New to me Super Sport!

[Jholly87]

Hey guys just bought my first nautique! It's a 96 super sport. I bought from insurance auto auction website (had been previous flooded) so I'm sure I have a bit of a project on my hands😬. According to the hour meter it has 721hrs on it. From what I can tell seems like the previous owner took excellent care of it up until the accident. The boat had a ton of sand in it I have gotten all of that to the best of my ability. And I have got it running and seems to engage/disengage into forward and reverse flawlessly! Which is exciting since I was planning on having to put a new engine in it before I bought it. Has a monster tower on it (which I'm not a big fan of but can't complain I guess). Hopefully before season I can get 2 750lb sacs in engine compartment and a 500lb in ski locker. Hopefully that will be enough to get me a decent wakeboarding wake and a surf wake. And perfect pass star gazer Also before season. Boat came equipped with hot water shower and heater also. It came from around Denver Colorado would love to meet the PO owner if he was ever a member here. I will try and figure out how to upload pictures. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! This is my first inboard and also my first Vdrive obviously! Merry christmas to all!!!

[NautiqueJeff]

I love projects like that! The '97 Ski Nautique that I had a few months back came from one of those auctions. The boat itself was not salvageable (by me, anyway), but the GT-40 only had about 80 hours on it, and it ran great! I ended up selling it as it sat to White Lake Marine, and they sold it to someone who did plan to fix it and use it. I also bought a little 16' outboard fishing boat from an auction like that. That boat was practically perfect. No issues at all. I used it for a few months and sold it to an employee of White Lake Marine (weird how all of my boats end up with them).

I have a '98 Ski Nautique that I am working on right now. It was not from an insurance auction, but it needs a new interior and some gelcoat work. Great winter project, just like yours.

Have fun with it!

[Jholly87]

I love projects like that! The '97 Ski Nautique that I had a few months back came from one of those auctions. The boat itself was not salvageable (by me, anyway), but the GT-40 only had about 80 hours on it, and it ran great! I ended up selling it as it sat to White Lake Marine, and they sold it to someone who did plan to fix it and use it. I also bought a little 16' outboard fishing boat from an auction like that. That boat was practically perfect. No issues at all. I used it for a few months and sold it to an employee of White Lake Marine (weird how all of my boats end up with them).

I have a '98 Ski Nautique that I am working on right now. It was not from an insurance auction, but it needs a new interior and some gelcoat work. Great winter project, just like yours.

Have fun with it!

Thanks! Same to you!

[Tryathlete]

How cool to know that it started and ran! You're way ahead of the game. Sounds like it sank in a sandy fresh water lake. Judging by the equipment I see in your garage, looks like you've got room and the tools to do things right. I picked up,a SS, same year this Spring and I'm really enjoying it. I had some bugs to fix, nothing like you're project, but by the sounds of it, you're ready to do some serious work. Don't know if you're familiar with the site, but between PN and CCF, you'll find lots of SS owners to help you figure out whatever might be perplexing you....particularly the "poor man's GT40 troubleshooting guide". Underwater boats can be complicated at times,but with a running engine, and most likely a good trains and vdrive.....the other stuff will work itself out. You can expect to be chasing electrical demons, or at least that's what every other submerged boat buyer seems to report. You might as well go after the upholstery and carpet while everything is out, no? Good time to consider rewiring the dash....notorious for bad grounds anyways!

Hope to see you and the boat at a reunion or two this coming Summer! Keep us posted just like you did with all those photos! Great for all to see your progress.

