the bench is structurally sound. My boat has three separate compartments underneath each seat base.

Kevin, I finally got you that pic of the removal of the dividers on the rear seat.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-_L4yNvfCpC4/UbUv82v1ONI/AAAAAAAAOFs/w8oifLCLBRY/s800/%255BUNSET%255D.jpg

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-8gOKE1e-5zY/UbUwHJ0KUoI/AAAAAAAAOHU/iOw05AY4904/s800/%255BUNSET%255D.jpg

trayson

06-09-2013, 09:56 PM

Finally took some more pics today:

Ballast Puppy Pump, under the rear center seat access panel.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-RbOuOJ_DfU8/UbUv7F0mAzI/AAAAAAAAOFc/CnHGv2bZBLU/s800/%255BUNSET%255D.jpg

Control switch for pump, with blue LED strip lighting. You can also see the hot tube location and the vent cap that I retrofitted onto the open tube.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-PvhLhj1k7ps/UbUwJKwwa0I/AAAAAAAAOHs/3IKrjAXRDwQ/s800/%255BUNSET%255D.jpg

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-hqWolj8l63U/UbUv-GTmTVI/AAAAAAAAOF8/b3PbyRBqpfs/s640/%255BUNSET%255D.jpg

Pic of the nylon webbing as a new pull strap for the trunk, and a strip of gorilla tape as a "repair" of the seam that was horribly split. It actually looks really similar to the black stripe on my engine cover.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-_SR0AuxdM9Q/UbUwAZjp0gI/AAAAAAAAOGU/Yu-3IVlcqTc/s800/%255BUNSET%255D.jpg

Salty87

06-09-2013, 09:59 PM

^ looked better with the yoga girl on it!

i have a split right in that spot too. interesting idea. is the tape holding?

trayson

06-09-2013, 10:04 PM

My amp that powers the 4 speakers is a Rockford Fosgate Punch 360.2 and I have it going at 2 ohms. Perko switch and a distribution block for adding my 2nd amp when I make my sub box. (ignore the red/yellow crimped wire. It's what used to power a 2nd ballast pump that the previous owner removed.)

It's worth noting that I was able to fix the horrendous feedback squeal by running a ground from my deck to the battery and also running a case ground from the deck to the chassis of the amp.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-_ESOyf-Ubzk/UbUwIWVirgI/AAAAAAAAOHk/Kug-Ckhmc-Q/s800/%255BUNSET%255D.jpg

MB Quart Coaxials with LED Strip lighting surrounding the grill. And white LED strip above the teak steps. Yes, I was lazy and the wire you see going down from the speaker is powering the strip light. for my LED lighting there, I tapped into the court lights that are under the cupholder. Those lights were so rusted they were toast anyway.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-5vY_FdxVGCo/UbUv-2Pwn9I/AAAAAAAAOGE/O47TO7koFqk/s800/%255BUNSET%255D.jpg

Also put blue LED's in the cupholders...
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-0QcPZVyK544/UbUwGTJlHVI/AAAAAAAAOHM/YxMDLa7aOIs/s800/%255BUNSET%255D.jpg

A full shot of the gunnel lighting and the light around the speaker grill.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-_-KvuhY1I0g/UbUwJuyl3kI/AAAAAAAAOH0/6DCnq2O7fmI/s800/%255BUNSET%255D.jpg

trayson

06-09-2013, 10:11 PM

Here's a good pic of my $10 cushion fix... It's not "perfect", but they are plenty comfy and perfectly functional.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-kadaXilR0AI/UbUv9UxvcnI/AAAAAAAAOF0/5lm74ynKuLM/s800/%255BUNSET%255D.jpg

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Giv__agrZbQ/UbUwBaiMrkI/AAAAAAAAOGc/wOm_Z4vKy_s/s800/%255BUNSET%255D.jpg

Front speakers have LED strips around the grill as well, and an LED in each cupholder.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-JutzVtVpNYY/UbUwHl-iSZI/AAAAAAAAOHc/dMiK2VADVU0/s800/%255BUNSET%255D.jpg

LED Strip light under the steering wheel trim, and I added one of those adjustable fold down cupholders in front of the heater controls. And yes, that is a 3" lego strormtrooper keychain--and there's an LED light in each leg, LOL!
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-7UI6-q3shYQ/UbUwEXWOvjI/AAAAAAAAOG8/2jvxBWdJmg8/s800/%255BUNSET%255D.jpg

trayson

06-09-2013, 10:19 PM

Not sure what everyone's dual battery setups look like, but here's mine. I've got 2 harbor freight float chargers to keep them topped off. You can barely see the fins of the amp stashed behind the batteries. The previous owner wired the ballast pump straight to the battery... I didn't think of changing it when I had the perko switch removed... maybe someday.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-5gQPAu_mGEM/UbUwD5JoUYI/AAAAAAAAOIM/5uNIR2T2IHA/s800/%255BUNSET%255D.jpg

Pic of the speaker and the LED gunnel strip with the lights off. you really don't notice them when they're off unless you're looking for them.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-rWNROnSunwI/UbUwFTx3qeI/AAAAAAAAOHE/BiKy6d8lT0k/s800/%255BUNSET%255D.jpg

Again, speaker grills with LED lighting turned off
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-p9AKTcQ_Lxw/UbUwCCV0JDI/AAAAAAAAOGk/rjD9scymgQY/s800/%255BUNSET%255D.jpg

trayson

06-09-2013, 10:30 PM

Oh, and here's how my ballast is going.

1) fat sack under the rear seat.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-itVCrOL8sWU/UbU43QW6uqI/AAAAAAAAOIU/g3GT_jXPEE0/s800/%255BUNSET%255D.jpg

2) Old school sake w/ waterbed type fittings in the cooler at the base of the open bow playpen:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-QtmgS-9a3jk/UbUFJn2r6CI/AAAAAAAAOEk/PQM43nGR8jI/s800/%255BUNSET%255D.jpg

3) 750 pound 50x20x20 fat sack beside the doghouse
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-KDTG23eg4I0/UbUFMLOf9xI/AAAAAAAAOEs/I6dxdTohbV0/s800/%255BUNSET%255D.jpg

4) 370 pound fly high x-series tube sack (for ski locker or where ever I want...
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-ANnEtafKgug/UbUX6Pv0klI/AAAAAAAAOE8/nJhgVV97ysc/s800/%255BUNSET%255D.jpg

So, probably in the range of 1,200 to 1,400 pounds total I'd guess.

trayson

06-09-2013, 10:34 PM

^ looked better with the yoga girl on it!

i have a split right in that spot too. interesting idea. is the tape holding?

LOL. Yeah, she loves the attention. Those silly model types.

So far so good on the tape. it's been out 3 trips since I did the fix, and doesn't seem to be having issue. I figure, what's the worst that could happen? It doesn't hold and I'm back where I started I guess.

trayson

06-10-2013, 01:51 AM

Finally having some fun behind the boat too!

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-dajtOAvOBd8/UbVoaApV2XI/AAAAAAAAOJI/fMs3eI4aTW8/s800/974975_10101350918001382_510795422_n.jpg

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-vVu9aVJX9gI/UbVm7tpng0I/AAAAAAAAOIs/1G9U41Mica4/s800/975193_10101351336737232_2038531666_n.jpg

And in the boat!
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-mTc4Eeu-za8/UbVp6UG1R7I/AAAAAAAAOK4/qRgShkJjLDs/s800/973367_10101351335988732_733506589_n%25281%2529.jp g

TitanTn

06-10-2013, 07:59 AM

Great pics Trayson. Making good progress and using the boat too. Thanks for the updates.

kvand347

06-10-2013, 09:41 AM

It's worth noting that I was able to fix the horrendous feedback squeal by running a ground from my deck to the battery and also running a case ground from the deck to the chassis of the amp.

I'm going to have to try that. Mine is hums to my motor and I get feedback from the bilge pump too. What do you mean by case ground to deck and amp? Run a wire from the case of the deck to the case of the amp?

Nice work on all the updates you have done! Surf wave looks good and you have plenty of slack in the rope..throw that sucker in the boat and ride ropeless!

trayson

06-10-2013, 10:50 AM

I'm going to have to try that. Mine is hums to my motor and I get feedback from the bilge pump too. What do you mean by case ground to deck and amp? Run a wire from the case of the deck to the case of the amp?

Nice work on all the updates you have done! Surf wave looks good and you have plenty of slack in the rope..throw that sucker in the boat and ride ropeless!

Exactly what you said. I ran a wire that was screwed into the metal case on the back of the deck and also made a direct contact with the metal case of the amp (mounting screw). And grounding the deck directly to the battery. If that wouldn't have worked, I would have bought a ground loop isolator, but didn't need to take that step.

And I still need to develop a bit more skill before I lose my security blanket (rope). But I'll get there!

trayson

06-11-2013, 12:20 PM

Well, I ordered up a few more fittings and what not from Wakemakers. I'm going to have my over the side ballast pump be able to quick connect into all my fly high bags. I also retrofitted the cooler bag so it'll have a fly high quick connect and another fly high screw off cap. Basically update it to more current tech. The whole ring around the rosey getting all the tube and cord tangled up while screwing into my bags was LAME and I'm not doing that every time.

I also replaced the impeller in my ballast puppy hard mounted pump. I was getting water into the hard plumped under the seat bag while underway despite the switch being in the off position. I was told that my impeller was probably worn. So, I got a new impeller. I'm a little puzzled though as the old impeller doesn't seem that "worn" to me. But what do I know??? I guess I'll see if it fills with the switch off on the new impeller...

Old Impeller pics:
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-aKUqiagOO7I/UbUv_oXpiWI/AAAAAAAAOGM/I9oe8WnNzyE/s800/%255BUNSET%255D.jpg

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-DFDXvfeZukI/UbUwDJV3t9I/AAAAAAAAOGs/IlRKdpSPFAk/s800/%255BUNSET%255D.jpg

trayson

06-11-2013, 01:46 PM

Yesterday in addition to the additional ballast fittings I ordered yesterday (which shipped today BTW), I bought a new wakesurf board, the Liquid Force Fish 5'6". I demo'd it a few weeks ago and it's a very forgiving board for someone that's still coming up to speed like myself.

http://www.wholesalemarine.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/400x/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/L/-/L-F-2135290_lg.jpg

I also found a speaker box for my subwoofer. It was almost the perfect dimensions and it comes already sealed in 7 coats of bedliner material. I was actually going to go the same route as I'd already bought some spray on undercoating from Walmart (it'll get returned). So this box will be a lot less work and really isn't THAT expensive. I'll be super stoked not to have to spend the time building one.

