1988 Supra Mariah Floor Restoration

[lmnelson86]

Hello and thank you to everyone for all of the knowledge and information throughout the site, it has been super helpful! I had lurked for a few months before I signed up a while back. This site has been a great motivator and source of knowledge. Lots of cool stuff here!

My family use to have a 1998 Malibu Sunsetter LX, bought it brand new and sold it around 2007 or 2008. I wish we still had it, so late this summer I started looking for an older ski boat to use on Lake St Clair. I ended up with this Supra after a conversation with a friend, turns out this one was right under my nose.
She's a 1988 Mariah in need of some TLC, bought from a family friend. He told me I was "buying a trailer that came with a project." Right up my alley! The previous owner upgraded to a brand new Mastercraft last summer and no longer has a need for this ole gal. Motor is brand new a few years back, less than 25 hours on her with a re-man trans. Interior was all also redone with the exception of the captains chair, and maybe the motor cover if I remember correctly. Regardless, aside from a little mildew from being covered up for a year, she should clean right up with a magic eraser. She sits on a newer twin axle Shore Land'r trailer. I was told the floor was in need of repair, as it had started to rot underneath the captains chair and the captains footwell/tray. This spot had been repaired once before but it managed to take on water again and saturated the foam and new floor. The floor also began to rot in the rear left corner in front of the rear seat. Stringers were supposedly good, but you never know what's inside until you tear up the floor.

This past weekend I started to dig into the boat to remove the floor. From what I can tell, I found that the previous repair had been breached by the hole used to fill the hull with foam. No surprise here, not a big deal. I managed to get the majority of the flooring and foam removed from the right side of the boat, and started on the left side for a few hours Sunday morning. The stringers are OK in some areas, but rotten at the ends. They will be replaced entirely. No half-arsing things here.

Transom is soft, so it will also be replaced in this process.

I will let these pictures speak for themselves. I have yet to remove the floor and foam on the left side, but my plan is to split the boat at the bond line and remove the top deck. This will allow for limitless access to the floor and stringers. No sense in crawling up under the front and back of the boat. All of that effort would be better spent in removing the cap and replacing the floor and stringers the correct way. I would like to keep this boat for a number of years to come so I am going to do it right the first time. I like the retro grey-blue color scheme, so I will probably stick with it. If I make a color change, it will be down the road as I would like to first get the boat fixed and on the water in the spring. I'll give her a good color sanding and wheel it out in the spring and see what the chalky exterior has left.
I don't plan to add much to the boat. Off the top of my head things I would like to add to the boat are:

Aerial Freeride Tower
Interior and Underwater LED Lighting
Updated Radio w/iPod/iPhone capability
New Interior Speakers
Tower Speakers (Eventually)

Enjoy the pictures. I hope to add to this thread soon, weather dependent of course. I have an exterior shot of the boat but it is on my old phone. I will update soon

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Luke

[lmnelson86]

More Pictures. Sorry that these are sideways, I will figure that out later.

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[lmnelson86]

Well not a whole lot of progress since the weekend, but I did manage to get the rub rail removed as well as all of the screws that hold the two halves together. I ran out of daylight last night, so I will drill out the rivets Friday. I hope to lift the cap off on Sunday.

I do not plan on using foam when I rebuild the core, nor am I going to use carpet. I think I am going to spray a base gelcoat with some gelcoat webbing instead. My brother has done this in one of his boats and it is not slippery at all, and looks great to boot. I would like to avoid using anything that retains water/moisture in all areas of the boat. I have also contemplated a modern laminated wood flooring, not sure on that though.

Here are a couple shots from Wednesday nights progress, one of which shows the boat. I would love to paint the boat, but I appreciate its vintage look. I will be restoring the gelcoat as original as possible. Lots of time with the sander and buffer coming up!I Hope to have some good photos and progress this weekend.


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[wotan2525]

Looking good so far! Sounds like you've done your research.....

FWIW the worst part of the entire process is removing the rotten stringers and the foam. Once you're done with that it's smooth (but expensive!) sailing....

[lmnelson86]

Wotan,

Thanks! So far the removal process hasn't been that bad. It certainly isn't the most fun thing to do, but I have been at a desk job for almost two years now, so anything hands on is fine by me. I'm having fun. Luckily I have a couple of huge rolls of fiberglass cloth, mat, and roving that the family has accumulated over the years for various projects. I am not new to fiberglass but this is certainly the biggest project I have attempted. I cannot wait for the end result. It'll be a fun boat!


Looking good so far! Sounds like you've done your research.....

FWIW the worst part of the entire process is removing the rotten stringers and the foam. Once you're done with that it's smooth (but expensive!) sailing....

[lmnelson86]

Well another weekend has come and gone. Got the top deck split from the bottom on Saturday, removed the rest of the carpet and took care of some miscellaneous stuff. The two halves split pretty easily as I suspected. A little pressure from the forklift and the bond slowly split. I will be removing the gas tank, blower motors and other accessories one night this week. I try and get a few little things done during the week before I run out of daylight. Every little bit helps. The lag bolts that hold the motor mounts down spin with no effort at all, so the motor will be getting removed soon, too. Fun stuff!

What did I get myself into? Ha :confused::cool:

More pics to come Might have to find an easier way too attach these

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[lmnelson86]

Used a couple of the forklifts and an empty trailer to aid in the process. Staged everything and took my time. Pretty smooth sailing, only had to snip a few speaker wires and the blower wires.

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[lmnelson86]

More goodness

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[lmnelson86]

Backing up the trailer and setting the top down. Used some 6x6 timbers to keep it from sitting on the cooler and sides.

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[lmnelson86]

I pulled all of the carpet off of the top half before I set it down, and removed the carpet from the bottom half as well. To my surprise, the floor under the bow was pretty soft. Just another reason I am getting rid of that moisture monster: carpet.

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[mlaosa]

Wow! Looking good. Definitely gotta be easier with the forklifts. I'm in the middle of stringer resto on my conbrio. Keep the pics coming!

[lmnelson86]

Wow! Looking good. Definitely gotta be easier with the forklifts. I'm in the middle of stringer resto on my conbrio. Keep the pics coming!

mlaoso, thank you! The forklifts sure did make the job easy, glad to have them at my disposal.

Well I have been pretty busy the past few weeks, I pecked away at some stuff but it wasn't until this weekend that I made some serious progress. I took Friday off and spent a solid 3 days working on the boat. I was able to remove the remainder of the floor, the engine, all blower vent tubing, almost everything attached to the transom and most importantly the stringers. The transom will be rebuilt with one sheet of plywood instead of various pieces.

Pics to follow!

[lmnelson86]

What a MESS this project is, but I'm having fun. I just keep thinking of how nice the boat will be when she's all done. After talking to some friends, I am considering re-foaming the boat. I have not made a final decision, but its on the table at this time.

Enjoy the pics

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[lmnelson86]

Couple More

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Somehow I managed to forget to measure the height of the stringers where the motor sits. I may have it written down somewhere, but I cannot find it. Can someone confirm this for me? Height from the bottom of the hull, or measure down from the top of the stringer to the top of the 4x4 area. Thanks!

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[mlaosa]

Great progress! I'll take a look at mine and get you the measurements. I don't know if my measurements are the same as yours being that your hull is quite a bit deeper than mine. But I'll measure them and get them to you

[jasun]

I would suggest taking off and cleaning them up real good. It will make putting the engine back in a heck of a lot easier.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[lmnelson86]

I would suggest taking off and cleaning them up real good. It will make putting the engine back in a heck of a lot easier.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Jasun, take off what? I think you missed a word or two :)

Thanks for the kind words everyone

[Jetlink]

The engine mounts.

[lmnelson86]

The engine mounts.


Ah, yes. I have already begun to clean them up. They're a bit cruddy.

So after talking and drinking with my buddies, I think I may just end up painting her. With the two decks already split in half, I'd be a fool not to paint it especially since I was considering doing it in the future. I'm considering a pearl white/silver/black/metal flake purple color scheme. Or some combo of those colors.

[jasun]

Thanks Jetlink. Damn talk to text while driving and proof reading failed me....

[Okie Boarder]

Looks like you're off to a great start!

[lmnelson86]

Well I spent Tuesday evening grinding down the remnants of the fiberglass from the old stringers. I'm about 90% done. Just have to grind down some more of that green/blue epoxy that the stringers are bedded in from the factory and carefully grind around the transom area.

My Doug Fir for the stringers showed up yesterday as well. I will be using Doug Fir for the main stringers and motor cradle, and pine for the rest. The lumber store didn't have Doug Fir in 1" wide, so I will use pine. The pine has been sitting in my garage forever and is perfectly straight and dry, super strong and very nice. I'd like to use it up, and it's free. Thanks Dad!

Here are a few pics of the aftermath of my grinding. Nothing special, but progress nonetheless. I am going to vacuum the hull tonight so I have a clear view of what's left to grind, and I will finish from there. Hopefully this sunday I can start trimming my stringers to shape :) I purposely cleaned the TV screen before I ground, just to see how much dust I would make. The garage is due for a good cleaning now, haha.

I am also going to get rid of the bow-cooler in the walk through. I see nothing but problems with built in coolers as they often fail and leak, making a mess. The plastic is brittle. I will be using the boat at my cottage and taking it out at my leisure. This will also allow for extra storage for life vests etc. I do not launch on a daily basis to spend the day on the lake like most, so taking a regular cooler is no problem for me. Usually we will go out for a session, come back in and eat lunch, and head back out etc. Our trailers usually get used just twice per season, when we put the boats in and take them out. I'm not sure if there's any interest in this cooler, but if anyone would like to take it off my hands for a fair price, please PM me.

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[lmnelson86]

Also considering picking up these Kicker speakers for the boat, anyone used Kickers before? Thoughts? Experience? I have 6 6.5" speakers, thinking of using 4 of these in the middle of the boat, and 2 of the same speaker, non LED, in the bowrider. I don't want to have to LEd lighting up front as it may be a distraction while driving.

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_20641M654L/Kicker-KM654LCW.html

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[cjtpilot]

Also considering picking up these Kicker speakers for the boat, anyone used Kickers before? Thoughts? Experience? I have 6 6.5" speakers, thinking of using 4 of these in the middle of the boat, and 2 of the same speaker, non LED, in the bowrider. I don't want to have to LEd lighting up front as it may be a distraction while driving.

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_20641M654L/Kicker-KM654LCW.html



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Kickers are great speakers!!!! However you can get a lot better on ebay !!! I am picking up 4 of these for $129

[lmnelson86]

Kickers are great speakers!!!! However you can get a lot better on ebay !!! I am picking up 4 of these for $129

Could you provide me with a link? I was going to wait until Black Friday/Cyber Monday and see if there will be any deals on them.

[cjtpilot]

Kickers are great speakers!!!! However you can get a lot better on ebay !!! I am picking up 4 of these for $129


http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-Pair-4-Speakers-Kicker-KM6130-LED-Marine-6-5-Waterproof-Coaxial-195W-Silver-/161369037857?pt=US_Marine_Audio&hash=item2592581c21

http://www.ebay.com/itm/BRAND-NEW-1-PAIR-Kicker-09KM6130LED-Marine-Boat-6-5-Waterproof-Speakers-Silver-/131255922297?pt=US_Marine_Audio&hash=item1e8f766e79

http://www.ebay.com/itm/4-Pair-8-Speakers-Kicker-KM6130-LED-Marine-6-5-Waterproof-Coaxial-195W-Silver-/161373486061?pt=US_Marine_Audio&hash=item25929bfbed

[lmnelson86]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-Pair-4-Speakers-Kicker-KM6130-LED-Marine-6-5-Waterproof-Coaxial-195W-Silver-/161369037857?pt=US_Marine_Audio&hash=item2592581c21

http://www.ebay.com/itm/BRAND-NEW-1-PAIR-Kicker-09KM6130LED-Marine-Boat-6-5-Waterproof-Speakers-Silver-/131255922297?pt=US_Marine_Audio&hash=item1e8f766e79

http://www.ebay.com/itm/4-Pair-8-Speakers-Kicker-KM6130-LED-Marine-6-5-Waterproof-Coaxial-195W-Silver-/161373486061?pt=US_Marine_Audio&hash=item25929bfbed

Thank you.

