[JES2153]

Hello....I am new to this forum and am looking for some advice.

I am in the process of buying a Mariah boat from a family friend and wanted to try and get some info. on it.

The boat is a 1991 Mariah.....On the side it says 2000Z LTD. It has been in storage for many many years.....It looks like it is in very good shape.

The guy selling it has told me that it has been used very little over the years. I tried to check the hour meter on it, but it doesn't have one. In the middle of the dash there is a little popup section that says "Mariah Digital Information Center". When I popped it open, it looks like there is a button for Hours, but as there is no battery in the boat, it won't light up.

A few questions.....Is this boat rare in any way due to the option package on it ?

Should I be concerned about all the digital/ electronic stuff on the dash ? It's all good when it works, but what happens if it stops working ? Do you guys have any literature or manuals for the electronic goodies on this boat ?

From what I have seen of it so far, it looks in good shape. I will have to get things checked out, but was wondering if there is anything to pay special attention to ?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated ?

[mikeyt]

Welcome aboard. The boat may be a little on the 'rare' side simply because it's almost 20yrs old and the 'Z Ltd' was a top of the line 20' Mariah at the time so there wont be many of them out there.

Like any older boat, you need to check everything. Make sure each of the switches work, the trim works, the trailer up button works, she shifts properly etc etc etc. Some Mariah specific parts, such as trim pieces, seats, dashes etc, will be very difficult to find but that's to be expected with a boat this age. We do though seem to come up with a few old goodies on this site once in a while and there is always someone here that seems to know where to find something. The mechanicals (assuming its a Merc) are still widely available so that isn't a major problem. You also want to put this boat in the water if possible & give it a test run. You're also going to want to change all of the fluids (engine oil, outdrive oil etc) in the boat if she's sat for more than a year.

The owners manual for Mariahs are very generic and not specific to your boat. We do have specific manuals for many of the operating features, sales brochures for each model year and all of the engines & outdrive manuals though available to contributing members.

If there is something specific you are looking for or have a question about, post away in the appropriate forum and someone will help you out.

[JES2153]

Thanks for the reply.

I could use any specific Mariah advice I can get.

I realize the boat is almost 20 years old, but it sure doesn't show it. No scrapes on the hull...interior is mint, no cracks or rips in the dash or seats, it still has the original tops which are in extremely good shape. Per the seller, it has spent most of its life in a boathouse and has just come out of storage after being untouched for the last 7 years !!!!

As you mentioned everthing will have to be drained and checked and a water test will be sure to follow.

It has the 350 Merc in it. Not sure if that was an option or the standard motor ?

The only unknown I have is in regards to all the power goodies on this thing. Do you know of many others on this site that have the pop up digital dash...and if so are they still working ??? When the boat was new it most of been a neat option, but as things get older, it might be a lot of trouble.

What are your thoughts on the digital dash option ?

Also you mentioned that it was a top of the line boat for the year.....I have seen a few Z models, but what did the LTD option include over and above the Z ?

[mikeyt]

I dont remember all of the details that made a "LTD" model back in '91 but from the brochure the pop-up digital display was one of them. It has a digital speedometer, trip odometer, hour meter, water temp, air temp, depthfinder with programmable alarm, clock with alarm, voltmeter with alarm and will display the functions in English, Metric or Nautical. Its like any other electrical device that's been exposed to moisture over many years. You wont know if it functions properly until you power her up.

The LTD also had a wrapped steering wheel with a horn and dual control stereo. The 350 was likely the most popular motor for that boat. If the mechanicals are as good as you say the boat looks visually then she'll be a nice find.

[JES2153]

Thanks for the details on the digital dash.....Now I can check to make sure that everything is functioning as it should.

You mentioned a dual control stereo. That triggered something for me. When I looked inside the boat, I noticed that there was a tape deck mounted in the side of the boat by the passenger seat. I thought that was a weird placement of a stereo and that maybe the owner installed it there. From what I've seen, most Mariah's have the stereo's installed in the dash on the driver side.

Do you think that this mount on the passenger side would be the dual stereo option ?

[mikeyt]

It might be but i suspect they were referring to the matching 'companion' panel on the passenger side in the '91 brochure. The original stereo would have been an AM-FM cassette.

In looking further at the brochure....a 'lighted glove box and vanity mirror'? They really were well equipped at the time! You should also have things like a windshield defogger, retractable docking light & power drivers seat to play with.

btw... the console also provides a warning sentinel for oil & fuel level, engine temp & voltage function per the brochure.

[JES2153]

By companion panel do you mean the glove box ?

Sorry for saying tape deck....It does in fact have an am/fm cassette....It's placement just looked out of place considering that Mariah's usually have a very polished look to things and this just kinda looked like an afterthought.

Although....there was no room on the dash to put it, so I guess it had to go somewhere......I just would have thought that they would have put it in the glovebox like I've seen on other boats.

Would it be possible for you to post any pics from brochures so I can see what the dash, am/fm cassette placement should look like from factory?