The box is going to go in the spot that's between the bilge access hole and the back of the open bow's cooler. (see pic below) Basically, it'll double as a jump seat. I already have a vinyl cushion cover that fits over a throw PDF cushion, so that will go on top of the box.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-vNvzJE4jYO8/UVO5ZBloX-I/AAAAAAAANt4/84VMCv9nnWs/s800/photo%2520%25284%2529.jpg

This is what the box will look like:
http://images.hpca.netdna-cdn.com/D/RL110V-a-04-01.jpg

trayson

06-11-2013, 01:51 PM

Wakemakers fittings that are on the way:

2 of these for each end of my over the side pump:
http://www.wakemakers.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/small_image/170x170/5e06319eda06f020e43594a9c230972d/f/l/fly_high_fitting_w734.jpg

1 of these for my cooler bag to convert it to the fly high quick release:
http://www.wakemakers.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/small_image/170x170/5e06319eda06f020e43594a9c230972d/s/a/sacadapter.jpg

1 vent cap to add to my under the seat ballast bag:
http://www.wakemakers.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/small_image/170x170/5e06319eda06f020e43594a9c230972d/f/l/fly_high_w749_fitting.jpg

And then I'm going to use this piece that I already have and use it with a normal fly high screw cap so I don't have any of the waterbed style connections on my front cooler bag.
http://www.wakemakers.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/small_image/170x170/5e06319eda06f020e43594a9c230972d/p/e/perfect_union_fitting_1.jpg

I did order up a little more hose as well--because I'm sure I'll use more than I expected when I ultimately re-do the hard plumbed ballast piping.

trayson

06-11-2013, 02:05 PM

So, when I got the boat, I was given the forks from one side of the Roswell tower rack. The previous owner had clipped a tree branch with the rack and snapped off the mounting bolt inside the fork of the rack. It was IN THERE. He had notched it and of course it wouldn't budge. I tried drilling it in and using easy out's, but all I suceeded in doing was breaking off tips of my drill bits and fusing them into that mess.

I was smart enough to give up before I made things worse and unrecoverable. I put out a plea for help on FB and a buddy that has a machine shop at his work came to my rescue.

He said it took a carbide spade drill, a .25 carbide 4 flute end mill, and a 5/16 18nc tap. (Like I even really know what all that stuff is?!?!?!?) Okay, actually I know what a tap is and have some. But bottom line is that easy outs would NOT have worked and it's not fixed. Back to having a PAIR of racks soon!

I guess he even had access to an EDM (Electrical Discharge Machining) machine. He explained to me that it works as follows:

You turn a carbon electrode on a lathe, chuck it in a holder, clamp the workpiece in a vise and fill the tank with edm fluid. The carbon is positive the workpiece is negative. Turn it on, sparks begin and an hour later you have burned the shape of the electrode down to the desired depth. You can burn any shape

Cool stuff! His family is definitely getting a boating outing this summer!!!

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-1rjWRCoaxi4/Ubdm6utgWAI/AAAAAAAAOMQ/S7-FR_NfV9E/s800/%255BUNSET%255D.jpg

trayson

06-11-2013, 11:35 PM

TitanTn

06-11-2013, 11:52 PM

trayson

06-12-2013, 12:10 AM

Hopefully it's something minor with the transmission, but slipping sounds like a rebuild of some kind.

How do you find time for all these projects? I've had a new starter for mine for the last two weeks. It'll take me 10 minutes to put on and I can't make it happen. I'm hoping for tomorrow.

Yeah, I'm hoping for MINOR too. Like a seal or a leaking gasket where you'd access the filter. I mean, seriously, there's only a few access points where I could be leaking fluid from. Although my heart sunk when they asked if they could river test it if needed--I said okay, but all I could think about was $100 an hour to take my boat to/from the river and launch it and THEN finally troubleshoot it. :-(

Well as far as where do I find the time: I've still got the "new boat" passion. It's my new toy and I'm fanatical about it right now (which means that projects for other things aren't getting done. I have a pile of parts for my BMW that are just sitting there...). The stereo stuff and LED's are "fun" and there's a ton of satisfaction from that kind of stuff for me. Stuff like figuring out why the battery wasn't lasting or why the alternator isn't putting out the volts I'd expect aren't nearly as "fun"... My starter is likewise being difficult. It "spins" sometimes when I try to start it, which is making me think that it's an issue with the Bendix (or the teeth where it engages the flywheel). But that's on the back shelf. I also have a no cut depth transducer and gauge that would be really nice to get done (as I do a lot of boating in the river). Yeah, I prioritized new speakers and Amps over a depth gauge!

kvand347

06-12-2013, 11:27 AM

Yeah, I'm hoping for MINOR too. Like a seal or a leaking gasket where you'd access the filter. I mean, seriously, there's only a few access points where I could be leaking fluid from. Although my heart sunk when they asked if they could river test it if needed--I said okay, but all I could think about was $100 an hour to take my boat to/from the river and launch it and THEN finally troubleshoot it. :-(

Well as far as where do I find the time: I've still got the "new boat" passion. It's my new toy and I'm fanatical about it right now (which means that projects for other things aren't getting done. I have a pile of parts for my BMW that are just sitting there...). The stereo stuff and LED's are "fun" and there's a ton of satisfaction from that kind of stuff for me. Stuff like figuring out why the battery wasn't lasting or why the alternator isn't putting out the volts I'd expect aren't nearly as "fun"... My starter is likewise being difficult. It "spins" sometimes when I try to start it, which is making me think that it's an issue with the Bendix (or the teeth where it engages the flywheel). But that's on the back shelf. I also have a no cut depth transducer and gauge that would be really nice to get done (as I do a lot of boating in the river). Yeah, I prioritized new speakers and Amps over a depth gauge!

My starter is doing the same thing. Typically only rears its ugly head when the boat is warmed up. Not sure what mine is either...starter or flywheel. I've been ignoring it hoping that it will last this summer...

trayson

06-12-2013, 11:40 AM

My starter is doing the same thing. Typically only rears its ugly head when the boat is warmed up. Not sure what mine is either...starter or flywheel. I've been ignoring it hoping that it will last this summer...

Yeah, I've been trying to chase mine down--because the Prev owner got a new starter recently. I thought it had a correlation to battery voltage because I'd have it where it'd spin, spin, spin, then I'd switch over to the backup battery and it'd start. BUT, the other day I had it spin, spin, spin, start. So maybe not. I've read a lot of threads on it, and it seems to come down to either the Bendix (starter drive) or the possibility that there's worn teeth on the starter and/or flywheel.

I also noticed that my weaksauce stock alternator wasn't putting out the volts, even when the engine was revving good. Then the other day I noticed that the belt seemed a bit loose (like I could grab the fins of the alternator just behind the pully and slip it by hand. So I of course tightened up the belt. Hopefully that gets the alternator back on track. Of course, it's such a meager output that if I have to replace it and upgrade I won't cry (other than the obvious cost considerations).

It's always something, isn't it?!?!?!

kvand347

06-12-2013, 11:47 AM

trayson

06-12-2013, 12:16 PM

Mine has a new-ish starter as well. I'm pretty sure it's the teeth on the flywheel and not the bendix. I'm kind of dreading having to unbolt the tranny. You should have yours done if they have to take your tranny out and rebuild it.

Yes...it's always something. I just get embarassed when by starter does that and the people on the boat give me a look like, "We going to make it back?" I just smile and say, "It does this sometimes." :rolleyes:

Well, a little over a week ago, we went out on Saturday evening and we were gonna turn around and go right back out Sunday morning. So I didn't even unhitch Saturday night--I just pulled everything across our driveway and left it. Needless to say, I didn't plug in the float chargers.

I guess one of the batteries had been on its way out. So, we go out on Sunday with 2 other couples on board. I had been talking about the starter issue and I had been thinking it was tied to low voltage. So, after floating for a bit with the music on, I went to move us a little (spin, spin, spin). Then I switched it over to battery #2 and it started right up and I moved us. Then I just left it (didn't want to make the passengers get up to put the battery switch back). More floating and music. Then the wife mentions we're getting closer to the shore so I go to start the boat and NOTHING. Not even a click. On either battery. The good news is that we'd drifted to a perfect sandy beach. so we chilled for a bit and some people had their much needed bathroom breaks behind the bushes. After ignoring a few yaghts, I flagged down a pleasure boat. We both had dual batteries, so I had him lend me his battery to get started, put the dual battery switch over keeping the boat running, then gave him his battery back and we were on our way.

To this day, I call that "dead battery beach" when we pass it.

That night I went to Costco and bought a new marine deep cycle.

So, two days later we're back out on the river. We end up at pretty much the same spot so I can beach it and let one of the girls have a bathroom break. We motor out and do some floating... Then we're heading towards a row of old pylon logs... I go to start the boat and NOTHING. WTF?!?!? I charged it. I bought a new battery. There's no way this s/b happening. I didn't handle this one so gracefully. Definitely more swearing at my boat this time! I just didn't get it. So, we finally flag down a Mastercraft and they have a brand new Optima marine that they lend me. And NOTHING. I was so confused. then the wife *finally* asks me, "Does the boat need to be in neutral to start?"

*facepalm* My batteries were fine. Both of them. That was an embarassing lessen to learn. So embarassing that I forbid anyone on the boat to post that story on facebook! But I'm among fellow boaters here, so I guess I can take my lumps. At least that one didn't cost us a cent and just cost us a little rowing to get us away from the pylons.

kvand347

06-12-2013, 01:22 PM

Well, a little over a week ago, we went out on Saturday evening and we were gonna turn around and go right back out Sunday morning. So I didn't even unhitch Saturday night--I just pulled everything across our driveway and left it. Needless to say, I didn't plug in the float chargers.

I guess one of the batteries had been on its way out. So, we go out on Sunday with 2 other couples on board. I had been talking about the starter issue and I had been thinking it was tied to low voltage. So, after floating for a bit with the music on, I went to move us a little (spin, spin, spin). Then I switched it over to battery #2 and it started right up and I moved us. Then I just left it (didn't want to make the passengers get up to put the battery switch back). More floating and music. Then the wife mentions we're getting closer to the shore so I go to start the boat and NOTHING. Not even a click. On either battery. The good news is that we'd drifted to a perfect sandy beach. so we chilled for a bit and some people had their much needed bathroom breaks behind the bushes. After ignoring a few yaghts, I flagged down a pleasure boat. We both had dual batteries, so I had him lend me his battery to get started, put the dual battery switch over keeping the boat running, then gave him his battery back and we were on our way.

To this day, I call that "dead battery beach" when we pass it.

That night I went to Costco and bought a new marine deep cycle.

So, two days later we're back out on the river. We end up at pretty much the same spot so I can beach it and let one of the girls have a bathroom break. We motor out and do some floating... Then we're heading towards a row of old pylon logs... I go to start the boat and NOTHING. WTF?!?!? I charged it. I bought a new battery. There's no way this s/b happening. I didn't handle this one so gracefully. Definitely more swearing at my boat this time! I just didn't get it. So, we finally flag down a Mastercraft and they have a brand new Optima marine that they lend me. And NOTHING. I was so confused. then the wife *finally* asks me, "Does the boat need to be in neutral to start?"

*facepalm* My batteries were fine. Both of them. That was an embarassing lessen to learn. So embarassing that I forbid anyone on the boat to post that story on facebook! But I'm among fellow boaters here, so I guess I can take my lumps. At least that one didn't cost us a cent and just cost us a little rowing to get us away from the pylons.

Hahaha! Thanks for sharing that story. Makes me a feel a little better!

sybrmike

06-12-2013, 03:26 PM

Thanks for conjuring up old memories - glad it was a no-cost situation. Lockout switches can be embarrassing for sure. Way back in the early 80's my high school buddy had to hike to the nearest farmhouse (no cell phones back then) to call his dad when the car mysteriously wouldn't start - in the middle of the night - way out in the woods - alone with his girl. Apparently in the throes of passion, the center console shifter got nudged. Made for a looooong quiet ride home....

