1986 Supra Comp ts6m

[Awill10291]

I'm new to the boat world. I am thinking about purchasing a 1986 Supra Comp Ts6m. I would be getting the boat and trailer for roughly $3500, which seams likes a great deal. The boat has a custom tower, has been reupholstered in the last 5 years, and looks really nice considering its age. My question regards the engine. An older FORD 460 motor is what is powering this inboard boat. From what i can tell, it starts right up and seems to run good, although I have not seen the boat run on water. What can I look for before purchasing the boat? I have roughly $3000-$5000 to put into this boat, and am prepared to spend that much in order to get it in top running condition before next summer. Please give me any and all information about this particular boat, along with anything that I should look for when inspecting the boat. Thank you guys!

[chris young]

Firstly, on this age of boat the #1 concern is stringer rot. Do yourself a favor and search the forum for stringer rot, there's lots here. Others will disagree with me but in reality, it's only the stringers that sit under the motor that are must repair items. The boat will operate just fine with questionable stringers everywhere else.

Secondly, if there's a Ford 360 in there, it's not the original motor. It should be a 351W or a 454. If it truly is a 460 I'd walk away, lord knows what kind of bodging would have gone on if the owner just dropped an old Ford truck motor in there.

3500 could be a great deal or a total rip off depending on the condition of both the boat and trailer.

Getting back to your question, you need to tap the stringers under the motor to see if they sound solid(good) or hollow (bad). Stomp around the floor looking for soft spots, and if the floor is solid, find out if it's been replaced. If it has, ask if there are any pictures of the process.

Do a compression check on the motor or have someone who knows how to, do one for you.

Now, if you're a slalom guy, word is you will love this boat. It punched above it's weight when it was made, and even now it's a great slalom boat. That being said I've never skied behind one, my boat is a Rider. If you want to fill it with ballast and make big waves, move on, it's the wrong boat for that.

Are you saying you have a 5000 budget to buy and fix up, or 5000 to put into it after purchase?

[Cusefan78]

Chris is right. It has a very low freeboard and if you try adding a ton of ballast for boarding you're going to sink it. This is a ski boat. A very good one! It won't like rough water, but it will handle like a porsche. It's a great ski boat!

[Awill10291]

Chris, Thank you very much for your input! I will definitely check the stringers. The boat does indeed have a motor swap. Someone put a FORD 460 engine in this boat years ago. I have a mechanic that knows a ton about these old Ford Engines, and can do any work needed on the motor itself. Is this normal to put a car engine in a boat? Also according to the previous owner, (seems like a nice honest guy) this boat kicks out a HUGE WEIGHT in which you can EVEN SURF behind! It has custom BALLAST tanks (not fat sacks) I am a pretty advanced wakeboarder, and would like a large wake to throw flips and tricks behind. I do not ski, so a small wake is not in my interest. Seems that you have the complete opposite wake of what he claims it can kick out ha! I have an additional $5000 to put into this boat, but of course I would never want to put that much into it. As you can see from the pictures its a pretty nice boat. I've seen it in person once once and you wouldn't think it was a 1986. I really appreciate all your input and would love some more info and details! Thanks so much and let me know.

[Awill10291]

http://lincoln.craigslist.org/boa/4609535738.html

Check it out if you would! All thoughts and info are greatly appreciated.

http://lincoln.craigslist.org/boa/4609535738.html

[Cusefan78]

Chris, Thank you very much for your input! I will definitely check the stringers. The boat does indeed have a motor swap. Someone put a FORD 460 engine in this boat years ago. I have a mechanic that knows a ton about these old Ford Engines, and can do any work needed on the motor itself. Is this normal to put a car engine in a boat? Also according to the previous owner, (seems like a nice honest guy) this boat kicks out a HUGE WEIGHT in which you can EVEN SURF behind! It has custom BALLAST tanks (not fat sacks) I am a pretty advanced wakeboarder, and would like a large wake to throw flips and tricks behind. I do not ski, so a small wake is not in my interest. Seems that you have the complete opposite wake of what he claims it can kick out ha! I have an additional $5000 to put into this boat, but of course I would never want to put that much into it. As you can see from the pictures its a pretty nice boat. I've seen it in person once once and you wouldn't think it was a 1986. I really appreciate all your input and would love some more info and details! Thanks so much and let me know.
Where are the pics? Boat motors are nothing more then automobile motors. Some are trucks some are cars. Ford I believe is out of the marine business, gm is now the main supplier. You can get caddy motors and vette motors in boats. With that said never seen a 460 marine motor. Seen 302,351, and 427. Back to the supra if it's a comp I can't see it throwing a huge wake. It just can't handle the weight that's needed to do that. I would look for a salt, pirata for what you're looking to do.

