Supra Rider Worth It??

[Brooks]

Hi guys,

I'm new here but have been lurking as a non-member for awhile. I would like a boat to wakesurf/wakeboard and not looking to drop 10g's, so have been looking for a Sunsport. I recently came upon a 1984 Supra Rider. The price is definitely right for what it is but it has some issues going on. First of all it has 600 hours but the motor (351) was pulled out to rebuild and put into the owners truck. The boat includes his old truck motor as well as the marine oil pan and heads. It obviously needs rebuilt but is there any other parts i would need to make a non- marine motor work in the boat. I have done some research and i think it should be fine. Any ideas on what a shop would charge for a rebuild? Or anyone have a used running engine for sale?
Second after all the reading on the rotten floors/stringers i am hoping to take a look at the boat and look it over good for these issues. The owner keeps saying it has kevlar so its fine, but im pretty sure this refers to the hull, not the actual stringers? Any tips for looking for tell-tale signs of rot, and where in general to poke around?

Lastly im mostly wondering about the boat in general. I read that the hull is slightly different from the sunsport but also similar. Would this boat react well to some ballast and create the same surf wave as the Sunsport? Anyone surfing behind one of these? Or wakeboarding for that matter? Just looking for some opinions. I have done loads of reading on the Sunsport but have found very little on the Rider. So any info would be helpful.

Thanks alot, Chris B

[ckracing]

How much is the boat going to initially cost you?
Yes, there are marine specific parts you'll need to convert a road engine (starter, carb, etc.)
Yes, Supra used Kevlar in their hulls - not in the stringers. It will more than likely need stringers replaced. It is a 32 year old boat with a flawed design from the factory (exhaust outlets, lack of bilge drain paths, foam unable to dry efficiently once wet). If someone has a 'dry' vintage 80's Supra with original stringers someone took obsessive steps to ensure the bilge stayed dry.
Any Supra that has the 'square' windshield has wood stringers.
As far as I know there's know difference in hull - Rider to Sunsport. But, I could be wrong.

You will quickly get to $10g's unless you're willing to perform labor on your own.

[SquamInboards]

I would walk - no, wait, RUN - away from that boat. The model itself is cool, but the one you're talking about sounds like it needs everything. I have bought a complete running '86 Supra for $1,200. Clearly it needed work like stringers and floor, but it had a complete interior, running gear, and running engine. It ran and drove across the lake just fine.

You can definitely find a decent boat for under $10k that doesn't need major work. Read up a bit on the rebuild threads on this forum or others, and you'll see why you either want a boat that doesn't need it - that is, new enough that there is no wood floor/stringer structure - or one that's had it done properly already. Beware anyone who is not fully aware of this issue who is selling a boat older than about 1993. You're right that Kevlar is referring to part of the hull only.

I know we're drinking the Supra Kool-Aid here, and I do love my Supra, BUT. A decent wake boat for your price range might be an '82-89 Nautique "2001" (2001 is the model name). There are a billion of them around under $10k and they throw a good wake, take ballast well, and have a fabulous community around them for help. '86-'89s have better interiors than the earlier models. Anyway, just a thought. They have the same engines as the Supras, but also have the same wood stringer and floor issues, so it pays to do your homework in that era regardless of brand.

Best of luck!

[wotan2525]

Every 80s Supra is going to be a $10k boat. It's only a matter of if you're going to pay $10k now or while you're sweating, itchy from fiberglass, cursing and wrenching.

[Moor]

I'd pass on that boat as well. This guy pulled a running motor from this boat and installed it in his truck....why? I bet because the boat has rotten stringers. Sounds like a big money pit / headache to me. The Correct Craft 2001 models have a good hull for wake boarding, but doesn't produce the best wave for surfing. I had a CC barefoot nautique (same hull as a 2001) before my Sunsport and could never get the surf wave dialed in. I over paid for it, purchased at a local marina. It had rotten stringers and a so-so interior, after a season i sold it at a loss to get my sunsport. When weighted correctly the sunsport will produce better surf wave, and a wakeboard wake comparable to the CC 2001 hull. I spent far less than $10k on an original sunsport in immaculate condition, with very solid original stringers, knowing very well that one day it will need a stringer job. That was 3 years ago, and i have no plans on digging into the floor anytime soon. The original stringers are holding up very well.

Keep searching, there's better boats out there in your price range.

[chautauquasun]

I can guarantee you it needs new stringers. I bought my 84 Supra Rider for $1,500 knowing that it would eventually need new stringers. I didn't even make it through on season before having to have new stringers installed. Chris K did mine for a reasonable price but you are easily looking at $5,000 or more to have them done. When they pulled the top cap off of mine the stringers looked like wet cardboard. There was nothing left of them. The previous owner doesn't know what he is talking about. The hull is Kevlar but the stringers underneath are wood and are rotten there is no way they aren't. You can sometimes check this by putting a wrench or in my case fingers on the engine lag bolts that going the stringers...if they spin and do not tighten then they are def. rotten. I got lucky, my engine was in good running shape and the interior was tolerable. I have gradually rebuilt mine over time while using it. Bought it in 2009 and have enjoyed it since. Just now replacing the interior. I am probably not quite to 10 grand in expenses..probably about 8 but I have had over 7 years of use and time to put the money into it. Unless you are willing to dump another 5,000+ for stringers I would say look elsewhere. Again, I love my Supra and glad we saved her...but I cant say it has been the best situation.

Regarding your questions about surfing. We load ours up with about 850 lbs of external ballast and it throws a great wave for surfing. Lots of freeboard so no worries about water coming over the sides. The boat definitely performs much differently with all the weight in the back corner but no issues with handling it. Everything just happens much more slowly. However the extra weight allows it to push through waves rather than slam on top with the weight. We love our Supra Rider... and wouldn't change anything...it is part of our family but definitely a labor of love in the early years of our ownership.

Let me know if you have any other questions. I would be happy to help.

Dan