1991 Supra SunSport

[cavilry]

Hey All!

Looking at this boat this weekend. They are asking $5100 and I am very interested. It looks like a great boat for the price. Assuming the stringers are serviceable, what do you all think of this boat at $5100? This is in the San Francisco Bay Area. Interior is not torn/cracked, but it does have some gnasty yellow coloration on some of the cushions.

They say: I have a 91 ski supra sun sport with wakeboard tower nice boat some spots on the interior is sun faded but not ripped. Exterior is nice comes with everything I have goes with the boat. Clean title and tags are current. Don't want to sell it but need to sale it quick!

Runs great, I took it out 6 six times this summer and didn't have one problem

The boat has about 1000 hours but I think my brothers friend replaced the engine before we bought it about half way through its life.

As far as we know the floor and stringers are fine. The boat has always been covered and has been well cleaned/maintained.

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[TitanTn]

I think the assumption on the stringers is a big one. They say they're fine "as far as they know." which means they don't know. I'd have it checked by someone who can tell you got sure. If they're fine it sounds like a decent deal. In not, you should be able to get it for at least half that price.

[cavilry]

So....I checked out the boat today.

The interior is THRASHED. It doesn't bother me THAT much but it will definitely need to be dealt with. The wood is alright, as is the floor (amazingly, I could not find one soft spot), but the seats need very badly to be recovered. The fiberglass outside is good except for a few dings and a little scuff in the gel coat. The tower is nice, but the speakers on it look like auto speakers and they are falling apart a little.

The engine started right up and it has a new prop shaft (probably not what it is called) and the steering has been redone.

What concerns is me is that there was some standing water in the engine compartment and a few other spots. The wood LOOKED good but it was hard to tell. There was a grey sealant on all the wood that looked really good. HOWEVER, while one side of the engine mounts was good, on the other side two of the bolts pulled right out. I assume an obvious sign of stringer rot? I really don't know too much what to look for but what I could see, it looked alright with the exception of the engine mount spot.

Opinions? I think I know the answer but I really do like the boat. I expect on these boats to need to do something with the stringers at some point but I really would like to get two or three seasons before anything major is needed. Please let me know what you think as I want to get back to this guy ASAP.

[TitanTn]

I just wrote a long reply that just disappeared. The gist is that yes, the stringers are rotten, but if you're willing to fix it, then it can still be a good boat. Offer a low price. Finding an old supra that needs major repairs is easy.

[cavilry]

Thank you very much for the reply it is very appreciated. What do you think it would realistically cost to get the stringers replaced? How urgent is it to get done? What would be a legitimate price? I was thinking to offer $3500 if he would take it...

[TitanTn]

Probably $3,500 to $5,000 for a stringer job. It sounds like it needs to be done right now. If the motor isn't able to be bolted in... I'd offer him $2,500 in it's current condition. Interiors are expensive to replace also.

[sybrmike]

I'd def work on getting the price down - like Titan said, old Supra's that need stringers are a dime a dozen. Heck, recently there was a guy giving away a Saltare w/o engine, bad stringers, no interior, etc. If multiple bolts are loose on one side of engine, stringers are a must NOW! Just ask Wotan what happens when one side lets loose & the engine torques over - shaft, log, strut, prop, hull, etc. Cap off stringers and floor will run ~$2-2.5k for diy or $5-6k for a pro. Depending on what's salvageable from the interior, could run ~$1500 for all new vinyl to ~3k if you need new wood and foam.

[wotan2525]

Yes. If engine bolts don't have anything to mount to, this is an urgent situation. Sounds like they painted the bilge to try and put lipstick on this pig. Either get them down on price or let them wait for another sucker to come along.

[crystal waters]

I would run --not walk --away from this one! Too much money to put into it to make it a decent boat.
Trust me--you will always find a nicer on tomorrow.

[cavilry]

Thanks so much all, your input is invaluable. I told the guy (nicely) that unfortunately I could not pay him enough to likely make it worth it for him. Looks like he will just be trying to sell it to some poor schmuck who doesn't know what to look for.

I am chasing down a new lead at some random warehouse in Santa Cruz, CA later this week, and another nice boat in Sacramento. What are the opinions on Saltare vs. SunSport as far as overall boating and wakeboarding specifically? I really like the size of the Saltare when IN the water but the additional towing weight and storage size does concern me.

[crystal waters]

go to the Classifieds on this Forum - gentleman from Texas selling his Saltare. Appears to have done all the work for you already. His asking is in my opinion less than all you would have spent on the Sunsport you were looking at ,once you purchased the boat and did all the repairs you could see and then some more you initially could not!

[cavilry]

Oh believe me, I know. That thing makes me drool. The only problem is that it is in Texas and my brother who I am going in with isn't comfortable buying from out of state as he is unsure how we could get it here. How does the Saltare compare for wakeboarding, any idea?

Thanks again!

[Jetlink]

Hey Cavilry, there are ways to ship the boat, in fact, another Supra just did a short drive from Washington I think to New York...there is a thread about here somewhere. Anyways, don't let location totally prevent you from buying a decent boat. I drove 16 hours round trip to pick up mine after I flew down to look at it the first time.

