[emra]

Dear fellow Mariah owners,
I desperately need your advice. I have had the most horrible customer experience and don’t quite know what to do. In 2005 I bought a new Mariah SC 25 Cuddy cabin from a dealer in Sweden (Din Marina). I had big problems with water leaking into the boat from day one. It leaked everywhere. It turned out that everything from the buttons for the canvas top to screws for the windshield had been installed without any silicone. Whenever it rained both the cabin and the engine compartment was full of water. Even the depth gauge (under the water line) was mounted without silicone! There were lots of other problems also, but all these problems I eventually managed to fix however.

My most recent problem however, which is what I need advice about, started when the left wind shield shattered last winter during winter storage (unknown how). Since then – for more than a year now – I have tried to order a replacement window. This would sound like a an easy thing but so far I have not managed to do it. In short, this is what I have tried so far:
My first attempt was with the Swedish dealer. It turned out that they are now out of business, or at least have stopped selling Mariah Boats (not a surprise if other buyers shared my experience). However, they at least referred me to the European general agent in the Netherlands and advised me to try to order directly from them. Said and done. I contact them, but it turns out that have also stopped selling Mariah Boats and could not order a new window for me either. The short remaining Swedish summer is quickly getting shorter.

Now I try to contact Mariah Boats/ Sea Fox I n the US to try to get some help. After a while I get a response. Hurray! I am told that they can’t help out directly but refer me to a US dealer that can ship it to me in Europe. A solution in sight! I contact them and we finalize the order. After that nothing happens. I keep trying to contact them and I get a reply after a couple of weeks saying that – yes, you guessed it – they have just stopped selling Mariah Boats and can no longer help me! Well, psychologically I have now reached the acceptance phase – there will be no boating this summer, but at least I have more than half a year to get the window fixed before next summer. Should be plenty of time …

I contact Mariah Boat Company again. They decide that they can actually help me after all, considering all the troubles I have had trying to get a new window. I am asked to send my credit card information so that they can complete the transaction. Finally sorted out – I think, naively. I send my credit card information as instructed, and wait. But after that I hear nothing (and no, there is nothing wrong with my credit card). After a couple of weeks I email again to ask when I can expect my window (it is autumn now, so no big hurry the next summer is still almost half a year away). No reply. I email again to hear if there is a problem. No reply. I email again to try to get any kind of response but there is only complete silence. I have now sent half a dozen emails more, months have passed, and I have now finally given up. Complete silence.

And here I am with summer fast approaching and still no windshield on my boat. Does anyone have any advice? It would be much appreciated!
Yours sincerely,
George

[mikeyt]

hi George

I'm really sorry to hear about your problems with Mariah/Sea Fox. Unfortunately we are somewhat geared towards the original Mariahs and replacing windshields on those boats has always been a major problem. If Mariah/Sea-Fox cant (or doesn't want to) help then there are a couple of after-market vendors that can make windshields. Try Ocean Dynamics or Marine Glass Specialties. As an option a couple of our members made up replacement windshield sections using acrylic. You can read about what they've done here.

I am not certain who made the windshields for the new Mariahs. I know that TaylorMarine did the glass for the original Mariahs. I would assume that there is some sort of etching/sticker etc on the glass identifying the manufacturer. You could always approach them directly to see if they still have the mold and can make a replacement. Maybe someone else here can chime in with another idea?

[rayzorback]

I for one am VERY disappointed in "Sea Fox" since they took over the "Mariah" line. It sure does not give Mariah's a good name. Sorry for your trouble and hope you get it resolved soon.

[emra]

Mikey,

Many thanks for your reply! Much appreciated. I'll try to contact these after-market vendors instead.

Sincerely,
George

[emra]

Thanks Rayzorback. Yeah, I agree. It is a shame. I could never have imagined that a manufacturer that is still in business would be so uninterested in providing even the simplest help to their customers. It is quite shocking.

Luckily, we have this forum to share ideas how to solve problems anyway.

[mikeyt]

Best of luck & let us know how you make out!