Soon to be owner
 

Hello,

My wife and I are looking to purchase our fist boat outside of our canoe. We are looking at buying a 1991 Shabah. I am trying to find out more information about the boat. The owner said that it ran great a year and a half ago before she parked it. She is the aunt of a friend we have known for years so I trust her. She doesn't really seem to know much more about it in regards to the specific model. The sticker on the boat said Shabah is all I know at the moment. The motor is supposed to be a 350 I think.

Any tips on how to find out more info by looking at it would be appreciated.

Thank you

Clint

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...g/IMG_9049.jpg

Re: Soon to be owner
 

There is a ton that needs to be looked at but first off where has it been stored for the last year and a half? If outside covered or not? What condition is the interior in ? Is there any standing water in any of the storage compartments? I guess it really all depends on how much you are paying for it and how mechanical are you? If at all possible I would find a friend/realative that knows boats to go with you to inspect it. If you dont know anyone I would take it in to a shop to have it checked out. It will cost you a couple hundred but could save you thousands if you buy a rotted or mechanically problematic boat. Just my 0.02

Re: Soon to be owner
 

Hello , and welcome to MOC!

I would check:
For soft spots in floor(very unusual for a Mariah)
Keel and underside of boat
Outdrive Oil for level and contaniments
Engine Oil for level and condition
Trim pump operation
Was it winterized
Was the fuel drained or stablized at least(fuel issues with boats sitting a long time can be a big headache sometimes)
Upholstery for rotten panels
Start her up on muffs

Number 1 thing is take her to the lake and run her. But if it hasn't run in a year and a half it needs maintenance done before much of anything.

If I'm not prying how much does she want for it?


Larry

Re: Soon to be owner
 

Welcome aboard! There were no "Shabahs" in 1991 so you might want to check the hull ID#. The last two digits are the model year.

Re: Soon to be owner
 

Thank you for the input everyone. Where is the Hull ID located? Is it on the back? I thought I saw a number plate riveted to the back near the ladder.

Edit: After a search I see that it should be there on the Starboard side. I will head over tomorrow and check it out.

Re: Soon to be owner
 

It appears to be a 96 and the window decal said/used to say Z200.

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...ng/photo-1.jpg

Re: Soon to be owner
 

I thought it looked a little newer than a '91. Then u are looking at a 1996 Z200 Shabah. Being a "Z" series it should have some little 'goodies' on it such as power drivers seat, power rear hatch, windshield wiper, window defogger etc.

Re: Soon to be owner
 

Is there a list somewhere that it came with? or would it be an as ordered type of thing?

Re: Soon to be owner
 

All "Z" series were not made exactly alike but they were an upscale Mariah with only the "LE" series further up the line. While some "Z" items were standard equipment such as digital air & water temp readouts, windshield defogger, docking lights, custom 2 tone gelcoat, power drivers seat, power hatch, digital info centre,, instrument dimmer switch etc they could be opted out of and there were probably a few more items that could be added.

For your particular Z200, it weighs in at approx 2550lbs dry, 40 gal fuel tank, 28" draft and with the 5.7 you should get into the low-mid 50's. Things to watch for is the checking to see if the digital info centre works (we have manuals etc available to contributing members) as the circuit boards can fail over time as well as the outdrive trim sensor which is failure prone on Mercruiser outdrives and a b**** to replace. Most of us just live with the trim indicator staying in the full up position and trim by feel.

Re: Soon to be owner
 

It is ours. We got it yesterday for 2500. Motor started just fine and sounded great.

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...58808445_n.jpg

The interior is kinda messed up. The worst is the back piece. Sun deck or whatever it is called.
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...g/IMG_8721.jpg

Re: Soon to be owner
 

For that price you can do the complete interior and still be way way ahead of the game ! :)

Nice Score!!

Better make the carport longer though LOL LOL

Larry

Re: Soon to be owner
 

Yea, it needs a cover. Once we clean it up a bit and get a cover we will move it. We don't have access to the backyard so the front is getting full.

Re: Soon to be owner
 

Ain't nothing wrong with filling the front yard with that!!! :)

Larry

Re: Soon to be owner
 

So we still need a cover. We have been using a Pontoon boat cover our friends gave us but we need a nicer, better fitting one.

We are looking at one of THESE from Sportsmans. Can anyone say if they have used one or have a better suggestion for something in the same price range?

Thanks in advance.

Re: Soon to be owner
 

That is a good price on the boat! Even though it needs some TLC it will be new and updated after you get it all fixed up! When going to do your upholstery get a couple bids and also make sure they are using marine vinyl. I just had some work done by a local shop. He did a great job. Now his is doing the tattered seats in my pickup!
As for the cover I'd be interested in knowing how it works for you. I need one for a boat as well. Some covers are up there in price and that seems to be reasonable.

Re: Soon to be owner
 

We have those types of covers over here in the UK,
They are good for about 2 seasons before they start to fall apart due to UV degradation
(And that’s in the UK where we don’t get any sun…..ever :().
I use one as a sacrificial cover over my main cover to protect it.

Deluxe 600D Waterproof Trailer Boat Cover Up to 17-19ft V-hull 95'' Beam CBT19 | eBay
This is the one i've got, but like i say it's just to keep the main cover clean.

Re: Soon to be owner
 

So we had a beautiful weekend here in Tucson. We got out and cleaned up the boat a bit. The interior looks incredible considering where it started.

Some Maguiars and elbow grease....

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...psf9e83be1.jpg
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...ps5d3da8df.jpg

The engine cover is destroyed. As we were puting it back down the bolts on all three hinges came out of the wood. This has to be recovered anyway because the fabric was ruined. Guess new wood, foam and fabric is in order.

Re: Soon to be owner
 

Look out for some Government agency as you STOLE this boat! I got my vinyl from a place in Florida... can't remember the exact name of it (search my posts). Almost exact match for my Original Fabric. You are very Lucky in this deal. Maria's Rock!

Re: Soon to be owner
 

Thanks, I keep hearing that. My friends dad actually owns a boat shop here in town and he said the same thing. I took the boat to him to check everything out for me since I got the wiring sorted on the trailer.

Still need some tires on the trailer and to fix the engine cover before we head up to the lake this summer.

Re: Soon to be owner
 

Hey...........sometimes a guy gets lucky!!!
Musta been your turn CrnCnn.
Great deal!! :)

Re: Soon to be owner
 

Went to the lake this weekend. Boat ran great, once it was stopped from sinking... The hose came off the water pump of the motor and was dumping it all into the hull. SCARY!

Sent from my HTC One X+ using Tapatalk 2

Re: Soon to be owner
 

Ouch:eek_animated:
Sounds like its time for a good check over:wink_thumbup:

Re: Soon to be owner
 

It did get a going through, I guess he forgot to put on the hose clamp.

We replaced the back deck also by the way, my first upholstery job.

We had to replace everything. The wood was so rotten it fell off the hinges.


Sent from my HTC One X+ using Tapatalk 2

Re: Soon to be owner
 

great job for your first time