Thinking of buying my first boat!
 

Sorry, I posted this introductions as well.

Hello everyone.

Looking at buying my first boat and would like any advice. The Mariah boats have caught my eye since I started looking at used boats and I've found one reasonably close.

98' 221 Talari Limited Edition
77 hours
350 mag/bravo 3
all covers - always stored inside

I've talked with the salesman a couple of times and have NOT made the trip down to actually look at the boat. Looks great from the pics tho. Matching trailer comes with and I have them down to $17,000. I think this is a decent price.

I know Mariah went out of business and the older boats come very well recommended. Can anyone share any other info on the Talari model and anything else to know with a Mariah. Thanks,

Kevin

Hi Kevin

It is a nice looking boat and appears to be well kept by the previous owner. 77 Hrs on the engine is low but either it wasn't used much (which might account for it's cosmetic condition) or it's had an engine rebuild? You will want to do an 'on the water' test and if possible, take someone with you who knows a bit about these size boats when you go to look at her. Check the price in the Nada guide at www.nada.com I've only seen one other 'LE' model before this one so it is fairly rare. We do have a 1998 brochure in our collection that is available. Click on the Donate button at the top of the screen and all will be explained.

The boat weighs 3500lbs at minimum & likely closer to 4000 so make sure you have a tow vehicle that can handle that weight. Top speed should be somewhere around 55 - 58mph with that motor i think. I'll let some of the others chime in with their thoughts.

Thanks for the reply.

A water test is a little tough right now due to the fact everything is froze up in my area. The dealer is willing to hook it up water up to it so we can run the motor a little. I will give it a thorough walk thru when I go look at it. The motor is my biggest concern. No leaks, cleanliness, no damage whatsoever.

Prepared for the fuel, have plenty of truck to pull, and that kinda thing. I've checked nada guide and it seems to be fairly close. The bravo III drive is not added in nada nor anything for the LE. It's the tip of my price range but can make it work.

Anyone know how the LE compares with the Z series??

What are the differences between the Talari and the other Mariah models?

Well there's no doubt that boat is in great shape! And the price seems fair considering the Bravo III, the condition and low hours. However, I would not consider buying the boat until you get a sea trial. If the dealer wants to make the sale, and feels confident enough in the boat, they should take a trial with you no matter what. I had a sea trial on January 27, 2006 in the Chesapeake Bay with skim ice and 28 degree temps. Don't settle for them just hooking a hose up to the outdrive!

The "Limited Edition" package is basically a Z-Series with buckskin interior, optional hull colors, and a gold decal package.

The other models offered that year and the differences are:

Shabah - This one's hard to gauge, according to the 98 brochure, they're virtually identical. I believe the Shabah was meant more for performance though, and the Talari was more of a "family friendly" boat offering more room. If someone else can explain this, please do!!

Jubilee - This is a deck boat, and in my opinion one of the weirdest looking boats Mariah ever made. But they're fast, and can hold a lot of people. Think fiberglass pontoon.

Z300 Offshore - This was Mariah's attempt to compete in the offshore market with brands like Baja, Fountain, Formula, and Cigarette. 30 ft Long and sleek. Cool boat, just never took off for them.

Z302 - This was listed in the 98 brochure as "Top Secret", and only blueprints appeared, however late 98 was the first year for this hybrid boat. At 30 ft long, it combines a small cuddy cabin in the middle and bowrider seating up front. Truly a unique boat, and very desirable to many people.

MCC - Mid Cabin Cruiser, these are the big cruisers you see, ranging from 26-28 ft. They're equipped with a stand up bathroom, and 2 sleeping berths, one in the V, and the other underneath the cockpit area.

Hope this helps!

Thanks for the info!

I see a few of the Shabah's on the internet and was curious what the difference was between the Talari.

The more I see prices on these boats the more I think its a pretty good deal.

I'm thinking I'll put a deposit down (on some kind of agreement) to hold the boat until spring if everything goes well upon inspection. There just isn't many places in Wyoming to test this guy out!

What are some issues/problems that could exist that I wouldn't see until a water demo?? Things to watch for?

Sounds like you may have a winner there Kevin. My understanding is that the "LE" versions fit in between the standard version and the "Z" package but i'm not absolutely certain of that. As for the differences between Talari / Shabah / Barchetta etc.....i dunno. They may be simply slightly different interior designs & options.
Anyone else here know?

Its easy for me to look at the hours and say - man this thing should be like new!

I'm mechanical enough to look things over on the motor and feel comfortable. As long as the upholstery looks and feels new (no scratches, tears, fading) I'm content there. I'll check the hull out closely and the rest of the fiberglass for damage.

Hopefully this dealer is willing to work with me. If he lets me buy it on the condition if there is something wrong or not working properly (puts something in writing) I can bring it back for repair - would that be fair? Anyone ever had or heard of that kinda deal on a used boat?

If he wants to sell the boat he can certainly give you say....a 90 or 120 day warranty to give you time to get it on the water & check her out.

btw...make sure all of the electrics and gauges work including the blower & bilge pump and that there's no soft spots in the floor. If you are comfortable checking out the motor that's a bonus. The outdrive operation is a little difficult to check out of the water. The trim/tilt sender unit on Merc and Volvo outdrives are notorious for failing (& a bit of a pain to replace) so see if the trim gauge works. Other than that i cant think of anything else off the top ...

If she checks out fine and you can get a warranty thrown in, then all that remains is the final price. It's a good time to buy since the sellers are a little hungry right now too!

Well I found out it will be a consignment deal and that anything wrong will have to be settled with the owner. I'm not sure if thats there way of backing out if there is any issues or that maybe I need to talk with the owner.

Is having the dealership run compression on that motor a good idea before I get there?

Absolutely. A compression test would help in determining if that 77 hours is legit or not...