bought that 86 sunsport and let me just say how impressed i am with inboards and supr

[dshaff24]

So I went from a newer nice mint boat to a 86 supra sunsport,this 300 hp cuddy http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL1329/6245701/22345274/370648147.jpg to this 351 sunsport,


http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL1329/6245701/22345274/372371987.jpg

Let me tell you, I wish I was introduced to inboards in the begining! We bought the boat to see how we liked inboards etc etc before we get into some serious money for a new 02+ one, And all I gotta say is we love this old boat!! Im still going to finish the yr up and sell it but this ol 351 sounds awesome with the supra trap set up, the engine is smooth and quiet vs any motor in any one of my other boats, and this is the oldest boat i ever purchased!

Note, This boat handles like its on rails, Pulls out like nothing, plenty of space! only BAD THING is reverse!! I kinda got caught off gaurd with it not turning in reverse to good but that nothing!!

All i gotta say for technology in 86 this boat is great!! Wife loves it, Nieces and nephews love it and I can't wipe the smile off my face becuase of how smooth they shift and the pulll out power handeling! NEVER WILL I EVER BUY A i/o!!!

Anyway my purchase of the newer boat is def a 02 plus supra!

oh and i located a different trailer since this old one scared me lol, im the 2nd owner of this boat and I checked the motor mount bolts in the stringers and they passed the test, post is strong,

[dshaff24]

only thing that I couldn't get to work was the gas guage, I filled it up so I just figured I fill it up every time I use it!

Does anybody know how many gallon this tank is? and maybe an average guess of how many hours it would take to kill a tank skiing/wakeboarding/cruising? Just an idea I don't really care because im pretty happy about this purchase

[mapleleaf]

prolly 20 gal. tank, and rough average for mileage would be about 4 gal./hr when boarding.......nice boat, reverse is a little different on all of them!

[michael hunter]

Congrats and welcome to the family. It kinda says it all when you upgrade to a 1986.
It just shows how much ahead of their time they are. As for your fuel gauge go to the fuel sender and ground the wire with the key on it should read full. If it does you need a new sender. I installed a electronic sender on mine [no gauge flutter in waves] from
Centroid Products Inc. Its worked great for 20 years.

[chardway]

I just recently purchased a 1984 Supra Rider and also have a non-working gas guage. Can anyone tell me the easiest way to get to the gas tank and sender. I thought there would be an access port under the rear seat (passenger side) but don't see one.

[Okie Boarder]

Welcome to the club. My 89 Sunsport has a 37 gallon tank and the gauge is real sketchy. I just fill it every time we go out. We've averaged about 4 gph on ours so far. We've "filled" the tank about 8 times, put 36 hours on the boat and have gone through about 150 gallons of gas.

[michael hunter]

I dont know about a 86 but on a 98 Sunsport the fuel tank is under the ski storage compartment in the rear.

[jasonba1]

welcome to the club and very glad you like their boat the old supras are great boats

[87SunSportMikeyD]

Welcome to the family I love your story it's great! My tank is about 25gal, we use about 5 gal/hr of boarding with ballast.

[dshaff24]

hey mikey, I just went over your post with all your write ups and pictures and you make me want to just put a lil money into this boat and keep it verses buy a newer version! Did you ever have any issues with leaks? the marina says supras are known for it but they checked mine and it past the test, Another thing how's the wood in your seats etc etc? im looking for a cheap tower and bimni any ideas? I don't want to put to much into this if im going to sell it,lol I keep saying im going to sell it but who knows, The wife loves it. Anyway WHAT IS UP WITH YOUR FEA EXHAUST? whats its purpose? ever have any trouble with the rear deck?

[dshaff24]

Oh and has anyone changed out the steering wheel on a supra? Im about to powdercoat everything chrome or silver lol I hate chrome

[87SunSportMikeyD]

Hey again thanks for all the nice words! When I bought mine I was unable to find very many pics of people updating these boats so I thought I would try to help share the stoke. If you are able to get a newer boat, you can get into a V-Drive 1995+ Nautique Super Sport for about $16000 blank (no tower, etc). Or you could get a 1992+ Supra SunSport and you'd know it has no wood in it!

I have not had any issues with 'leaks', however, these older models are known for having the potential for trapping water in the hull. This happens when water enters the boat but does not find the bilge valley. If the water gets past the floor near the sides of the boat, it can get trapped under the floor, causing the wooden support stringers to rot. Generally this only happens if the floor gets soft spots allowing water through. However it can also happen if other problems occur, most notable the main stringers cracking near the motor mounts, or as you mentioned sometimes the exhaust pipes or swim platform support screws can allow water in IF they become damaged (never happened to me). I do have three small silver-dollar sized soft spots in my floor near the engine box. I will look into them this fall.

Seats do rot, but that happens and is easy to replace. I have soft wood on my rear bench seat base and drivers seat cushin. Will be replaceing this fall.

I went with the Monster Tower for $1000 but you can get a good tower for $6-800 if you really look around. Monster has a five-year warranty and matching, high quality accessories. The bimini I took the budget route and got an old bimini from some elses boat that wouldn't fit with their new tower. I took it apart, cut it down the middle of the canopy, took out 10" of tubing, put it back together, and good to go! Pics on my thread.

I am not sure how much I will be able to resell mine for or if I will lose money on the updates, but some things I can remove if they don't like the price. Also these are becoming very popular older boats so the demand is there. It can be a problem though when your price becomes as high as a different model that is a bit newer.

My swim deck has been great! Had to sand and refinish it though.

The FAE is great! www.freshairexhaust.com. It takes the exhaust and puts it two feet underwater right in front of the prop. The boat is so quiet you can whisper while at full speed. No fumes when surfing or boarding or riding in the rear of the boat. Very happy with it but it is $450.

[csuggs]

I'm a little late here, but welcome to the board! I read your story and it's cool to have another convert on the forum.
We've got the same boat - so I know just how you feel about it. I could spend a ton of money on a new boat (I drove an '06 Malibu a few weeks ago and really liked it) or I can spend a little money on mine and be just as happy. The wake even with no ballast is really nice!
Have fun with it . . .:cool: