[dsmutny]

I have a 1996 mariah z255 shabah cabin. What is the weight of this boat because I have a sunstream lift that max's out at 6000lbs. Also what is the best battery for this boat with a 7.4 engine?

[ShabahZ280]

The 96 brochure claims a dry weight of 4900lbs. Factor in the weight of gasoline (6lbs per gallon), water (8lbs/gal), the weight of your batteries, coast guard equipment, and any extras, and you'll be getting very close to the 6k mark.

If you've just got a single battery, a dual purpose starter/deep cycle would work ok. If you've got a dual battery setup, designate one battery as a starting battery, and one as a house battery, and get very familiar with the battery selector switch. On my MPI engine, Mercruiser issued a memo a few years ago recommending a starting battery above 1000MCA. As far as a brand, they're all over the map price-wise, I use West Marine for the starting battery ($179), and Everstart for the deep cycles. For $80 and a 2 year warranty, you can't beat it.

[baycitymariahltd]

Hello Michigan Mariah. I'm also from Michigan and have a z255 shabah, mine is a red '98. Where do you boat out of, I'm normally out of bay city and on Saginaw bay. As far as batteries, I go directly to the interstate battery store and buy there Blems, about half price. Work great and am on 3 season no issues.

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