New here and new to supra boats

[Cbower83]

Hey guys. So I picked up my 1st supra. It's an 88 ts6m comp. has the 351 in it. I've had runabout bouts in the past. But this is my first direct drive boat. Anything out of the ordinary I should know about with these boats? This is a learning process. Any advice would help, thanks!

[chrisk]

You're going to have your mind blown by low-speed maneuvering around docks, trailers, etc. You won't have as much steering at idle, and the boat will either reverse to the left or the right all the time. If I remember right some Comp's with certain transmissions reversed to the right, while most reverse to the left... I might be wrong about that though.

You will enjoy how easy the engine is to work on. Depending on how old the runabouts were that you owned, be wary of the condition of the wooden stringers and floor in your Comp, they go bad and are key structural components to the motor, rudder, prop strut, etc.

Where do you boat? Do you have to be worried about really large waves? I ask because the Comp's have VERY low freeboard compared to a runabout, and you might have to be worried about sinking. No joke.

Comp's feel like race cars on water, I love driving them, welcome and enjoy it!

[Sirgonz]

I also am new to Supra boats... mines a little newer but take what he is saying about slow speed handling seriously .... there is hardly any... I have 30 something hours on mine now but still the hardest thing to learn has been the docking.... ( wouldn't go back to old boat for all the money in the world just have to learn it) Welcome

[jtomasik]

I have the '87, and like chrisk said, reverse is a bit odd. Not a big deal, really, just requires a bit of extra thought and finesse. You can tell which way your prop turns by the model number on the engine plate. I'm a newbie to the boat scene (as of May last year). The steering is really tough on the Supra when compared to an I/O, at least in the direction against the prop. The harder you're driving, the worse it is. The low freeboard, as mentioned above, is a reality. I only was out on the boat 3 times, and during the test drive, we had ballast on it. When you'd slow to go back to get your fallen surfer, you had to be careful and not turn into your own wake.

Personally, at least so far, I'm not thrilled with the boat. I bought it because I wanted to wake surf, and that's about the only benefit I am experiencing compared to my other boat. I feel like I should've come here and learned first, 'cause there's a lot of good info here. I think I'm going to learn what boat I should buy (per the info here), then sell mine about mid-season and make the switch. Eh, live and learn, right? I'm still having fun!

[MESupra]

I find my 92' SunSport easier to control at slow speeds than any of the I/O's or outboards I have owned, once you figure out which direction it will pull in reverse you can work it to your advantage when docking. I see no need for a I/O after owning a inboard the trans is silky smooth, engines are easier to work on, no crazy bow rise etc etc. As far as outboards go I really like the new 4 stroke engines, great for pontoon boats.

[Cbower83]

Chrisk.- well I took it out last Sunday. And it's def a big diff from the runabouts, yep sits super low and water does come in if its choppy. I'm from Aledo tx. I like to go to possum kingdom lake or eagle mountain

[Cbower83]

Thanks for the info! Any advice truly helps!

[Jetlink]

Hey guys. So I picked up my 1st supra. It's an 88 ts6m comp. has the 351 in it. I've had runabout bouts in the past. But this is my first direct drive boat. Anything out of the ordinary I should know about with these boats? This is a learning process. Any advice would help, thanks!

Throttle control and situational awareness will save your hide. If you are at idle and a big set of rollers are coming at you, stare them down, turn your boat to take them more at an angle along the side than head on if you can or, goose the throttle a little ahead of the waves arriving on your bow to try and get the bow up though this technique does take great timing.

Keep your head on a swivel for waves from all directions.

If you are towing with any amount of ballast such as for wakeboarding or surfing and your rider falls, pull the throttle to idle, allow your wake to pass by the boat and then turn to head back and pick up your rider if conditions allow.

Your boat should always back to starboard when reversing. The first couple of times you launch, you are going to want to have the dock on your port side until you get the hang of it. I advise you to go out, find some less congested water and practice turning while not in a confined space if you are not quite comfortable with the boat handling at low speeds and throttle settings.

And lastly, sorry for jumping around but if you are going to add ballast to your boat, don't go all in and sac the crap out of it on the first go and then go riding. Add a small amount of ballast, take it for a spin to see how it changes the handling before adding more or towing anybody.