I cannot seem to find any reviews or videos showing information on these speakers. I worry if they may be knock offs or cheaply built? The price is right, though.

[TitanTn]

Looking great. Way to jump in with both feet. Just for what it's worth, the built-in cooler is one of our favorite features. I hate stumbling over things in the boat and I really like to keep things open as much as possible even when we have 8 people on board. The built-in works perfectly, is out of the way, and is so simple to stock, cool, clean, etc. I have plenty of friends with much newer, more expensive boats who are jealous of my cooler. But hey, I know it's not for everyone.

[lmnelson86]

Looking great. Way to jump in with both feet. Just for what it's worth, the built-in cooler is one of our favorite features. I hate stumbling over things in the boat and I really like to keep things open as much as possible even when we have 8 people on board. The built-in works perfectly, is out of the way, and is so simple to stock, cool, clean, etc. I have plenty of friends with much newer, more expensive boats who are jealous of my cooler. But hey, I know it's not for everyone.

Truth be told, I really do like the cooler and I do not mind having it at all. My concern is the future condition of the plastic, as it seems to already be brittle on my boat. I would hate to cut a hole in my floor to accommodate the cooler, and to have it fail in a few years and leave me with nothing but a hole in the boat. With the removal of the cooler now, I can use the space for storage or just toss my own cooler into the existing spot as it will still be accessible by lifting the cushion.

If I was launching my boat on a daily/regular basis and spending the day on my boat like most, I would definitely keep the cooler. Being that I will be at my cottage and usually just take the boat out for an hour or two at a time while we ski/board/tube, I do not really need it. I guess you could say I am on the fence at this point. I will make a final decision when it comes time to reinstall the top deck.

[lmnelson86]

Got 99% of the grinding done on the bottom of the hull, and all of the transom removed. Spent a lot of time this weekend with the 9" sander getting the bulk of the grinding done, and used the 2" grinder to get things tuned up nicely. Preparation is key, so I've been going over it with a fine tooth comb. I just need to finish grinding the transom and I can start rebuilding. I am going to make the transom one piece instead of 5. Swim deck brackets will also have a nice aluminum plate backing for added support. One of the screws for a speedometer pickup went right into a stringer, I'm sure that didn't help things!

Some pics of the progress. That blue/green glue peeled off in sheets from the transom. What a pain in the rear that was! I spent a lot of time grinding that glue off of the hull from underneath the stringers so I get a good bond to the hull.

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[cjtpilot]

Got 99% of the grinding done on the bottom of the hull, and all of the transom removed. Spent a lot of time this weekend with the 9" sander getting the bulk of the grinding done, and used the 2" grinder to get things tuned up nicely. Preparation is key, so I've been going over it with a fine tooth comb. I just need to finish grinding the transom and I can start rebuilding. I am going to make the transom one piece instead of 5. Swim deck brackets will also have a nice aluminum plate backing for added support. One of the screws for a speedometer pickup went right into a stringer, I'm sure that didn't help things!

Some pics of the progress. That blue/green glue peeled off in sheets from the transom. What a pain in the rear that was! I spent a lot of time grinding that glue off of the hull from underneath the stringers so I get a good bond to the hull.

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We were just discussing doing one solid piece on Jetlink's Comp this weekend for the transom.

[lmnelson86]

We were just discussing doing one solid piece on Jetlink's Comp this weekend for the transom.

I find it odd that the transom isn't one piece from the factory. I can only assume that since the only load bearing surface is where the swimdeck attaches, they just piecemealed the rest of the transoms together as necessary for the tie down hooks and whatever else they needed. No big deal now as it will all be replaced as one solid, dry piece! Looking forward to the rebuilding process

[lmnelson86]

Well I was able to finish all of the grinding on the boat, except for whatever little bumps and bruises may appear when bedding the stringers and rebuilding. Thank god that is over, what a mess!

After I ground and cleaned the transom, I noticed some irregularities in the layup. There seems to be an overlap of layers of glass smack in the middle of the transom, so I may have to end up doing the transom in three pieces. My thoughts are to do the middle/top in a "T" Shape, and then do the two swim platform mount areas. One piece would be ideal if this were a perfectly smooth surface, but because it is not, I would like to have more surface area to glass to than just the perimeter of one big piece. This will also separate the outer swim deck pieces from the main piece in case (god forbid) any water does end up leaking in. This also gives me more surface area to fiberglass to as well.

Attached are two pictures, the picture labeled with 1,2,3 is what I am thinking of doing at this point. The other picture is how the transom was originally setup, which appeared to be in 7 pieces. Turns out it was actually 5, the dotted lines show were the center portion was just an additional piece of plywood on top of the piece that spanned the top from left to right due to the step in the hull. These pictures were taken before I finished grinding. All of the glue and excess glass is gone.

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[lmnelson86]

Double Post

[lmnelson86]

I spent Sunday cutting and fitting new pieces for the transom. I decided against doing one piece for the transom due to irregularities in the hull. I didn't want to have empty voids due to changes in thickness of the glass, or have to spend time cutting and trimming the back of the plywood for these "bumps." First I cut the piece of 1/2" that spans the back of the hull to pad it out and make the face of the transom one even surface. This is three pieces from the factory, mine is now one piece. I then cut the individual swim deck side pieces and the center section from 3/4" plywood. Once all cut and trimmed, I coated the backsides with resin to cure overnight. Hopefully Tuesday night I can get these pieces installed on the transom, and then glass them in on Wednesday evening.

All of these pieces will be bedded on the back and bottom with what is called "Gunk." Its a polyester resin based "bondo", just like most other stuff used for similar purposes. Luckily I live in a city littered with marinas and boat storage/repair facilities, so we have a store in town that specializes in fiberglass sales. No online ordering for me, and if the store is closed you can just call the guy at home and he is always more than happy to open the store to help you with your project so you don't have to sit and wait. Can't beat that.

Spent the first hour or two of my morning cleaning the garage and setting up the table saw for the day. First cut the 1/2" plywood to pad out the transom, and then cut the other three pieces. Another reason I decided to not go with the one piece transom is if, god forbid, the swim deck holes were to leak and get the wood wet. I would simply have to replace individual pieces instead of the whole thing. I'm hoping this never happens again, but at least it makes life easier for whoever owns it twenty years from now.

Enjoy. Comments/Thoughts/Ideas welcome!


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[Jetlink]

Are you planning or in need of replacing the wood under your rudder port and the strut backing plate?

[lmnelson86]

Are you planning or in need of replacing the wood under your rudder port and the strut backing plate?

Everything seems to be OK at this point, but I may tear it out because now is the time. How often do these actually rot? I was almost afraid to touch it.

[lmnelson86]

Everything seems to be OK at this point, but I may tear it out because now is the time. How often do these actually rot? I was almost afraid to touch it.

Well I hopped in the boat and checked it out at lunch, all of the wood for the rudder port and backing plate seem super solid. I may cut a small window into one of the pieces for a quick visual, but I think I'm good.

[Jetlink]

Everything seems to be OK at this point, but I may tear it out because now is the time. How often do these actually rot? I was almost afraid to touch it.

I did some exploratory checking of mine and the wood is shot on mine.

[lmnelson86]

I was able to finish glassing the transom Saturday morning, and got both main stringers cut and the bottoms shaped to the hull by the end of Sunday. Didn't get done as much as I'd like, but we had some family over Saturday and I needed a second set of hands on Sunday so I waited for my brother to get home and help. Still happy with progress though. Tonight I am going to grind a lot of the grey paint out from the center of the hull so the new glass has something fresh to stick to. I ripped two 12" pieces of luan and screwed them together as a template so I didn't have to lug around a 2x12x16 all afternoon.

By the end of the weekend I hope to have both main stringers cut to their final height, bedded to the hull, and have the outer stringers cut and bedded as well. Maybe I'll get lucky and have the time to trim out the wood for stringers around the motor mount portions as well.

Do you guys use 1/2" or 3/4" for the floor? My floor was such a mess, I never really did pay attention to what thickness it was. I suppose either would suffice. Here are some pictures for your enjoyment. This project has been lots of fun so far, glad I decided to do a cap-off resto. There really is no other way to do it!

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[mapleleaf]

After some driveline damage I had to redo my shaft log and rudder backing,for what it's worth why not do them while she's opened up? Easy for me to say when it ain't my hands gettin dirty..... Looks great so far man...

[lmnelson86]

After some driveline damage I had to redo my shaft log and rudder backing,for what it's worth why not do them while she's opened up? Easy for me to say when it ain't my hands gettin dirty..... Looks great so far man...

Thank you! I did cut a window out of the glass to inspect, and it's dry as a bone. I'm happy with how it is at the time. If need be, its a pretty accessible spot to fix down the road.

[lmnelson86]

Well would like to be a little further ahead than I am, but for mainly weekend work I am happy with where I stand. I am still in the clear for being in the water by spring, and that's what counts. I was able to cut, shape, and install the two main stringers throughout the week. I bedded them in on Sunday morning with the help of a friend. To bed the stringers, I used what's called "Gunk." Gunk is a polyester based filler for bonding stringers and filling voids. It's rock solid when cured. I was also able to cut and shape the outer stringers on sunday as well. I plan on bedding them into the hull tonight.

I've decided to upload these the better way as well. Uploading them to this site is a pain the normal way.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1115.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1115.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1118.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1118.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1119.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1119.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1131.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1131.jpg.html)

[lmnelson86]

While I was waiting I just set a roll of Ice and water on the stringers to help hold them down, as well as some jack stands up front to do the same. Not entirely necessary, but it helped give a little down pressure during the cure time. The gunk ended up being a litte bit thinner than I'd like, but I went back over the stringers that evening and filled any small voids. As of today, these stringers are rock solid in the hull. So far so good!

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1139.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1139.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1135.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1135.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1136.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1136.jpg.html)

[lmnelson86]

Outer stringers cut and shaped, notched in the rear for limber holes. I glassed the limber holes on all 4 stringers before installing them. Main stringers are douglas fir, outers are clear pine. The clear pine was from a job my dad did about 15 years ago. Its perfectly straight, free of knots and BS, and super dry. Perfect for this job. First pic shows one of the outer stringers just sitting in place.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1132.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1132.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1141.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1141.jpg.html)

[Okie Boarder]

Coming along nicely!

[lmnelson86]

Some progress over the past week

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1159.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1159.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1167.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1167.jpg.html)

Limber holes up front

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1189.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1189.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1190.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1190.jpg.html)

[lmnelson86]

I hope to have the stringers completely glassed in by the end of the weekend. I hope a few family Christmas parties don't get in the way too much. Pre-cut some 1.5 oz mat when I had a bit of free time the other day, also have started cutting the floor supports. I set the 4x4's for the motor mounts last night, building the box this week one night.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1192.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1192.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1206.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1206.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1207.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1207.jpg.html)

[Okie Boarder]

Looking good. I was looking through all my pictures last night and was just taken right back to the experience. Man, what a project!

[lmnelson86]

Looking good. I was looking through all my pictures last night and was just taken right back to the experience. Man, what a project!

Thanks! Yea, it is quite the project to tackle. I was standing over the boat last night and just thinking of how far I have come, it really doesn't seem like I have done much until I stop and take the time to think about it from the day I started until today. I cant wait to get it out on the lake!

