My 88 Saltare Project

[atlong]

Hey yall, checking in from South Mississippi. Just bought my first inboard boat. Its a 1988 Supra Saltare in pretty good condition. Motor was rebuilt last year and has about 30 hrs on it. The boat itself only has 380ish hours on it. The stingers are pretty solid Id say they will need replace after next summer, thats when I plan to do a cap-off restore regardless. Ive been searching this site and have found a bunch of extremely helpful info. Ive got a buddy at work that used to build race car engines and knows the 454 like the back of his hand, we will be going through it, checking timing, compression and just doing some general maintenance in the next week or so. Probably will be looking at changing the card and intake around that time. Im sure ill be posting some general info requests and a bunch more pics to come.

Plans:
1. Monster MT2 tower (within a couple weeks) I really like the look of SDC77's tower and his pictures sold me on that one.
2. The old girl is gonna need a good cleaning. Ive already started on various parts of the interior.
3. Probably will be looking to add a couple sacs to improve the wake (all hidden I love the size and seating this boat has)
4. Trailer lights need some work, probably will be doing all new LED light kit.
5. Adding another battery and a Perko switch.
6. ALOT more..........

I do have a couple questions to start off with.
1. Is the best method for running these boats out of water, directing plumbing into the hose that the water intake comes from on the bottom. A flush pro type setup?
2. My prop has a few dings in it, what size prop are yall getting the best results out of. Ive read a bunch of info on this topic and it seems there is not a good answer.........

[Wulphie]

When I run mine on the trailer I disconnect the hose from the thru-hull pickup and add a longer length of hose to it, then I submerge that in a wet/dry vac tub or trash can with the garden hose filling that. My water supply can't keep up with what the 454 wants at high idle.

I got decent prop slip numbers with a 14x14 4 blade prop. The prop wash has so much less aeration that the boat tracks and turns better to. I would actually like to try some of the other 4 blades but it is not a top priority.

[atlong]

Im looking at using a 3 way ball valve and some fittings to adapt to a water hose connection. Ill probably try that method tomorrow just to test it out, seeing as the hardware store isnt open on sundays.

What brand prop are you running?

[Wulphie]

That is the setup I have on my boat with a 351w, it works fine for that but the 454 seems to draw a lot more water and my water volume just isn't enough to run the hose direct to the 454.

I bought a Solas prop off of ebay, it was the stock prop off of a early model x-star or something like that. I really can't quite remember but the original owner had bought it new from the dealer to keep as a backup and sold the prop on ebay when he traded in the boat. It would probably not be the exact prop I would buy if I was paying retail price for a new prop but for a couple hundred on ebay I figured what the heck.

[Wulphie]

I actually have the stock 3 blade, I think 13x13 LH prop in good condition. I would sell it for $100 plus shipping if you just want a cheap prop to keep you going. I can post some pics if you are interested.

[Sdc77]

Glad you like my setup man, your boat looks sweet.
Here are pics you asked for and explanations :

Firts you need to remove those panels :



Use a flat screw driver to go deep behind the cap, and remove it. If you don't go deep enough, it's possible that you remove only the vinyl from the wall thing that include the PEHD ring. If it's the case, just glue it back together.
Then remove the panel. Drill a hole big enough to can through your hand + a tool.



Then you need to remove the back of the front seats. Driver side you can access Under the dash, passenger side you can access inside the hatch.

Here are measurements of the legs of my MT2. Actually these are the measurements it should be placed at. Mine is 1" backwards and it's a mistake, because the center window could not open/close until I grind it !
So those measurements should be just perfect to fit the MT2 :

[Sdc77]

Here are other close up :

[atlong]

You are the man! I just bought a 12x30 canopy to get it out of the weather. Ill be looking at doing the tower in a couple weeks and those pics are going to help out so much.

I took the boat out this weekend on the lake. I have a couple of questions for yall.
1. My idle was set high right around 1000 RPMS, we adjusted it down and now she isnt wanting to start without some throttle. What are yall running for idle RPMs.
2. In reverse I have a "whine", not very loud but noticeable. My buddy says his older Nautique does it too and its normal. Is it?
3. I can't see any visible leaks from the bottom of the boat, but I'm having to run my bilge probably every 30mins or more for just a couple of mins to get out a little water. Im hoping this is normal and coming from the driveshaft seal, like my buddy suggested. Any thoughts?

Thanks ya'll

[Sdc77]

You're welcome

1. My idle when engine is cold (I remove the choke system) is about 600rpm, 900rpm warm on neutral. On forward gear I'm at 600rpm. No need throttle to start the engine even after 10 days off. Just a spray of fuel from the Accelerator pump is enough to start the engine. You should check idle mixture screws, any air leak, timing, and, check if the secondary plates are perfectly closed and can't move. If it moves, bend the throttle linkage until it can't move. It was THE problem of my engine for 3 seasons !

2. Whine in reverse is normal. I even find it quiet on my Saltare regarding the loud whine on a friend's new Mastercraft X14. It sounds like the transmission is going to jump out of the boat ...

3. Those old ski boats leak from everywhere ! Every hole is not sealed : rear Platform, pilot speedo airguide etc.
Water must leak from the stuffing box. Check this link for informations : http://www.pbase.com/mainecruising/stuffing_box&page=1
Mine is running the blidge every hour. I added 2 automatic blidges (Attwood Sahara S500), and no problem since 4 years.

[gogger]

I had an 1989 Saltare and sold it last year. Had the MT2 tower, liked it a lot. However the prop I went with a ACME 543 three blade prop and it dramatically improved the performance of the boat. Everything was better especially the hole shot. I may have lost a mile of two off the top end. But I liked the boat way better with the ACME prop. And I had the 454.