1988 Supra TS6M, need some opinions.

[Silver91Hatch]

Hi all. I am looking at purchasing a TS6M and coming on here to ask a TON of questions. First things out the boat is in ROUGH shape. Needs floor and tons of interior work. Owner claims it has a blown head gasket and runs rough. The engine is missing a couple freeze plugs and the dipstick. I am very handy when it comes to engines and have no issues on that side of the boat. I have a few spare motors and can get anything running. My issues are the paperwork and interior. What does everyone do as far as recovering seats? They looks like a PITA to recover as they are all curved and shaped to fit the boat. My dad has a Ski Tique and his seats are just squares, really easy to recover. Worst case scenario is going to be a part out for paperwork reasons. What all kinda parts are desirable on these boats so if I do get stuck with yard art due to paper work, I can atleast get my investment back out of it and break even.

I would really like to get it, get the title work square and fix it, have some fun out on the lake. But I want to do so legally.

[michael hunter]

How much is the boat? If its more than 500 RUN as fast as you can. The trailer may be worth some thing but the boat is trashed.Here is a list of things I see so far.
1- engine probably freeze damage $2000.00
2- Complete interior probably needs seat framing also $1500-2500
3- Floor , carpet and stringers $3500-5000
This is without knowing how the rest of the boat is . A clean 88 comp is worth 5 to 7k unless this is a labor of love don't do it you will never make any money on it.

[cadunkle]

If you want to do it nice you'll have $7500-$10k into it when done. All these old inboards are $10k boats, whether you know it or not. :p Not worth it for a Comp IMO if you want to be able to be able to break even or make a few bucks in a few years. $500 sounds about right, as you're buying a shell and it'll cost a lot of time and money to restore. Don't buy this if you just want a cheap inboard to be able to ride, but if you enjoy this type of project and have the time and money then it may be worth it to you.

Stringers, floor, interior, engine at minimum. For the engine by your description I'm guessing you wouldn't have a good core. Granted you could just pick up a used buy running SBF for $100 and call it good enough, go cheap on stringers, floor just patching and so forth and wrap interior in whatever is cheap and have a couple grand into it but it wouldn't be worth anything and you may end up spending summers working on the boat instead of using it and having to do it right in a couple years.

[Silver91Hatch]

I can get in it for less than $1000, but not much. I have a few spare motors so that would only be the cost of the gaskets and seals to fix it and labor. The interior is what I'm worried about the most. I have little experience repairing that kinda stuff, but I'm sure I can figure it out. Might not look the nicest on the first attempt but I'm a quick learner. From what I can and can't see it has a soft spot in the rear, drivers side by the seat bottom. Really under the seat area. I'm not looking to make a killing fixing it and selling it, but more like have little investment and a lot of fun. I think I can be in it with interior work done, motor fixed or replaced and driving for $2500 or less not counting my time ofcourse. My day I am a mechanic and specialize in auto trans and electrical systems, but I do build and race Mustangs and ride motorcycles on the weekends. I am mechanically confiendt in about anything...

[Silver91Hatch]

Any I may be making it out to be worse off than it really is.... I'm just more worried about interior work. Do any of y'all do it yourself on recovering or take it somewhere to have it done? I have looked and lurked on here and seen many build threads on here that looks worse off than what I would start with, lol. I'm not looking to make a show winner out of it, but more of a fun toy that I can keep for a few years, break even or make a dollar to someone looking for an entry level inboard boat.

Only pic I have of it at the moment.

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7294/12795491373_080ef2500c_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/52403353@N02/12795491373/)
boat2 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/52403353@N02/12795491373/) by Mototime2000 (http://www.flickr.com/people/52403353@N02/), on Flickr

[Silver91Hatch]

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7294/12795491373_080ef2500c_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/52403353@N02/12795491373/)
boat2 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/52403353@N02/12795491373/) by Mototime2000 (http://www.flickr.com/people/52403353@N02/), on Flickr

Only current pic I have

[haugy]

How much is the boat? If its more than 500 RUN as fast as you can. The trailer may be worth some thing but the boat is trashed.Here is a list of things I see so far.
1- engine probably freeze damage $2000.00
2- Complete interior probably needs seat framing also $1500-2500
3- Floor , carpet and stringers $3500-5000
This is without knowing how the rest of the boat is . A clean 88 comp is worth 5 to 7k unless this is a labor of love don't do it you will never make any money on it.

Re-read this. Then re-read it again. This is right on the money.

[DAFF]

COR-----Cap Off Restoration !!!!

Please do yourself a favour and wait for a better candidate to purchase. Sometime it pays to be patient and educated before you pull the buying trigger.

[michael hunter]

How long has it been sitting uncovered? Pull the motor mount bolts where they attach to the stringers. If they come out clean you may be able to get a couple years out of her on the cheap. If they come out wet and full of rotten wood you will need stringers before you can have that fun day on the water. I bought a pretty nice comp for 2500 last year that boat is currently split in two and having a
major stringer job done.

[dkelly4819]

You actually might be a bit low on your estimate. I just picked up my '89 Sunsport from Bennett's and a new floor and stringers are running $5,200.00 from him now. Well worth it, in my mind after seeing the quality and care he put into the project, but still a pretty penny!

[Silver91Hatch]

We'll guys its been a while but here is the "final" product, lol. After stringers, floors, 302 swap, EFI swap, carpet, all seats recovered, tower, tinted windshield, Autometer Phantom guages and I'm sure a slew of things I am forgetting. I love it so far. Its a labor of love for sure and when I got tired of it I put it in the corner and forgot about it for a while, until I got mad at what ever else I was working on. 16418


And here is the reason I wanted it in the first place. This is me, down 60lbs from the first post and less one left wrist cast, on the board getting my legs back under me.
16419

[suprasax]

so how much $$$$$ did you spend!