[Okie Boarder]

I did the same thing many times.

[flipz96]

Couple More

15296


Somehow I managed to forget to measure the height of the stringers where the motor sits. I may have it written down somewhere, but I cannot find it. Can someone confirm this for me? Height from the bottom of the hull, or measure down from the top of the stringer to the top of the 4x4 area. Thanks!

15297

I have exact same boat and I just removed my engine to replace part of my stringers. My measurements from the hull bottom to the top of the mount is 5 1/8" in the aft and 5 1/4" in fwd.

[cadunkle]

Coming along nicely!

[lmnelson86]

I have exact same boat and I just removed my engine to replace part of my stringers. My measurements from the hull bottom to the top of the mount is 5 1/8" in the aft and 5 1/4" in fwd.

Thanks!

I am test fitting the motor this week for proper alignment before I finish glass work and paint. I appreciate it

[lmnelson86]

Time for a long overdue update! Since my last progress post, I have been hard at work. I spend two or three weeknights after work, and generally all weekend on this thing. The time has been flying since October!

I had my neighbor from my cottage come over both days after Christmas to help me glass in the 4 main stringers. Each stringer received a layer of 1.5 oz mat, 1708, 1708, and another layer of 1.5 oz mat. These stringers are stout, they wont be going anywhere. To make life easy, the tops of the stringers will be glassed with some heavy cloth since the cloth conforms to the stringer nicely and is not messy like mat. The top pieces overlap the bottom layers. The tops of some of the stringers are done in the pictures, I have been doing them as I go. It took two of us 8 hours for two days to glass in the 4 main stringers. My neighbor stayed in the boat as I hopped in and out to mix resin, cut glass, and take care of odds and ends. I was in the boat laying glass for a majority of the time though. What a HUGE job, but lots of fun. It took a lot longer than I thought but I am glad that part is over.

I re-opened the drain holes up front, and I keep coating them in resin as I work around the boat. My Dad cut the 2x4 stringers over the past few weeks and they all received a layer of mat on the bottom, and have been fully glassed in at this point. The front two have yet to be glassed in as I only made them Saturday evening and they had to setup first. I spent sunday afternoon recreating the 1/2" center stringer up front under the bow rider, as well as the bulkhead for it. Since I am removing the built in cooler, this piece did not need to be notched. I used a multi-tool to clean the center of the hull as best I could, and scribed the new piece to contour to the hull. I set it in "Gunk" and braced it while it cured.

Monday evening I spent my time cutting and preparing fiberglass for the motor box area, the center stringer and bulkhead, and various other areas for reinforcement. I covered one side of the bulkhead in a layer of mat and 1708 as well. I will flip it over and do the other side tonight. This weekend I hope to drop the motor in and test fit it to see where I need to place the 1/2" plywood shim for the front of the motor, as well as make any other adjustments before final glasswork and paint.

Enjoy.

My Neighbor hard at work:
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1304.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1304.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1306.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1306.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1338.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1338.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1339.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1339.jpg.html)

[lmnelson86]

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1340.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1340.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1342.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1342.jpg.html)

Tabbed in:
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1350.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1350.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1349.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1349.jpg.html)

[lmnelson86]

A few pieces with a layer of mat on the bottom sides, one set is cut for the exhaust tubes.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1351.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1351.jpg.html)

Glassed in the tops of part of the stringers at the end of an evening

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1352.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1352.jpg.html)

Center Stringer

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1353.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1353.jpg.html)

Center Stringer shaped to fit the hull

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1354.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1354.jpg.html)

[lmnelson86]

Test Fitting

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1355.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1355.jpg.html)

Gunked in and braced

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1356.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1356.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1357.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1357.jpg.html)

Coated in resin

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1358.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1358.jpg.html)

[lmnelson86]

Bulkhead cut and test fit

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1359.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1359.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1360.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1360.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1361.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1361.jpg.html)

Some scribble

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1366.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1366.jpg.html)

[lmnelson86]

Bulkhead with one side glassed up

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1367.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1367.jpg.html)

Father and Son photo-moto

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1266.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1266.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1264.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1264.jpg.html)

[wotan2525]

You're making good progress and I love how you shaped those supporting braces to allow water to drain!

[Okie Boarder]

Nice work...you're coming along well and making quick progress.

[lmnelson86]

You're making good progress and I love how you shaped those supporting braces to allow water to drain!

Wotan, thanks! I do not anticipate any water getting into the hull, but I am being realistic and proactive. Water finds its way into everything, but I hope not! Cutting the lateral stringers with on a 45 not only allows for drainage, but it actually makes test fitting and installation much easier. I didn't have to fight with the bedding material and the bottom corner of the stringer at all.

[lmnelson86]

Nice work...you're coming along well and making quick progress.

Time has been flying by, but I need this thing in the water as soon as the weather allows for it. If only I had a week off of work without using my very few vacation days.

[flipz96]

Time has been flying by, but I need this thing in the water as soon as the weather allows for it. If only I had a week off of work without using my very few vacation days.

Looking good man! I wish can fast fwd to where you are now! Im in south Florida and its already surfing weather. Actually....I think we only had like 3 "chilly" weekends this winter.

[lmnelson86]

I made some good progress this past weekend. I got the center stringer all glassed in, and also bedded in the bulkhead and pads for the front motor mounts. I test fit the motor on Saturday morning just to make sure everything was going good so far, which it is. I finished 95% of the glass work in the motor box area, just have to fine tune some outside corners to my liking.

I am also flush mounting a piece of 3/4" plywood underneath where the drivers seat mounts, so that the screws have more meat to bite into. To achieve this, I simply used some 2x4 pine drops and cut them into random lengths. They were all coated twice in resin, and countersunk for screws. I marked the depth, and bedded them to the stringers and used the screws to hold them in place. The 3/4" plywood will be set on top of these 2x4 ledges, and the floor will cover everything when it's all said and done.

Coating all the 2x4 drops and floor reinforcement plywood:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1410.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1410.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1412.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1412.jpg.html)

Before:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1413.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1413.jpg.html)

After:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1425.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1425.jpg.html)

[lmnelson86]

Seat reinforcement:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1414.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1414.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1415.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1415.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1417.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1417.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1419.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1419.jpg.html)

[lmnelson86]

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1420.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1420.jpg.html)

Motor mount front pads:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1421.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1421.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1422.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1422.jpg.html)

A little overview:

You can also see where I filled in the center of the hull on the bottom, right at the bulkhead. I did this to keep water from entering this low portion of the hull.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1423.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1423.jpg.html)

The really long pieces of glass over the outer stringers were not used, the cloth ended up being bad. I have a full roll of cloth from a friend, it came from his grandpas shed. Too many years of water leaking onto it and not being used have caused the cloth to be unusable. It wouldn't really accept the resin, and something was just fishy about it so I scrapped those pieces. Not a big deal.

[lmnelson86]

Center stringer and bulkhead glassed and bedded into the hull:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1424.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1424.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1425.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1425.jpg.html)

And just for fun, I have been trying to use just one stirring stick throughout the whole process. My first stick snapped and was trashed, but I have been using this stick for about 7 weeks. I've found it entertaining to see it get built out as I continue my progress on the boat.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1427.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1427.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1428.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1428.jpg.html)

[Okie Boarder]

Looking good. What made you decide to close in the front bulkhead area?

[lmnelson86]

Looking good. What made you decide to close in the front bulkhead area?

If I am understanding your question correctly...

I am not going to use the cooler, so that whole area will be covered by the floor and out of sight. My cooler is brittle already, and I am fortunate that I do not have to trailer my boat everyday to use it. I will drop it in the water and leave it at my cottage for the summer (Barring any issues). When we go out to ski, tube, wakeboard or whatever, we can just pack a small cooler with drinks if we feel like it. We'll be within eyesight of the cottage most of the time, so we can always run back in for food and drinks. I spend 90% of my time riding my stand up jet skis anyway, so the boat will be a nice morning activity before the lake gets rough.

Essentially I am replicating what was there before, but I am just not cutting out a recess in the center stringer for the cooler. The cushion that acts as the cover to the cooler will still be there, so I can also now use the area under the bowrider as a storage locker.

[Okie Boarder]

If you left that area open, it could be storage for ballast. ;-)

[flipz96]

Looks great man. Are you planning on using the same rubrail or did you opt for a new one? I'm still on the fence with it.

[lmnelson86]

Looks great man. Are you planning on using the same rubrail or did you opt for a new one? I'm still on the fence with it.

I haven't thought much about it at this point. I am leaning towards getting a new one as my old one cracked in one spot. I think it will look a whole lot better with a new one, and why not spend the money at this point haha. I don't know where to get one, I haven't looked at all. Do you have a source? Anyone else have a source for rubrails?

[lmnelson86]

If you left that area open, it could be storage for ballast. ;-)


I haven't given much thought to ballast, I don't know how much I will add. I am OK with the limitations of this boat, and I am just happy to have something nice to drive and enjoy. I may add a fat sac to one side of the boat but we will see how she goes.

[lmnelson86]

Over the past week and this weekend I managed to get a good amount of work done. I installed the subfloor for the seat base so that I have extra "meat" to screw into to reinforce the drivers seat. Lost in my excitement, I forgot to cut the longer board to the same length as the shorter. Oh well, it gets covered anyway. I was also able to finish any small glass work that was left for the stringers. Sunday morning I cut and glassed in two 2x4's up front, layed on their side for a nailer for the floor. I then cut and fit the two rear sections of the floor. I told myself 10,000 times to make sure I cut the front part of the floor on an angle to match the doghouse cover, and I cut it straight. Oh well, easy fix. I hope to have the front two sheets of plywood cut and fit this week one night, and by Saturday have the bottom of the floor coated in one layer of 1.5 oz mat.

Seat Reinforcement:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1443.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1443.jpg.html)

Outside after a good cleaning with the air hose:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1465.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1465.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1469.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1469.jpg.html)

2x4 Nailer:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1471.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1471.jpg.html)

[lmnelson86]

Starboard Side:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1472.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1472.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1474.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1474.jpg.html)

Port Side:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1473.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1473.jpg.html)

Starting the floor. The 2x4 is just sitting at 8' so that I maintain a flush front seem. Weights to help keep it from moving to easily if I bump into it:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1478.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1478.jpg.html)

[lmnelson86]

Floor from the back:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1479.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1479.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1480.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1480.jpg.html)

Trimmed for the motor area:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1482.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1482.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1483.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1483.jpg.html)

[lmnelson86]

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1484.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1484.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1485.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1485.jpg.html)

Trimmed for the exhaust:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1486.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1486.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1487.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1487.jpg.html)


That's where I stopped for the evening. I need to run to the fiberglass supply store and grab a ton of yards of mat and 1708, as well as some gel coat for the bilge area of the hull. It feels good to finally get the floor started, it feels like its been forever!

[Salty87]

Looks like you're doing a fantastic job.

Is that a garage door in the middle of the garage?

If you want the same rubber rail it came with- taco marine has a huge selection. You might get a better price from iboats.

Some have gone with stainless instead of the OEM rubber. I'm not sure if they bought from Donny Bennet or the other guy (can't remember his name). Going way back, when I shopped stainless the retailers wanted a fortune. I think Wotan did this. You might check with him if you want to go that route.

[lmnelson86]

Looks like you're doing a fantastic job.

Is that a garage door in the middle of the garage?

If you want the same rubber rail it came with- taco marine has a huge selection. You might get a better price from iboats.

Some have gone with stainless instead of the OEM rubber. I'm not sure if they bought from Donny Bennet or the other guy (can't remember his name). Going way back, when I shopped stainless the retailers wanted a fortune. I think Wotan did this. You might check with him if you want to go that route.