[Jholly87]

How cool to know that it started and ran! You're way ahead of the game. Sounds like it sank in a sandy fresh water lake. Judging by the equipment I see in your garage, looks like you've got room and the tools to do things right. I picked up,a SS, same year this Spring and I'm really enjoying it. I had some bugs to fix, nothing like you're project, but by the sounds of it, you're ready to do some serious work. Don't know if you're familiar with the site, but between PN and CCF, you'll find lots of SS owners to help you figure out whatever might be perplexing you....particularly the "poor man's GT40 troubleshooting guide". Underwater boats can be complicated at times,but with a running engine, and most likely a good trains and vdrive.....the other stuff will work itself out. You can expect to be chasing electrical demons, or at least that's what every other submerged boat buyer seems to report. You might as well go after the upholstery and carpet while everything is out, no? Good time to consider rewiring the dash....notorious for bad grounds anyways!
Hope to see you and the boat at a reunion or two this coming Summer! Keep us posted just like you did with all those photos! Great for all to see your progress.

Thanks for the encouraging words tryathlete! Yes I am sure I will be chasing some electrical issues as I get this gem ready! I have been going through and trying to hit all the electrical connections with some dialectic grease hopefully that helps some already had an issue with the pull cord switch when I was Trying to get it to run (which from doing a bit of reading seems like a common problem). Just jumped it for the time being. As far as vinyl goes I actually think I'm going to try a good cleaner and conditioner on it for the time being since it has no real dry rot/cracking issues for the most part. Couple wear areas but nothing horrible. Will have to figure out the best cleaner and conditioner for that. I have shampooed the carpet already and doesn't look bad at all. I'm sure within a couple years I will need to do the upholstery and carpet but it's really not that hard to remove stuff to the point where I have it at now. I want to focus more on the mechanical / electrical side of things first and get the majority of these kinks worked out if possible. Will try and keep up dated with pics!

[Tryathlete]

Just curious Jholly87...... You been working on the SS? Love to see some pics of the progress.


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[Jholly87]

Just curious Jholly87...... You been working on the SS? Love to see some pics of the progress.


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Yeah i have been working on it! interior cleaned up pretty good. You can see in some of the pictures that it doesn't all match perfectly, but i really can't complain on the actual condition of the vinyl. But does make it harder trying to decide what shade of vinyl to use on the playpen cushion that i need to order from Christines. I just got my samples this week so i need to make a decision pretty quick as it sounds like it can take a couple months to possibly get. I sadly do think i will deal with sand in the carpet until i break down and replace it all. i have tried several different ways and have got a ton out but i think there will always be some there. Have got pretty much all the electronics working ( new radio speakers seem fine, heater fan, hydraulic cylinder on engine compartment do need a new switch yet though, Hot water shower pump) still trying to decide on what fat sacs to order. I really think 2 750's in engine compartment will be to cramped. Have not done much with exterior yet. Think i am going to remove all decals and pen stripping and then have it buffed in polished. which brings me to a good question. I use eraser wheel on cars a lot when removing molding glue/ pen stripping do you know is it safe for gel coat? very anxious to get it in the water and run it a little harder under load to make sure everything is good, but it is a little frozen right now here in Ohio!

[Cmkelm]

This sounds like an awesome project. The most recent pics posted I wasn't able to download, but am excited to see the before and after. -20 wind chill here in WI today, we are anxious as well to get the warm weather and boat in!


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[Tryathlete]

Eraser wheel is the best tool ever for decal removal.


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[Jholly87]

I edited my earlier post should be able to see pictures now. Not sure what i did wrong, sorry about that.

[s_kelley2000]

Nice looking project and great work so far. As stated above the eraser wheel is a great tool for graphic removal. I'd start with a heat gun and peal off everything you can and then come back with the eraser wheel to take care of any leftover adhesive. I am not sure those big "Nautique Super Sport" graphics are still available so you may want to check on that before removal if you plan to put the same thing back. The smaller graphics are all still readily available I think.

Have you tried power washing the carpet yet? I have heard that carpet cleaner, power washing and a stiff bristle brush can do wonders to bring back an old carpet to like new. Not sure how much it will help with all the sand but might be worth a shot.

As for the vinyl, that is a tough call but I would probably go with whatever matches the backrest best in the bow. that piece appears to be in pretty good shape and it is an expensive piece to have redone. Nobody will really notice if the bow is a different shade than the cockpit but it will definitely standout if the bow backrest is a different shade than the bottom.

