1992 Supra Spirit 21

[baroda5]

We are interested in purchasing a '92 Supra Spirit that I've found for sale. I've searched for any sort of review of this boat and I've come up empty. Looks like it has a pretty deep hull, does any one know what kind of a slalom wake it makes? Any info at all would be great.

Thanks.

[DKJBama92Mariah]

WELCOME!

Personally i've never heard of a Spirit, at least not for the '92 year. It is also not listed by NADAguides for the '92 year I'm not doubting you, just doubting what the seller said. probably just an innocent mistake. If you could post a pic or the boat's HIN# we can probably figure out exactly what it is that you're looking at.

DKJ

[baroda5]

I have the same concerns you do that it's not listed on NADA, although I did stumble upon a '92 Sunsport that looks really close to it. I'm wondering if someone put a Spirit sticker on the side of the boat.

Here are the numbers:
Hull : XKB02535C292
Engine: 321043

[img]

[baroda5]

Here's the link to the boat.


http://www.boatquest.com/Power/Supra/Category/Length/21448/Feet/USD/1/boats.aspx

[DKJBama92Mariah]

Hmmm, this is puzzling. The HIN comes back as a '92 via http://www.boathistoryreport.com/

Like you saw on nadaguides, there were 4 21' models that year. Bravura, Marauder, Sunsport, and Mariah.

The Mariah and Bravura have shorter gunwales. The Mariah is the open bow and the Bravura was the closed bow.

The Sunsport and Marauder had taller gunwales. The Sunsport was open bow and Marauder closed bow.

So pretty much, you're looking at a Sunsport because it has taller gunwales with an open bow. I guess the only way to know for sure would be to call Skier's Choice with the HIN and ask them.

Just an aside: that boat looks to be in pretty rough shape, but not TOO bad considering the price. I would definitely check the stringers and floors for rot.

To answer your original question, Wakeboarding didn't exist in '92 so this boat would have been designed for a good slalom wake. The slalom wake on my Mariah is great, but i cant give any details on the Sunsport b/c i've never been behind one.

Hope this helps and feel free to ask more questions. People read these forums either because they need help or they want to help other owners, or a little bit of both; thats what its all about.

Cheers,
DKJ

[baroda5]

We're going to see the boat in person on Saturday. The marina claims they put in a new floor (or repaired it??) and recovered all the carpet and vinyl. Sooo, we're hoping that it only needs new paint on the hull, and float it. But we'll know more on Sat.

Thanks for all your help, and I'll make sure to contact the dealer tomorrow to see if I can find out any more info. Wish us luck.

[myturndad]

instead of "painting the hull", i think i would simply use a gel cote restoration kit. You would be amazed how much the orginal shine will come back with some good ole elbow grease..

db

[baroda5]

looks like a gelcoat repair kit would work. The only bad part is that I would have to stay with teal.....I really don't like teal......how much do you think new carpet will cost?

[myturndad]

the best kit i have seen is from properboatcarekit.com to bring that awesome shine back to the boat.

in regards to being teal, that was very popular on many inboard of that time.

carpet, i have heard would run anywhere from 750 to 1000k

[baroda5]

Wow, for a $1k, I can learn to tolerate Teal. Maybe shiny teal will grow on me better than chalky teal seems to. We'll find out on Sat., when we go see it. I'll check out that site for the gel coat restore.

Thanks.

[baroda5]

I spoke with Anthony from teh factory today. The Spirit is a cheaper version of the Sunsport. Same hull design, less options.

[1986Marauder]

Baroda5, You can carpet the boat for less than $300. That is this the highest quality carpet including glue. It gets even cheaper with less quality carpet. This is materials only of course and it is not hard to put it down yourself.

[DKJBama92Mariah]

Baroda,

I would personally go with paint over a sealant. The gelcoat on that boat appears severely oxidized. I've been down this road and you basically have 3 options:

1) Wet sand, buff, and wax. This will make your old finish look very close to new. Its the cheapest. However, once the gelcoat has oxidized, it will not hold a shine very long after buffing. To make it last longer, you MUST be religious about keeping wax on it, i'm talking like 3-4 time per season. Otherwise, once the wax wears off, the finish will degrade quickly. On top of that i would could on having to buff it with rubbing and then polishing compound at least every 2 years, if not every year.

2)Acrylic sealant. I'm not personally a big fan of this. You'd start by using a scuff pad to remove all the old oxidation and get down fresh color in the gelcoat. You then apply the sealant which is pretty much a clear acrylic paint. Here's the catch. Once you use the stuff, you have to keep applying, probably twice a year. If you let it go, the boat will oxidize, but only in patchy spots where the sealant has worn off. Then you have to scuff to remove ALL the old sealant and start over.

3)Paint. I will admit my bias towards this method as i used it on my own boat. It cost me $700 to get the red part of my boat shot with 3 coats of color and 3 coats of clear. I usually wax twice a year: once at the beginning of the season and once in July. The paint is starting its 4th season and it has held up great. It doesn't look factory fresh, but im definitely not compaining on a 15 year old boat. All in all, the paint gave me what i was looking for, a very good finish that holds up well with a very reasonable amount of maintenance. My main problem with the other two methods is the fact that they requires SO much more routine maintenance to keep them looking good.


Just my $.02. I know i'm going against the grain here, so flame away if someone disagrees.

OK, yall have fun. I'm knocking off work early to go pull "Mariah" out of storage. This sunny weather is makin my sea legs ache.

DKJ

DKJ