I am going to go with as similar of a replacement as possible. Black is perfect for me.

Yes, that is a garage door in the middle of my garage. That is where the garage originally ended before a 30' addition was installed in the 90's. Being able to close the middle door to keep heat in and/or dust out of the back half is a very nice feature.

[Okie Boarder]

Great progress...the end is in sight.

[wotan2525]

I did use the SS rubrail and I think it looks great. I ordered mine from Jim Jackson at Viper Customs. Here is what he quoted me in 2009 when I did it, I think it probably cost me another $100 for the freight:


The rub rail and insert for your Saltare’, black factory replacement is $275. This comes in coils so shipping is reasonable.

The black rub rail with ¾ stainless insert is $ 395 and will ship truck in 20’ lengths. There is also about $20 worth of screws needed to apply the SS. Best estimate is that it is about $160 more expensive to replace with SS rail.

[flipz96]

I just ordered the 50 ft insert tonight from iboats.com. I tried to get 20 ft of the rail but it couldn't process or confirm shipping. The majority of the rail is still good. I'm thinking I can just patch in on the damaged part of the rail. I'll try again tomorrow. Here are the part numbers:

Shopping Cart Details
Qty Item Part # Price
1 1-3/16"x1/2" Black Bulk Flexible Vinyl Rub Rail Insert 50' - Taco V12-4144BKA50-1 $111.80
1 Taco Rigid Rub Rail 1-1/2" Bulk, 20', Black V21-9678BKA20D $66.12

[lmnelson86]

Looking great. Way to jump in with both feet. Just for what it's worth, the built-in cooler is one of our favorite features.
I hate stumbling over things in the boat and I really like to keep things open as much as possible even when we have 8 people on board.
The built-in works perfectly, is out of the way, and is so simple to stock, cool, clean, etc. I have plenty of friends with much newer,
more expensive boats who are jealous of my cooler. But hey, I know it's not for everyone.

Thanks! It's not that I really don't want the cooler but it is in rough shape. I would rather not cut out my floorboards for a cooler that will undoubtedly leak one day. I will most likely find a cooler that fits in the same spot, and use that to keep the wobbly pops cold. I am considering picking up a yeti cooler for that location.

Well this weekend I was pretty busy, and I was hoping to have my whole floor set in the hull. I didn't even make it as far as cutting the plywood for the front section of the boat, but I did manage to get both bottom sides of the first two sheets covered in one layer of 1.5 oz mat. When I went to install my floor, I just wasn't comfortable with the support it had from underneath. Once the floor is glassed to the hull, it will be attached at the sides. The only problem I have with this is that there will be no vertical support from underneath at the sides of the hull, it will just be "hanging" there. I decided to add two more lateral stringers per side. I noticed a little bit of flex in the plywood when I stood on it to test it out and I just worry that even after getting glassed in, time will take its toll and the floor would succumb to the lack of vertical support. I wasn't too thrilled with taking a step backwards, but I would rather take the time to do it now as opposed to after the boat is finished. Needless to say while those new pieces cured to the hull I was pretty well handcuffed for the rest of the evening until they set up. Oh well. It's still cold as F here so no worries.

Tonight I should be able to completely glass those new pieces into the hull, and maybe set the floor depending on how the glass sets up. The new pieces stick out like a sore thumb:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1526.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1526.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1525.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1525.jpg.html)

[Okie Boarder]

That was probably a good move. I put in quite a few cross supports and the floor was really solid when it was done.

[Supranewbee]

Considering the spacing of floor support in a house is typically 24" i think you made the right move.

[lmnelson86]

Considering the spacing of floor support in a house is typically 24" i think you made the right move.

That is exactly what I was thinking when I did the floor. Pretty much all over the boat, there is less than a 12" span in any given area. I kept reminding myself to add a few more supports, but it was just on the back burner. Then I really put thought into the fact that in those areas, the floor would only have "hanging" support from the fiberglass that goes on top, which isn't the best approach. I just finished bedding the two rear sides of the floor an hour ago, and they felt 1000x stronger standing on them compared to last night. Glad I rattled my brain before it was too late.

I am glad to see this progress so far:


http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1536.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1536.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1535.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1535.jpg.html)

[leetudor]

Did you screw the floor down?

[lmnelson86]

Did you screw the floor down?

Yes I did. All of the tops of the stringers beneath the floor were given a heavy coating of bedding compound via a grout bag. Much like a pastry bag, just bigger and more durable. I used enough screws to apply pressure to the outside and hold the sheet in place. The sheets all sat perfectly on top of the stringers. I was even able to peak underneath with a flashlight and saw that there is good contact everywhere that I can see. Im pumped!

[wotan2525]

Yes I did. All of the tops of the stringers beneath the floor were given a heavy coating of bedding compound via a grout bag. Much like a pastry bag, just bigger and more durable. I used enough screws to apply pressure to the outside and hold the sheet in place. The sheets all sat perfectly on top of the stringers. I was even able to peak underneath with a flashlight and saw that there is good contact everywhere that I can see. Im pumped!

I know it's too late to do anything about this, but you've got me nervous about using regular drywall screws (at least that's what the box looks like sitting there?) You should have used some decking screws or stainless just to make sure that they don't start to rot after a few years. I know you're going to seal the tops but why cut corners now?

[lmnelson86]

Yes, that is what they are. I have used them before in similar applications with good luck. The screws are there just to help bond the floor to the stringers, not for holding the floor down specifically. I may go back over and throw some stainless ones in for good measure once I am all done, but that is what I had at the time I threw the floor down. Those screws should never see water or the light of day again, so they should be just fine. If this boat starts to rot out again, it'll be another 25 years down the road from now and that is almost inevitable with these old boats.

[lmnelson86]

Last night I cut and fit the front two floorboards, as well as glassed the bottom sides. I will cut my bilge access and ski pylon holes before final installation, as well as the holes on each side of the floorboard for cable and wire to pass through. I am hoping to have both floorboards bedded to the stringers by the end of the weekend, and maybe even start to lay some glass on top.

Cardboard for templates:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1549.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1549.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1550.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1550.jpg.html)

Front piece:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1552.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1552.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1553.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1553.jpg.html)

[lmnelson86]

Overview shot:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1554.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1554.jpg.html)

Cutting glass:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1555.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1555.jpg.html)

[Salty87]

Getting closer to looking like a boat again. The pace of progress should really pick up now.

Do you have projects for the interior too?

[lmnelson86]

Getting closer to looking like a boat again. The pace of progress should really pick up now.

Do you have projects for the interior too?

Well I plan on painting the boat, so the interior will be re-done to match. I will be upgrading the head unit and speakers etc, maybe add a 12" JL sub or two since I have them laying around. I plan on adding interior LED lighting as well. I'm not sure what else could be done with the interior to be honest. I will be rebuilding the dog house base as well.

[lmnelson86]

I took some time last night to set two more support stringers in the center section of the hull, where the walk through is to the bow rider. One 2x4 is in the factory location, the forward one is for extra support.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1561.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1561.jpg.html)

I took some time and used the extra bedding compound to give a nice edge to the floor so I can wrap my fiberglass nicely. I will sand this all smooth before glassing, of course.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1560.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1560.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1559.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1559.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1558.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1558.jpg.html)

Tonight I have to see if I can remove my ski pylon from its bracket since it is corroded to together. I will also mount the pylon bracket to the center stringers and paint the front section of the bilge with gelcoat since I wont be able to get under there once the floor is in place. I hope to have the pylon and floor installed by the end of the weekend, and maybe start some glass work.

[Jetlink]

Tonight I have to see if I can remove my ski pylon from its bracket since it is corroded to together.

You are most likely going to have to cut the pylon out by making a vertical cut on the rear of the bracket to get the pylon out, then you will have to grind the pylon down a little bit to remove the material and then weld the cut that you made on the bracket. That's what I ended up having to do after struggling for weeks to get mine out.

[lmnelson86]

You are most likely going to have to cut the pylon out by making a vertical cut on the rear of the bracket to get the pylon out, then you will have to grind the pylon down a little bit to remove the material and then weld the cut that you made on the bracket. That's what I ended up having to do after struggling for weeks to get mine out.

Yea I was planning for the worst, it doesn't seem like it will come out without a fight. I actually considered removing the ski pylon totally, since I will be using the tower all of the time. I also considered fabbing up a rear mounted ski pylon like some fo the new V-Drive boats.

I am also considering just installing the pylon and slipping the floorboard over it. We'll see what the weekend entails.

[wotan2525]

I'd vote to remove the pylon. You'd be surprised how much more room you'll feel like you have without it in the way.

[Salty87]

I left it out too. The only thing I missed about it was the pylon was a decent place to hold onto if someone was sitting on the engine cover underway. It does feel roomier in general without it.

Lmnelson, do you have enough of a lip on the stringers to support the removable floor section over the bilge? One of the pics looks like there isn't much.

[lmnelson86]

I left it out too. The only thing I missed about it was the pylon was a decent place to hold onto if someone was sitting on the engine cover underway. It does feel roomier in general without it.

Lmnelson, do you have enough of a lip on the stringers to support the removable floor section over the bilge? One of the pics looks like there isn't much.

Thanks for pointing this out, I may take a better look when I get home. If I remember correctly, the removable floor in my boat sat atop of these white blocks. These white blocks are a hard plastic that were used to hold up that section of the floor. Someone correct me if they are for something else.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/IMG_0858.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/IMG_0858.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/IMG_0856.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/IMG_0856.jpg.html)


I'd vote to remove the pylon. You'd be surprised how much more room you'll feel like you have without it in the way.

Well I must say I am surprised at both of your responses, I thought for sure I would be an odd duck for wanting to remove the ski pylon! I am unsure of what to do to be honest. My mother is a phenomenal water skier, and I can think of a handful of friends who would like to try. I would hate to not have the option available. Maybe I will fab up a rear mounting pylon...hmm. Decisions Decisions.

[Jetlink]

If you have a phenomenal skier in the family, that pylon will be your best friend when pulling. I have pulled a skier from the transom on my boat and they kept pulling the stern with them much like I was pulling behind a jet boat, I was very active with the steering wheel to keep the boat pointed in the right direction. Personally for me, I am more a skier than anything else so it was a no brainer to keep the pylon.

[Jetlink]

My floor rested on something very similar to those blocks, though I plan on replacing that setup with something a little better when the time comes.

[lmnelson86]

My floor rested on something very similar to those blocks, though I plan on replacing that setup with something a little better when the time comes.

Thank you for the input. I think I may retain the pylon, it certainly will not hurt anything. I may also upgrade the manner in which the removable floor sits on the hull. Maybe Ill do some aluminum or stainless angle iron.

[TitanTn]

I opted to keep my pylon too. It's handy for skiing and bare footing, but it's also a constant hand hold for me as the driver. One time I mounted a Go-Pro to the top of the pylon and I found out just how often I put my hand there. I was constantly grabbing the Go-Pro and messing up the filming. I find it a great place to hang a coiled ski rope, let a towel dry, etc. Everyone has their preferences. You won't stand out either way.

[lmnelson86]

I decided to keep the pylon after consulting with my family. I was unable to remove the pylon from the bracket, Im assuming the corrosion inside the bracket is incredible because I had the whole thing orange hot and the pylon would still not come out. Oh well. In order to keep my bracket square to the stringers, I had to make a small spacer plate. The port stringer was less than 1/4 inch out at the top, and the bracket was not perfect. This was the easiest solution to the problem, and will be just fine.

I was able to get the rest of the floor set in the hull this weekend, as well as hit some of the bilge and transom with gelcoat. I had to paint the center/front of the bilge before I put the floor on, because I would never be able to reach in there afterwards. I ended up having enough left over to do the transom as well. I thought I would end up being short, as gelcoat is pretty thick. Once I mixed in the wax and hardener, it seemed to thin out quite a bit, which is fine with me. That means more coverage per gallon.