Any questions, PM me or ask more on here, that is why we are all here...

[jtomasik]

...

And lastly, sorry for jumping around but if you are going to add ballast to your boat, don't go all in and sac the crap out of it on the first go and then go riding. Add a small amount of ballast, take it for a spin to see how it changes the handling before adding more or towing anybody.

Any questions, PM me or ask more on here, that is why we are all here...


Awesome advice. I'll be using ballast for the first time this weekend (only had the boat out twice by myself-no ballast, once with the previous owner with ballast), and going in a bit at a time is advice well-taken. Thanks!

[whammond]

When it comes to docking/tight manuvering, it's important to understand how to bump the throttle into forward (steering the boat in the direction you want to go as this is the only option that gives you that power), then back into neutral, then into reverse. Depending on which way you are going compared to your reverse direction, you'll be able to essentially spin it around in a circle, or back straight. My advice would be to practice, I just went and found a buoy in the middle of the lake when I was first learning my comp.

General rule of thumb - Don't approach the dock faster than you would want to hit it.

Don't be cheap and buy automotive parts when there are marine ones, remember you have a grenade sitting in the middle of your boat. Enjoy your ferrari on the lake.

[Zim]

I have the '87, and like chrisk said, reverse is a bit odd. Not a big deal, really, just requires a bit of extra thought and finesse. You can tell which way your prop turns by the model number on the engine plate. I'm a newbie to the boat scene (as of May last year). The steering is really tough on the Supra when compared to an I/O, at least in the direction against the prop. The harder you're driving, the worse it is. The low freeboard, as mentioned above, is a reality. I only was out on the boat 3 times, and during the test drive, we had ballast on it. When you'd slow to go back to get your fallen surfer, you had to be careful and not turn into your own wake.

Personally, at least so far, I'm not thrilled with the boat. I bought it because I wanted to wake surf, and that's about the only benefit I am experiencing compared to my other boat. I feel like I should've come here and learned first, 'cause there's a lot of good info here. I think I'm going to learn what boat I should buy (per the info here), then sell mine about mid-season and make the switch. Eh, live and learn, right? I'm still having fun!

What do you mean the steering is tough? If it's really hard to turn while you're in turns under power, you probably need to grease the rudder, or you may have a cable that will need replacing soon. It shouldn't be a chore to turn one of these boats under power. A little tougher, sure, but nothing crazy.

[Cbower83]

You guys are great. Good advice. ! I plan on changing all the fluids aswell as a tune up for the summer.yall Synthetic oil ? Any lil secrets on tune ups etc?

[jtomasik]

It's only hard to turn one direction, and that necessary force seems proportional to how much throttle is used. If I'm going fast and I throw the boat into neutral, the wheel (rudder) seems equal in necessary force to turn one direction or the other. Also, it's harder to even hold the wheel in a turn of the direction that's hardest to turn into. My I/O has power steering, which makes the steer effort easy. Sitting still, the wheel turns easy in either direction.

[Jetlink]

It's only hard to turn one direction, and that necessary force seems proportional to how much throttle is used. If I'm going fast and I throw the boat into neutral, the wheel (rudder) seems equal in necessary force to turn one direction or the other. Also, it's harder to even hold the wheel in a turn of the direction that's hardest to turn into. My I/O has power steering, which makes the steer effort easy. Sitting still, the wheel turns easy in either direction.

Point of reference, even though my boat, as does every other boat out here shouldn't require power steering to turn the rudder. I can turn my boat from lock to lock at any speed with minimal effort and two fingers.

[Moose]

Mine was pretty tough to turn at speed but very easy at idle or low speed. The rudder was original and had a fair amount of slop. I recently replaced the rudder assembly and just in time. It looked like a previous owner may have hit something because the rudder shaft was slightly bent and cracked half way through. I probably would have lost it into the murky deep eventually. Can't wait to see how the new rudder does.

[Moose]

Got to test out the boat with the new rudder and wow what a difference. At wakeboarding or cruising speed only takes one finger for turning.

[comp92]

older comps are the cleanest, classic looking vessles on the water! IMO. i can't believe the wealth of knowledge on this site!
Welcome!