[mlc]

Hello all. I have been looking for a boat to use on the Ohio River. . We are looking at two boats that the owners say are 2001 Mariah 215. The layouts are very different, one has two captain chairs with the head in front of the steering. The other has a lounge seating on passenger side with the head under the passenger windshield. The one with the two captains chairs has the same dash as in the 2000 214 model. The lounge seat setup has a horizonal style dash. My question is are they both 2001 215's are did they make two different models of deck boat in 2001. Any help on understanding models is appreciated. Any input into what to look for regarding problem areas of these boats would also be appreciated. Does anyone know how many 215's were made?
Thanks
Mike

[mikeyt]

The last 2 digits of the hull ID# will tell you what year they are but it's quite possible they are both 2001's. Mariah was in its 'death throes' at that point so its possible that some 2000's were completed & sold in 2001 as 2001 model boats. Our admin (ShabahZ250) will likely have a little more information on this so hopefully he will chime in.

[ShabahZ280]

To the best of my knowledge (and from searching the brochures), in 2001, Mariah only produced the 215 Jubilee deckboat models with the "Driver Bucket and L shaped seating". In 2000, Mariah produced the 215 Jubilee deck boat, as well as the 214 Jubilee, which had the double bucket seats and bench seating in the back. I think the other seller might have the model year or model number mixed up on his listing.

Check out this post about Hull ID numbers, and it should help you understand the month and year your the boats were made.
Hull Identification Numbers (HIN's)

On a side note, where on the Ohio River are you? I'm in Cincinnati!

[mlc]

Thanks for the replies. I am in the Evansville, In. area. After taking a test ride in the 214 I think I would like the 215 model better as you can close off the bow area. I like a long boating season so some protection from cool winds is needed. Still on the lookout for a boat. Seems like boat prices still reflect cheap gas prices. I am thinking prices will drop as season develops. I am trying to find a good boat with trailer between 10 and 15 thousand, that has similar layout as the 215 or is a 215. Locally there is a Sea Ray 24 deck boat but asking is 22,000, nice but out of my range.