The thread I am talking about is just a few below this one, it is the one "It's on it's way" or something like that...

[cavilry]

Yes, I feel the same actually, it does not concern me that much. I guess the issue is that we both work a ton so getting there to see it would be tough. And buying site unseen is worrying.

[Jetlink]

You might try and reach out to some members that are in the area of the boat to take a look at it for you. I know a few have offered to help someone look at a boat for them. Likewise, see what an airline ticket will cost you.

[mr.jrc]

I'm the guy that was giving away the Saltare.... the guys are right, the older supra's already have or will eventually need floor/stringer replacements. You did the right thing by offering a low price. The Saltare I was offering as a donor project was taken to the dump last saturday, after i stripped all the hardware off. 4 crunches later by the demolition trackhoe and it was a unrecognizable fiberglass pile. I picked this boat up cheap to salvage what i could and save the trailer, (my winter project). Everything was stripped, windshield, lights, instruments, rudder, vents, cables, vent windows, cleats, etc. They are up for sale.. will be putting these on e-bay.

[cavilry]

Yes, it seems like a definite inevitable. It seems to be the one downside to an otherwise amazing family/era of boats. none the less, I love these things...even more so after finally seeing one in person! I will push on my buddy to get over the distance on this TX boat, I am quite in love with it! :) The size just concerns me a little....

[TitanTn]

What are you intending to tow with? Towing with any recent model 1/2 ton truck should be pretty easy.

[cavilry]

I have a 2006 Tacoma TRD with a V6...I know it has the power..just gotta get a brake controller. I also have long travel suspension with external reservoir shocks...not the best for towing :( My buddy going in on it with me has an F150. I guess the main concern is storage. A SunSport would JUST fit in our driveway. hmmm....

[TitanTn]

Yeah, sounds like you'd be fine in the truck department. BTW, you typically don't need a brake controller. Boat trailers don't have electric brakes. They're surge brake and manually activate when the tow vehicle slows down. Now fitting in the driveway is something only you can answer. I'd say slide it in there catty-corner and get the bigger boat! But that's coming from a Saltare owner.

[csuggs]

Well, I for one LOVE the Sunsport. It is comfortable with 6 or 7, wake is really good for not having ballast in mine.

[wspeedin]

I am partial to the Saltare as I am an owner. The wake is great and because of its high freeboard you can dump alot of weight into it to make a very nice sized wake. The length of the boat allows you to fit 9 people in the boat plus you dont have to worry about taking up room with a cooler because it has one built in. I believe the sunsport does as well which is a huge plus no in my opinion. The Saltare is about two feet longer than the sunsport and all of that room is in the bow. My passengers (the girls) love laying out in the bow while the boys wakebaord. They can stretch out and sunbathe all day and we can play all day. Everybody stays happy! I went from being able to park my 18 foot Bayliner in my driveway to having to store my 23 foot Saltare at a local sotrage facility. While I wish I had my boat at the house. The $35 a month fee is well worth having the extra room!

[cavilry]

The Extra size is undeniably awesome...at least while in the water! Girls conveniently laying out in front of you...in the direction you have to look anyway??? also a good thing :) Guess I will just have to see what we are looking to do. We love working on things so it would be nice to have it at the house but then again....if we can find cheap storage it could be doable. Does anyone happen to know if the rebuild of the Saltare in Dallas was documented on this site? I know it was bought through here (or at least I think it was) but I can not find anything through my searches. I would be curious to see how it was done....I can't stop looking at pictures of it!

[sybrmike]

This has to be the same boat - never seen that tower on another one. The video shows the demo, but not the rebuild. I'd definitely want pics of what/how it was done down below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dU2kQ-JodfI

I'm sure Jet or one of the other Dallas boys could take a look for you. Just be patient & prepared to jump on "the right one" for you (I looked for 1-1/2 years before finding mine).

[cavilry]

Yup! That is it! Same number on the side! Very cool how that is done...guess I should keep digging! :)

[mr.jrc]

I'm with you on the love of the supra's, keep looking and ask the right questions before you commit. I have owned my '86 saltare since 1992, and i still get compliments on the lay-out, comfort and all around good design. I've skiied behind the comp and bravuda, still I am impartial to the saltare.

I replaced my floor and stringers over 10 years ago with no regrets, put in a hydraulic wake plate and kept everything else original. When done right, taken care of properly, (and preventing any water incursion through the exhaust penetrations), you will not have any problems.

When you are looking, don't be turned away by faded/chalky gel-coat. A good wet sanding will fix this, it's the chips & scratches that go below the gel coat that require more extensive gel-coat repair. I bought a "jitterbug" wet sander, that siphones water from a bucket onto the sanding plate, then worked up from (if my memory serves) 2500 to 5000 grit ws paper. This restored the factory finish with some patient effort. Mechanically, the 454 is rock solid. My saltare has no problem at topping out at 45 to this day. We have no problem barefooting with 8 people in the boat, or creating a nice wake at 20mph for wakeboarding.... it's just a great all-around boat!