New Saltare Owner with Questions

[wotan2525]

Just puchased my first boat, and its a 1987 Supra Saltare with a 454. It was reupolstered and the engine was rebuilt in 2001 -- it has 310 hours on it total. The thing is in fantastic shape for such an old boat and is setup with a really nice stereo, and wakeboarding tower. Everything seems to work really well but I had some total newbie questions. I appreciate any help that anyone can give me. In no particular order:

1) What are some general maintenance things I should do? I'm assuming new plugs, and oil change, but beyond that I really have no idea. The guy I bought it from seemed to take good care of it, but I just figured there was some really simple stuff that should be done.

2) Winterizing it? I'm in MN and winter is fast approaching. What steps should I take to prepare it for a cold, cold winter?

3) Took it out today and there were a few issues raised at full throttle. Firstly it didn't seem as fast as I thought it should be with such a monster engine -- the speedos both registered 35 @ WOT running at about 4500RPMs. Secondly the engine was surging (for lack of a better word) it kept racing and slowing, racing and slowing -- if I backed off just a little bit it ran really smooth again, but there seemed to be alot of exhaust. I've never driven a boat of this vintage so I have no idea what a normal exhaust amount would be, but it was definetly noticeable where every other boat I have driven seems to have no visible exhaust at speed.

4) The wood needs a tune-up. Any recomendations on a good oil or wax that will seal it and last? The wood now is pretty grey looking.

5) The trailer -- the boat sits too far down on a steep ramp to pull it all the way up to the front roller. It wants to stick its nose under the roller and is a pain in the ass. Anyone have any tricks on how to put it on the trailer without cranking your arm off for about 10 minutes?

Thanks for any help. I'll try to get some pictures of it if anyone is interested.

Rob

[87 Sunsport]

Congratulation, that's a beautiful boat. You'll have to post some pictures in the pride and joy section. You'll probably get a reply from Salty and others so I'll be brief.
There is an FAQ section at www.skidim.com that deals with winterizing, and there are previous discussion if you search this site for both winterizing and teak care.

[Saltareowner]

congrats on a great choice in boat!!! I would replace all the points condenser and coil as well as the dist. cap. as for winterization follow the Skidim points he covers it all

[Salty87]

hello,

congrats on your purchase....i have an 87 as well, i've had it for 4 years and have put 650 hours on it. i like it alot.

for maintenance issues, as has been said...plugs, rotor, condensor a whole tune-up. might as well check the compression if you haven't already. check the hoses for softness like you would on a car, replace any that you can easily squeeze. check the impeller.

these boats don't really run their best at wide open throttle, i only open mine up for a few seconds at a time and not very often. they're heavy boats with alot of wet surface area and the 454's will pull stumps but not win too many races. are you sure you're seeing smoke and not water vapor? do you see smoke when you start it for the first time of the day? you might need some carb adjustments, not my area.

the wood is teak and although you can seal it if you want, it's your boat, most people apply teak oil which brings back the teak color. it's a maintenance thing that can be a pain in the butt but looks great when you oil it. your call on that one.

it sounds like you've got the trailer in too deep when you're retrieving. if the bow can get under the bow rest, then it's not hitting the bunks before that point. if you pull the trailer out a little bit, the hull should start running up the bunks before the bow gets to the bow rest. i personally power load, i'll line it up and float on until the friction of the hull on the bunks stops the boat....then slowly apply power until the bow moves up to the bow rest.

sorry, no winterization tips....i'm in austin and just cheat for the few times it gets that cold here.

good luck and write back with any more questions

[87 Blue Saltare]

COngrats! You'll love your new boat!

WOT: I can get about 39 at about 4400 rpm. There is definitely going to be some water vapor (or steam) coming out your exhaust while you're hauling it like that. Especially when the water get's cool you'll see it. Unless it's smoke, or excessive, it's normal. Skiing at 22 off or longer you shouldn't be able to smell it or notice it. Salty is right about power v. speed on these boats (and he's an awesome resource for you). A change of prop can probably get you a few more mph if that's what you want. Call the OJ guys and tell them what you want.

Trailer: I have the same issues with my boat. Buy one of those oversized rollers first of all. Then follow Salty's advice. There is one ramp (where I seldom go because of this issue) where I have to pull to trailer WAY out of the water and push the boat way up on it. Then I get out and hook the boat, drop the trailer back in the water and crank it up over the roller. That sucks. Power loading is way easier and faster....so part of it may be your ramp as well as how deep you're going...you'll just have to play with it. The Supra noses drop and some trailers weren't made really well for them.

Teak: get one of those three step maintenance deals and go for it. You'll like the oiled look.

Also from Texas, I don't know winterizing tips...

Thanks for all of the replys guys. I think I took care of the fuel issue -- I found that the vacuum advance wasn't hooked up properly on the distributor. In fact, it wasn't hooked up at all. The next time I went out, it ran better... but still not perfect. There was a few instances when it did run perfect for a few seconds, and it felt and sounded great. I figured the rest of the problem may be from a bad tank of gas. I added some stabilizer and topped it off with some high quality premium and now I'm on the way back out this afternoon to try it out. I tried to get out yesterday but I had left my perko switch on and all of the batteries had drained out for some reason. I was dead at the ramp so I brought it back home and have been charging all day.

Mine is unique in that it has 3 batteries and a perko switch. So far I haven't really figured out how to make the batteries run the way they should. I'm going to try using 1 as a starter battery and then flipping the switch to all once its started. This should give it enough juice to run the stereo as well as recharge the battery.