Jetlink

06-12-2013, 03:33 PM

Right, "high school buddy" Mike...lol

mabbore

06-13-2013, 11:04 AM

I have done the same thing a fair amount of times, lol

trayson

06-21-2013, 08:59 PM

Welp, it was a little too much off and on rain to go play on the water today, so I bit the bullet and trailered the boat to our local boat dealer. Last time I was out, the Tranny started slipping again. Pretty sure it's leaking tranny fluid (although it's hard to tell as the bilge is a slimy mess with fluid residue everywhere). Cleaned it out as best I could before taking it into the shop.

I'm out of town next week in NYC so I'm hoping that they get it figured out (without spending a zillion dollars in labor) by the time I get back...

*sigh* The uncertainty of $$$ at $100/hr makes me anxious.

So it's been a week and a half and the boat hasn't been touched for a diagnosis, much less a fix. The good is that I've been on vacation in NYC all this week. The bad is that my son goes back to his mom on Friday afternoon, so I've only got a few days next week and then he's not back until July.

Man, I hope it's just a leak.

trayson

06-24-2013, 01:17 PM

mabbore

06-24-2013, 04:10 PM

Okay, here's the update:

Issue
- Tranny was slipping with hard cornering and under load out of the hole.
- Found I was low on Tranny Fluid, so I topped it off (probably a quart low on a 2 quart capacity).
- Slipping went away
- Started slipping again, tranny fluid in the bilge. It's undoubtedly leaking.
- No burnt smell from fluid
- Dropped boat at dealer on 6/18/13
- It took them 11 days until Saturday 6/22 for them to even look at it.
- Supposedly they can't find the source of the leak and it didn't slip when testing it out of the water unloaded.

I'm about at the point where I just have them replace all the damn seals on the transmission and get me my boat back...

Thoughts on what I should do? How many labor hours would be involved in something like replacing the seals? I found the kit for $183 on skidim.
http://www.skidim.com/prodinfo.asp?number=RK173058

At the end of last summer I blew both of my reverse clutch plates. At the time i did not know what was wrong, just that my tranny would not engage when in reverse. I have done a handful of Automotive automatic and Manual transmissions over the last 10 years, but I was a little too skidish to tackle this one. I rarely shy away from a project, but rebuilding a couple of automotive transmissions taught me that I did not really have the experience for a solid rebuild on this niche tranny. I was able to find a local guy that had rebuilt dozens of these and did mine for 500. But I pulled the tranny myself.

Salty87

06-24-2013, 04:59 PM

flip through this: https://forum.supraboats.com/showthread.php?10280-How-to-rebuild-a-velvet-drive-10-17-004-1-1&highlight=transmission+rebuild

trayson

06-28-2013, 01:58 AM

In case you didn't see it in my other thread:

Okay, here's the update.

I had cleaned out the bilge. I warmed up the tranny on the water and checked the fluid per what I found on a Natique website regarding the PCM 40i 1:1

How to check the fluid level on the PCM transmission

WARNING!
In order to prevent personal injury to you or others on board, whenever the engine is running, the machinery space must be closed. Never operate the engine with the engine machinery space open or while someone is in the machinery space, either open or closed. Never open the machinery space unless the engine is shut off and engine's rotating parts are stationary and remain in a stationary position. Rotating machinery can cause injury and even death if an accident should occur. Whenever a problem exists that requires the operation of the engine with the machinery space open, extreem care must be exercised. IT IS RECCOMENDED THAT UNCOVERED ENGINE OPERATION BE ATTEMPTED ONLY BY TRAINED AND QUALIFIED SERVICE PERSONNEL.

The boat must be at rest in the water with the engine running at idle speed and the proppeller shaft not turning. SEE PRECEDING WARNING.
Pull the dipstick straight up and out of the transmission case to remove dipstick.
Wipe the fluid off the dipstick with a clean cloth.
Push dipstick fully into the installed position in the transmission fill hole.
Remove dipstick and note level indicated. Add fluid, if required, to bring level up to the top mark.

NOTE: Add oil in small amounts to prevent overfilling. If the transmission is over filled the excess will have to be removed to prevent leakage or damage to the transmission.

If it is necessary to add oil repeat steps 1 through 5. Reinstall dipstick.

So I topped off the fluid. Then I took it out and did a bunch of s-turns and Zipped around. No apparent slipping.

So, then I did a few out of the hole pulls. Again, no slipping that I was able to notice.

So, I filled up my ballast sacks. I was probably around 1200 to 1400 pounds of ballast, and didn't feel any slipping pulling my 280 pound friend up on the surf board or when surfing with him. Likewise when he was back corner in the boat with me surfing (the other people were probably 215 more pounds) I didn't notice the tranny slipping.

So, we each had a pretty decent length surf session. He took 3 or 4 pulls. I took just the one long one...

After we were done, the water in the bilge did have a little milky-ness to it. And I probably had to add under 1/4 of a quart to get it back to where it was.

So, the fluid is getting out somehow. Yet I can't seem to find anything obvious. I looked around the pressure relief valve (at the top of the tranny on a spring about the size of a pencil eraser) and it still seemed clean.

I did notice this verbiage in the Factory Service manual that looked interesting:

Problem: Loss of oil with no trace of missing oil.
Cause: Oil leakage from cooler into the cooling fluid
Remedy: Replace cooler.

I'm wondering if this could be it???

On another side note, it seems I have water getting in from somewhere. The bilge pump was running a decent amount when the boat was weighted for surfing. It's always something, right?

Another update. I called up and talked to one of the techs at SkiDIM. (man, they know their sh**.)

The next steps to check are to pull the starter and check for tranny fluid in that area. I guess there's a seal by the flywheel and if that's going bad I'll see it there. Also, he told me to check my engine/transmission/prop alignment. I guess if there's an alignment issue, that transmission has the tendency to walk out seals.

He said that since I'm finding fluid in the bilge, that it's unlikely that it's the transmission cooler. Makes sense.

trayson

07-06-2013, 05:19 PM

Well, I fast forwarded my timeline to deal with the leak.

Put the boat in w/o the plug for a minute yesterday. Whoops. No biggie I thought, pulled it out, put the plug in, and let the bilge do its job.

Realized that my tranny could leak water IN just as easily as it leaked fluid out. After a couple wakeboard jumps it let us know it wasn't happy and I had the "strawberry milkshake" on the dipstick.

trolled it back to the dock and spent 3 hours that afternoon doing this:
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-FjhhtDREN88/Udd6QthzcPI/AAAAAAAAOR0/xH8xlKcShwQ/s800/20130705_185133.jpg

Today I took my boat cover to a laundromat and found the biggest machines they had.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Y91BI4C1wuw/UdiA5CCcTAI/AAAAAAAAOSE/LQZ1INryoHU/s800/20130706_132811.jpg

I put in $8 in quarters (extra rinse and heavy cycle) and came back 45 minutes later. Seems like it really did a good job getting out all the dirt and dust that had embedded itself in the sunbrella fabric. all I did was take off the ratcheting metal hook from the rope. I did put in a few ounces of some BMW Soft Top cleaner into the liquid detergent spot on the washer.

I came home and put it on the boat in the sunshine to dry it out the rest of the way. After it's dry I'll be able to put the 303 protectant on it to make it waterproof again.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-XEvn0K_a5yQ/UdiKHP2lStI/AAAAAAAAOSU/xXvvSwuya8w/s800/20130706_135911.jpg

trayson

07-09-2013, 04:41 PM

So, I boxed up the transmission and it's shipping today to Fantastic Finish Marine for a full rebuild.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-0Fv89ElShb8/Udxs9vYXxUI/AAAAAAAAOUI/t2-msjkPlcE/s800/20130709_094319.jpg

It only weighed 56 pounds in the box. Not bad. Got a crazy deal on shipping through work. WA to OH for $25 + $10 insurance.

I also found out that there were chipped teeth on my flywheel's ring gear. SKIDIM.com wanted $120 for a ring gear. I got one from my local auto parts store for $22. A local machine shop is going to R&R the ring gear for $15. Nice!!!

I'm also going to change out the rear main seal while I have everything apart... We will put the transmission back in and then attempt the alignment ourselves. But if we aren't successful, I have an appointment at Active Water Sports a few days after I will get the tranny back.

trayson

07-30-2013, 12:20 PM

Got my transmission back on Friday from Fantastic Finishes Marine in OH. Full rebuild for $900. Unfortunately I was elbows deep in an event I put on for my BMW car club... It was a blast, but it took the whole weekend... http://vimeo.com/71303899

So, We dug into it yesterday after work. Changing the rear main seal was about the only smooth and easy part. Our plan was to use a clutch alignment tool to make sure that the damper plate was centered and everything would line up just right for the transmission input shaft to slide right in. Well, the input shaft is a 1" 35-spline piece. The only other application we could find for that was on Ford tractors. Um, yeah. So we went on a parts run and after the 4th auto parts store, we finally ended up with a universal pilot tool.
http://paceperformance.com/images/M31105054.jpg

Unfortunately, we messed up the order and we forgot to install the damper plate that does on the back of the bellhousing before the stupid flywheel, so we had to repeat that part. Then we found out that a bolt left part of its threads fused to the inside of the mounting holes for the flywheel. So a little drilling and some thread chasing and we were back in business.

By the end of the evening, the flywheel was back on and everything was aligned for that. We have the transmission in and mounted up to the engine. The stringer mounts are on and in place. The starter's back in and we've hooked up a lot of the hoses and electrical. So this evening we'll button up some more odds and ends, and fill the transmission and see if we can give it a shot at the propshaft/transmission alignment. If that doesn't go smooth, I have an appointment Thursday at a shop to have them do the alignment.
We were also a few days ago able to install the Faria depth gauge and we've run the wiring for the no cut transducer.
She'll be back on the water soon. Of course the forecast is for Rain on Thurs/Fri, so we'll hopefully get the wrenching done before then.

haugy

07-30-2013, 01:01 PM

trayson

07-30-2013, 02:07 PM

Am I misunderstanding something? With the damper plate in place, it should be aligned. Since it bolts up, and then the transmission slides into it, it should be all aligned. I'm not seeing where you would need an alignment tool for the damper plate. I must be misunderstanding you.

I put a new damper plate on mine, and slide the tranny right in. The bolted it all up. No alignment tool needed.

Okay, there is play where the damper plate can have some variation in how "centered" it is on the flywheel. If the damper plate was not bolted onto the flywheel dead on balls centered, it would cause the tranny input shaft to rotate in an orbit, and therefore tear up the tranny.

Now, I've since realized that we *should* have bought a brass pilot bearing to put into the hole that's at the end of the crank shaft. Because we did have issues when the hole at the back side of the engine was actually bigger than the hole in the damper plate. It made it so it would have been impossible to get the universal pilot tool out. We ended up wrapping a smaller bushing on the pilot tool with electrical tape to temporarily increase the diameter in a way that when we pulled the tool out through the hole in the damper plate, we could get the tape to give way and get the tool out.