I have a 99 which is the same boat except I have a walk through bow instead of a play-pen. As for fat sacs, 750s in the rear is what you want. Even when full there is still room for some vests and ropes on top. Below is a pic of one full in my boat. I only fill them for surfing, and typically fill them to 500ish for wakeboarding, full belly sac (600ish) and full Under Bow seat sack (https://www.wakemakers.com/fly-high-...-sac.html)that probably only fills to 400ish. I am not sure if that U-shapped sac works for your playpen bow or not. Either way it is not required but I find that some weight forward of the windshield really helps to get on plane quicker when running heavy and my knees like the little bit of ramp that it adds to this steep week. For the belly, this back seat sac (https://www.wakemakers.com/fly-high-rear-seat-sac.html) fills completely and takes up almost all of the space down there.

[Jholly87]

Nice looking project and great work so far. As stated above the eraser wheel is a great tool for graphic removal. I'd start with a heat gun and peal off everything you can and then come back with the eraser wheel to take care of any leftover adhesive. I am not sure those big "Nautique Super Sport" graphics are still available so you may want to check on that before removal if you plan to put the same thing back. The smaller graphics are all still readily available I think.

Have you tried power washing the carpet yet? I have heard that carpet cleaner, power washing and a stiff bristle brush can do wonders to bring back an old carpet to like new. Not sure how much it will help with all the sand but might be worth a shot.

As for the vinyl, that is a tough call but I would probably go with whatever matches the backrest best in the bow. that piece appears to be in pretty good shape and it is an expensive piece to have redone. Nobody will really notice if the bow is a different shade than the cockpit but it will definitely standout if the bow backrest is a different shade than the bottom.

I have a 99 which is the same boat except I have a walk through bow instead of a play-pen. As for fat sacs, 750s in the rear is what you want. Even when full there is still room for some vests and ropes on top. Below is a pic of one full in my boat. I only fill them for surfing, and typically fill them to 500ish for wakeboarding, full belly sac (600ish) and full Under Bow seat sack (https://www.wakemakers.com/fly-high-...-sac.html)that probably only fills to 400ish. I am not sure if that U-shapped sac works for your playpen bow or not. Either way it is not required but I find that some weight forward of the windshield really helps to get on plane quicker when running heavy and my knees like the little bit of ramp that it adds to this steep week. For the belly, this back seat sac (https://www.wakemakers.com/fly-high-rear-seat-sac.html) fills completely and takes up almost all of the space down there.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]n480078[/ATTACH]

Thanks for the input! Did you have to relocate your batteries for your 750s to fit? measuring it out it seems like it wouldn't work really with that big of bag.

[s_kelley2000]

My boat currently only has one battery and it is on the "shelf" in the rear driver side locker in what I assume is the factory location. This bag probably doesn't get quite as full as it could but that has more to do with motor cover lift actuator being on that side than the battery. I just looked and I don't have any pics of that side with a full bag but it gets very close to full. With the extra weight of the battery on that side, driver and amps behind the kick panel I need less ballast on that side most of the times anyway so it's not a problem for me.

[Tryathlete]

Wow you're busy!!!! Don't take the Super Sport decals off of the side. Those are no longer in production and nobody has them--unless you're not worried about original. For upholstery--I just had my rear deck and front playpen redone and I went with a good match from a local upholsterer I've used before. His quality and pricing are awesome--since he replaces the foam and installs everything. I saved several C notes versus Christines and got the work completely done in 10 days from dropping the two pieces off.

The eraser wheel is the ticket for decal removal. You'll never get through gel coat with that little wheel so go for it. Just order the decals to replace the ones you can still buy from Nautique Parts or N3 who has a huge assortment of decals.

I'm anxious to get my boat out of storage so I can put my tower on-- should be fun. Also--new (to me) 2008 Nautique tower speakers and a new Soundstream 600w amp just for the tower


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[Tryathlete]

Hope you can get it running and come to Green Lake for the annual reunion. It would be nice to have another Super Sport there!


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