Supra Advice

[cool hand]

Hello my name is Luke and I'm new to the Supra world.

After having several runabout boats our family has decided its time to look into a serious ski boat. We have looked at many well taken care of boats over the last couple weeks here in Indiana. 2 of which are a Supra's. Boat number 1 is an 89 Supra Comp T6. Boat number 2 is a 90 Supra Conbrio. Best as I can tell both boats are very well taken care of, but I'm completely new to Supra boats and know very little about the model differences or what to look for as far as problem areas. The price range we've looked is the 10k and less, so that does limit our options.

We're mostly a slalom skiing family, though wakeboarding has become more of an interest lately. We've skied for years behind a 18' 185hp welcraft I/O so I'm assuming any inboard will be fantastic compared to what we're used to.

So what should I know about these boats? Is one going to be better than the other? What kind of issues are common on a boat of this age that I should avoid.

Ideally an open bow that would be rated for more people would be better, but minus a sport nautique here or there, that seem to be out of the reach for this dollar value. Does Supra have a boat similar to these that I havent seen yet that is bigger?

Thanks supra Forums

Luke Clark
Brownsburg, Indiana

[bryan632]

Welcome to the Supra world. Both boats really nice and you would be happy with both. as far as problem areas, they have the same problems pretty much all older boats have. Before purchasing, you would want to check the integrity of the floor and stringers. you can do this by lifting the engine bubble and looking under at the floor and by turning the motor mount bolt. if it is really loose and won't tighten, then the stringers are rotted. Supras are really well made boats. If you are looking for an open bow, the Supra Sunsport is an awesome boat for slalom and for wakeboarding. If you lower the wake plate, it will rise right up out and make a pretty flat wake. It is a pretty deep vee boat so if you raise the plate and slow your speed to wakeboard speed it throws out a pretty nice wake with no ballast. I have pics of my sunsport up on my thread. http://supraboats.com/bbs/showthread.php?t=4303
I am on my second season on it and I absolutely love it. If you want more info on the sunsport, feel free to ask me or any of the other sunsport owners on here. there are a lot of comp and conbrio owners on here too with a lot of info on them. Hope you find one soon.

[mapleleaf]

First of all welcome, I'm a Conbrio owner and I bought it w/o knowing how low the freeboard was....It is a great boat, but def. made for calm water ( awesome skiing so-so wakeboarding)
Things to look for on these boats( pre '92) are the wooden stringers rotting, can be checked by tightening engine moun t bolts. Can be a big job, depends on what you're looking for.
I love mine, but will always be looking for the "next" boat!
Supra made a longer Mariah (open bow) low freeboard ski boat that would hold more weight. My exp. tells me that 1 adult in my open bow boat requires some skill in the drive to avoid a submarine......
Happy Shopping!!!

[BigCity444]

Mapleleaf summed up the open bow issue very well. More then one adult in the playpen and with any kind of oncoming wake; torpedo. The Mariah is great all purpose boat because it isn't pigeonholed by characteristics. It can pull several barefooters with a very small wake and get some people or weight and it works as a wakeboard boat.

[cool hand]

What are the differences between the comp and the conbrio?

The intent of this boat is mainly skiing, but it will be trailered wherever we go so once the skiing is over for the day it'll still have to suffice as a cruiser. Are these boats going to be too low slung to ski in the morning, and then cruise in the afternoon on a moderate to busy inland lake in the afternoon such as lake James or lake freeman?

The play pen is kind of a mute point since it really doesn' t gain you anything as far as people rating.

[mapleleaf]

My Conbrio is a fun cruiser, because it's close to the water....other wakes can be an issue....I've never skiied behind a boat with a smaller wake....The Sunsport and maybe the Mariah would make better cruiser's, and are still great to ski behind, but I'll be biased until I sell my Conbrio!!! You just have to be careful in rougher water, I absolutely love it for the dawn and dusk skiing!!!!
I think the only diff. between the comp and the Conbrio are the playpen bow, everything else should be the same.....

[Supra-in-steamboat]

Luke- the Conbrio has an open bow, the Comp does not. Both are awesome ski boats. I prefer the SunSport as it is more universal. You can ski,wakeboard, surf, and not worry if the lake is busy/rough as it is very stable in all conditions. It is a family boat. I do like my friends Comp as it feels like a rocket ship on the water but have seen waves come over the front. I would not call the Comps or Conbrios unsafe for this reason as taking on a bit of water is ok- but they will not handle rough water like your Wellcraft (if it is the deep "V") or a SunSport, Mariah, or Ryder would.
Good luck with the new purchase decision. I don't think you will be dissapointed with any Supra purchase. Shoot me a PM with a phone # if you want to BS about boats-I know it's alot to spend right now.
Here is a pic of my friends Comp in the water- you can see it sits lower. The other pic is the a$$ end of my SunSport- it sits alot higher out of the water.