Majority of the perimeter of the floor has been tabbed in, with exception of the very rear 18" and the front sheet of plywood. I have to sand some of the gelcoat off before I finish the rear part for better adhesion, and the front section needs some sanding as well to remove the original floor paint for the same purpose. I was unable to do the sanding since the bedding compound up front was still wet and I did not want to contaminate it.

The removable rear section of the floor was pretty rotten so I made a new one of those as well as new backing for under the rear seat. These pieces are the ones screwed into the floor to keep items from sliding into the gas tank area of the bilge.

I hope to have the rest of the floor tabbed in tonight, as well as maybe get started on glassing the floor. I am going to sand all of the edges of the floor where they meet the stringers so that they have a nice soft edge for the glass to lay, then I should be free to glass the floor in.

Transom Coated in Gel:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1566.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1566.jpg.html)

Bilge:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1569.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1569.jpg.html)

Pylon Spacer:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1579.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1579.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1580.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1580.jpg.html)

[lmnelson86]

Cutting the pylon hole:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1581.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1581.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1582.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1582.jpg.html)

Laying out the thru-floor cable holes

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1583.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1583.jpg.html)

Front two sheets of the floor installed:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1584.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1584.jpg.html)

[lmnelson86]

Starboard side tabbed in:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1587.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1587.jpg.html)

Port side tabbed in:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1588.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1588.jpg.html)

Old removable floor section:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1589.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1589.jpg.html)

New floor and backstops getting a first layer of glass. The removable section is two sheets of 1/2" plywood with 1 layer of 1.5 oz. mat in between. I was able to glass the other sides of all of these pieces last night, so they just need a final sanding around the edges and a quick brush of resin to be completed.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1590.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1590.jpg.html)

[TitanTn]

Looking great Luke, and fresh gelcoat/paint always makes things look better.

As a user of these forums, I want to say thanks for taking the time to add the pics. Showing a visual is what helps so many other people and that's what these forums are for.

[lmnelson86]

Looking great Luke, and fresh gelcoat/paint always makes things look better.

As a user of these forums, I want to say thanks for taking the time to add the pics. Showing a visual is what helps so many other people and that's what these forums are for.

Titan, thank you for the kind words. Posting pictures is my pleasure. I have read through hundreds of threads and thousands of posts on here, and much to my angst there are hardly enough photos. Threads are worthless without photos, you can never have too many. I agree 100% that this is why the forums exist. Taking the time to upload them to photobucket is worth it, because the small pictures suck! Waiting for them to load is a pain also.

[flipz96]

Taking the time to upload them to photobucket is worth it, because the small pictures suck! Waiting for them to load is a pain also.

I'll have to do that going forward. Everything is looking good, Luke! Almost there! Its already getting warm down here is Florida. Things are getting a little more urgent!

[wotan2525]

You're cruising now. I wish you would have used 4200 or 5200 on the bolts for the pylon. You're causing the same problem that caused these stringers to rot in the first place -- encapsulating them correctly and then drilling holes through the fiberglass. Sure, it will take another 20 years to rot but you could have prevented that this time.

[lmnelson86]

You're cruising now. I wish you would have used 4200 or 5200 on the bolts for the pylon. You're causing the same problem that caused these stringers to rot in the first place -- encapsulating them correctly and then drilling holes through the fiberglass. Sure, it will take another 20 years to rot but you could have prevented that this time.

Everything that I have drilled through has been sealed with resin afterwards, before the bolts go in. Water should never see that height, as it will be kept high and dry when not in use.

[Okie Boarder]

Coming along nicely, for sure.

[lmnelson86]

This weekend was pretty successful I would say. I was able to get the entire floor glassed in. I used two layers of 1708, the floor is now solid as a rock. The floor also has a layer of 1.5 oz mat on the bottom side. I used a biscuit jointer to install the two 37 degree pieces of the floor up front for the dog house cover. They were glassed in as well.

To do the floor, I used a very short nap roller that I picked up from the fiberglass supply store to apply the resin. I also used the ribbed aluminum roller to squeeze out any air bubbles. This method worked AWESOME. I was sick and tired of dabbing my life away with a brush, and this gave me a nearly perfect surface. With the help of my brother and father working the edges, we knocked out the floor in about 2 hours I think, didn't pay much attention to the time.

Tonight I am going to trim to excess off of the floor, glass/seal the edges as necessary, and prep for gelcoat. I have decided to go with Awl-grip for the bilge and transom, so the areas that are painted will get re-done. Awl-grip has a tighter finish than gelcoat, which can be pretty porous in my application. Awl-grip will allow for a better surface to clean. I was able to just hose off the bilge beforehand with no issues, always revealing a nice shiny surface.

I took Sunday off and spent the day out on the lake with my girlfriend and my buddy watching some snowmobile/quad/bike/truck drag racing on lake st clair. Good times.

Enjoy:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1625.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1625.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1626.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1626.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1627.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1627.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1628.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1628.jpg.html)

[lmnelson86]

Front section glassed in, moving on to the second row:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1629.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1629.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1630.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1630.jpg.html)

Done:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1631.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1631.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1632.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1632.jpg.html)

[Okie Boarder]

Looking good...you're getting close!

[lmnelson86]

Trimmed excess glass last night, sealed all of the edges with a few coats of resin both last night and early this morning. Also got the hole cut for the bilge inspection panel. I hope to either paint the bilge with Awl-Grip tonight or get started on the gelcoat floor. Waiting on webbing agent so I can do the webbing pattern on my floor, so I may just wait until I have all of the supplies before I do that. Picture taken after trimming and before resin etc.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1657.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1657.jpg.html)

[lmnelson86]

Last night I rolled the first coat of white gelcoat on the floor. Tonight I will do the second coat as well as the webbing. I have both black and purple for the webbing, not sure if I am going to do both colors or just purple. It'll be a game time decision.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1666.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1666.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1665.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1665.jpg.html)

[lmnelson86]

I got the gelcoat Webbing done last night in purple and black. The webbing agent is mixed in equal parts with the clear gelcoat, and then you add your pigment. It probably took 4 ounces of gelcoat to do both webbing colors. It is VERY minimal, less than you'd ever imagine. I mixed up almost a pint and had most of it left over. I wish I could have mixed less, but its already tough when you're adding drops of wax and drops of hardener to the pot. Turned out pretty awesome if I say so myself.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1673.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1673.jpg.html)

Purple first:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1674.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1674.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1675.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1675.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1676.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1676.jpg.html)

[lmnelson86]

Purple and Black:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1681.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1681.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1682.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1682.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1686.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1686.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1691.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1691.jpg.html)

[lmnelson86]

An overall view:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1688.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1688.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1687.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1687.jpg.html)

[flipz96]

Looks awesome! Hope to be there soon! Have you got all the carpet of the deck yet? I'm dreading that.

[lmnelson86]

Yea most of the carpet came off with very little effort. I still have to get all of the glue off of the deck, but it is what it is. I have to pull some carpet out of the cubby hole where the battery is, but I'll tackle that once I get there...which is soon, hopefully.

[TitanTn]

You may have already mentioned this, if so, I apologize. Is this going to be the finished floor? I would think it would be extremely slippery with wet feet.

[lmnelson86]

You may have already mentioned this, if so, I apologize. Is this going to be the finished floor? I would think it would be extremely slippery with wet feet.

Yes, this is the finished floor. Honestly I think carpet is one of the worst things you can do to a boat. It stinks, holds water, and is generally just unappealing to the eye. Just my opinion. The floor is actually not very slippery. A couple of our other boats are the same way and we have no issues at all. Granted it is certainly more slippery than carpet, but there is really not a lot of walking room inside of the boat to will warrant taking a spill. I do have in mind some simple snap in carpet runners should I end up being wrong...but I don't think it'll be necessary.

I also left the 1708 unsanded (aside from bumps and boogers) after I finished laying the glass on the floor. The final result was actually quite grippy and almost uncomfortable for my bare feet. Two coats of gelcoat was enough to fill the voids and still leave some grip. You can actually see the pattern of the 1708 if you look closely in the pictures.

[TitanTn]

Yes, this is the finished floor. Honestly I think carpet is one of the worst things you can do to a boat. It stinks, holds water, and is generally just unappealing to the eye. Just my opinion. The floor is actually not very slippery. A couple of our other boats are the same way and we have no issues at all. Granted it is certainly more slippery than carpet, but there is really not a lot of walking room inside of the boat to will warrant taking a spill. I do have in mind some simple snap in carpet runners should I end up being wrong...but I don't think it'll be necessary.

I also left the 1708 unsanded (aside from bumps and boogers) after I finished laying the glass on the floor. The final result was actually quite grippy and almost uncomfortable for my bare feet. Two coats of gelcoat was enough to fill the voids and still leave some grip. You can actually see the pattern of the 1708 if you look closely in the pictures.

Thanks Luke. Hey, to each his own. The floor looks great and I'm sure you'll be happy with it. I'll have to say that my experience with carpet isn't that it doesn't stink, hold water or is unsightly. But I'm a little particular about how people use my boat and thus the carpet doesn't get abused like others might.

I do agree that SOME carpet can be unappealing, but I think the right style and color of carpet really makes things look sharp.

Differences are cool and you get to decide what happens when you own the boat, and especially since you're doing the work. How boring would it be if we all had the same boat? Good work - I look forward to seeing it completed.

[lmnelson86]

Thanks Luke. Hey, to each his own. The floor looks great and I'm sure you'll be happy with it. I'll have to say that my experience with carpet isn't that it doesn't stink, hold water or is unsightly. But I'm a little particular about how people use my boat and thus the carpet doesn't get abused like others might.

I do agree that SOME carpet can be unappealing, but I think the right style and color of carpet really makes things look sharp.

Differences are cool and you get to decide what happens when you own the boat, and especially since you're doing the work. How boring would it be if we all had the same boat? Good work - I look forward to seeing it completed.

I completely agree with you on choice of the style and color of carpet. It can make or break a boat. Proper maintenance and cleaning/drying of the carpet is a must as well. Unfortunately most people (that I have seen) don't care for their carpet in the way they should and it becomes an issue down the road. Like I said, I plan on having some nice snap-in carpets installed should this surface not work out. I have confidence in it though.

Thanks for the kind words, I cannot wait to see it completed either! Its been a very long but fun project to occupy my winter. I wouldn't have had the slightest idea where to start had it not been for this forum, nor would I have known to do a "cap-off" restoration. I hope my thread can influence others along the way in their projects as yours and others did mine.

[lmnelson86]

I've always been a fan of the purple on the 1996 Mustang GT, so this will be the color of the purple of my boat. Cant wait to see this thing shining on the lake under the sun :cool:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1671.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1671.jpg.html)

[flipz96]

Good for you man! I want to do it too but I dont think I'll have time. This would be the time to do it. Are you doing gel coat or paint?

[lmnelson86]

I am going to do a base/clear paint. Gelcoat is a lot of work, and I wouldn't be able to replicate the purple I want for a reasonable price. Base/clear will be just fine. I plan to keep it out of the water which helps as well.

[Okie Boarder]

Is that "plum"...my 93 ranger was similar or the same color.

[lmnelson86]

I believe that "Plum" is the name, but I am not really sure to be honest.

My brother and I were able to get the motor installed and aligned on Saturday. What a great feeling to get the motor back in. My next big hurdle is painting the boat, every time I find a place to paint it, it falls through. Oh well, it will work out.

