1983 Supra Rider aka Mischief IV - Rotisserie Restoration

[Mischief IV]

Once the hull was stripped down of all wood, then the process of glassing in the composite started at the transom, first for the lifting ring, then for the blower mount and speedo tubes, followed by the bow ring. Then composite was added for the swim platform mounts once the stringers were set.

First pic here show some of the old wood that was, wait for it...the original outer two stringers.

So then you have to ask yourself, wait a minute, I thought I had a total stringer job done back in 2009? All new wood.
According to the invoice it was but according to the rotten wood laying there, it was total con job.

fraud
frôd
noun
- A deception practiced in order to induce another to give up possession of property or surrender a right.
- A piece of trickery; a trick.
- One that defrauds; a cheat.

I will tell you how I found this out as we get more into this thread but for now, let's focus on the good work going into the hull.

The long piece of wood in forefront is the original outer stringer. 38 years old.


Transom


Ski Pylon gets sanded before a new coat of Rustoleum is applied.

[Mischief IV]

Once you become aware of the fraud that was associated with the previous top cap off stringer job, you have to inspect each and every thing the fraudster touched.

Here, for example, this isn't fraudulent work per se but nonetheless, work that was done incorrectly. This is the bow ring that holds your boat onto the trailer and if you need a tow back to the dock, you sure hope it is strong enough to take the load.

Compare and contrast the work here. First two pics were claimed to be done by a professional that made his living doing this each and everyday.

The third pic IS professional work.

If TitanTN would like to make a comment about how many flakes are in my epoxy floor, now would be the time.

[Mischief IV]

Once the shop had all the smaller pieces in and around the hull, it was time to install the main stringers. They were very precise in their measurements and took lots of notes upon deconstruction. What I loved most is, they documented everything so I could see step by step along the way. One stringer, then two stringers, then three, and four. I will expound further once I go back on the timeline a few years on how I was promised a photo catalog with the last failed stringer repair job but somehow it went mysteriously missing. SMH.

Everything is super straight here and you can immediately see that this will be a quality job from the start.

[Mischief IV]

Once the stringers were set in, time for the resin and glass fiber.

[Mischief IV]

December is now over and most of the hard work with the stringers is a thing of the past. Moving into January and the new year, it was time for new foam to be put down before the flooring pieces were cut with precise care. It was a thing of beauty to see it at this stage and comforting to see how much they cared about their work that no one will ever see once the carpet goes down.

Originally, the boat had half inch plywood for the flooring and when I had the last stringer repair done, I was told it would be 1/2" as well. When you pay someone for 1/2" marine plywood, you just expect that's what they would use. I did have one low spot in my floor and wondered why it flexed as much as it did. It also wasn't level at the bow area. I began to question a lot of things shortly after the repair done in 2009 but still trusted in what I was being told and she ran real good so did not focus on those small things. Imagine my surprise almost 12 years later to the date when the new shop tells you that the floor was 3/8" and looked like basic plywood. If the stringers did not rot first, only be a matter of time before the floor did. A WTF moment for sure. I think at this point, I wasn't really surprised. Even after learning of the first betrayal years earlier regarding the stringers, you go back and replay all the conversations in your mind that you had with a crook and it all starts to make sense now as you see the entire fraud presented before you.

If you're keeping score at home, so far the Crook = 2, Boat Owner = 0
That is 2 outer stringers not replaced that were supposed to have been (that I paid for)
3/8" basic plywood for flooring instead of the 1/2" marine grade (that I paid for)

[Mischief IV]

[Mischief IV]

Prior to glassing the floor in, we see part of the last bit of 3/8" flooring they kept as a template. (pic 3) Currently, this section is cut anew (pic 4) but they want to hold off on drilling holes to make sure they have everything in the right location in case they got off from measurements. Once they lower the top cap down, they will confirm locations, lift up top cap, drill holes and then lay carpet followed by setting top cap back down. Did I mention they were very precise? It was also in two separate pieces before and with the Coosa, easier to make as one piece.

Those holes in the old wood are for the 4 vent hoses for fresh air intake, battery cable, cooler drain, and throttle, steering and engine cabling.