[87SunSportMikeyD]

You can see pics and vids of my SunSport in the links in my signature. If you are hardcord slalom (like only ski on slalom courses) then you want the Comp. Otherwise you should check out the SunSport or the Mariah for an in-between boat.

[foxriverat]

Found this in your area. Dont know if its still available. But looks like a great price. http://indianapolis.craigslist.org/boa/1758619625.html

[Sluggo]

If you are interested in that boat, I have a buddy that is part of the ski club down there and is pretty familiar with all the folks down there. Might be able to offer an unbiased opinion. But it's not a Supra!!!

[cool hand]

So what is the pecking order on this type of boat? I know some of it is a matter of opinion, but there have to be legitimate pluses and minus between manufacturers. I've never owned, or had much experience with these inboard hotrod type boats. The boats that have shown up on our radar are

84-89 ski nautiques
90-93 ski nautiques
89-91 sport nautiques
A couple late 80's prostar 190's
And these 2 supra's I mentioned above.

I really have minimal brand biased, as I'm more concerned with a good quality, reliable boat that I can ski behind, and use for cruising when not in tow mode. It'll be solely inland lakes, so no big surf by anymeans.

[foxriverat]

You cant go wrong with supra, nautique, mastercraft or malibu. All pretty much use a 350 chevy or 351 ford. Pcm or indmar. For the $$ you want to spend. Try to find one in the 90s with fiberglass stringers. I would stay away from wood. If that malibu is available for that price that I sent you the link to. And is in good shape. Thats a deal and a great boat. Great slalom and barefoot wake. I have a friend who has a response. And its a well made boat.

[foxriverat]

In case I wasnt clear. If that Malibu is still available for $9500. I would be on my way there to water test it. You will love it.

[Supra-in-steamboat]

Sounds like you want a slalom boat... In terms of "big" surf- I would call the wave that ANY inboard under 30 feet makes cute at very best. The deciding factor for me was the stability of the Supra hull design and how differently they felt in the water compared to a Malibu, Nautique, MC of the same year range. As a Supra owner I am bias to their performance, not brand equity. Kevlar is good stuff. Good luck with water testing.

[cool hand]

Would this be a fibergrlass stringer boat?

http://fortwayne.craigslist.org/boa/1777902904.html

Is a comp STS similar to a TS6M?

[cool hand]

Found this in your area. Dont know if its still available. But looks like a great price. http://indianapolis.craigslist.org/boa/1758619625.html

Sold when I called.

[haugy]

Would this be a fibergrlass stringer boat?

http://fortwayne.craigslist.org/boa/1777902904.html

Is a comp STS similar to a TS6M?

Yes, that has fiberglass stringers, and other than some modern touches they are alike.

[foxriverat]

So where 350 chevys an option. Or is that a replacement engine in that 96 comp sts? I saw that boat last year when I was looking. Thought it was a good price. Wonder why it still hasn`t sold.

[Kip]

Luke, I am the happy owner of a 88 Mariah. We use it mainly for skiing and wakeboarding and have been very pleased on both accounts. The Mariah is a great middle of the road boat. At Slalom speeds with the wake plate down the wake lays down pretty flat. It is not as smooth as a ski natique but it is also a couple feet longer and a little deeper. At slower speeds for wakeboarding with the wake plate way up it throws a very nice wake.

I definitely would not write off the open bow. That was one of my biggest reasons for us purchasing this boat. It gives you so much more usable room than a closed bow boat. When skiing you can sit people up front which helps out your wake and keeps them from having to dodge the rope if they would be in the back seat.

As far as the low bow, it does take some getting used to but you can still cruise it with out issue. I wouldn't want to stop out in the middle of a super busy lake but to cruise across the lake would not be an issue.

I live about half way between you and lake James (Bluffton, IN). pm me if you are heading that way and want to check out our Mariah.

Good luck

[mapleleaf]

Would this be a fibergrlass stringer boat?

http://fortwayne.craigslist.org/boa/1777902904.html

Is a comp STS similar to a TS6M?

Looks like an '86...prolly a typo....you'll find another....
want me to get a pic of my Conbrio's wake ballast free at 35 mph???

[rludtke]

You'll love the TS6m wake at slalom speeds, there is almost nothing there!

[cool hand]

Looks like an '86...prolly a typo....you'll find another....
want me to get a pic of my Conbrio's wake ballast free at 35 mph???

I wondered, but I don't know much about them, figured a supra pro could set me straight.


That'd be pretty sweet if its not to much trouble. I've never skied behind any of these.

[mapleleaf]

this is at full throttle...about 8-10 mph over slalom speed and my wake plate could be lowered a little, but this should give you some idea......

[foxriverat]

Having any luck found this http://southbend.craigslist.org/boa/1807240804.html Here is a search engine I use if you dont know about it. It makes searching craigslist a little easier. http://www.searchtempest.com/