1984 COMP TS6M Stringer Rebuild

[michael hunter]

I am doing this because the People at Photobucket thought it would be a good idea to delete all the photos I have posted over the years unless I pay them 400.00 a year NOT.

I looked at the copied files I have and I have most of them. I bought the 84 comp about 4 years ago . I was told it had new stringers 6 years before. Here is what it looked like after a through clean up. As you can see it cleaned up pretty good and after a hand full of small mechanical issues we were in business.

http://i.imgur.com/JoDDOx5.jpg?1

http://i.imgur.com/qiVH8k8.jpg?2

[joe Schnur]

Awesome keep em common it was amazing

[michael hunter]

After the first season I noticed some oil in the bilge and decided to pull the engine and reseal it . While I had it out I thought I would go ahead and replace the carpet. It was after the carpet was removed I started to see the professional stringer and floor job wasn't so professional. I suspected something was not right because it felt loose when going over wakes and the center pylon was loose. The floor was made out of 3/4 inch plywood it is supposed to be 5/8 and the cap was never removed they just cut out the center section of the floor and spliced in the new plywood. There was no way I could let this go so I pulled the floor.

http://i.imgur.com/xabOYE9.jpg?1

http://i.imgur.com/u5EWm09.jpg?1

[michael hunter]

After the floor was removed the real fun began. They never replaced the stringers they only sistered a 2x6 pine board next to the rotted stringer and screwed it in from the side. They did however cover it all with glass mat and resin. then it looked like they used spray foam form a can to cover up this mess. At this point depression set in the thought of spiting the hull and redoing the stringers was just TOO much.I thought maybe I could get away with just patching them in and putting in a new floor. I called it a day and went in to think about it. I don't know what I was thinking there was no way I was going to do a Half a$$ job on my boat.

http://i.imgur.com/au39oVR.jpg?1

http://i.imgur.com/IZPDicw.jpg?1

[michael hunter]

After the cap was removed and the foam was gone I starter to see the real extent of the damage . White pine is not a good choice for stringer repair. The original stringers were made out of 2 pieces of 5/8 plywood set along side of each other they weren't even connected to each other or the hull except by the fiberglass mat rap .

http://i.imgur.com/gRBPofZ.jpg?1

http://i.imgur.com/tTGvhXM.jpg?1

[michael hunter]

The more I removed the worse it got the engine box where the motor sits was especially rotted.

http://i.imgur.com/tihqSF7.jpg?1

http://i.imgur.com/XEgfJlA.jpg?1

[michael hunter]

Once the old stringers were gone and the hundreds of measurements were taken the new stringers could be started. I went with fur 2x6 and 2x8 for the primary and secondary stringers.
It was quite a job to get them to fit the hull as it twists from angle in the front to flat in the back. I epoxied the stringers to the hull and came back later with a fiberglass resin and powder
mixture the consistency of peanut butter to make the transition from stringer to hull . Its the brown material . I also put in three holes along the bottom of each stringer to allow any trapped water to get to the bilge .

http://i.imgur.com/9zYHG9d.jpg?1

http://i.imgur.com/e8vvGuA.jpg?1

http://i.imgur.com/44FOCmW.jpg?1

[michael hunter]

Supra puts slots in the top of the stringers so they can put in a 1x2 across the stringers to support the floor. All that did was make a place for water to get in and rot the stringer. I went with a Correct Craft style using a grid system of bulkheads all are epoxied to the hull and stringers. Much stronger and stiffer than the original system.

http://i.imgur.com/yJVLnQF.jpg?1

http://i.imgur.com/gZFzC8y.jpg?1

[michael hunter]

I had more pictures of the floor and carpet but I am afraid they are lost to Photobucket. I used 2'' closed cell foam cut to fit loosely between the bulkheads and stringers. That gave it the sound proofing and flotation without trapping water in the hull. I had to special order the 5/8 marine grade plywood nobody carries 5/8. One of the things that made this job so difficult was the floor on this boat was not flat it actually slants up from both sides and flattens out in the center . It was not easy to cut and plane the stringers and still have the height for the floor. Because Supra's top hull extends all the way to the floor that dimension is critical so the top and bottom will fit and at the same time the inner wall touches the floor.

[michael hunter]

After the stringers,floor and carpet was done I reinstalled my resealed and detailed engine and trans. After all of this there was no way I was putting in that dated rainbow striped interior. I went with a newer Supra style interior keeping the OE look but no more rainbow.

http://i.imgur.com/qiVH8k8.jpg?2

http://i.imgur.com/s4nKCN2.jpg?2

[michael hunter]

This is a much shortened thread the original [ My Quick Fluff & Buff Has Gone Awry] had all the pics removed by Photobucket. This project took 1 1/2 years to complete partly because I have other boats to use and didn't need it, work and plenty of time off when things got too frustrating. Anyone that has done a stringer job will tell you its a ton of work. There are a lot of hacks out there that like this boat will cover shoddy work with decking and carpet and say its had new stringers. Bottom line any Supra older that 92 will fall into two categories those that have had new stringers and those that need new stringers. Beware of PROFESSIONAL shops that say they can do a stringer job on the cheap ? Without pictures showing everything that was done you don't know what you have under the deck

[Mischief IV]

After the stringers,floor and carpet was done I reinstalled my resealed and detailed engine and trans. After all of this there was no way I was putting in that dated rainbow striped interior. I went with a newer Supra style interior keeping the OE look but no more rainbow.

http://i.imgur.com/qiVH8k8.jpg?2

Haha, dated interior? It's called Supra chic! I love the rainbow stripe. Don't mess with success.

Upholstery jokes aside, to the other guys on here, I've seen this boat up close and he did a terrific job. If only I could put this one in my garage and add to the collection.

The cool thing about Mr. Hunter is, he could restore a boat with new stringers, engine clean up, with new upholstery and he could do it all before lunchtime.

[Blackntan90]

Dear Mr. Hunter, Could you do a cap-off on my Mariah in say 6 months? Boy that boat looks great, really nice work! I agree with Mischief IV- I like the rainbow stripes myself! Hats off to you!

[michael hunter]

Sorry the only way I would do another stringer job is if I found a Conbrio in the same colors as my sunsport. For me its a labor of love too much time and work to do for money.