Maybe your damper plate has zero tolerance, but mine there was definitely the ability for the mouting holes on the plate to be just big enough to slide the plate around marginally on the flywheel...

haugy

07-30-2013, 03:12 PM

trayson

07-30-2013, 03:43 PM

Oh okay. That's what I was wondering. Yeah on mine, it was pretty easy. 6 holes, no other way for it to line up. Although my tranny is now making some noises. :D :D Hope I didn't fubar it putting it back together.

Well, if you do have issues, a rebuild from Fantastic Finshes Marine is $900. And they turn it around in 2 to 3 days from receipt. They only weigh 55 pounds so fedex ground was a great deal and I was able to ship it in one of those industrial rubbermaid bins.

trayson

07-31-2013, 02:12 AM

Well, we spent another evening buttoning up things on the boat. We connected the tranny cooler and proceeded to work on the propshaft to transmission alignment. It took us a while (maybe an hour) but all in all we felt pretty satisfied with our result. We were able to get the left right to basically dead on balls (pretty much the same spec from side to side, under .001 difference). And top/bottom we were able to get it to within .0015 which is well within the within .003 spec. So we quit while we were ahead!!!

Filling the transmission fluid was a bit odd. The FSM says that the spec is 1.9 liters. I put in around 1.4 liters and it was overflowing fluid out the dipstick hole. I sucked quite a bit out and it still seemed like I had too much. It was still above the full mark. :confused: I have no idea how much I sucked out (I used my topsider pump), but obviously there's no way I got the full 1.9 in there. I even warmed up the engine to temp (hooked to the garden hose) and made sure the boat was level when I checked it. I am going to give Fantastic Finishes Marine a call tomorrow to ask them about it, and will also be re-checking the fluid level on the water tomorrow...

it feel surreal to think that the boat is "fixed" after having been down since July 5th. As part of this ordeal, I ended up getting a new ring gear on the flywheel, changing the rear main seal, getting the starter all cleaned up and tested, and verified my propshaft alignment.

I'm praying all goes well on the water tomorrow. I have to admit I am a little nervous.

TitanTn

07-31-2013, 08:49 AM

Congrats on getting all those repairs made. It sounds like you took your time in getting everything installed correctly, so I'm hoping you'll have a great experience on the water.

Blakearooskey

07-31-2013, 10:43 PM

Man, this is an excellent thread for someone like myself who is in the exact same spot you were when you started the thread. I'm going to check out a 1992 Sunsport this weekend and I am stoked! I eagerly await your lake test results as I have not ever owned a boat and I'm not quite sure I could do all you have done in repairs myself. Great job.

92SupraComp

07-31-2013, 11:59 PM

You have to have the engine running in order for the tranny to fill the cooler. Run the engine and then fill up the trans. Like a car.

trayson

08-01-2013, 12:39 AM

We went out and water tested it today. I brought a funnel and a pump to be able to add/subtract fluid. What ended up happening is that when I pulled some fluid out to correct the over-fill, I was able to see a little water in there. So, I am thinking that there was some residual fluid in the lines to/from the tranny cooler that didn't empty when we disconnected it. Yeah, we didn't think about that until everything was all hooked up and re-filled. So, we sucked out all the fluid we could, refilled it with new fluid and then let it circulate a little, then sucked out all the fluild we could again, and replaced it with clean fluid. An on the water flush of sorts.

I'll probably attempt a better flush over the next couple days here at home. Any insight on the best methods to flush a transmission?

In other news, Looks like we got a good location to mount our in hull transducer though. I was able to get reads off it that seemed very logical with what we know of our river. So, we'll probably work on getting it permanently mounted soon as well. And it did seem like our prop alignment paid off.

We were kinda hoping that tonight would be a fun play night, but it ended up being a shakedown cruise. There was no way I was going to put any load on the engine when I found even a little residual water in the system.

trayson

08-06-2013, 03:44 PM

last week I drained the tranny really good with the topsider pump. I disconnected the cooler lines and blew out the cooler. Then refilled with new fluild. Took it out on Sat and Sun and we're in good shape.

Had a blast playing on the water both days.

Been with maintenance and upgrades. The vinyl got a little messy from all our wrenching we were doing. Normal vinyl cleaner didn't get it clean enough so we took some dollar store "totally awesome" cleaner to it and it got off some stains I couldn't before.

I decided to pull my head unit and got a new Wetsounds WS420SQ equalizer/zone control. I installed it and filled the gap with a little pocket. it isn't perfect asthetically, but I can live with it. (yeah, that's tape filling up the width on the pocket)
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-w1pPknOkQKw/UgE5rIutuCI/AAAAAAAAOoA/8Y44ZOleeSM/s640/20130803_161118.jpg
so I'll just use my phone or ipod as the music source. I have some tower speakers on the way and am excited to be able to have those arrive.

I had bought one of these ropes from Airhead. Um, it's now the backup after my 235 pound buddy snapped it getting pulled up on a wakeboard. :-(
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61rizOFxIQL._SX385_.jpg
So, I got some good spectra line and a new handle (courtesy of the wife's pocketbook).

I also bought a new amp for my system that will go to the sub, and that will free up the amp that's been powering the sub to handle the new tower speakers when they arrive. I'm stoked that all 3 amps fit perfectly in the storage compartment below the observer seat and I still have room for the dual batteries, a gallon of tranny fluid, and misc odds and ends.

The issue with the engine dying seems to have gone away. Maybe it was just resetting the carbs? Maybe it was switching to ethanol free gas? not sure.

The new flywheel and reconditioned starter make the boat start up like a champ with no issues. New battery is holding up GREAT and no more dead battery woes.

I bought a $7 vinyl repair kit and patched up any tears/rips. Seems pretty legit and for the price and ease, you can't beat it.
http://outdoorsupplyandrental.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/3131/files/2013/05/tear-aid.jpg?w=496&h=372&zc=2&a=b&cc=ffffff

We ran the wire for the depth gauge some time ago, and I finally got the base for the in-hull transducer epoxied into the bilge. As soon as I get the o-ring that was supposed to be in my kit, then I'll have that installed and operational. It'll be nice to not be flying blind anymore. (it'll probably be scarier too knowing the depth instead of being blissfully ignorant).

TitanTn

08-07-2013, 08:26 AM

Great updates.

I'm interested in that vinyl repair. Where did you get that, and have you used it yet?

trayson

08-07-2013, 11:01 AM

Great updates.

I'm interested in that vinyl repair. Where did you get that, and have you used it yet?

Well, basically, it's like a clear tape. I put it on a couple days ago and it fully cures and really adheres in the vinyl in like 24 hours. It was $7 for a box that had around 7" x 4" of the tape. I cut it into pieces and stuck it on (after cleaning the spot--they give you alcohol pads). So it's super easy and cheap. We'll see how effective and lasting it is...

I bought it at my local grocery/department store (Fred Meyer, aka Kroger). But I'm sure it's available anywhere.

villain

08-07-2013, 06:28 PM

They work great. They also have tearaid for your tubes. They work great also.

trayson

08-08-2013, 02:29 AM

Got some cool video of the boat. Finally getting comfortable enough surfing to get some footage!

http://contour.com/stories/supra-sunsport-doing-surf-duty

trayson

08-08-2013, 06:18 PM

So, after I got that boat footage, my starter took a dump. We'd been hearing some odd noises, which I'm not thinking were the bendix gear getting stuck out. at the VERY end of the night, after picking up the last surfer, we turned the boat off and started to pump out our ballast. The starter just spun with every key turn. I tired 30+ times. I swtiched batteries, etc and it wasn't voltage related. Ultimately we had to get towed in by a 12 foot aluminum fishing boat.

I popped the guy $20 and a big thanks and we took it home. had the starter off with a quickness and the bendix gear is all rattly on the shaft. Definitely the starter. We cancelled our trip to Central Oregon (we were going to Lake Billy Chinook). It would just be too much stress and uncertainty to come off another repair and me that far from home. So we'll boat locally again this weekend and make the best of it.

I had just had the starter cleaned up and tested a couple weeks ago and this was the 4th trip on the starter since that. So it's going back and I've pressed them and they're gonna give me a 24 hour turnaround on the repair. I'm not as concerned about the money as the downtime.

Thankfully we live in a spot with tons of options for boating. Damn this 20 year old boat!

beat taco

08-08-2013, 08:20 PM

Damn, I'd fix it and roll to LBC bro!
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/08/09/3u9yreqe.jpg
Last weekend!

trayson

08-08-2013, 10:49 PM

Damn, I'd fix it and roll to LBC bro!
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/08/09/3u9yreqe.jpg
Last weekend!

Ugh, you're killing me. Decision was already made. *sigh*

trayson

08-19-2013, 03:27 PM

So, I'm back at work after a week off. We did a "stay-cation" because my wife couldn't get the week off work. It's a good thing that we didn't go to Lake Billy. I was able to get the starter guy to rebuild my starter and picked it up on Friday after work. I threw it in that night and we hit the water on Saturday morning. Again we hear the starter spin a few times during the morning and ultimately the starter gets stuck engaged. ARGH! The relay was working as designed per my test light. So we idled back to the dock (so I didn't hash on my flywheel's new ring gear.

That night, I went to the auto parts store and bought a automotive starter for a Ford 351 and a new starter relay. (the starter guy said that the automotive ones were sealed up the same as the marine ones, just a big price hike on the marine). I also cleaned all my terminals on the battery cables. No problems with the new setup.

In the meantime I ordered up new battery cables to go from the batteries to the perko switch, and the neg that joins the two batteries, and the neg from the batteries to the block and a new cable from the starter to the relay. The main power cable looked okay. I upsized and had custom cables made with 0-gauge welding cable.

So, looks like my starter issues are behind me. I've also battled another round of water in the fuel and I think I'm past that as well. (relocated the gas breather to my non-surf side for a quick fix).

Also did a lot of work with wiring to get my tower speakers and lights up and running. After this, I wish I would have drilled slightly bigger holes to run the wire through. Yikes. What a PITA fishing wire. The kite string and shop vac worked decent though to at least get the first runs through the pipe. It's still "in progress" but I was able to through up the tower speakers so I could at least get some satisfaction... I went with Bazooka Marine Tubbies with the Compression Horn drivers. It was a lot more affordable than the big name stuff and I'm pretty satisfied so far. I'm one amp short because a phoenix gold amp I bought off CL ended up being a dud and the kid I bought it from is 17 with no job and already spent the money. :-( Stupid me for having too much trust. Oh well, new amp ordered so hopefully it'll get here soon. In the meantime, I'm running boat speakers off one amp and the tower speakers off another and no sub amp right now.

Also got the surf wave more dialed in by putting both big bags stacked on the side of the engine. No bow weight and keeping the depth over 10 feet seems to be a great combo. Added the little bag in the rear center when we were low on people.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-ej3pUaJ5XHo/UhIv2zNPFXI/AAAAAAAAOyA/0UFn-yKXIjY/s800/20130816_111151.jpg
With the new setup, I end up running water at the rub rail all the way up to the cleat when moving. But it works good and we haven't got any water in the boat or had any driveability issues yet. (well aside from the fact that starting the boat when it's listing isn't as easy. Damn carbs)

When I was routing my tower speakers I did a "fix" to the plastic trays that hold the tubes for my air intake. The tabs obviously break off pretty easy so this was a solution for me. Just used a stubby screw and a speed clip leftover from various stereo installs...
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-3a2o_T0HfZU/Ugq3N-VKJPI/AAAAAAAAOxg/nXnonHu-OrY/s800/20130813_140635.jpg
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-_nK69eZ4Xnw/Ugq3P-j6rdI/AAAAAAAAOxo/wiqIdHVNQwM/s800/20130813_140642.jpg

92SupraComp

08-19-2013, 04:08 PM

trayson

08-19-2013, 04:17 PM

What sized wire was in the boat already? My comp came with 0/2 Gauge from the battery to the block. My CC has #2 Gauge I believe and with the old starter the volt gauge almost went to off position. With the mini high torque starter, the volts dont drop past 10 volts. I hate the old plunger starters, so slow, and use so much power.