My brother had some extra free time this weekend and he can never sit still, so I was happy to find that he took the time to rebuild the dog-house base for me. He also whipped up a mold to re-create a broken blower vent/panel. Not sure of the proper name, but it is the plastic piece screwed to the transom that one of the blowers hooks up to. It removes air from next to the engine via the pvc pipe attached to the stringer. My old plastic one was so brittle that it broke when I removed it.

Dropping her in:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1746.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1746.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1748.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1748.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1749.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1749.jpg.html)

New dog house base:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1755.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1755.jpg.html)

[lmnelson86]

Redneck mold:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1756.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1756.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1757.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1757.jpg.html)

The redneck mold actually worked perfect. Pulled the first and hopefully only piece we need off of it. A little trim, sand, and paint and she will be good as new.

[lmnelson86]

A window of opportunity presented itself this weekend so I was able to paint the bottom part of the boat. I will paint the top deck at a later date, hopefully not too far from now. I think it turned out pretty cool, I am happy with the results.

I was able to use a local warehouse for the weekend to paint the boat. It is in-between tenants so I was lucky to sneak in for a couple days. The place is huge, and was completely empty. My brother and I took an air compressor from our dad's shop and wired it into the service at the warehouse for the weekend, it worked out perfect. Cranked up the heat and let the place warm up and she was ready to paint.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1797.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1797.jpg.html)

Had a lot of help from my brother and my buddy as well, big kudos to them

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1800.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1800.jpg.html)

My buddy Joe starting the purple before I took over for a bit

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1802.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1802.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1804.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1804.jpg.html)

[lmnelson86]

After the first coat we took a halogen light around the boat to see how the first coat layed out, and to see if we had any imperfections.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1808.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1808.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1810.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1810.jpg.html)

Purple is done in this photo

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1810.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1810.jpg.html)

Close up of the transom to check the color

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1811.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1811.jpg.html)

[lmnelson86]

Taping off the purple so we can spray the white

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1814.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1814.jpg.html)

After the white was sprayed

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1815.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1815.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1816.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1816.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1817.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1817.jpg.html)

[lmnelson86]

Peeling off the tape before we shot the clear coat

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1819.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1819.jpg.html)

Ghetto paint station

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1821.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1821.jpg.html)

Close up of the transom after clearcoat

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1822.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1822.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1823.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1823.jpg.html)

[lmnelson86]

Bringing her home Sunday morning

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1824.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1824.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1825.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1825.jpg.html)

This is a close up with my phone, it looks awesome in bright light! Can't wait to see it in the sunlight this summer. I pulled it out of the garage yesterday on my lunch break because it was very sunny outside. It looks awesome under the sun!

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1828.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1828.jpg.html)

[mdb122]

Well Done ! That color will look Awesome on the water !

[TitanTn]

What type of paint did you use?

[lmnelson86]

What type of paint did you use?

I used paint from Sherwin Williams. I cant remember the specific brand off hand, but its a top of the line paint from Sherwin. My buddy Joe that helped me paint use to work there and gets a smoking discount. Top quality stuff, whenever someone in our group paints something, we always go through Sherwin Williams. Jet skis, boats, cars, trucks, you name it. All with great results and they hold up well.

[Okie Boarder]

Looks good.

[flipz96]

Looks great man. Now I'm contemplating painting! Thanks Luke!:mad: LOL

[lmnelson86]

No problem, cant wait to see what color scheme you paint the boat! Ha!


Looks great man. Now I'm contemplating painting! Thanks Luke!:mad: LOL

[lmnelson86]

Slowly but surely things are coming together. I was able to get my blower vent finished and mounted, as well as some new plumbing for it. The old plastic vent was brittle, cracked and broken. No saving it, so my brother made a new one last week or so. I trimmed her up, and actually had to shorten it 2" to fit appropriately. The old blower tube (PVC) was just a straight piece, and butted up right next to the stringer. This was an issue with the new fiberglass vent that I made, as it would require some creative rebuilding since the transom is new and slightly different in shape. Either that or half a tube of silicone, so I just opted to put a little job in the PVC instead. It works out much better and looks pretty clean IMO. I used two 22 1/2 bends to accomplish this. Pretty straight forward

Drilling some holes in the new vent piece

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1882.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1882.jpg.html)

Test fitting for clearance

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1883.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1883.jpg.html)

Final install

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1888.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1888.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1890.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1890.jpg.html)

[lmnelson86]

One last photo. I also mounted all of the hardware, minus the swim deck. Everything is sealed with 3m 5200

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1891.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1891.jpg.html)

Glued some leftover Hydro Turf to the bottom of my gas tank as well.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1897.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_1897.jpg.html)

[lmnelson86]

I will be building my tower this weekend. Instead of using traditional round tubing like everyone else, I am going to use 2" square aluminum tube, 1/4" thick wall. I will then route the edges with a router for a soft corner and no sharp edges. I give credit to my brother who found a similar design online and suggested it to me. Not only is the square tube just easier to work with, it's just different and will look very nice. For me to build a tower is much cheaper than buying one of those universal fitting towers, and I will have a much sturdier tower in the end. I just don't trust the bolt-together, universal setups. I will paint the tower purple to match the boat when I paint the top deck, hopefully next weekend. I also plan on building a bimini top that will simply bolt up to the inside of the tower for when I want some shade. That may come at a later date, gonna see how the weekend goes and how far we get.

[lmnelson86]

Well the weekend has come and gone, thanks to a lot of help from my brother we were able to get the tower built and almost completed. Ran out of wire for the spool gun so we had to stop for the weekend, but the whole tower is mocked up with the exception of the tow ball and a couple extra pieces for looks/support. I wanted a forward facing tower, and we did end up using the square tube. It turned out AWESOME, I cant wait to see it on the water.

We took turns routing the tubing on Friday night, and started chopping it up on Saturday. I am going to use a 2 5/16 stainless trailer hitch ball for my tow mount. The only thing we wished we would have changed is the very front piece of tubing on the tower. We should have had it rolled to match the curve of the rear hoop, but we didn't think of it. It's too much of a hassle to go back now and change it. I would have to buy a whole 24' more of tubing, route it, and have it rolled which will just cost way too much for one piece. To Fix the issue I suggested we add a"nose" on the front and add some diamond pate with a curve cut into it to replicate the rear curve. This will give the front just enough character to match the rest of the tower as well.

The top of the tower is nice and flat and square, which will double as a cargo rack if we have extra boards with us. This tower is SOLID, so no worries on having a rickety bolt together universal tower. I was afraid to spend $1200+ and have some wobbly tower on my boat. I just didn't see the value in it, or see how it could last. An additional bimini/cargo bimini is $600+ which is insane as well. I will build a bimini top at some point as well.

My brother starting the routing on the tube:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/IMG_1970.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/IMG_1970.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/IMG_1971.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/IMG_1971.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/IMG_1973.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/IMG_1973.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/IMG_1975.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/IMG_1975.jpg.html)

[lmnelson86]

Side's mocked up and braced

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/IMG_1989.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/IMG_1989.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/IMG_1990.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/IMG_1990.jpg.html)

View of the top assembly. The forward (Rightmost) tube we wish we would have had curved like the back. Oh well, next time.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/IMG_1996.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/IMG_1996.jpg.html)

Aluminum Tread Plate for looks and support

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/IMG_1997.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/IMG_1997.jpg.html)

[lmnelson86]

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/IMG_1998.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/IMG_1998.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/IMG_1999.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/IMG_1999.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/IMG_2002.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/IMG_2002.jpg.html)

This picture shows some tread plate we used for side to side stability. We will plasma cut a radius into the plate to match the curves of the tower as well:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/IMG_2004.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/IMG_2004.jpg.html)

[lmnelson86]

Close up of the plate:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/IMG_2006.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/IMG_2006.jpg.html)

Mocked up on the boat:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/IMG_2012.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/IMG_2012.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/IMG_2015.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/IMG_2015.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/IMG_2017.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/IMG_2017.jpg.html)

[lmnelson86]

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/IMG_2019.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/IMG_2019.jpg.html)

These are the "nose pieces" I will be adding to the front. A piece of the aluminum tread plate will be welded in here and cut with a curve as well. This will give the front of the tower some depth and allow it to match the curve of the rear hoop.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/IMG_2023.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/IMG_2023.jpg.html)


The tower will be painted purple to match the boat since I already have a bunch of purple paint. I will build a bimini tower at some point in the near future but I am not worried about that at the moment, I'd like to get the boat back together and in the water first.

[Okie Boarder]

That tower looks like it is going to be very solid.

[flipz96]

Looking good, Luke. This will probably be one of the best looking DIY towers I've seen on the net.

[lmnelson86]

Looking good, Luke. This will probably be one of the best looking DIY towers I've seen on the net.


That tower looks like it is going to be very solid.


Thanks guys. I am really excited for the final product! I hope it looks as good as I am envisioning. I hope to have it fully welded by the end of Saturday or sunday.

[jasun]

It is Tuesday…. ;-)

[lmnelson86]

It is Tuesday…. ;-)

Ha, I got the tower completed last Friday! Just have been too lazy to update this thread. Painting the tower and top half of the boat this saturday

[lmnelson86]

I was able to paint the top of the boat this Saturday, and it turned out great. I was unable to finish the tower last week due to work, but I can spray that one evening pretty soon without much hassle.

Here is a close-up of one of the gussets with round tubing on the tower:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2068.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2068.jpg.html)

Top of the boat before paint:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2137.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2137.jpg.html)

After the first dusting of purple:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2141.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2141.jpg.html)

After the purple and white were layed:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2142.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2142.jpg.html)

[lmnelson86]

Shot of the rear half:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2143.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2143.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2144.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2144.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2145.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2145.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2146.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2146.jpg.html)

[lmnelson86]

After Clearcoat:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2147.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2147.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2148.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2148.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2149.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2149.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2150.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2150.jpg.html)

[lmnelson86]

Taking her home sunday morning:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2161.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2161.jpg.html)

A little dirt from the ride home, but she shines nice in the sunlight!

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2162.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2162.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2163.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2163.jpg.html)


I am very pleased with the turnout and how the color comes to life in the sunshine. This week I will finish the tower, start re-assembly on the top deck, and hopefully paint the tower next weekend. We'll see how the week goes.

[SUPRA_ALLEGRO_LANE]

Awesome color, can't wait to see it back together.

[TitanTn]

Purple isn't my thing, but the results from painting look great. Can't wait to see it all come together.

[lmnelson86]

Purple isn't my thing, but the results from painting look great. Can't wait to see it all come together.


Awesome color, can't wait to see it back together.


Thanks guys, I appreciate the kind words. I went with purple just to do something different, tired of seeing the same ole same ole out on the lake. The paint has turned out awesome! Just have to paint the tower and that should do it.

[shorty529]

hey quick question. i have a 1990 supra mariah and im looking for a swim platform any ideas where to find one new or used teak or fiberglass, doesn't really matter.

[lmnelson86]

hey quick question. i have a 1990 supra mariah and im looking for a swim platform any ideas where to find one new or used teak or fiberglass, doesn't really matter.

I honestly couldn't even take a guess. I would start by posting an ad on this forum. Do you have the brackets for your platform? Realistically a platform is pretty easy to make, so you could whip one up if you needed to.

[TitanTn]

hey quick question. i have a 1990 supra mariah and im looking for a swim platform any ideas where to find one new or used teak or fiberglass, doesn't really matter.

Several guys on here have made their own, but you can also call Donnie in Maryville, TN or Jim at Viper Customs and see what they have.

[flipz96]

Its been awhile man. I just moved to Orlando so I'm still in the process of getting settled in. Hows it going with your boat?

