Ready To Cry....

[87SunSportMikeyD]

Jet you are the exception to that rule - pimpin since been pimpin

Still waiting for you to post up a crapload of wake and surf shots! I saw a couple nice ones on facebook..

[DAFF]

Well had a good look at the boat. Removed all the life jackets and stuff / garbage from the inside and got a lookin... Not good. Various soft spots in the floor mostly at the rear . A few of the lag bolts on the motor mounts are missing or loose. Various cracks and fibreglass missing or superstressed with cracks.

Even the wood on the inside skelleton is wet and punky!!! After 6 years or so inside and dry you would think in the inner stucture would of dried out to.

[DAFF]

When I was looking at the boat I noticed that it was a Supra Comp TS6M " Special Edition" What makes it so special???? The year is 1996....

So here is the list....

Floor/ ribs
Steering is siezed
Interior
carb points tune up
KEYS!!!! -- any one know where I left them??? a pick would help lots!!!
buff and clean

[dshaff24]

Thats a 1996? Pics are to small to see but if it is a 1996 you will not have wood as stringers which would mean your ahead of the game! But im thinking you meant 1986

[DAFF]

Sorry you are right it's a 1986. Hard to think its that old, which makes me that old!!!!

[87SunSportMikeyD]

If you cant find the keys we can teach you how to jump start it.

[purple boat]

Throw it in the water and push start it!

The folks who have posted are right in encouraging you to rebuild it. The older Supras are rock solid and great boats (I have an 8 and a rebuild will cost WAY less than a new ride. Luckily, I did not have to redo my floor or stringers, but when I bought mine I needed a new interior, and it has been a strong runner for the 6 years I have owned it. If you have to redo the interior, look at the way it was originally set up and try to remember what did and what did not work for you when you were on the boat, and make any changes you want while it is in pieces. If you need to, sit in the boat and move around with 2 or 3 people in the boat to get a feel of how much room you have and where. You will probably decide there are a few changes you want to make. There is always SOMETHING you will want to change!

[DAFF]

Well the Supra is now sitting in the driveway. Went through and vaccumed the carpet and cleaned the body. All in all I don't think it is as bad as I thought. Removed some of the older floor and found the inside very dry and not very smelly at all. Out of all the engine mounts only three loose lag bolts and the engine still sits true.

Going to cut the floor out as much as possible on the port side without pulling the top off the boat. The front seems very dry and solid, perhaps all it might need is the floor boards. When the stringers are rotten do they sound hollow???

So perhaps some cross bracing and a new floor is in order. Even the interior isn't all that bad. The only truly rotten stuff is the captains chair and the rear bench. All the cushions seem good but a little dry ....

[87SunSportMikeyD]

DAFF you sound very motivated and you obviously care for this lady!!!

Rotted stringers usually should sound hollow from what I have read. It is also possible for the fiberglass to be strong and look good, but underneith the wood is mostly soft.

There are other solutions too like Rot Doctor that you may want to google and consider. You may be able to pour in RDoc near the engine mounts if needed to harden it right up.

To test the main stringer, you would want to find a tiny drill bit and drill a pilot hole. The wood shavings that come out should tell you everything. If they are dry and normal color, drink a beer and do a dance!
Dark or wet or stinky and could be trouble in a small spot or whole stringer. Make sure to drill somewhere where water in the bilge cannot come near the pilot hole. Fill the pilot hole back in with marine epoxy (home depot two part marine is fine).

Also while you are there with the epoxy, check for any cracks in the fiberglass over the main stringer. The factory used some screws to hold wires, blowers, etc directly to the stringer (can be different by model or year) and sometimes these leave holes or cracks which can leak water into the stringer. I would remove any of these screws and fill the holes.

Sorry to keep putting more work on ya but you should also try and get a look at the rear transom of the boat interior to see if the mufflers or exhaust baffles have leaked any water. Easiest way is to pull the rear ski locker if possible. If it is solid fiberglass you can check through the access hatch under the rear bench seat, or remove the rear bench seat completly with a few screws. It will probably need to be rebuilt anyways, they are usually pretty rotten.

[DAFF]

Have removed some of the rear floor boards and found they are wet and soft. As I move up towards the engine compartment the plywood floor becomes too strong to remove without saws... This to me is good news for there must be some structural integrity left in the old boat.

Got the one side polished up some and it is a good day knowing the boat is red rather than a dull shade of pink. All in all the progress is moving ahead well will be cutting some ply wood floors before soon and moving along. Pulling the fuel tank tonight to open things up some more. Hey its almost 80 deg today!!!!! Sure beats the frosty AM's of last weekend!!!!