[rfernandez032]

Hello. just joined... This boat has under 200 hours according to owner and is in perfect condition... It has a carb 5.7 engine which he says puts out 300 HP. Not clear whether the outdrive is a bravo one or three - he does not know much about boats but says he has several props (sounds like a B1).

It has all tops and covers including a "hard-top" - what is that? It's Viper red with new (replacement) vinyl (tan I believe). A freshwater boat, he says there's no rust in the engine... He's upgraded the stereo and she has all the features that came with the Ltd. edition.

Sounds like a nice boat but I'm concerned about getting into an older Mariah - parts, resale, etc.. He's asking $20K. I'm going to see the boat in-person (have to fly out from NJ) and will plan to have a surveyor look at it.

My questions are what do you think about this boat generally; and if it is in excellent condition throughout, what do you think would be a good price given today's market.

Thanks so much for your reply and for this website!

Bob

[ShabahZ250]

Welcome to the board Bob!

Not sure what the "hard top" is, assuming maybe a bimini or camper canvas?

What classifies the boat as a "Limited Edition" is the solid hull color, graphics package, and the buckskin interior. A huge chunk of what makes a Mariah luxurious is the interiors. Each seat or headrest came embroidered with the Mariah script logo. Seats were made out of heavyweight vinyl (2-3x heavier than competitors), triple stitched with GoreTex (same thing they use at NASA for spacesuits) the vinyl was treated with PreFixx, a "scotch-guard" stain resistant compound for vinyl. And on the limited edition, the buckskin interior is what makes it really all come together. If the guy has had all the vinyl replaced, chances are it's nowhere as nice as the OEM. And you should definitely take that into consideration before buying. It'll also affect the resale value when you decide to sell or upgrade to another boat.

Parts are somewhat easy to come by, provided they aren't parts that were made at the factory. Dashboards, Interior Panels, Radio Panels, Trim, Storage lids, windshield supports, bow rails, all these things were made in house. They're a little more difficult to find replacements for, and will usually require having the existing part repaired. So take a good look at these parts on the boat before buying, make sure they're in good shape and don't need repair! We have compiled a list of replacement parts for everything else and have this listed on the site. It's constantly growing, and has proved to be very useful for our members. As far as the motor goes, any Mercruiser service center can take care of it for you. Overall, don't be concerned with parts. We'll help you find whatever you need.

The 5.7L carb (if i remember correctly) is only rated around 250HP. The EFI version is 260, and the 350 Mag MPI is rated at 300HP. Unless he's unsure of the engine, or dumped some serious money into rebuilding the engine for higher performance, I think his HP figures are incorrect.

Do you have any pics or links to the ad for sale? This might give us a better chance to evaluate it for you.

Honestly, based on the conditions, I'd say his asking price is a little high.