Well, my ground from the battery to the block was 1 gauge and 7 feet long. And I think that the main power feed was 0 or 0/2. But when the Previous owner installed a perko switch he put 4 gauge between each of the batteries and the switch and also between the two batteries. :-( I also had 4 gauge from the starter relay to the starter solenoid. I did notice some rust/corrosion on the neg terminal that went to the block, so upsizing that and shortening the run by a foot (because I could) made sense.

I think I have the "newer" style starter with the external solenoid (it's not an old school 1 wire starter).

My problems could have simply been the relay. Maybe extra current from the smaller wires and/or some corrosion. I just figured I'd upgrade and upsize because I can and because I don't want to worry about this crap ever again.

92SupraComp

08-19-2013, 08:34 PM

92SupraComp

08-19-2013, 08:36 PM

Here, the input side of solenoid built into the starter itself should ALWAYS have 12 volts. Only the Trigger wire should be switched by the External Solenoid.

villain

08-19-2013, 09:14 PM

I'm going to have to use the speed clip trick for my boxes as well. Great ingenuity!

TitanTn

08-19-2013, 10:21 PM

I'm afraid that automotive guy wasn't correct about the starter. They're not sealed like marine starters, and unlike some "marine" stuff, it can make a real difference. I realize that you won't want to change again, so at least I'll ask that you run your blower a lot before starting. I really don't want to read about any bad starter experiences.

92SupraComp

08-19-2013, 10:45 PM

I have to say, Supra has the best blower setup, but they still don't do jack. My blower is on the opposite side of the starter. And, the gas fumes rise, I just rais the engine cover on both of my boats, after 2 sec they are all cleared out and ready to go. Best blower ever, plus its silent...

trayson

08-20-2013, 11:45 AM

Wait wait wait. Hold the phone. Thats right, you should have a mini high torque starter. How do you have it wired up? The correct wiring should be that the solenoid on the starter constantly has 12 volts, otherwise you have disengaging problems. And on the remote starter solenoid, the switched side should switch the wire that switches the solenoid on the starter its self.

Here, the input side of solenoid built into the starter itself should ALWAYS have 12 volts. Only the Trigger wire should be switched by the External Solenoid.

Yes, I am pretty confident that I have the starter wired correctly. The main boat power is double stacked on the starter relay with the power wire going down to the starter. The relay has the smaller yellow/red wire going from the other terminal to the solenoid. And remaining two wires on the relay are neutral safety switch (goes to transmission) and the brown one that I am not totally sure what it does.

Here's a pic of how it's wired:
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-O3bSxTLH4xQ/UbUv8IxchgI/AAAAAAAAOFk/s8qOCqhUONU/s800/%255BUNSET%255D.jpg

And that matches the concept on this diagram and what you guys were talking about:
http://www.nautiqueparts.com/images/products/detail/solinstruct.jpg

And here's a pic of how it looks at the starter end.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-wqCcV4R69cI/UbUwKcFvGeI/AAAAAAAAOH8/8ufekhDFh24/s800/%255BUNSET%255D.jpg

I'm afraid that automotive guy wasn't correct about the starter. They're not sealed like marine starters, and unlike some "marine" stuff, it can make a real difference. I realize that you won't want to change again, so at least I'll ask that you run your blower a lot before starting. I really don't want to read about any bad starter experiences.

Well, if they are seriously that different, then I could swap them back. The starter guy is rebuilding my PCM ARCO starter again for free. It'll be done soon. I was thinking about just keeping the automotive one since it has a lifetime warranty...

Changing the starter really isn't that big of deal. With the doghouse all the way off, it's damn easy to get to. Plus, I bought an upsized new zero gauge relay to solenoid wire (yes, completely overkill) so I'd have to get in there to change it anyway.

I found this description that ACTUALLY tells the difference in a marine vs. auto stater. Of course, it makes me question if the rebuild guy on my PCM will put it back together with the correct marine spark arrester plate and stuff. I am pretty sure he's replacing my bendix drive... Who knows, he could rebuild my starter w/o using the "marine" specific stuff and I could go to the effort to swap back and have a false sense of security...
http://www.thehulltruth.com/boating-forum/37317-auto-vs-marine-starter-details.html

Would you likewise say that there's a big difference in the "marine" starter relay vs. the Ford 351 starter relay? I sure liked the immediate availability of the Ford relay and the $10 price tag...

TitanTn

08-20-2013, 01:23 PM

I would definitely ask the starter guy if he put the marine parts back in. And if you're convinced he did, it's worth trying to switch them out again.

No, I don't think there's much of a difference in the relay itself. Many times when something is marinized, it's simply made with better, stronger, or less corrosive materials. No being in a salt environment, and when the components aren't safety related, and because I'm only on a lake and not the ocean, it's not a big deal to me. An example is the water pump on the block. An automotive one costs $20. A marine costs $120. I can buy 10 auto ones before I approach the cost of the marine one. And what happens when they go bad? They weep water. Is it hard to replace? Not at all. So why buy the marine? The ONLY difference is the stainless backing plate versus a steel one.

I don't blindly buy the marine version, but for starters it can be the difference between a safe boat ride, or Kaboom. I don't mess around with that one.

trayson

08-20-2013, 01:34 PM

wotan2525

08-20-2013, 02:37 PM

Yep -- I'm not one to go throwing money away on Marine parts that are the same (or good enough") as the auto ones, but you can't and shouldn't be using the auto version.

And to the guy above that said he just pulls his doghouse cover off to "air out" the gas fumes -- gas fumes are heavier than air. This is why you MUST have a marine starter. Gas fumes/vapors will sit down low in your bilge and if the conditions are just right and there is a spark.... boom!

Always run your blowers. Always use a marine starter.

(And I'm one of the few that's comfortable using an automotive distributor. The fumes/vapors would sit too low for that to cause a problem. Hopefully!)

trayson

08-22-2013, 11:46 AM

Well, on the journey of making this an amazing boat I'm on to tackling low voltage at the dash. I have another thread dealing with it, but bottom line is that I'm tracking down more issues that will likely result in cleaning up some connections and maybe running some new wire to the dash area.

On another note, we got a sweet night shot!

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-z4DB2t6qX3E/UhWxj_It8lI/AAAAAAAAO0U/TJa_Fj0I0SY/s800/IMG95201308219520394395008.jpg

92SupraComp

08-22-2013, 01:03 PM

for the dash, every boat, dont care the manufacturer, has horrible grounding. Just add a nice ground buss bar and run extra ground and you will over come the *low volt* problem.

villain

08-22-2013, 04:20 PM

Not on every boat. I thought that initially, and had to run a new power wire from the perko to under the dash. Bit ford engines are really bad with the grounds. Everything has to be clean and in order for everything to run right. Every ford I have worked on is similar in that regard.

trayson

08-27-2013, 12:09 PM

Okay, so I ran a new 8 gauge power wire from the perko switch to the distribution stud of the fuse block. I also bought a Bus Bar and installed that below the fuse block. I likewise ran a new 8 gauge run from the battery to the bus bar. I put the perfect pass on it's own circuit and have it going through a relay so it's getting switched power. I gave it a ground to the bus bar. For the first time ever, I got over 12 volts on the PP voltage display with the engine off. From the battery to the PP voltage display, I have about 1/2 a volt loss. I think I can live with that. I'm not sure where PP was getting it's power, but it seems like it was getting it from somewhere that was WAY up by the top of the gauges. I'm thinking that it was just robbed off the power for one of the gauges.

I haven't replaced the ignition or the breaker, but I'm thinking I might do that eventually as preventative. We'll be taking the boat out tonight, so I'll be able to report back on how the PP functioned with the better voltage.

trayson

08-27-2013, 12:37 PM

Did some upgrades on the tower!!!

So I splurged and used a little birthday money the wife gave me to get me started on doing some tower speakers. I had read a lot and since my real goal was to get music to listen to while surfing, I knew that I needed to do it "right" and go with the Compression Horn technology. Now there is no way that I can afford to get Wetsounds or Exile or other big name players. I did a lot of research and it seemed like a good middle ground was to go with the Compression Horn Tubbies made by Bazooka. They are still kind of expensive but I got a screaming deal on them via an ebay auction. New pair of black 8" compression horn tubbies for $166 shipped.

This is what they look like:
http://www.crutchfield.com.edgesuite.net/pix.crutchfield.com/ImageHandler/fixedscale/400/300/products/2009/05/204/x204MT802HB-f.jpeg

I drilled the holes in my tower to fish the wires. I only drilled 3/8" holes and kind of regret going that small. I scraped up the housing on my wires a bit and totally risked stripping the wires. Up the Port side, I ran 2 runs of 14 gauge for the left and right tower speakers, and a run of 18 gauge to power some LED strip lights that I put on the tower speakers. Since I was planning on using the "INT LT" switch to power my tower lights, I ran the 14 gauge wire up the starboard side.

The most effective method for getting the wires fished through the tower was to drill my holes and then tape over all but the two I wanted to fish wire through. Then I taped the hose of my 1 gallon shop vac onto one hole and fed kite string through the other hole. It took a little trial and error, but in the end I was able to have string running through all the key points on my tower and used that to pull the wire. It was also handy to have some picks and small needle nose pliers to get the wire out of the hole if needed.

Rather than drilling holes in my hull, I just decided to feed the wire from the bottom of the tower into the mesh of the air intake grills. Then I drilled a hole in the plastic tray that sits under the grill that the intake tubes go through. All my amps live in the storage compartment below the obverver seat (along with my 2 batteries and my perko switch).

My system is as follows:
- Rockford Fosgate Punch 360.2 Powering the 4 MB Quart Onyx 116 6.5" coaxial speakers. (wired so that the amp sees a 2 ohm load, 180 watts RMS x 2 at 2 ohms)
- Rockford Fosgate Punch 500s mono (500 watts RMS x 1 at 4 ohms in bridged mode) to a Phoenix Gold 10" subwoofer in a ported box that's covered with bedliner (it was made this way). The box is just behind the walkthrough and I have a cushion on top of it so it functions as a jump seat.
- Phoenix Gold Ryval V1502 to the Compression Horn Tubbies. (4 ohms: 150 watts x 2 chan)
- Using the Wetsounds WS420sq as my head unit. Installed in place of the factory headunit with a pocket above it. One of the inputs goes to a car dock for my smartphone, the other runs to the driver's mesh pocket by the throttle.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-w1pPknOkQKw/UgE5rIutuCI/AAAAAAAAOoA/8Y44ZOleeSM/s800/20130803_161118.jpg

I have one amp mounted to the wall of that storage locker on the wall that faces the walkthrough. Another one and the perko switch are on the back wall of that locker, and the 3rd amp fits on the wall that is on the port side. The 2 batteries are in the middle. I also replaced the Court light there with an LED bulb and have tapped into that circuit to get power to my LED tower light strips. I ran the light strips around the front and back of the tubbies. I'll get you pics of them all lit up soon. I can't wait!!!

