1985 Supra SunSport

[cavilry]

Hey all! So I have been trolling this (great) forum all day looking up info as I have found a Supra I am very interested in. It looks like I found a great deal (or good) but maybe you all can lend some input? I am looking for a good all-around boat, but specifically I wakeboard (sorta) so would want a boat that would work accordingly. Here is what the ad says. The posting is for 5900, though it says otherwise in this information. The boat is stored inside a warehouse in the photos, and there is nothing obviously wrong in the photos.

I have a great wakeboarding boat that needs a new home. It is a 1985 21ft supra sunsport w trailer, 400hrs, inboard 351v8, open bow, tower w speakers and lights, built in auto fill/dump ballasts front and rear, boardracks for 6 boards and a wakesurf. ready to hit the lake. comes with everything you need to be on the lake TODAY! wakeboards, wakeskate, waterskis, lifejackets, tow rope, registered till 2012, new batteries and starter. new steering cable, interior neon lights,a good sound system w ipod hook ups. I have owned this boat for the last 3 years and i love her. this is the perfect entry level wakeboard boat. It throws a good, solid wake. runs beautiful. she is not perfect though (she is 20 years old) there is some scrapes and scratches, a few rips on the interior ( all fixable). and general wear. the trailer is nothing beautiful to look at but it functions fine and rides great. just redid the boards and carpet as well as the wiring. lights work and permanently registered. 4 tower speakers and 4 in the boat. .i am open to trades, and no reasonable offer refused. I don't have a truck anymore (just sold it) but test rides for serious buyers are possible. this boat gets pretty good milage for an inboard. Im sure you can find a cheaper boat, but not ready to hit the lake with all the extras. it does have a cover and is stored in my warehouse. price with basic stereo is 6500, 7200 w everything


Thanks all!

[jbh3u3r]

Can you post a link to the pictures so we can take a look?

[cavilry]

Sure! Sorry, don't know why I didnt already!

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/boa/2633456066.html

Here is a Mariah that I just found too!

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/boa/2634284210.html

[cavilry]

Another real possibility, I guess there are a few more than I thought :)

http://sacramento.craigslist.org/boa/2638839257.html

Please let me know what you think. And also let me know what to look for if I go to look at it! :)

[jbh3u3r]

From what I've read, the Sunsport is going to be the better wakeboard boat vs the Mariah. The deep hull of the Sunsport and some ballast will make some really good wake. I'm in the market for a Saltare for the extra room but I would definitely take a nice Sunsport one came along based on all the great things i've heard about their wake potential.

As for what to look for, I'm a newbie to this forum too so I'll leave that to the guys who know what they are talking about.

[jbh3u3r]

Here is a Saltare that someone brought to my attention last week. If it wasn't all the way across the country I would probably be picking it up.

http://inlandempire.craigslist.org/boa/2637582733.html

[cavilry]

Thank you so much for the feedback!

That totally makes sense. Is the main difference the size between the Saltare and the SunSport? For the sunsport, would you basically need to add ballast and maybe a wake plate or whatever they are called? What would be involved in getting a "fat-sack" type thing? Any idea on cost?

[chrisk]

The Sunsport is 2 feet or so shorter than the Saltare and has a slightly shallower hull. The Sunsport is a little better for dual purpose stuff such as slalom skiing and wakeboarding and will drive slightly sportier. Usually the Saltare's have 454's though and thus, have more power and speed. Saltare's are better at taking waves. Saltare is 23 feet and the Sunsport is right around 21.

Many people on here have added ballast systems to both models. You can go any number of route you like and spend as little or as much money as you want. Some people do simple stuff such as add 5 gallon jugs of water or sand bags to the boat for weight. Other people buy a couple fat sacks and a pump or two and fill and empty the bags every time out. Lastly, other people install full blown ballast systems in the boat that are either semi-automatic or fully-automatic. You could find yourself a couple bags and a pump for under $200 if you look in the right places. Be careful though, because the more you get into wakeboarding, surfing, whatever, the more weight you're going to want. Installing an automatic ballast system can cost anywhere from $500 to $1000 in my opinion. All depends on where you get the sacs, how many you get, which pumps you choose to buy, and where you get all your other supplies.

From those listings you posted, if you're looking for a Sunsport I would go for that one in Sacramento and consider either having it wrapped or painted to match the blue tower, or have the tower re-powdercoated to match the boat. As long as the wooden stringers are good in the boat and she runs good, and you can afford it, it looks like a good buy.

[chrisk]

The Sunsport might actually be 20' now that I think about it

[michael hunter]

The number one problem with all 80s Supras is floor and stringer rot. Make sure you check thoroughly before you buy.

[cavilry]

And this is why I love forums :)

Can you give me some info on what specifically to look for with the stringers? What will be the obvious (or not obvious) signs? I think I can figure out the floor part, but I am guessing the stringers are less obvious?

Thanks so much all, truly do appreciate it. I really would like to get one of these and keep an awesome older boat on the water.

[chrisk]

If you're stringers are REALLY bad you'll be able to see it right away at the points where the motor is mounted to the two main stringers. You'll see cracking and shifting mount-points. Also, there are some cases where they're bad enough that you can push your thumb right into the rotten wood. That's a worse case scenario. I've never had to deal with this so that's about all I know, I'm sure someone else will chime in.

[michael hunter]

Go to the search box in the upper right of this page type in stringers there are many posts on this subject.
Bad stringers are not necessarily a deal breaker but will effect purchase price. Cost on a stringer job is 4-6k unless you do them yourself once done they will last the life of the boat.