I just finished the 3-step tweak restorer and it looks great. I've also fixed a few small little things that we bugging me. I also ordered a new fuel/water seperator and the bracket to mount it. My other questions were these:

There is a small canister in line with the fuel seperator/filter. It's a small brass looking thing -- is this some sort of pressure regulator? I haven't been able to find a replacement, anyone have a source or can even tell me what to look for?

I have no blower. The guy told me he removed it and never thought it was necessary. I'm sure it must be necessary or it wouldn't be in there in the first place. I have a spare blower but no idea where to hook it up. The air ducting in the front (on either side of the windshield and under the cockpit) is completely rotted away and full of holes. I can't figure out how these lines run to the engine compartment, as I can't find any evidence of them there. I also can't find anything thats hooked up to the vents on the very back of the boat. There are tubes visible on the inside of these vents, but again they are rotten and I can't figure out where they run to. The rear ski-locker and the entire area under the rear seat is filled with stereo equipment in my boat and quite hard to access. Can someone tell me if I need to spend all the time to redo these lines, and where I should mount the blower?

The only other issue I can think of is that I have water leaking from the prop-shaft when the boat is in drive. Water sprays off of the shaft right above the boot for the water jacket. I can tell that my prop has a few nicks on it ( I know ... I know... it will be fixed soon...) but is there a bearing or something that could have vibrated to death in there? Maybe this is normal?

Thanks again for all of the help. The season is almost done up here (maybe 2 more weeks if we're lucky) but its 80 outside today and I'll be on the water soon!

Thanks,

Rob

[skiman_61]

Winterize: Get a kit from overtons and run antifreeze through the block. Get the motor up to operating temp first so the thermostat is opened. Change the oil at the same time.

The distributor is likely a Mallory. You can get an electronic conversion kit for it and a cap at Summit Racing online. I tuned mine up this way and experienced a world of difference. I run a SS 4 blade and am getting 42mph.

You're supposed to lubricate the steering cable anually. I am still working on getting the seats out of the stern to do so. A small drip on your prop shaft is normal. Lots of water indicates a bad seal. Does it still leak after it has been in the water for awhile?

Blower hoses run to the front and rear vents in the hull.

I have an '87 that I've had since '98

[wotan2525]

This was the post I had made as a guest -- for some reason it wasn't showing up anymore on my system so I'm reposting it:

Thanks for all of the replys guys. I think I took care of the fuel issue -- I found that the vacuum advance wasn't hooked up properly on the distributor. In fact, it wasn't hooked up at all. The next time I went out, it ran better... but still not perfect. There was a few instances when it did run perfect for a few seconds, and it felt and sounded great. I figured the rest of the problem may be from a bad tank of gas. I added some stabilizer and topped it off with some high quality premium and now I'm on the way back out this afternoon to try it out. I tried to get out yesterday but I had left my perko switch on and all of the batteries had drained out for some reason. I was dead at the ramp so I brought it back home and have been charging all day.

Mine is unique in that it has 3 batteries and a perko switch. So far I haven't really figured out how to make the batteries run the way they should. I'm going to try using 1 as a starter battery and then flipping the switch to all once its started. This should give it enough juice to run the stereo as well as recharge the battery.

I just finished the 3-step tweak restorer and it looks great. I've also fixed a few small little things that we bugging me. I also ordered a new fuel/water seperator and the bracket to mount it. My other questions were these:

There is a small canister in line with the fuel seperator/filter. It's a small brass looking thing -- is this some sort of pressure regulator? I haven't been able to find a replacement, anyone have a source or can even tell me what to look for?

I have no blower. The guy told me he removed it and never thought it was necessary. I'm sure it must be necessary or it wouldn't be in there in the first place. I have a spare blower but no idea where to hook it up. The air ducting in the front (on either side of the windshield and under the cockpit) is completely rotted away and full of holes. I can't figure out how these lines run to the engine compartment, as I can't find any evidence of them there. I also can't find anything thats hooked up to the vents on the very back of the boat. There are tubes visible on the inside of these vents, but again they are rotten and I can't figure out where they run to. The rear ski-locker and the entire area under the rear seat is filled with stereo equipment in my boat and quite hard to access. Can someone tell me if I need to spend all the time to redo these lines, and where I should mount the blower?

The only other issue I can think of is that I have water leaking from the prop-shaft when the boat is in drive. Water sprays off of the shaft right above the boot for the water jacket. I can tell that my prop has a few nicks on it ( I know ... I know... it will be fixed soon...) but is there a bearing or something that could have vibrated to death in there? Maybe this is normal?

Thanks again for all of the help. The season is almost done up here (maybe 2 more weeks if we're lucky) but its 80 outside today and I'll be on the water soon!

Thanks,

Rob

[wotan2525]

You're supposed to lubricate the steering cable anually. I am still working on getting the seats out of the stern to do so. A small drip on your prop shaft is normal. Lots of water indicates a bad seal. Does it still leak after it has been in the water for awhile?

I have pretty easy access to the steering cable.... how do I get grease into the housing for it? Also, the prop shaft leaks like crazy..... it's not a drip, it's a spray coming off of it -- at temp or not. Looks like it will be a spring project to rebuild that.

Rob

There should be a grease fitting on the steering cable under that rear jump seat. It's always an adventure to work on these things.