I had also found a set of used tower lights on wake world that I was able to pick up for $75 shipped and it ended up INCLUDING the tower clamps! What a score! Of course I would have loved LED's but 5 lights and an aluminum light bar with the clamps was a great deal.

Pics to follow...

trayson

08-27-2013, 12:48 PM

I've actually had a chance to hear my system with just the boat speakers and the Tubbies. It makes all the difference in the world. The compression horn tubbies are designed to be 3x louder than their regular tubbies and I believe it. Plus I went with the 8" versions, so that's awesome. The Wetsounds EQ gives me bass/midbass/midrange/treble adjustment of the boat speakers and tower speakers SEPERATELY. Plus it gives me independent level control of the tower speakers, the boat speakers, the sub, and the PA. Yes, it has a built in PA system so that when I talk on the mic, it mutes the music from the tower speakers and those become my PA speakers.

I haven't had a chance to listen to it with the sub in the mix. I bought a slightly different Phoenix gold amp off a kid on Craigslist. He seemed really honest and polite and I was in a hurry so I was foolish enough not to test it on the spot. Turned out that the amp is stuck with the protection light on. He's 17 and has no job and already spent the money, so I got screwed on that deal. I had to man up and buy a new replacement amp online because I'm sick of getting burned on CL and having to wait a ton longer while I figure out how to deal with the situation.

Tonight we'll get to hear the full system. I did crank it up a little in the driveway and it sounded awesome, but I didn't want to piss off the neighbors TOOOOO much...

Here's pics of how the tower turned out. The angle is a little odd and it looks like my tubbies are pointed really wierd, but they're not. they're just a tiny bit outwards from being straight back, and a little bit pointing up so they aim better when the boat is porpoising when surfing.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-r-nr37tDNaA/UhzM7g4NLbI/AAAAAAAAO2w/Br0KUJBMq7U/s800/20130826_170359.jpg

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-xzrr2gqzsiU/UhzNXg7t_pI/AAAAAAAAO24/1qDExKYB0ks/s800/20130826_170351.jpg

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-P6oM_Q1pWco/UhzNatqTZTI/AAAAAAAAO3I/M8MJPQ53PXM/s800/20130826_170151.jpg

92SupraComp

08-27-2013, 08:39 PM

trayson

08-28-2013, 12:49 AM

Wow. Impressive setup. Most I did was a $300 budget build in the CC. Im very happy with it. Blows away the blose premium in our 07 LTZ Suburban! How much money you got in that? Me personally, I dont think I could sink that much just into sound...

Also, for the power, the gauges and their back lights are all run off the same small feed from the IGN switch. One small wire daisy chained all the way around. I didnt like having the lights on all the time so, I put a small relay on the back of the tach and the trigger comes off the nav lights. And after my rewire. 14 volts when running, 12 volts not. Good enough for me :) Before it used to set off that stupid beeper. Out of all my friends (the ones with out the full blown EFI engine) I am the only one to still have a working beeper. My CC had it unplugged and when I touched the beeper the back side just fell off breaking the incredibly tiny wires connecting the circuit board to the beeper its self...

Good to know about the electrical.

Let's see...

Wetsounds EQ: ~$275
4 MB Quart Boat Speakers: $110
Used Punch 360.2 off Ebay: $42 (crazy deal!!)
Used Punch 500s off Ebay: $79
New Phoenix Gold 10" Subwoofer off Ebay: $60
New Subwoofer Enclosure covered in Bedliner: $68
New Phoenix Gold Ryval v1502: $146
New Bazooka Compression Horn Tubbies: $163
New Bazooka tower speaker clamps: $54
Misc Wiring: ~$100 (maybe more, that stuff adds up)

Subtotal: $1,097
Less: Sale of Kenwood Deck <$100>
Less: Sale of Kenwood Speakers <$40>

Net investment: $957

Of course, my PLAN was to only do a "phase 1" build of my system this season. If that was the case, I would have stopped before getting the wetsounds, tubbies and 3rd amp. That would have put me at a net of around $375. So, I more than doubled the price of my system by going with the tower speakers, amp, and Wetsounds EQ.

Of course, ONE pair of Wetsounds Rev8's with the Horn Loaded Compression Drivers costs more than my entire system. So, I've still got a budget version of a big boy system...

Of course, I've got more into it if you count all the LED lights and stuff, but whatever. It's fun to build up a stereo system, and we have a BLAST with it on the water. Tonight I was out surfing and while surfing I could jam to the tunes from the tower speakers. Great fun.

trayson

08-29-2013, 11:30 AM

Perfect Pass not cooperating last night

Villain, I'll answer you here since my PP is more on topic in my general boat thread vs the picture thread...

So, when I got the boat, It'd always had a low voltage condition under the dash. I had never seen above 12 volts on the PP display ever. But it was working, so I didn't really mess with anything.

Then we had an evening where I hadn't topped off my batteries, and we went out and PP wasn't able to reel in enough of the soft cord and the wife couldn't get me up to surf speed. Then she forced the throttle and it unwound the cable even more producing slack. Of course, after re-winding the soft cord on the motor, we were able to function normally.

To remedy the low voltage, I brought in an 8 gauge feed from the perko switch and attached that to the stud of the fuse block. I also brought an 8 guage ground to the dash area and connected it to a bus bar that I purchased.

For the first time EVER, I was able to see above 12 volts on the PP voltage display with the engine off. I found I was getting about 1/2 a volt drop between the batteries and the PP display, and that seemed to be a figure I could live with. With the engine running, I was getting over 13 volts on the PP. :cool:

So, my KDW settings from the previous owner were actually 50. But, the PP had always worked pretty decent. Last night I cranked it up to 80 (which as I understand is the bottom end of the 'agressive' setting). And last night, it took forever for the boat to settle into a good speed. In the past the boat would come out of the hole, go a couple MPH over the set speed for a couple seconds, back off to a mile or two per hour below the set speed for a couple of seconds, then it would settle in and function pretty good.

Last night, it took a ton longer (10+ seconds?) at the "faster" speed before it would drop below for a while, then FINALLY, it would start cooperating... But I was having to keep the rope for a TON longer than typical because the pull wasn't consistent. We also noticed that the # sign was showing up with some regularity, whereas we never used to have it show up at all. It almost seems as if the throttle lever was backing off over time and that we'd have to push the thottle lever back down...

The most KDW I tried was 85. I also put it back down to 50 to see what that did. It didn't really seem to make a huge difference... Oh, and all of this was on really nice/smooth water.

The speed reading on the speed display has always been really smooth, so I don't have a big reason to suspect the paddle wheel isn't cooperating.

I'll be giving PP a call soon...

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-eoVYsZcUzcM/Uh7Uu_j4KVI/AAAAAAAAO4E/rUNsLSYRyQA/s800/IMG95201308289519205395472.jpg
When the boat slows too much, I get the mush.... #notimpressed

trayson

08-29-2013, 12:01 PM

So, I got off the phone with PP. They want me to try NN of 140 and KDW of 80.

I also need to look into my throttle return spring to see if that's getting tired and causing me grief. Likewise, if I'm experiencing "throttle creep" where the throttle isn't wanting to hold the physical position of the lever, then I could look into getting a "throttle cable brake" or even a "bulldog clamp" to add just a smidge more friction in the cable...

I will play with it more this weekend...

trayson

08-29-2013, 12:02 PM

On another note, loving the nighttime boat pics!!!

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-nZhDcOJEfJ4/Uh7UvQv_P3I/AAAAAAAAO4M/jeE26mALTy8/s800/IMG95201308289520392395905.jpg

92SupraComp

08-29-2013, 07:19 PM

villain

08-29-2013, 07:25 PM

Kdw and nn are settings in perfect pas to control how it responds to speed changes. The return spring is for in case the throttle cable breaks the motor won't run away and it will return to an idle. You should be able to let go of the handle and it should keep its setting.

trayson

08-29-2013, 07:41 PM

whats NN and KDW?? Dont have perfect pass :P

also, the return spring that is hooked up to the carb from the intake manifold, that is supposed to pull the throttle back, its a safety thing to keep your hand on the throttle for quick response. On my 2 boats I took the spring off, annoys me when as soon as I let go we start slowing down...

KDW is how "agressive" perfect pass will change throttle up or down to try to stay at the desired speed. And NN is the setting that controls the level of filtering on the paddle wheel speed reading. I think it's kind of like filtering that's applied to whatever sampling rate that's taken off the paddle wheel reading.

As far as the throttle control, I prefer that the throttle cables have enough friction that when the lever is pushed down that it stays down until I pull it back up. That friction is the "poor man's cruise control". Like how I have a hand throttle (bicycle friction thumb shifter) on my Jeep. It's a way to set the throttle position and not have to have your foot on the gas (on my Jeep it's useful for when I'm revving the engine to get higher RPM's for my onboard air compressor). I have the same concept with the "throttle lock" on my motorcycle that gives me crude cruise control.

Anyway, the way that perfect pass is designed you push your throttle lever past where you'd have enough throttle to achieve your set speed. Then PP will feed and take away slack into your throttle cable to keep it at the desired speed. Like you give it more throttle than "needed" per the lever and then the PP servo motor can add or subtract cable and keep things at the right position. It's fantastic. We're actually sadly dependent on it for a good surfing experience. It makes it so that someone doesn't have to manage the throttle to have a nice, consistent speed. That frees up the person to watch where they're going, to watch the depth, etc. There's a TON of things required to be an excellent boat driver and PP gives a quantum leap to someone trying to do well at that task. With PP, my wife is a damn competent driver. If we didn't have it, I wouldn't have anywhere close to as much fun in the water.

Anyway, the optimal for the throttle (with or without PP) is for the lever to be able to keep it's setting with JUST enough friction to stay put, but not so much that it binds or that override isn't simple and flawless.

I mean, it's not like I'm going to set the throttle and then go up into the playpen and make a sandwich!! :-D

villain

08-29-2013, 07:50 PM

I call perfect pass a marriage saver. That's all it does IMO. Lol

92SupraComp

08-29-2013, 09:19 PM

now, if your cable broke, why would it go run away? the carb its self has a return spring, if the cable breaks its plenty to pull it back given a small amount of time. I know this for a fact, my throttle cable broke on me while I was driving my supra, was cruising @ 3000 RPM, went to give more gas and the level went way down, and then the boat started to slow down... after 5min the boat had slowed to 1000 rpm. Now with the large spring hooked up, my throttle slows down as soon as I let go, like it supposed to, but, I unhook the large spring so I can have a "cruise control" any boat I have been on the extra spring is a safety feature to keep the drivers hand on the throttle...

villain

08-30-2013, 08:15 AM

The spring is there to return the throttle plate in the carb back to idle if the cable is to break, not return the throttle plate back to idle every time you let go of the throttle lever. If you have No return spring on the carb the throttle stays where you last had it set. All carbs have a built in return spring on them. A lot of people and company's add another one for redundancy. Most of the fuel injected boats don't have an extra one as the factory spring is sufficient and stronger than the springs on most carbs. If your throttle is returning to neutral you can tighten the control box up and is what most shops would do If your boat came through. When I get to work I will throw up a pic of the adjustments on the typical fly by wire control box.

trayson

09-07-2013, 08:22 PM

Still working with PP. I set the KDW at 80 and the NN at 140, like they told me to. It still isn't working like I'd want. We'll come out of the hole with the PP set at 11.7mph and the boat will go all the way up to 14 for a few seconds, then creep down to like 9, then FINALLY settle in at the desired speed. But the margin of error is WAY too great IMO. I upped the KDW to 100 and didn't see a ton of improvement. This is with 1300 pounds of ballast. I did adjust the wake plate down about 1/2" and that seemed to make the boat drive better with a bit less Porpoising, a touch more power, and less difficulty steering while weighted. It did seem to rob some of our push, but on the 2nd session, I dropped the speed down and it seemed to be at least manageable.

