[Z 202]

Hello fellow Mariah owners. Kudo's to the admin's on a great site.

This is my second season as a member of "The Club"

I have a '96 Shabah Z 202 with 5.7L/Alpha I power.

I'm usually out having a blast on Georgian bay, but my summer plans include boating on several of the Great Lakes.

[Straad]

Welcome!


Let us know how you like the big lakes
I'm from mid-Michigan and spend every weekend on inland lakes
was kind of wondering how she would handle on the big water
be kind of fun to take the family out on lake michigan

[Z 202]

I love the big lakes. Zero traffic.

I've only ever had this boat out on the big water, and that's problably the only place I will run it. For that reason I wanted a min. length of 20'.

Like with any outing, you have to be prepared, especially w.r.t. the weather. I've been on these waters for most of my life, and I'm well aware of how things can go from dead calm to really dangerous in a very short time.

Of course the downside is the water is usually a bit chilly. Georgian bay is 19° C (66 ° F) right now and it'll likely peak at only a couple of degress above that. Huron is typically warmer. Ontario warmer still.

Georgian bay is very deep (>>200 feet @1/4 mile offshore) where I usually am but the water is incredibly clean and clear. You can see down 30' to 40' on a typical sunny day.

[180diablo]

Never been out on Georgian bay myself. Right now im hanging out in Sparrow Lake and the trent till I get a lil more comfy with my boat. I would like to at least pass Lock #45 and make it out to Georgian bay at some point this year or next.

Next week however I'am on holidays and I will be looking forward to going through my first lock into Lake Couchchaching (Lock #42). Never been through a lock before and a rookie like myself at the helm.... this should be an interesting trek.... rofl. I will have my gf to order around however.

[Z 202]

Ah, Sparrow Lake. Fond memories of my mis-spent youth. A good freind of mine had a family cottage on Peninsula Point Road. I've logged a lot of hours cruising Sparrow Lake in a Muskoka Sea Flea with 9.8 hp merc on the back.

[mikeyt]

hi everyone

Hopefully as the word spreads we will get more people visiting this site to offer their opinions & knowledge and possibly learn a few things they didn't know. I thought i would email Pride of Muskoka Marine here in Bracebridge (they are a new Mariah dealer) along with an Paris Marine in Peterborough (old Mariah dealer) just to let them know about this website. You never know, we may gain a few more members or at least visitors.

Diablo....it's time to go out an enjoy Georgian Bay also. We have a family cottage up near Pointe au Baril on one of the G-Bay islands. My Shabah 180 works great in that area but as always in G-Bay, watch for the rock shelves!! I've done sections of the Trent (Port Severn area, Balsam Lake area and the Buckhorn to Fenelon Falls stretch) and it's a great trip.

[MariahMan]

Mikeyt that is an awesome idea. Trying to get the word out to tell other owners about this site has been tough with only Trailer Boats BB as the major referrer. Telling the dealers about the club would be really great. We are looking for sponsors to advertise on the site so maybe those dealers would be interested. If you could email them and give them my email address and tell them to contact me that would be great. I'm sure we can work out some kind of deal!

[180diablo]

Originally Posted by Z 202

Ah, Sparrow Lake. Fond memories of my mis-spent youth. A good freind of mine had a family cottage on Peninsula Point Road. I've logged a lot of hours cruising Sparrow Lake in a Muskoka Sea Flea with 9.8 hp merc on the back.

We are just on the opposite side of P.P.R. My uncle has a cottage right on the Trent and my late-grandparents cottage is on Shallow Bay road. However swimming in the shallow water isnt that great now-a-days from population, bird poop etc. It is a shame really.

Have you seen the Water Spider sea fleas? 9.9 is the recommended but they can take up to a 15hp. They are wicked, however paying $3000+ for boat and then adding the price of the motor, you could get a full size used boat for another the same price point.

If i had money to burn, i would love to get one as a toy to zip around in. But it would be better to have 2-3 of them for the whole "buddy system" on the water.

[180diablo]

Originally Posted by mikeyt

hi everyone

Hopefully as the word spreads we will get more people visiting this site to offer their opinions & knowledge and possibly learn a few things they didn't know. I thought i would email Pride of Muskoka Marine here in Bracebridge (they are a new Mariah dealer) along with an Paris Marine in Peterborough (old Mariah dealer) just to let them know about this website. You never know, we may gain a few more members or at least visitors.

Diablo....it's time to go out an enjoy Georgian Bay also. We have a family cottage up near Pointe au Baril on one of the G-Bay islands. My Shabah 180 works great in that area but as always in G-Bay, watch for the rock shelves!! I've done sections of the Trent (Port Severn area, Balsam Lake area and the Buckhorn to Fenelon Falls stretch) and it's a great trip.

Ok thats good that you mentioned it to Pride of Muskoka, because I was considering doing the exact same thing. I have the parts managers email address on my home computer. Nice guy to deal with.

One of the guys I work with, we were chatting this morning about heading onto G-bay. He mentioned about those same rock shelves. Currently I dont have a depth sounder on my boat, but im considering having one installed. Unless they are fairly easy to attach?

[Z 202]

Originally Posted by 180diablo

One of the guys I work with, we were chatting this morning about heading onto G-bay. He mentioned about those same rock shelves. Currently I dont have a depth sounder on my boat, but im considering having one installed. Unless they are fairly easy to attach?

Yeah, the eastern shore can be pretty treacherous if you aren't familiar with the area. I'd invest in some charts. A depth sounder is a good addition. However at cruising speed the alarm will usually go off too late. Especially in Georgian bay where it can go from abyssal deep to rock shelf in milliseconds. My Mariah came with one installed, but I suspect they're not too hard to put on.

Notifying Marina's is a good idea. I passed along the message to the local used boat dealer where I bought my ride.