81 Sport Restoration

[Mischief IV]

Welcome to the club and forum. An ‘81? That is rare...congrats!
Would you mind sending me a private message with your HIN? I would love to take a look at it.

The floor will be 1/2”. If you go 3/4”, top cap may not fit properly upon re-installation. Use marine plywood covering it with CPES epoxy.

The earlier models used aluminum ski pylons with steel frame underneath floor held in by two or three bolts. I would imagine with a little heat, you could separate the two, but I don’t know, maybe your ‘81 is different than my ‘83. Mine came apart with ease.
Occasionally you’ll see pylons pop up for sale on here as more and more boats get parted out.

I’m actually taking my ‘83 Rider to the shop tomorrow to have composite stringers put in. I had a stringer job done 11 years ago and that lasted just 5 years before they rotted again because they were done improperly. (Thanks Donny Bennett!) So, take the time and do them right. Lot of good threads and people on here to help along the way and if done right, will last another lifetime.
I’m just tired of wood so chose different route.

Also, if you use Tapatalk app or a 3rd party host site like Imgur, pics will be much larger and easier to view on here which makes for a better thread.
Look forward to seeing your progress. Good luck!

[michael hunter]

I have a compleat pylon and mounting base out of a 85 comp . I think it was the same as yours.

[h2o-ski]

I guess in 81 they were still figuring out the methods of construction as the flooring in mine is 3/4.

My plan is to use polyester resin due to cost. I did find HDPE structural lumber, but that would require even more expensive epoxy. I have not thrown out laminating 3/4" Coosa as a single 4x8 sheet should make one of the main stringers. So I would be looking at 3 4x8x3/4 sheets (stringers) and 1 4x8x1/2 (transom).

Michael, I may hit you up if I can't get the original pylon out per Mischief's suggestion.

[Mischief IV]

I guess in 81 they were still figuring out the methods of construction as the flooring in mine is 3/4.

My plan is to use polyester resin due to cost. I did find HDPE structural lumber, but that would require even more expensive epoxy. I have not thrown out laminating 3/4" Coosa as a single 4x8 sheet should make one of the main stringers. So I would be looking at 3 4x8x3/4 sheets (stringers) and 1 4x8x1/2 (transom).

Yes, with your boat being built in September of 1981, probably still figuring out the molds at that point. Keep in mind, George Fowler, the founder of Supra, built Mastercrafts first and then started Ski Supreme(?) before venturing into Supra so he wasn't a stranger to fiberglass. However, I can imagine this boat being built in a small garage in TN with help from his friends and family as he worked to get the new business underway.

I would use 3/4" by all means. Mine had 1/2" which was just strong enough but you don't have wide spans where people step so it wasn't a big issue. Not sure what Coosa size the shop is using on mine. Prefer 3/4" if not 5/8" at least.
First thing shop noticed today when I dropped off mine was, "Where does it drain into the bilge from the outside areas? He was unimpressed with the work Donny Bennett did. The floor wasn't even level. Several things he said were just poorly done and agreed I was taken advantage of. More on that later with a thread I will do showing full restoration.

Couple of questions for you:
1. What motor does this have in it?
2a. Where are you located if you don't mind me asking?
2b. If different from your town, where did this boat spend it's life before?
3. Do you have any history of the boat from the previous owner such as paperwork, manufacturer statement of origin, registrations?
4. Trailer is age appropriate, are you up to date on your tetanus shots?

It does have the window rails similar to mine which is a bit surprising.

I went ahead and downloaded your pic to my computer so I could see larger. Also, here are a couple pics from today I took showing my 1983 Supra Rider and forum member RLove30188's 1982 Supra Star side by side at the same shop. Fun fact, both our boats were sold by the same dealer in Marietta, GA and built one year apart. His was built in July of 1982 and mine July of 1983. Also, both had new striping put on in 2002 at same time. Hope to duplicate this side by side photo on lake in the near future. Would be really cool if we could line these three up for a reunion celebrating Supra's 40th anniversary next year.

[h2o-ski]

Couple of questions for you:
1. What motor does this have in it?
2a. Where are you located if you don't mind me asking?
2b. If different from your town, where did this boat spend it's life before?
3. Do you have any history of the boat from the previous owner such as paperwork, manufacturer statement of origin, registrations?
4. Trailer is age appropriate, are you up to date on your tetanus shots?

1. It came with a SBC 350. The original motor spun a bearing and a different rebuilt 350 was put is it's place.
2. I'm in the Texas hill country. Although if I remember the story right it was purchased used by my uncle in the early 90's from the 1st owner in TN. My uncle used it in lakes around Texas. He then moved to Atlanta area before putting in a barn after the steering bracket pulled out of the port stringer in the mid 90's
3. Much of the paperwork had been lost. I'll be trying to see if I can get a replacement title when it was registered 30 years ago in Texas.
4. Not sure why but when my uncle repainted the trailer he painted it rust brown. There is still remenants of the factory pin stripping.

My hope is to get my Sport looking as good as yours. I hopefully uploaded a better photo that what was on my computer.