[Silver91Hatch]

Total investment on the whole deal I have right at $4000 in it and that includes me paying someone $1800 to redo all the seats. Granted I have a lot of parts laying around from car builds and such, but for what I was looking for it fits the bill.

[chris young]

Why 302? I'm assuming you had a good one lying around, but I can't imagine it had the right cam in it for a ski boat.

Just curious

[michael hunter]

Boat cost under 1000.00 lets say 600.00
Interior 1800.00
So you did a complete engine swap, floor and stringer job, gauges, tower, carpet plus any other things you may have forgotten for 1600.00?
Your numbers seem very low. Too low for a high quality job .Did you take any pics of the rebuild they will be very important at resale time? There are many that would like to see how to do the rebuild on such a low budget.

[Jetlink]

Boat cost under 1000.00 lets say 600.00
Interior 1800.00
So you did a complete engine swap, floor and stringer job, gauges, tower, carpet plus any other things you may have forgotten for 1600.00?
Your numbers seem very low. Too low for a high quality job .Did you take any pics of the rebuild they will be very important at resale time? There are many that would like to see how to do the rebuild on such a low budget.

I think you missed this post as well...


Total investment on the whole deal I have right at $4000 in it and that includes me paying someone $1800 to redo all the seats. Granted I have a lot of parts laying around from car builds and such, but for what I was looking for it fits the bill.

In it he says that he is in it for about $4,000 on top of the purchase price, however $1,800 of that $4,000 was upholstery work.

[Silver91Hatch]

The fuel pump, lines, filter were free from a car I built and upgraded, but the motor, harness and PCM cam from the salvage yard at a cost of $250 bucks. I sold the intake off it for $120 on local CL and recoup'd a few bones. Fuel pressure regulator was a good chunk, over $150 bucks, dont remember the exact. The cam is from an Explorer so its peak power is right at 4400 rpm and makes loads of torque. It has no issue snatching the rope from my hands. All of the work was done in my garage with exception of the interior covering. Wood, fiberglass and carpet are cheap. I kept the stock stringers and doubled them up with new wood since it only had a bad place here and there that in total were less than a foot of bad wood. Then I fiberglassed over it all, coated both sides of the plywood with glass, laid it and carpeted over it. Tower was $499 from Amazon with free shipping. Tint on the front glass was another $10... Not much else left to the whole deal. I did put LEDs in all the nav lights but I didnt count that in the $4000 figure b/c that was just me being me....

[michael hunter]

It sounds like you did a hatchet job on the boat the rotten stringers will infect the new wood you installed and its never a good idea to install automotive parts in a boat.
Don't worry about the pics of the build they will not help at resale more likely will screw the sale.

[ngavchris]

Congratulations on your new boat. Sounds like your having lots of fun at a great price. I took my boat to a professional and they did they did a partial replacement on my stringers. Did the job for me. Was 1/3 of the price of redoing the entire job.
Lasted another ten years before the had to be totally replaced. Be proud and don't worry about negative posts...

[michael hunter]

Chris
Sounds like you took your boat to the same professional that did my 84 comp . It looked OK when I bought it but after the first season there was noticeable movement in the floor and pylon. I removed the engine for oil leaks and thought I would replace the carpet that is when I saw the ''professional'' floor install then the stringers . There was nothing professional about what was done to the boat . It takes time and money to do the job right anything less is just a cover up that will never last. In this case using automotive parts is dangerous to him and all his passengers. I have no doubt when this boat gets sold there will be no mention of what is under the carpet and what parts were used to make it run.

[Jetlink]

Chris' boat that is mentioned in his post is a gorgeous '83 Rider that has been in the family since day one essentially if that gives you any clue as to what boat that really is.

[Silver91Hatch]

What makes you think I'll sell it and try to screw the next person? I take that as a shot at my ethics and I take that serious. For what I have in it, I'll resell the tower and trailer, cut the boat into pieces and burn it. That better? If you think that the motor in your boat is some magic engine that Supra themselves built in a foundry and took months to design, you are wrong. That shit is the same as a 1971 pick-up truck 351W with a high dollar Holley carb and a flame arrester on top. My boat is no different that any 1996+ Ski Nautique with an EFI motor. It has blower fans, braided lines and AN connectors that I keep constant watch on. All I know is my boat start on the first turn of the key, runs like a champ and gets decent "fuel mileage", I don't have any rubber impellers to deal with and it stays a cool 140-160 degrees even at 48mph, GPS verified. So for all that hate, hate on. For all that think its cool to modify stuff, here ya go, it can be done. How many of you have an OBD-II port under your steering wheel and can pull codes when you have a misfire? Just me?

[michael hunter]

What a ignorant post . You think there is no difference between automotive and marine parts talk to Indmar or PCM about that . Things like alternator , fuel pump ,starter and ignition have to be marine approved if not you are driving a 20 gallon bomb. I don't hate you just what you have done with your cobbled up stringer job and all the half ass so called upgrades . Tell me how do you get the water from the lake to your engine without a raw water pump? I worked in the automotive industry for more than two decades. I have seen hundreds of modified systems done by back yard engineers who think they know better. Bottom line is what you have done to your boat is an insult to anybody that actually took the time and expense to thoroughly rebuild a boat as good if not better than original not just slap on some cheap parts . I doubt you will cut up your boat as you describe above that would be a fitting end . No you will most likely find someone with less knowledge than yourself and sell it never mentioning what lurks below the deck. By the way did you mention the modifications to your insurance company? I doubt they would wright a policy on such a boat and differently wouldn't pay a claim after the truth is revealed.