[Awill10291]

Where are the pics? Boat motors are nothing more then automobile motors. Some are trucks some are cars. Ford I believe is out of the marine business, gm is now the main supplier. You can get caddy motors and vette motors in boats. With that said never seen a 460 marine motor. Seen 302,351, and 427. Back to the supra if it's a comp I can't see it throwing a huge wake. It just can't handle the weight that's needed to do that. I would look for a salt, pirata for what you're looking to do.

http://lincoln.craigslist.org/boa/4609535738.html CuseFan, Thank you very much for your input. This boat seams VERY DEEP SET which i thought would make a great wakeboarding boat being that most ski boats seem to have a very shallow width. Lemme know what you think after checking out the ad. Thanks so much, and do mean that if its a 460 car engine it wont work as a marine engine? I am pretty sure it is a car engine but the seller says the boat runs great with the 460, has tons of power, and a top speed of around 35 mph.

[Cusefan78]

ThAt is not a comp. that's a beast. So yes that boat would be a great wakeboard boat. It has a taller freeboard and a deeper hull.

[chris young]

Cusefan beat me to it. Definitely not a comp. The thing about dropping in a motor that is not a marine motor means someone had to do the conversion. Ignition alternator, starter and carbs are the big things in that regard. If these parts are all marine, then you're likely ok, if not, you could burn it down to the waterline. . I'm not saying that you can't marinize a 460 and end up with a nice motor, but if I was buying this boat I'd want a lot more details on how the motor was built up.

Also, if there are custom ballast tanks in there, I'd like to see pictures of how it was done, it could be pristine under the floor, or it could be a disaster. These boats were never built with the intention of adding all that ballast, so what I was saying earlier about the rest of the stringers not being all that important does not apply when you start overloading the boat with ballast. My boat is the same hull, and I would never consider putting ballast in it without doing a complete stringer job.

[Awill10291]

So what kind of boat exactly is this? Both the current owner and previous owner thought it was a comp ts6m. So the boat I showed you guys in the ad looks pretty nice huh? Based on the pics do you think it's worth the money? Could I get new stringers done for under $3000? The ballast tanks are auto full with a switch and are in the rear of the boat? So this is a good boat to load up with weight for boarding? I'm sorry your comment saying it's a beast and good wake boarding boat confused me because at the end you said you wouldn't recommend any ha llast.

[Jetlink]

I can tell with 100% certainty that the boat in that ad is not even close to Comp based off of the amount of freeboard it has plus the interior layout. This is what a Comp looks like. 15089

You will need to check the stringers, specifically where the engine mounts to the stringer for rot. Any plumbed in ballast was added after the fact and you will want to make sure that it has been done well so as to not create further issues down the road.

[Cusefan78]

That is a supra beast. It was one of the first inboard ski boats that came with a big block.

If you did the stringers yourself they can be done for under 3k. If there is stringer rot that price is very high. If the stringers have been done it's a good deal. You're going to have to inspect the floor and stringers. Any soft spots or of the motor mount bolts spin then it's going to need a stringer job. That boat would be a solid boat for surfing and boarding. That tower looks pretty subject I would check all the Welds for cracks. Also check the gelcoat around the mounting plates. Any cracking you have a problem with the way it was installed. The home made ballast system I would need to see pics. If it's bags that are plumbed in then you should be good but if it's some fish tank then once again walk away. You're really going to need to go through this boat. The engine isn't correct, yes it will work, the stringers could be shot, and that tower could be a death trap.

[Awill10291]

I will definitely be checking the stringers for rot. I believe the ballast system is aluminum tanks, but the owner doesn't wakeboard and has only filled them up once according to him. What's so bad about having tanks rather than sacks? What if I could pick this thing up for $3000 or less then would that be a steal? Even if the stringers are rotten? I've seen pics of the tower and although looks homemade seems VERY sturdy and the weld job seems legit. Thanks for all the input! Keep it comin.

[Cusefan78]

That tower is homemade. I would say you're safe around 2500-3000k unless you're looking at a cap off resto. Just remember the boat is never going to make you money so whatever you put in don't expect it back as an investment.

[Awill10291]

So according to the owner the motor is mounted onto the fiberglass? What the heck? I'm headed to inspect this boat Monday. Is that even possible or safe?

[Cusefan78]

Walk away from this thing!

[Jetlink]

Walk away from this thing!

Walk only of you can't run. This has migraine and money pit written all over it.