On another note, I came back from a 10+ year hiatus and got back on a ski! Woo-Hoo!

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-jwcSJxYCyh0/Uiu77KPxqwI/AAAAAAAAO6g/eV8jPhU8K-8/s800/Resize_0907130943-00_01.jpg

villain

09-07-2013, 10:45 PM

Killer job on the ski!! For my settings I run the NN a little lower than factory and the kdw at the factory settings. This system was designed to work at wakeboard speed, not surf speed so you need to decrease the sample time. I will overshoot just a bit but it comes right back within 20 seconds or so. Also run the plate up as far as you can go and use bow weight to clean up the wave. This way you are displacing as much water as posible making the biggest wave you can. I think I run about 700 under the front seats in a triangle bow sack.

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/09/08/4umu5e5u.jpg

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/09/08/2a4yhy6a.jpg

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/09/08/u2y4y9y5.jpg

The pics really don't do it justice. It's easily mid thigh high. And clean for a 19' boat with a ton of push.

villain

09-07-2013, 10:56 PM

Here's a couple more of the plate. And one more of the wave.

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/09/08/9esa5are.jpg

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/09/08/erada2a8.jpg

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/09/08/guhumu5a.jpg

trayson

09-07-2013, 11:43 PM

Hmmm... Well, 20 seconds would seem like an eternity. I don't even think that ours is taking that long. maybe 6 to 10 seconds of too fast (14) then maybe 4 to 8 seconds of too slow before it locks into the sweet spot. (We'll have to time it to be sure.)

However, when I first got the boat, the times that it would overshoot, undershoot, then settle into the sweet spot were just like a few seconds on each end. It was freaking amazing. And I don't know why things just started to stretch out.

I know that the previous owner had both the KDW and the NN set REALLY low. Like 50-something each.

Explain to me how changing the NN will change the behavior of the PP...

What I've found on my boat is that adding front ballast kills my push. Maybe I need to adjust my speed to compensate??? But if we have my normal setup (250 under seat, 370 surf side floor next to doghouse, 750 surf side on top of other sack and in back seat) and have 3 people in the boat (driver, center rear, observer seat) and smooth water, it's been fantastic.

Today, adjusting the wake plate a little (down maybe 1/2") and 1 less person meant that the surf speed decreased from 11.7 to 11.2 so maybe I'll just have to play with speed? On the positive side, we found that with the change in the wake plate that it made a big difference in how hard the boat was to steer. We've been finding that it's been hard to steer to the starboard when surfing port. Like a lot of resistance in the steering wheel. Today with the only big difference being one less person and the wake plate change, the steering seemed to be noticeably easier...

Honestly I'm quite happy avoiding using bow weight. on the one side I keep a small toolbox and a (gasp) deflated tube. On the other side I store my fat sacks and pump. I suppose I could pretty easily use a 150 pound small sack on the surf side bow compartment... Because when we take out the sacks, that compartment is empty. But again, it's been damn nice to only have to fill 2 bags with a throw-over and 1 with the ballast puppy... Yeah, the little 150 fills quick, but it's "one more bag" in the mix... I suppose if I found out that things were spectacular by adding a surf side bow bag, then it might make sense to tap that one into the ballast puppy pump too...

I get tired of screwing around with different configurations. At some point I say just deal with it and surf!

trayson

09-12-2013, 12:31 PM

Well, went out last night on another Moomba. This one was a 2001 Mobius V. (Hey, at least it's still Skier's Choice, right?) I have to say, I don't know how long I'll be able to keep myself from trying to get into a v-drive. The no ballast wakeboard wake was bigger than mine with my 250 under the seat filled. And we surfed his v-drive with 900 in the surf locker and 750 bow. It wasn't the most world class wave that I've ever had, but it was clean and powerful. Plenty fun and no visible bags. The setup of the boat wasn't "perfect" as I didn't like the floor height and the tower height, but I really look forward to someday having the wrap around seating, storage, and wake of a v-drive.

Night Surf Video:
http://youtu.be/IMQPaRFNjBo

trayson

09-16-2013, 07:28 PM

Went out this weekend. Saturday it was just my wife, son and I. So I docked the boat and went and got the truck and backed it down. Then I went back to the boat and started it up and drove it onto the trailer. After it was on the trailer, the key was stuck. It wouldn't move from the "ON" position.

I quickly found out that shutting off the Perko switch doesn't kill the engine, it just cuts the batteries out of the equation--but with an alternator the engine still runs. So to kill the engine, I had to reach under the dash and I pulled the wires from the back of the ignition switch. When I got home I was able to force the key to finally turn and got the key out of the lock; but the switch is done. Power is "on" regardless of where the key is, and the key now spins 360 degrees. Ordered a new 3 position ignition switch from Amazon.com for $16 and change.

Glad it happened at the end of the day after we were done boating for the weekend. (sure, I could have hot wired it, but that's a hassle)

92SupraComp

09-16-2013, 09:49 PM

trayson

09-17-2013, 11:00 AM

oh no fun! glad to hear it was at the end! Careful about running an engine with no battery. The alternator relies on the battery for regulation and a damper. With out a battery the voltage regulation can suddenly spike really bad frying any sort of electronics!

Well, I wasn't trying to RUN it with no battery, I was trying to KILL it! But it only took me a few seconds to pull the wires off the ignition switch.

92SupraComp

09-17-2013, 09:16 PM

yes I know, but just for future reference ;) some people like to try and run with out the battery, not a good idea...

trayson

09-26-2013, 02:01 AM

LED Trailer Runway lights!

see my writeup here: https://forum.supraboats.com/showthread.php?15707-Trailer-Runway-lights-on-a-digital-bilge-switch

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/--JqjjZVNhEw/UkPHycf76WI/AAAAAAAAPCw/1Ncrl7i_Ddw/s800/20130925_215011.jpg

trayson

06-02-2014, 12:25 AM

It's been a while since I updated this thread.

Well, I winterized my boat for the first time in November.
Had to replace the bilge pump. Decided to go with a johnson low boy 750 GPH bilge pump with a attwood digital switch to control it. No more all in one unit.
Also tackled the job to replace the rudder packing. It required pulling the gas tank. Ultimately got it done and put in the gore tex packing rope.
Installed some LED underwater transom lights that used 30 SMD 5050 chips per light. 5.5 watts each @ 80 lumens. I put in six of them.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-89EIO7wdL3I/U34eVhKv87I/AAAAAAAAQPE/lurAxq1auYY/s800/20140507_072201.jpg
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-ckv1VKPSIbs/U4FG8oFxwmI/AAAAAAAAQRY/oiXoMqdumdE/s800/image-9.jpeg

While i was installing the lights and refurbing the rudder, I found some dead space in my boat, so I threw a bag of concrete mix in each corner.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-ntmNpo387F4/U34j56OzyuI/AAAAAAAAQPQ/D7JrUvtJ9wM/s800/20140513_175555.jpg
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-_7uxUYK3nO0/U34j8qPdp7I/AAAAAAAAQPY/vdLWXWuKoDA/s800/20140513_180707.jpg

trayson

06-02-2014, 12:33 AM

I installed a new articulating tower mirror arm. And I bought both the CIPA extreme and the CIPA Vision 180 and tested them out.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Sm75R8-1ZBM/U3PedL6C7UI/AAAAAAAAQKA/sbyE4mFPC5U/s800/20140514_142006.jpg
In the end, we liked the 180 best so I returned the other one.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-x0VKaaWCe4U/U4TGhkwcohI/AAAAAAAAQVI/CExJOsBwhoE/s800/10404568_10101339405472597_1074859706_o.jpg
Bought a new surf rack. It has two of the thicker slots and was a great deal at $120 shipped. It's a krypt I got off ebay. You can see it in this pic. (where my poor son had to wear a orange life jacket since I forgot his neoprene one at home).
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-qJ3ZdU5_TiY/U4TGhs47oEI/AAAAAAAAQVI/9O0jmqfBppI/s800/10381199_10101339405457627_1103634031_o.jpg
Found out when I winterized that the previous owner had been using a 750 bag under the rear seats. That was overkill and since I had a 370 tube sack, I swapped them. Ended up having to play with the ballast config some, and ended up that the best surf setup so far is the 370 full under the rear seats, a 750 on the floor next to the engine on the surf side, and another 750 filled about 1/2 way on the back seat and partially on top of the first 750.
I also got a new Tsunami pump, Fly High check valves for all my bags, and a drysuit/booties over the winter.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-zAwhn3fZkX0/U4THfmBOUxI/AAAAAAAAQV0/jAJcDCJtpUY/s800/photo1.jpg

trayson

06-02-2014, 01:05 AM

When I did my stereo system in the boat, I sold the deck that was in there (basic MP3/USB/Aux deck) and was running just a Wetsounds EQ and no head unit. That was fine for a while, but I found myself lacking Bluetooth. I ran music off my phone using a car cradle. But that meant that my phone was held hostage and I couldn't take it out of the cradle to take a picture or whatever without stopping the music. We also took the boat out to watch the Rose Festival opening fireworks in Portland and were bummed that we couldn't tune in to the simulcast since we didn't have a radio (and the internet feed was easily 1/2 a song delayed so it was worthless).
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-x3oMP7k5lN8/U2v60HjhTdI/AAAAAAAAQH0/vgWIZuKNZec/s800/dash.jpg

I started thinking that putting a deck back into the Supra would be the easily way to get BT (and FM Radio).
Then a buddy of mine told me that he had a Kenwood with BT, USB, MP3, etc. that he'd sell me for $25!!!!!!!!!!
I said "SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY".
Today I hacked up the dash enough to fit the deck on top of the WS420-SQ and think that it turned out pretty good. I never liked the look of the pocket filler I had in there.
I think it turned out good. I had installed a master switch to send the remote turn on lead to my WS420SQ and my amplifiers, so I kept that and hooked up the deck so it's powered off the master switch too. I didn't want a staggered install of the EQ and deck, so I had to chop my dash a little over the DIN opening and a little under. It barely fit, but I'm satisfied with it. It's going to be a LOT more functional with the bluetooth, so I'm quite happy.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-TQcyoPGPqv0/U4vZixwv44I/AAAAAAAAQaE/wDInJieo-qM/s800/20140601_175135.jpg
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-K4gZTjAUpLE/U4vZZln2GaI/AAAAAAAAQZ8/gU97KWZwS2M/s800/20140601_175123.jpg
<P>
And on my OEM switch panel I now have the COURT LT switch powering my LED interior accent lights. The INT LT switch powers my Tower lights. and the ACC switch powers my underwater transom lights.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-8T901AW1dls/U4vZl3DvOdI/AAAAAAAAQaM/lLcCtbu9CHc/s800/20140601_175147.jpg

trayson

06-25-2014, 02:40 AM

Let's see, I've been busy. Of note are my Surf Blades that I installed modeled after the NSS. It's been a game changer for me, allowing me to switch from regular to goofy surf in 10 seconds, run the boat level, and have the rear of the boat not nearly as slammed as before.
I have a whole thread devoted to it here:
https://forum.supraboats.com/showthread.php?16402-Trayson-s-DIY-quot-Supra-Surf-System-quot-%28SSS%29-modeled-after-the-NSS
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Jc9lgvF5QEI/U5ydfD9TRXI/AAAAAAAAQhg/US7-vPx5EZQ/s800/20140614_120337.jpg
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-vbbN-51ggtA/U6YlH03LdKI/AAAAAAAAQoI/9AWDQg7OR3M/s800/6-21%2520surf.jpg

Today I did my DIY version of a fresh air exhaust. Here's how it turned out (with temp reinforcement via pipe strapping).