[lmnelson86]

I have been plugging away at the boat, slowly but surely. I put the top deck back on a few weeks ago and have been plucking away at the rest of it since then. The past few weeks I haven't been able to work on the boat due to re-landscaping my parents front yard every evening. Just last week I got my two dash pieces back from the upholstery shop which was kind of holding me up on installing the dash and wiring. I was able to install the dash pieces and do 90% of the wiring this weekend, I still have a handful of random wires to trace. Threw a new battery and new bilge pump in the boat and she cranked over no problem. Big thanks to my brother for helping me with wiring, I was clueless because I had no idea where to even begin.

Here she is with the two halves back together, I forgot to snap pictures of the process...or I just cant find the pics. Anyway, same process as the removal. Two big forklifts and some straps did the trick.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2373.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2373.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2376.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2376.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2374.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2374.jpg.html)

New blower vents

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2391.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2391.jpg.html)

[lmnelson86]

Installing the rubrail. I opted to re-use the original rubrail because it was almost seamless. I did not want to waste money on a sacrificial rubrail that I could only get 20' sections of.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2392.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2392.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2394.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2394.jpg.html)

I am going to re-do the upholstery this winter. I am our of time and want to use the boat, so the old stuff will stay for now. It's only a few years old anyway so it is in good shape, just doesn't match.

Before:
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2414.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2414.jpg.html)

After:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2415.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2415.jpg.html)

[lmnelson86]

Ready for some relaxing

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2419.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2419.jpg.html)

Fresh carbon fiber purple and carbon fiber white piping for the dash. I was actually suppose to be white with purple trim, but the guy flip flopped it and I don't mind it at all. The purple is a little bright compared to the boat, but it looks pretty good now that its all together.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2627.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2627.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2628.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2628.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2629.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2629.jpg.html)

[lmnelson86]

Getting there...

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2632.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2632.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2633.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2633.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2634.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2634.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2636.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2636.jpg.html)

[lmnelson86]

I do not plan on using the old speedometers, and good thing I didn't. They don't fit in the dash with the new upholstery. It is a very tight fit. For now they will be open holes. I am going to get a GPS speedometer and a transom remote for the radio installed in the other hole eventually.

I spent most of my day Sunday cleaning up the wiring that I ran for the blowers and interior lighting etc. I will add LED lighting in the fall as well. I took my time to make everything look as clean as possible. I used the sticky-type zip tie holders so I didn't have to put any screws into the fresh transom.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2660.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2660.jpg.html)

I would have ran the wiring around the gas tank filler neck but it was impossibly to get off of the tank or the neck itself. Oh well...looks way better than it did when I got the boat

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2661.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2661.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2662.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2662.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2662.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2662.jpg.html)

[lmnelson86]

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2663.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2663.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2664.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2664.jpg.html)

Some random shots:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2418.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2418.jpg.html)

New trim ring for ski pylon...to be powdercoated black

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2442.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2442.jpg.html)

[SUPRA_ALLEGRO_LANE]

The Purple looks AWESOME! Cant wait to see it finished.

[lmnelson86]

Thanks!

Does anyone have a tip on aligning the steering wheel? My wheel is perfectly 180 upside down, and I know the steering assembly is mounted correctly. I did have to undo the steering cable from the rear of the boat but I thought I marked it pretty good. I could have been off a little bit, causing the wheel to be upside down.

[leetudor]

New blower vents

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2391.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2391.jpg.html)

Where did you get those? I need some as mine are broken.

[TitanTn]

Where did you get those? I need some as mine are broken.

West Marine
Amazon
eBay
Discount Marine

[leetudor]

What brand are the vents I should have asked?

[TitanTn]

What brand are the vents I should have asked?

Some common ones are: Attwood, Sea-Dog, and TH Marine. There's lot of different kinds, and there's lots of different brands that all look exactly the same.

[lmnelson86]

Some common ones are: Attwood, Sea-Dog, and TH Marine. There's lot of different kinds, and there's lots of different brands that all look exactly the same.

West Marine Carries them, two of mine are Sea-Dog and two are from West Marine. I have a local family owned boat supply store a mile down the street from my house and they only had 2 black vents...west marine is right next door to them and only had 2 also. It worked out perfect, cant even tell the difference.

[flipz96]

Thanks!

Does anyone have a tip on aligning the steering wheel? My wheel is perfectly 180 upside down, and I know the steering assembly is mounted correctly. I did have to undo the steering cable from the rear of the boat but I thought I marked it pretty good. I could have been off a little bit, causing the wheel to be upside down.


I'm not close to my boat right now, but I have pictures from when I had trouble removing the steering wheel.

http://i722.photobucket.com/albums/ww223/flipz1996/2015-01/2EEE87EA-4C12-4784-9FD3-4F5C5D77810D_zpss1n2jsqe.jpg (http://s722.photobucket.com/user/flipz1996/media/2015-01/2EEE87EA-4C12-4784-9FD3-4F5C5D77810D_zpss1n2jsqe.jpg.html)

http://i722.photobucket.com/albums/ww223/flipz1996/2015-01/F58DF923-2EE3-4461-B5AB-63945294F8EF_zpsrkbjp5ts.jpg (http://s722.photobucket.com/user/flipz1996/media/2015-01/F58DF923-2EE3-4461-B5AB-63945294F8EF_zpsrkbjp5ts.jpg.html)

[lmnelson86]

Ah....looks like I may be off about 90 degrees. Thanks!

[leetudor]

Thanks!

Does anyone have a tip on aligning the steering wheel? My wheel is perfectly 180 upside down, and I know the steering assembly is mounted correctly. I did have to undo the steering cable from the rear of the boat but I thought I marked it pretty good. I could have been off a little bit, causing the wheel to be upside down.

Take the cable of the rudder, put rudder in the center position, turn wheel all the way left and then right make note where the middle is. Turn wheel to that middle position and hook up rudder.

[Sdc77]

And becareful, the center position isn't same on idle speed and high speed. My steering Wheel is perfectly centered at high speed and about 30° off CCW at idle speed. Make a choice ;)

[lmnelson86]

And becareful, the center position isn't same on idle speed and high speed. My steering Wheel is perfectly centered at high speed and about 30° off CCW at idle speed. Make a choice ;)

I kinda figured it would be something like this...I will get it hooked up as close as I can and then go from there!

[scottschmitt]

Take the cable of the rudder, put rudder in the center position, turn wheel all the way left and then right make note where the middle is. Turn wheel to that middle position and hook up rudder.

Is there a way to fine tune steering wheel position without undoing the bolts that attach the cable to the rudder? Just undo, slide, check, repeat?

[lmnelson86]

Is there a way to fine tune steering wheel position without undoing the bolts that attach the cable to the rudder? Just undo, slide, check, repeat?

Yes, there is. If you unbolt the three bolts that hold the steering "column" to the round steering rack, you can clock it accordingly. First simply spin your hub fully in each direction, and note the center. Also check that the rudder is centered, or close. After center is marked, you simply remove the column and index it accordingly. It just sits on a splined shaft, so you can pretty much get it dead center. Reinstall everything and be on your way!

I have circled the three bolts to remove, as well as the column. This is the best picture I have, but you should be able to figure it out.

15948

[lmnelson86]

Well yesterday was the first day I was able to launch the boat. I still have to paint the tower and order speakers, install my radio and other little things, but I just wanted to get her in and drive her. Free time has been sparse so it feels good to get the trial run over with. I love how it rides, reminds me of our 98 Malibu so much. What a riot! I was getting tons of compliments all day by people I didn't even know, so that was great! My dog love to ride on our boats and jet skis, four wheelers...anything that moves. Naturally, she also was digging the new boat.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2879.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2879.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2885.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2885.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2895.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2895.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2897.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2897.jpg.html)

Edited for bigger/better pics

[TitanTn]

That looks awesome - can't wait to see some more pics of the finale. It's a great feeling to enjoy your boat after all of that hard work - and even better when other people recognize it. Congrats.

[Salty87]

What a great feeling to be back out there. Good job!

Got plans for the tower paint yet? I painted mine and it's holding up great even being store outside.

[lmnelson86]

Thanks guys! Yeah, it felt great to finally let her rip. So much relief. We've had about 18 hours of rain today and she's still afloat so I am stoked! Haha. For the tower I am planning on painting it purple to match the boat. I had considered having it powder coated purple or white or silver...but I already have the purple paint from the boat so the plan is to use that. I have a bunch of it left, no sense in spending money on purple powder coat when I have the paint. Once the tower is painted I will whip up a Bimini top, but that may not happen until the fall. I'd like to finish it before then but I am super busy. Just glad to have it in the water. I am going to bring it home Sunday and do the bottom paint this week.

I have yet to secure the driver seat, I rocked a five gallon bucket with a cushion. I'd love to have a newer seat with a flip up bolster. Anyone have a line on one? Or does anyone know of a supra scrap yard or parts boat(s)? New seats are $200+ and I'm not that interested.

Hope everyone has a stellar weekend,

Luke

[lmnelson86]

I used the boat all weekend with friends and family. Tubing, skiing, slalom skiing, kneeboarding, and I even attempted to get up on my dads old trick skis. Not the slalom kind of trick skis, but the 42" long, 8" wide stubby looking things. I wasn't able to get up but I wasn't in the best shape haha. Here she is on the whips, no bumpers required. These are a great investment if you keep your boat scratch free. I was even able to test out the bowrider and take a nap for about 45 min sunday afternoon. It was awesome!

Trying to get speakers and radio installed this week.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2941.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_2941.jpg.html)

[mjdean]

I uploaded some pics to my profile. One pic shows the rot I found on the seat bases in the rear, which I recently rebuilt. I also rebuilt the step in between the rear seats and the base frame for the engine compartment. Floors feel pretty solid except between the cooler and the ski pylon. I did the "thump" test on the rest. Haven't drilled the main stingers yet.

[mjdean]

Luke, Take a look at this pic. Does it look like my boat is heavy at the waterline? It has normal gear in it as it sits. Thanks, Micahhttps://forum.supraboats.com/asset.php?fid=14114&uid=29441&d=143702011516081

[lmnelson86]

Luke, Take a look at this pic. Does it look like my boat is heavy at the waterline? It has normal gear in it as it sits. Thanks, Micahhttps://forum.supraboats.com/asset.php?fid=14114&uid=29441&d=143702011516081

Looks normal to me. My boat is about the same

[lmnelson86]

A few weeks back I ordered my speakers for the boat. I ended up with 8 speakers in total, they were only available in sets of 4. Two extra speakers is perfectly ok with me. They're Boss Audio. I didn't want to break the bank on speakers so I just got these off of Amazon. They seem to have worked just fine this weekend. This fall/winter I will add a second battery and Perko switch, an amp and maybe a 12" sub. I have all of the stuff in my garage just waiting to be used. For now I'm just going to rock the 6 new speakers.

I was also able to finish my speaker panels. I had to make these panels to move the speakers inward so that they cleared the bracing for the tower. The bracing effectively covered the OEM speaker holes. I originally intended to paint them purple to match the boat, but I was waiting until I painted my tower to paint them. I got tired of waiting for my buddy to paint my tower so I decided to gelcoat the panels in white, and add a purple and black splatter effect for good looks. It is similar to the floor, only difference being that the pattern on the floor is much smaller since it was sprayed from a gun, whereas the speaker panels I used a brush and paint stick to drizzle on my pattern. I think the bright white gelcoat makes for a much better look than the dark purple would have. I think purple would have been too much of a contrast with the bright white interior paint of the boat. I received tons of compliments on the boat and the panels this weekend while out at my cottage. I am happy with the result for sure. Next fall/winter I am going to add an LED light strip on the inside of the panel that will allow the light to shine downwards for a nice effect.

