1988 Supra Comp - Restoration Questions

[ACF]

I just aquired a free Supra Comp (my dear old dad would say there is no such thing as a "free" boat). The boat has sat undisturbed, and neglected for ten years, but has very low hours. My ski days are over due to bum knees, but I've a couple of teenage kids who would get a blast out of this boat. Some moisture has gotten to the interior over the years as the white vinyl seats are spotted with mold, but from a very surface level look, it doesn't look too bad. The interior may clean up, but I think it will probably need replaced. Though I did not see any standing water in it, I am worried about the wood members in the floor. It is a 1988 model, and at some time during it's long storage the original fitted cover had rotted, and was replaced by tarps, I have no idea how much time went by between the rotted cover and the tarps, so I don't know how long the old gal was exposed to the elements. The engine looks good, and I was able to turn it over a little with a wrench, so it isn't stuck. I am an experienced woodworker, and have a lot of experience in auto mechanics and body work, including fiberglass. The floorboards don't scare me, but I really don't have a clue about how to replace the stringers if they are rotten. I would appreciate any advice on this project particularly any how to advice, or even opinions on whether or not the boat is worth restoration.

[OUI]

If the floor isn't soft as you walk on it -- it's probably sound. To check the stringers, turn the lag bolts on the motor mounts that go into the stringer. If they turn freely you have a problem. If they torque down tight you're in good shape.

Before you get a new interior get some Mr. Clean Magic Erasers and some Fantastic, you'll be amazed at how well it cleans. If there is still mold when you are done, there are a varitey of products that get rid of mold. Fantastic has a mold cleaner that works pretty well. You can tell there's bleach in the product so rinse it well with clean water when you are done.

Good Luck

[ACF]

Okay, the bolts on the engine mounts feel firm and tight, so that is good news. The bad news is the very aft part of the floor at the stern feels soft, so I have some work to do there. The gas tank is almost full of smelly old gas that I don't have a clue about what to do with, and I suspect if there is wood under the tank, it will need replaced since the way the boat sat this was the lowest area. I know this project is going to take some time, but I remember driving, and being pulled by this boat, the first time the original owner took it out, and I can't wait to see it back on the lake.

[Kash]

Hey AFC, I had the same issues in a '89' comp I picked up last year. My problem was the dropped pan where the drivers feet rest; so take a look there also. There is a tube that drains water from the pan to the sump area and the tube goes directly through the wood stringer. I also had some areas under the foam that were not dry as well. It's not a wonder the stringers rot, they go to all the effort to cover and seal with glass only to then drill holes into the wood. Good luck!

[ACF]

Wrong kind of wood too. Treated lumber lasts a while, but it is still just pine soaked in a chemical bath, that may or may not penetrate all the way through. Pleanty of old wooden boats out there that sat most of their lives, in the water, with water in the bilge, built of wood that did not need to be soaked in a chemical preservative. Woods in the cedar family, which includes Cypress, resist rot a lot better than pressure treated pine will, and there are other choices such as Teak, Mohogony, even Black Walnut. When I replace the rotten members in my boat it will be with Red Cedar sealed with penetrating epoxy and then glassed in after fitting. Thanks to the comment about the holes, I will be sure to go back and seal any holes that have to be drilled through too.

[ACF]

Also, I plan on trying to start the engine this weekend. Since it has sat 10 years here are precautions that I plan to do. Anyone other ideas will be appreciated. I will change the oil. I have already pulled the plugs, squirted in some oil to each cyl, spun it over a little, but not much because I am thinking the valve train will be drained dry. What I will do Saturday morning is change the oil and filter. Then I plan on pulling the distributer and running the oil pump with a power drill and an old distributer shaft, until oil pressure comes up good. I have shafts from various Ford and Chevy distributers which I have used for this on fresh built car engines. This boat engine looks just like a Ford small block, so will try that one first. Once this is done, I will put the distributer back in, time it, and rig a gas feed from a portable tank. For water, I will probably just tow it over to the lake (1/2 mile from house) when I am ready to try it, instead of trying to rig up a garden hose. All I intend to do is back it in and see if it will still run. If it does, I will run it a few minutes and quit, if it dosen't I will take it back to the house to figure out why.

