Woe is me and the '87 Saltare'

[skiman_61]

Gentlemen,

I come to the oracles of old Supras for guidance. I have an '87 Salt that has been in the family since 1998. I've got some leakage around one of my exhaust pipes. All the flooring and whatnot is original. Stringers seem to be solid, but I have a couple of small soft spots in the deck.

I'm thinking it may be time to have the floor and stringers replaced. Many things I can do myself, but a man must acknowledge his limitations.

Love the boat, but it is getting to be long in the tooth. I'm wondering if it's worth fooling with? Any recommendations from our Ohio and/or Kentucky contingent re who to use?

Thanks,

Jack

[Jetlink]

Donny at Bennett's boat repair in Maryville, TN. Mine is going there in the spring and I am all the way up in Illinois near the Wisconsin border.

[skiman_61]

Thanks Jetlink. Springtime boat repairs? How did you decide on this guy? What's he doing for you and what's it going to cost approx?

Jack

[Jetlink]

He's regarded as the guy for restoring Supras and any other ski boat from that era. I'm timing my boat repair to finish right before next years Supra reunion that just happened this past weekend. I have a quote of $5,000 for wood stringers for a Comp. Saltare might be more. Give him a call and see what he says.

[ckracing]

I live in Greater Cincinnati and the drive is absolutely worth it to Donny Bennett @ Bennett's Boat Repair in Marysville, TN. don't let the shop fool you, his work is top notch and knowledge base is deep. Super guy, super work.

[skiman_61]

No votes for the guy in Columbus? Ohio Boatworks?

I talked with him today. Every job I've seen on here is a split. Top comes off, engine out. BW guy says he doesn't do the split.

[Jetlink]

There's a reason for the split, stringers stretch from bow to stern, why patch in new stuff with old stuff? I stand behind my recommendation for Donny and one stop by his shop will be all the proof you need. There are boats there from as far away as Texas.

[wotan2525]

I'd also check with Jim at Viper. I know he's hard to get a hold of and you'll need some patience.... but.... he does do good work and seems to be cheaper than Donny.

I didn't pull my cap. In hindsight -- probably should have. Wouldn't have added that much to the project and would have been done the "right" way.

[gogger]

I am in Columbus and hauled mine to Donny. 1989 pirata. I talked to the bw guy. But felt Donny was way better. Bw guy just threw out $13000 before I knew what was going on. Donny calmed me down and got me through the first year without having to fix the stringers. Stringers were $6500 for the big girls. That was last year. I guess he also does composite for more. Well worth the drive.

[skiman_61]

Youch! 13K and $6500. I hate to part with the old salt but that's a pile of clams. Realistically what is the thing worth at 100 percent? Cheaper than a new one I suppose.

BW gave me a ballpark figure of $4500 w/o pulling the deck. I got the impression that there would be some add ons.

The boat is at Lake Cumberland. It's a three hour trip to Maryville from there according to mapquest.

[Jetlink]

Personally, if I'm doing a stringer restoration, I'm splitting the cap to make sure the job is done right. Anything short of that is just a patch job in my opinion.

[foxriverat]

Sell yours plus the $6500 and you could have a boat with no wood http://southbend.craigslist.org/boa/4507456740.html http://swmi.craigslist.org/boa/4522322100.html http://milwaukee.craigslist.org/boa/4517807879.html

[skiman_61]

Wotan, where is Viper? I recall that Jim was mentioned in a response but I don't see it now?!?!

Jetlink, I hear you. Do it right or do it twice.

Foxriverat, thanks for the tags on CL. Nice looking boats. That one with the tower......mmmmm. I undo the snap on my holster and release the safety on my sidearm when I see boats with WB towers.

[TitanTn]

Viper (Jim) is in about the same place as Donny. Both near Maryville, TN. Jim used to work for Supra and I think his shop used to be part of the Supra plant. Both do this work all the time and know Supra's inside and out. If I were having someone do it, it'd be Donny.

[wotan2525]

Wotan, where is Viper? I recall that Jim was mentioned in a response but I don't see it now?!?!


Viper Customs in TN. Jim used to work for Supra as a designer and bought out all of their NOS parts a few years back. He'll be more difficult to deal with than Donny -- I don't know if he's too busy or just bad at keeping all the balls in the air -- but I suspect his pricing would be a lot lower. I always liked him but have heard stories of people that have had trouble getting him to call them back.

[jasun]

if cost is the issue, then do it yourself. Not too too difficult It cost me about 2500-3000 to do it myself.

[haugy]

I'm debating if this is the year I do it on mine. Funds will be the factor. I will be doing this one myself. Yay.

[skiman_61]

if cost is the issue, then do it yourself. Not too too difficult It cost me about 2500-3000 to do it myself.

Diminishing returns. I don't have the space indoors and the knowhow for the woodworking.

[jasun]

Haugy, it will be loads of fun!!! Trust me!

Skiman- necessity is the mother of invention. I did mine in a 16 x 24' building with 8 foot ceilings. Had a redneck tarp over the front of the building all winter.
And when you talk about woodworking, you should have seen the job the factory did. I think it would alleviate some of your concerns. Bottom line you're going to spend between five and 6000 on somebody else doing it.


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[skiman_61]

Thanks Jasun. Did you split it and lift the engine?

Viper's work looks pretty sweet. He's on FB.

[jasun]

I did. Engine sat in my garage all winter and the cap sat outside
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/07/25/mady2ehu.jpghttp://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/07/25/7utyju2e.jpghttp://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/07/25/y6yjygy6.jpghttp://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/07/25/4agymu8y.jpg


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[skiman_61]

Jasun, what's you address? I'm on my way. ;-) Cool pics.

[korey]

I spent $2000 doing the job on a simpler boat that was 5' shorter. Given the labor intensiveness, I wouldn't be surprised to hear numbers creeping towards $10k. Hard to swallow right up until the point where you consider the garbage that you'll find (comparable in size) to the $10k mark...

About 10 years ago a close friend of my family (and dock neighbor on Dale Hollow) had a Baja split, gutted, and re-strung at Bart's Marine in Louisville. The boat is still in our family - extended dock family that is - and is a shining example of fine craftsmanship. I can't speak to costs, and those would be pretty old numbers anyway.

Also, "Hello" from a fellow Kentuckian and Cumberland boater!

[jasun]

Bring it on over! Might be awhile before I get to it though. Have 2 to 4 standup jetskis to finish up and a seadoo jet boat with a blown v6 Merc to get to first! ;-).
I think if you could dedicate 4 hours a night it would take a month or so to get done. A large work space is recommended too! Mine took a long ass time but I worked on it off and on. Hope it all works out for you!

[jasun]

Here is a link to my rebuild...
http://supraboats.com/bbs/showthread.php?t=12067

[skiman_61]

Thanks, Korey. Where do you hang out when you're on the lake? I'm on Lily Creek if ever you have a mind to stop over. I plan to be there this coming weekend. We should have a yankee (!) Supra reunion next summer to coincide with the Tennessee group.

Thanks also Jasun for the feedback and comments. There is a fiberglass place in Jamestown KY. Good recommendations. Welch Marine.