New Mariah Owner
 

Hello everyone! Names Tim and just bought a 1996 Mariah Talari 210 w/ 305 Alpha 1. Started wakeboarding a while back and still new, but tired of riding with others on there boats. So decided to become my own boat owner. Took it out 3 of the 4 days I got off for the 4th. Its a good boat. It does have some issues that I am trying to figure out, with little or no luck.
1) Speedometer doesn't read at all, i have looked through the forums and I see it could be a clogged inlet hole but really don't know where to look.
2) It wont stay at a constant speed, if im pulling someone behind me and set it at 2900 rpms it will start to loose its plane and nose will start to rise.

This is my first boat. I know its a used and what not, so really not complaining. Just sucks to have this nice of a boat and it run like this. If anyone has advice please let me know. Thanks

Glad to be posting on what looks like a promising boat for the long haul.

Re: New Mariah Owner
 

Hello and welcome most likely it is a clogged intake affecting the speedo easiest way I found was to disconnect it from the back of the speed and using compressed air blow it back from the speedo, though boat speedos are not overly accurate on a good day.
Part 2 with the 5.0 alpha combo prop will be very important for pulling especially a skier or larger person, for what you are looking for I would say run a 4 blade 17-19 pitch in that range would be my suggestion.

Re: New Mariah Owner
 

Welcome to the board Tim, and congrats on your "new" Mariah! :wink_thumbup:

The speedo problem is a common one. The pickup is located in the outdrive. It's on the lower half (part of the fin). Run your hand down the back edge of the drive and you'll feel a small indentation. That's the pickup. Debris can usually get clogged in there, and you'll have to clean it out with a nail, coat hanger, drill bit, etc. Do a search here on the forum for "speedo" and there's quite a few instructional things that have been posted.

These boats, while they are beautiful and great, aren't meant for hardcore watersports in their stock form. You need to add a few things to them to make them more suitable. Trim tabs, or smart tabs are something you should probably look into. They allow you to have the boat plane at lower speeds, which is extremely beneficial for wakeboarding, skiing, etc. Take a look around the forum and read up on those things, everyone seems to have positive after adding tabs! And as darkcalling pointed out, you may want to consider changing props to something with a better holeshot for watersports. Post in our "Prop Talk" section with what you're looking to gain out of your boat, and our prop gurus will get you on the right track.