[OUI]

You can run the boat on land by taking you intake hose put it in a bucket and run the hose in the bucket. Or go to the hardware store and pick up a couple of plumbing fittings. One goes on to the intake hose, then reduce it down to garden hose size -- put a garden hose fitting on the end with a shut off valve -- connect to the hose and off you go. It's generally not a good idea to force water through the system so I close the valve until the motor is running then turn it on to feed the water pump. Since it's been sitting so long I'd pull the water pump and check impeller--they're rubber and can stick to the sides of the water pump and tear apoart when the motor is turned over.

[ACF]

Couldn't attempt starting the engine. When I looked at the engine previously, I noticed one belt hanging loose from the engine water pump pulley. When I looked at it Saturday, I noticed that this belt evidently ran the raw water pump, which has been removed from the boat. I expect to find the removed pump in the garage at my friends mother's house, if not I will have to buy one somewhere. Since I couldn't start it, I worked on cleaning it up. I used the fantastic and magic erasers and I was very surprized. I thought the interior was beyond hope, but it is cleaning up very well. Have a little black mold in some of the edges and seems, but I think I can get rid of that with some of the mildew specific cleaners. The cusions are in good shape, other than being stained. I peeled back some carpet and the floor in the back is not as bad as I feared. My wife could not believe the difference in the boat at the end of the day. It looks real good.

[ACF]

Nobody seems to be on this site this week. Probably at the lake. Anyway, an update on this project. I pulled the rear seat out yesterday, pumped the old gas out of the tank and it didn't look, or smell as bad as I thought it would. The tank doesn't look corroded on the outside, though I suppose it could be on the inside, but it doesn't leak. I replaced the rubber fuel line, the soft spot at the rear of the floor was confined to a small piece that covers the center bilge. This was easy to fix. The seats have cleaned up "fantastically" better than I would have ever thought. There are still a few faint spots of staining but it looks great for it's ager. For tune up purposes I have been running the engine (yes it runs !!!!) using a portable tank, and garden hose rig. I had no spark at first. I replaced the coil, points, condenser, cap, and rotor button. All this was in a kit I ordered from SKIDIM.Com (great folks those). The carb still needs some attention, so I have ordered a rebuild kit from same folks. The previous owner will be in town in two weeks, so I can get the raw water pump and other stuff then. I plan on a lake test middle of September, and I can't wait !. I am going to have to get this boat into the garage soon, people keep stopping by asking if it is for sale.

[ACF]

Finally got all the parts installed back on the boat, and launched it Saturday ! This was the first time the ole boat has been in a lake in 12 years. It ran great, absolutely amazing ride the way this thing gets up to speed in a hurry and will turn on a dime. We didn't run it much Saturday, because it was late evening when we launched. Went back Sunday with a picnic lunch, and stayed out all day just blasting around the lake. The only thing that didn't work right was one of the speedometers didn't work, otherwise no issues at all. Water was a little choppy, but still got up to 45 which is probably pushing top speed for this boat.

[Salty87]

congratulations, must feel great to be on the water in it again. 10 years and she'll run, that's pretty cool.

i have an 87 saltare, the vinyl is also in surprisingly good shape. a little rough around the edges but you can't really tell.

pics?

[ACF]

I posted a picture of the boat in the "Pride&Joy" forum. The friend who gave it to me, put it away with liberal application of "fogging" oil in each cylinder. I had to work on ignition and carburation to get it running, but the fogging oil kept the engine free. It cleaned up great, there isn't a single tear in the seats, and I've got it running great. There are only a couple of very slight cosmetic blemishes, such as some almost unnoticable oxydation on the first foot of the bow, and the stripe and wave decal should be replaced on one side. Otherwise it is a near new 1988 Comp with less than 200 hours.

[Salty87]

i saw the pic, it does look real clean. nice score.

i don't know if the decals are avail or not but i took mine off and never looked back. cleaned up and updated the boat imo. you might give that a shot before trying to order them if you decide to mess with it. otherwise, 303 uv protectant for the vinyl and run it often and you should be in business for a while.