1988 Supra Mariah Floor Restoration

[lmnelson86]

Looks like you're doing a fantastic job.

Is that a garage door in the middle of the garage?

If you want the same rubber rail it came with- taco marine has a huge selection. You might get a better price from iboats.

Some have gone with stainless instead of the OEM rubber. I'm not sure if they bought from Donny Bennet or the other guy (can't remember his name). Going way back, when I shopped stainless the retailers wanted a fortune. I think Wotan did this. You might check with him if you want to go that route.

I am going to go with as similar of a replacement as possible. Black is perfect for me.

Yes, that is a garage door in the middle of my garage. That is where the garage originally ended before a 30' addition was installed in the 90's. Being able to close the middle door to keep heat in and/or dust out of the back half is a very nice feature.

[Okie Boarder]

Great progress...the end is in sight.

[wotan2525]

I did use the SS rubrail and I think it looks great. I ordered mine from Jim Jackson at Viper Customs. Here is what he quoted me in 2009 when I did it, I think it probably cost me another $100 for the freight:

The rub rail and insert for your Saltare’, black factory replacement is $275. This comes in coils so shipping is reasonable.

The black rub rail with ¾ stainless insert is $ 395 and will ship truck in 20’ lengths. There is also about $20 worth of screws needed to apply the SS. Best estimate is that it is about $160 more expensive to replace with SS rail.

[flipz96]

I just ordered the 50 ft insert tonight from iboats.com. I tried to get 20 ft of the rail but it couldn't process or confirm shipping. The majority of the rail is still good. I'm thinking I can just patch in on the damaged part of the rail. I'll try again tomorrow. Here are the part numbers:

Shopping Cart Details
Qty Item Part # Price
1 1-3/16"x1/2" Black Bulk Flexible Vinyl Rub Rail Insert 50' - Taco V12-4144BKA50-1 $111.80
1 Taco Rigid Rub Rail 1-1/2" Bulk, 20', Black V21-9678BKA20D $66.12

[lmnelson86]

Looking great. Way to jump in with both feet. Just for what it's worth, the built-in cooler is one of our favorite features.
I hate stumbling over things in the boat and I really like to keep things open as much as possible even when we have 8 people on board.
The built-in works perfectly, is out of the way, and is so simple to stock, cool, clean, etc. I have plenty of friends with much newer,
more expensive boats who are jealous of my cooler. But hey, I know it's not for everyone.

Thanks! It's not that I really don't want the cooler but it is in rough shape. I would rather not cut out my floorboards for a cooler that will undoubtedly leak one day. I will most likely find a cooler that fits in the same spot, and use that to keep the wobbly pops cold. I am considering picking up a yeti cooler for that location.

Well this weekend I was pretty busy, and I was hoping to have my whole floor set in the hull. I didn't even make it as far as cutting the plywood for the front section of the boat, but I did manage to get both bottom sides of the first two sheets covered in one layer of 1.5 oz mat. When I went to install my floor, I just wasn't comfortable with the support it had from underneath. Once the floor is glassed to the hull, it will be attached at the sides. The only problem I have with this is that there will be no vertical support from underneath at the sides of the hull, it will just be "hanging" there. I decided to add two more lateral stringers per side. I noticed a little bit of flex in the plywood when I stood on it to test it out and I just worry that even after getting glassed in, time will take its toll and the floor would succumb to the lack of vertical support. I wasn't too thrilled with taking a step backwards, but I would rather take the time to do it now as opposed to after the boat is finished. Needless to say while those new pieces cured to the hull I was pretty well handcuffed for the rest of the evening until they set up. Oh well. It's still cold as F here so no worries.

Tonight I should be able to completely glass those new pieces into the hull, and maybe set the floor depending on how the glass sets up. The new pieces stick out like a sore thumb:

[Okie Boarder]

That was probably a good move. I put in quite a few cross supports and the floor was really solid when it was done.

[Supranewbee]

Considering the spacing of floor support in a house is typically 24" i think you made the right move.

[lmnelson86]

Considering the spacing of floor support in a house is typically 24" i think you made the right move.

That is exactly what I was thinking when I did the floor. Pretty much all over the boat, there is less than a 12" span in any given area. I kept reminding myself to add a few more supports, but it was just on the back burner. Then I really put thought into the fact that in those areas, the floor would only have "hanging" support from the fiberglass that goes on top, which isn't the best approach. I just finished bedding the two rear sides of the floor an hour ago, and they felt 1000x stronger standing on them compared to last night. Glad I rattled my brain before it was too late.

I am glad to see this progress so far:

[leetudor]

Did you screw the floor down?

[lmnelson86]

Did you screw the floor down?

Yes I did. All of the tops of the stringers beneath the floor were given a heavy coating of bedding compound via a grout bag. Much like a pastry bag, just bigger and more durable. I used enough screws to apply pressure to the outside and hold the sheet in place. The sheets all sat perfectly on top of the stringers. I was even able to peak underneath with a flashlight and saw that there is good contact everywhere that I can see. Im pumped!