First coat of white gel:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_3009.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_3009.jpg.html)

Second coat of white and splatter:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_3022.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_3022.jpg.html)

Test Fit:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_3028.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_3028.jpg.html)

Port Side:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_3035.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_3035.jpg.html)

[lmnelson86]

Interior shot:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_3038.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_3038.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_3029.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_3029.jpg.html)

A quick test "drizzle" on some newspaper:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_3021.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_3021.jpg.html)

Front Speakers:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_3003.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_3003.jpg.html)

[flipz96]

Good job bro! I am in the process of cutting my side panels out of the faux carbon fiber and place them behind the coaming wall speakers to take the place of the previously upholstered panels. I'm thinking that it will help tie in the new helm and engine box hatch. Hopefully it won't be too much carbon fiber. I like that you embossed those speaker landings. I have a 150 qt igloo cooler that fits exactly in that space so I can't do that. I use that cooler to store ballast bags, pumps, etc. I also use it for ballast. Its the first one I fill up before going to the fly high ballast bags.

[lmnelson86]

Good job bro! I am in the process of cutting my side panels out of the faux carbon fiber and place them behind the coaming wall speakers to take the place of the previously upholstered panels. I'm thinking that it will help tie in the new helm and engine box hatch. Hopefully it won't be too much carbon fiber. I like that you embossed those speaker landings. I have a 150 qt igloo cooler that fits exactly in that space so I can't do that. I use that cooler to store ballast bags, pumps, etc. I also use it for ballast. Its the first one I fill up before going to the fly high ballast bags.

Thanks man. I had to emboss the speaker landings in order to clear the bracing for the tower, and I think it turned out pretty cool. I will admit I am not 100% thrilled with them, I feel like I could have done a better job. Nobody will be able to tell the difference anyway, its all in my head. I like that they are unique, over the weekend I received endless compliments on the boat and people loved the speaker panels. I have yet to venture into ballast bags and extra weighting, I'm sure Ill dabble with that next year. I really want to learn how to barefoot ski this year, it has been a life long goal of mine. I've always wanted to say that I could barefoot.

Your faux carbon is going to look sweet for sure. What are you doing to your motor cover? I need to modify my cover and install some cup holders for the rear passengers.

If anyone else is reading this, I am interested in picking up the factory bimini top for my boat. Anyone have one laying around they'd like to get rid of? Know of one? I have yet to paint my tower and install it so I would like to use a bimini top for the time being. I am not looking to spend a bunch of money as I likely wont be able to use it after my tower goes up.

[lmnelson86]

My dad picked up these old school trick skis years and years ago at a boat show, they were a dealer's demo trick skis. I have always wanted to try them, so I busted them out this weekend. Needless to say I am incredibly sore. These skis are super hard to ride! Had a lot of fun though. Anyone ever see these before? I have never seen and cant find them anywhere, not even online.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_3064.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_3064.jpg.html)

My brother ripping the slalom ski for the first time in probably 8 years

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_3075.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_3075.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_3080.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_3080.jpg.html)

And finally the shot I've been waiting to post since I first started this project, the money shot:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_3088.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_3088.jpg.html)

[flipz96]

I can picture myself catching an edge with those skis. Good to see you out enjoying it!

[Okie Boarder]

Love the money shot. I remember our first outing after the rebuild where I took a picture of her on the water. I used to picture that in my head when I was getting tired and frustrated with the rebuild.

[lmnelson86]

Haha, yea I would try and picture this photo as well when I got burned out. I have actually been using it since before the 4th of July, just kept forgetting to take a photo of her in the water. Can't wait for the weekend to do it all over again


Love the money shot. I remember our first outing after the rebuild where I took a picture of her on the water. I used to picture that in my head when I was getting tired and frustrated with the rebuild.

[flipz96]

. What are you doing to your motor cover? I need to modify my cover and install some cup holders for the rear passengers.



My plan is to add cup holders to it eventually and new upholstery to the whole boat. This will more than likely happen at the end of the season. The only thing I did so far was make a new hatch door with the faux carbon fiber to update the look a little. I wasn't a fan of the louvered hatch. It reminded me of an old wooden a/c handler closet vent. I also had quite a bit of cracking on the aft lower part of the box which I just covered up with carpet to make it presentable.

[lmnelson86]

A few glamour shots from the weekend

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_3132%20-%20Copy.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_3132%20-%20Copy.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_3143%20-%20Copy.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_3143%20-%20Copy.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_3152.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_3152.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_3154%20-%20Copy.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_3154%20-%20Copy.jpg.html)

[Okie Boarder]

Nice! I bet it feels good being out there.

[lmnelson86]

Nice! I bet it feels good being out there.

it is a great feeling for sure. I have been having a blast with it. I've had it out every weekend since mid-june. Love it!

[lmnelson86]

]I cleaned out the garage last night and threw away two trucks full of junk. I came across the foot well/tray for my boat that I decided against using. I was just going to toss it in the trash but I felt like someone on here might need one....I am not looking to get rich off of this thing. I will ship it to you for $50, I just want it to be worth my time to drive to the UPS store and box it up, that's it. It's solid, no cracks or leaks.

I decided against using it because I wanted to put as few holes, screws and cuts into my new floor as possible to keep water out for good.

I have paypal, will also accept money orders.

16257[ATTACH=CONFIG]16258[/ATTACH

[lmnelson86]

Well I don't have anything new to report, but I spent last night washing my boat really good since I finally had a free evening. I usually give it a rinse when I'm out on the water, but this gave me an opportunity to clean it really good. I use this stuff, its a waterless car-wash. I use it on my truck and it cleans up salt, snow, dirt and mud with ease. After using it regularly, my truck pretty much keeps itself clean. I keep a bottle of it in the boat all the time for quick wipe downs. You can use it on glass, plastic, upholstery, fiberglass and gelcoat. Just about anything you can imagine.

Can't wait for the weekend to get her back out on the lake!

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_3214.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_3214.jpg.html)

[flipz96]

Nice shine! I really need to get a good detail cleaning in sometime. Good job man!

[lmnelson86]

Nice shine! I really need to get a good detail cleaning in sometime. Good job man!

Marvin,

Get your hands on some of that stuff. Its called Dri Wash N' Guard. My neighbor at my cottage is a distributor, he's been using it for 20 years. He lives in Florida but comes up here for the summer. His vehicles have never been washed with water (not one Fu**ing time he says) and they are beautiful. You can pop a pimple on the end of your nose while looking into the paint on his black F-350. Its a 2003 and looks brand new to this day. Never in a million years would I have believed him if I hadn't first seen his truck in person. He just went back to Florida due to the flooding and his work needs him, he's in New Port Richie. I can send you his contact information if you'd like to get some. Its actually really reasonable! No more or less than anything you'd get at an Auto store.

I use it when I am out in the bay and wiping it down. I use it on my trucks and Mustang, use it on our 1964 corvette and it works unbelievably well. Water beads right off.

[lmnelson86]

I have yet to paint my tower, but I have been using the boat every weekend. I'm pretty much the only one that takes pictures so there aren't many pictures of us skiing or boarding because I am either driving or being towed. My girlfriend and I both had Friday off and took the boat across the lake to a local restaurant for lunch and some wobbly pops, went wakeboarding, swimming and then went for a three hour ride and chased some freighters up the shipping channel before dinner. I brought my first mate Sophie along with us for the day. She enjoys sitting in the seats like a human, constantly walking back and forth up and down the boat, and trying to bite the splashing water. I have received tons of compliments on my boat from people this summer, and I actually had a guy ask to buy my boat this Friday. What a great feeling after all of that hard work!

Sophie and my weekend gear, headed for the cottage:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_3252.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_3252.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_3253.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_3253.jpg.html)

My two girlfriends on the way to lunch:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_3258.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_3258.jpg.html)

At lunch with VIP dog seats haha:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_3259.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_3259.jpg.html)

[lmnelson86]

Sophie never sits on an empty seat unless its just her and I

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_3267.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_3267.jpg.html)

After a wakeboard moto:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_3271.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_3271.jpg.html)

Freighter coming up river:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_3273.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_3273.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_3275.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_3275.jpg.html)

[lmnelson86]

This is a pretty common site around us on Lake St Clair, so I figured I would share it with you guys. Not sure how often anyone on this forum gets the opportunity to see or cruise with these big guys. It is fascinating, and you can feel the power of the freighters from a few hundred yards behind them, pushing your boat around.

The H Lee White:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_3277.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_3277.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_3279.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_3279.jpg.html)

The John G Munson coming downriver:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_3281.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_3281.jpg.html)

Both freightors making a pass at each other:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_3283.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_3283.jpg.html)

[lmnelson86]

Just a "little" tug pushing a barge upriver, just after we saw the freighters:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_3284.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_3284.jpg.html)

Making our way down the North CHannel on our way back to the cottage:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_3285.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_3285.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_3286.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_3286.jpg.html)

My girlfriend, Vicky, learning to drive the boat so she can pull me around!

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_3287.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_3287.jpg.html)

[lmnelson86]

Sunday, doing what I love to do best. Been riding since I was 7 years old. Luckily we passed our friends and they threw us a decent wave, snapped some photos. Unfortunately my photos turned out crappy.

Myself taking flight. Air cheeseburger piloting the 2000 Kawasaki SXi Pro:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_3321.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_3321.jpg.html)

Myself coming out from behind the boat to set up for another jump:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_3322.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_3322.jpg.html)

My brother, Austin:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_3313.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_3313.jpg.html)

One of my best friends, Doug aka the snirunner aka the cheese strick warrior:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/icerocket1286/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_3315.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/icerocket1286/media/1988%20Supra%20Mariah/IMG_3315.jpg.html)

[Okie Boarder]

Awesome pics!

[leetudor]

Water looks very nice!

[lmnelson86]

Well time to dust off this ole thread. Its been a long time but I've been a busy man. Boat has been quietly shrink wrapped in the fall and awaiting an early spring. I will be painting my tower in the next few weeks in order to be ready for spring. I am also going to have to build motors in two of my jet skis for precautionary measures, as well as finish a bunch of odds and ends parts on the boat.

This week/weekend I will begin rebuilding the trip pieces for the access doors in the walk-through of the boat. The original plastic pieces fell apart upon removal just due to being old and brittle. I will be making the new ones out of fiberglass and tinting them purple, adding black and white gelcoat splatter effect to them to tie into the theme of my speaker shrouds.

Hope everyone has had a busy winter!

[flipz96]

This week/weekend I will begin rebuilding the trip pieces for the access doors in the walk-through of the boat. The original plastic pieces fell apart upon removal just due to being old and brittle. I will be making the new ones out of fiberglass and tinting them purple, adding black and white gelcoat splatter effect to them to tie into the theme of my speaker shrouds.


Cool man. Good to see you back on here. I'm excited to check out how it all turns out!

[lmnelson86]

Thanks Marv. How did your boat treat you this summer? I put 40-45 hours on mine. I didn't get to be behind the boat as much as I wished, but we did plenty of towing everyone else. I enjoyed every second of it and can't wait to get back out there.

Currently my brother and I are rebuilding a 15' hydrostream viper. Cap off, new stringers and bulsa core. New transom and it will be completely rebuilt. It was a total $hit pile when we got it. Trying to break 100 mph this summer.

[joe Schnur]

I would like to talk to you about your project I am in oxford and have a similar build going to happen soon

[lmnelson86]

This boat has been great to me but she is now for sale. $16500 New Baltimore Mi PM ME

[flipz96]

Good luck, Luke! Are you upgrading? Also...I think you you have an extra zero on your price! :)

[lmnelson86]

Good luck, Luke! Are you upgrading? Also...I think you you have an extra zero on your price! :)

Hey Marvin, thanks for heads up lol. $16500 not $165000 but if someone wants to pay that much that’s cool lol

Getting into something a little more user friendly fornlir lake. I hate to see this I’ll go but it is simply time for something new.