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Pbhc-gzwqnI/U6omITWt_VI/AAAAAAAAQqk/PllE-RBOkSQ/s800/20140624_182736.jpg

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-X-Gd-7BFzcw/U6omKLrRNTI/AAAAAAAAQqs/2naDHykvpVc/s800/20140624_182833.jpg

trayson

06-25-2014, 02:42 AM

Some more pics of the FAE. I will water test it the next time I go out...

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-I0b_n0V9368/U6omMoXfxDI/AAAAAAAAQq0/E4_40XrqRU8/s800/20140624_182859.jpg

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Pt9xAwoiyx8/U6omEah6P5I/AAAAAAAAQqU/F5_VY705tqk/s800/20140624_182822.jpg

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-aBuF3lnXwvw/U6omGnMVv2I/AAAAAAAAQqc/xYFbj6xbKNc/s800/20140624_182803.jpg

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-0QAITffm6KU/U6omOgxTrgI/AAAAAAAAQq8/b8BAHpSB8E8/s800/20140624_182745.jpg

trayson

08-27-2014, 12:52 PM

Well, the water test of the FAE was a success from the sound standpoint. wow, what a difference. However, I didn't have all the angles optimized so it affected my wake and my temp installation didn't last. When I get ambitious enough to have a version 2, it'll be better. Not bad for $20 in materials.

Sometimes upgrades are the little things. Like finding a convenient place to store the Exile Bouy Balls...
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-AieeEuCFJig/U_AJE44sfKI/AAAAAAAARZE/kOdwbFBfjOQ/s800/GOPR0300_1408211456985_high.JPG

Put on a video camera mount. I've since returned my ContourGPS cam and got a gopro 3+ black. Pic is of my riding my son doubles on my wakeboard.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-rar8vTri0_g/U7DkSgJ8acI/AAAAAAAAQt8/srUS1xd-ta8/s800/Jax%2520Wake4.jpg

I built a pair of flag holders on my tower out of PVC pipe.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Ez4mHwuOt_A/U7hQV2n1D9I/AAAAAAAAQwE/yhPDmy_fWPg/s800/10501732_10152125538256971_2324771099192768397_n.j pg

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-zz58MQZaePA/U7hRXqYTmZI/AAAAAAAAQwY/z35S6w8pbTs/s800/20140703_212808.jpg

trayson

08-27-2014, 12:53 PM

Added some more LED to my boat... Cupholder LED Rings!!!

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-pBp4xrh68BI/U_4IvYj3ThI/AAAAAAAARjw/He2UD-Lr7T8/s800/20140826_214616.jpg

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/KSjQj7PzNJlAzHRN3rqB5tMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=d irectlink

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-lRHyYmuEAD0/U_4I0p4JxGI/AAAAAAAARkI/9xj8m80X6gM/s800/20140826_214518.jpg

And LED lights in my gauges (the ones that I was actually able to change).
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-_fbgf2UX8NQ/U_4IykjJjyI/AAAAAAAARkA/3TW-6t5aX4k/s800/20140826_214459.jpg

trayson

08-27-2014, 12:57 PM

Also, the compartment where my amps/batteries live would sometimes get hot and my amps would go into protection mode. so I added two LED 80mm computer fans. one is setup as a pusher and the other as a puller. I also have a pair of digital volt meters to monitor each battery directly. And the court light was replaced with an LED bulb.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-wmRUPLpIb7w/U_wHWto4eOI/AAAAAAAARiU/7kSznSWXVcc/s800/20140825_204205.jpg

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-n66e8w7t8rs/U_wHZOV7hJI/AAAAAAAARic/7ZwcbKAk_Io/s800/20140825_204109.jpg

Excuse the mess in the compartment, I have a couple of float chargers on there and pigtails to hook up my ballast pumps to, plus the wires that go to the volt meters.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-V6Jx3mbZrEE/U_wHgdIoldI/AAAAAAAARis/tYIBf7mGt9I/s800/20140825_204331.jpg

I love my blue LED's
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-KtqATyKszg8/U_wHm8JD00I/AAAAAAAARi8/pYrwXOL2rHA/s800/20140825_204156.jpg

trayson

09-08-2014, 11:21 AM

My last mods to the boat were adding LED cupholder rings. I did these mods right before Labor day weekend.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-qg9qNJ-FGLk/U_4IxMjyCRI/AAAAAAAARj4/VGD6Bp4YyJY/s800/20140826_203834.jpg

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-pBp4xrh68BI/U_4IvYj3ThI/AAAAAAAARjw/He2UD-Lr7T8/s800/20140826_214616.jpg

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-lRHyYmuEAD0/U_4I0p4JxGI/AAAAAAAARkI/9xj8m80X6gM/s800/20140826_214518.jpg

Took my wife and her girlfriends out on the boat for a "girl's night out" to test the new goodies. I lead a rough life.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-jTbfpjrqUHs/U_7ChJmYZfI/AAAAAAAARto/kYit2FK-g5o/s800/GOPR1170.JPG

trayson

09-08-2014, 11:24 AM

The girls were quite pleased with the Stormtrooper.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-nNK71VUtSvs/U__EJz0CZKI/AAAAAAAAR_U/AHTSZzQaBdo/s800/GOPR1162.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-_cM7kKvQoBk/U__DDQMlRZI/AAAAAAAAR_U/-1RAOzs1pPA/s800/GOPR1195.JPG
LED's in the base of the cupholders made the cups/bottles glow.

Took the boat out for a Labor Day Road trip.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-vhmlSpvaOBQ/VAEgR9A5TCI/AAAAAAAASJI/joOs518yR0E/s800/20140829_174949.jpg

I think they can patch this, right???
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-qOHoqi-S3N8/VAEqKN0iFxI/AAAAAAAASJY/SH5hLFPGQJ8/s800/20140829_183300.jpg

trayson

09-08-2014, 11:35 AM

On the Tuesday after Labor Day, I got a message from a buddy on the forums. He offered to sell me his boat at a great price. So, on Thursday I put the boat up on Craigslist. On Friday I got an email from a friend that didn't even realize it was me that was selling the boat. I took him and his friend out on the boat on Saturday (smooth water and 90 degree weather helped) and I negotiated a deal for his friend to buy my boat. They took delivery Saturday night and it's gone! Boat was up for sale under 48 hours. I found the perfect buyer that was looking for a nicely modified turnkey budget surf boat. It was meant to be!

The day before I sold it, I replaced the throttle cable that snapped on Labor Day.

I am honestly going to miss this slalom wake:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-HNOOY5CHfTI/VAVTBHX95PI/AAAAAAAAT_k/xnEjpEs74mY/s800/20140830_080359.jpg

And I took one last pic before the new owner took delivery:
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-zuFxHdMQcEc/VA3MHrPWjQI/AAAAAAAAUJw/YPz5p3YRbFc/s800/20140906_182951.jpg

James

09-08-2014, 04:21 PM

What's the new boat?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

trayson

09-08-2014, 05:03 PM

What's the new boat?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Working out a deal on a 2008 Moomba XLV...

James

09-08-2014, 05:04 PM

Working out a deal on a 2008 Moomba XLV...

I'm jealous. Post pics!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

trayson

09-08-2014, 07:16 PM

I'm jealous. Post pics!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Oh, you know when I get it in my hot little hands that I'll picture-whore the hell out of it!

haugy

09-10-2014, 03:51 PM

Oh, you know when I get it in my hot little hands that I'll ugly-whore the hell out of it!

Yep. Thank god that boat found a new owner. I next expected you to tell us this was the new tow rig:

http://www.pakwheels.com/forums/attachments/guess-humor-hobbies/805521d1361252508-tun-tun-tun-its-wtf-car-time-vanning_1_7us_pakwheels-com-.jpg

And here's what it would like at night:

http://antidepresivo.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/dekotora/24.jpg

Computer fans????? Really??? My god man, did you walk up to that boat one day and just think....
http://troll.me/images/battlefield-3-all-the-things/destroy-all-the-vehicles.jpg

Thank god that poor boat found a new owner. Make sure you take your new Moomba over to Kangaroo-land and let them see how you plan to destroy this one.

trayson

09-17-2014, 11:35 AM

Haugy, what's your deal? why do you have such a hardon to troll me? I mean it's like every post I make it's just a matter of time before Haugy comes in to troll and threadcrap. Don't you have anything better to do?

Yeah, you don't like the way I modded my Sunsport. I get it. And you've posted on here before that you're an asshole (YOUR WORDS), but why do you have to go out of your way to prove it to us all the time?

Honestly, your crap while occasionally mildly amusing is getting old. Your post above was something I would have expected out of a 12 year old on a Honda civic forum, not from a grown ass man on what is typically a forum that has lots of respect and camaraderie.

Big deal if I took my boat and put stormtrooper decals on it. Big deal that I put a lot of blue LED's on it. Bottom line is that I had a boat that got tons of love everywhere I took it, and it put out a surf wave that was better than tons of V-drives out there because of the surf system I installed. It had a totally rockin' stereo that I built efficiently for a quarter of what others spend to get the same output. Regardless of your dislike for my style, I enhanced my boat and in the end, I was able to sell my boat for a price that reflected all the improvements I made to it, and I was able to sell it in under 48 hours which wouldn't have happened without the upgrades.

It seems pretty obvious that you'd love it if I left these forums, but I'm not the one that's going out of my way to harass, troll and threadcrap on a regular basis. I have done lots of write-ups and I've helped countless Supra owners with my knowledge, experience, and insight in the year and a half that I've been here. Yes, I understand that you reaffirmed your dislike toward me when my innocent discussion with one of your forum buddies made him throw a tantrum and leave. I even sent you PM's about that situation to try to take the high road and smooth things over to which I got no response from you.

I can live with the boycott of the "haugy knowledgebase" regarding any of my boating issues. But it's gotten super old having you troll me regularly.