new to me 1995 shabah z202
 

well I just got home after picking up our new boat!!!
I picked it up from our neighbor in a seasonal campground. the boat has been sitting for a few years (about 3 years). covered up but stored outside. all I knew about it was he bought it brand new and it was about 20 foot and had a 5.0l v8. so before i went to look at it, I looked up some info online and found this site. VERY HELPFUL!!! anyway when we got their and took the cover off I noticed it was a Z202. I was so excited!!! a "Z". it needs a good cleaning but should clean up nice. then I noticed that it had only 52.4 hours!!!!. it needs a few things like: new battery, radio doesn't work, rear hatch lift cylinder is off on one side, he said the throttle cable is sticky, new covers both bow and cockpit (it has them but they really took the sun damage and are very dried out and brittle), and ALOT of cleaning. O and some more cleaning.... so i bought it and took it home and put it in my moms garage (1st time in a garage for the boat). it really needs alot of cleaning but it only has one tear in the interior about 1 inch.
here are a few questions:
- what works the best for cleaning the interior and exterior?
- should I do anything special to the drive line after sitting for 3 years?
- what speeds should I expect? 5.0l 4 barrel carb, alpha one, 19 pitch aluminum prop.
thanks
as soon as I can figure out how to post pics I will.

Congrats on the boat purchase! This is s a great group and there are a lot of experts on here that can give you a lot more detailed info than I can. A motor is never good sitting for 3 years without being started. The seals and gaskets will dry out and when it is finally started, you might have a lot of leaks. I would take it really slow and do some research. Have you ran the engine at all?


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Re: new to me 1995 shabah z202
 

Welcome aboard & congrats on the purchase. Posting pics is easy. When you hit "Post Reply" and start to enter your post, just look down the page a little further & you should see "Manage Attachments". Hit that & follow the instructions.

As for the boat, since its been sitting for 3 yrs it will need all of the fluids changed including the outdrive. Squirting a little bit of fogging oil in each cylinder thru the spark plug holes might be a good idea too to help in the initial lubrication when you fire it up for the first time.
Mr Clean Magic Erasers are great for getting rid of dirt/grime/stains on the upholstery but make sure you treat the upholstery afterwards with a UV protectorant. You'll need quite a few erasers though....
As for the exterior Meguairs make a very good 3 step cleaning process that should put a shine back on the hull.

As for speed, that motor / prop combo should net you right around 50mph.

If you are looking for parts vendors or parts for sale, check out our Vendor List and scan thru the threads in our Marketplace here.

Re: new to me 1995 shabah z202
 

Welcome . Would love to see some pictures. Take the boat to a good mechanic and have them do the first start on the engine.
303 Protectant will do great on all the interior surfaces once it is clean.

Re: new to me 1995 shabah z202
 

Congrats on a fine boat!!
The guys have covered your questions well , so I will just say "WELCOME" to MOC! :)
We all love our Mariahs , and look forward to helping you out in any way we can.
If you get a sec , go to the "Community" tab and click on "Members Map" , and put a pin where your located. :)

Re: new to me 1995 shabah z202
 

thanks for the great advise.
should I start asap or wait till spring. it is winterized now and I would Have to redo it. but I would know that it runs or not. I like the oil in the cylinder idea before starting, should i spray some in the valve covers also. it has oil filler caps on both sides. I not sure if it would help or hurt.
also it has clean looking oil in the engine and lube in the lower unit. should I start it 1st. then change them out.

Re: new to me 1995 shabah z202
 

I'm in a similar situation as you. Just bought a z210 that hasn't been run in quite a while. I'm waiting to start mine until spring. Fingers crossed that I don't regret it and spend the entire summer fixing things. I am having a mechanic perform the first start. Just curious, what did you end up paying for your boat?

Re: new to me 1995 shabah z202
 

I paid $2500 for the boat. it does need alot of cleaning and a few repairs.
I'm still not sure if I want to wait or not. depends on what I hear over the next day or so.
when I do start it I will let you all know how it went.
I'll also get some before and after pics.
any other thoughts on starting it now and re-winterizing it or waiting till spring.
allz28 how long was yours sitting?

Re: new to me 1995 shabah z202
 

Sounds like a good price. I paid 3500 for mine. It hasn't been started in two years. And that year they only ran it one time.

Re: new to me 1995 shabah z202
 

sounds like we both got a good price.... as long as they both run good. time will tell. I sure like the boat so I hope all is good.
I believe it is hard not to like a Mariah!!!!!

Re: new to me 1995 shabah z202
 

here are some before pics of the shabah z202 I just bought. this is how it looks now (same as the day i brought it home). I will get some after pics after I get it all cleaned up.

Re: new to me 1995 shabah z202
 

Congrats on the new ride. Looks like some elbow grease will go a long way on that one. I'll be looking forward to seeing the after pics.

Re: new to me 1995 shabah z202
 

That interior looks darn good. Mine was covered in mold.

I have the same problem with the gelcoat being faded. What is the best product to use to restore it?

Re: new to me 1995 shabah z202
 

Mikeyt said " Meguairs make a very good 3 step cleaning process that should put a shine back on the hull."
I'm not sure where to get it. maybe mikeyt can help us out.

Re: new to me 1995 shabah z202
 

oops, missed that in his post.

Re: new to me 1995 shabah z202
 

"Meguiars Fiberglass Restoration Kit".

It's available at West Marine, Bass Pro Shops, and even some Wal-Marts if they carry marine products. You can also buy online from a number of retailers.

I've used it and can honestly say it works very well. Yes it's a little work, but the end result is well worth the time and effort.

Also, for your interior, give the Mr. Clean Magic Erasers a try. They work wonders. There's all kinds of cleaning tips and tricks on the site!

Re: new to me 1995 shabah z202
 

thanks, I don't mind the work if the results are good.
I might wait till spring to start cleaning. i don't want any cracks from everything being cold.(if I can keep my hands off it????)
I'm also l thinking of waiting to start it til spring. I will most likely pull the plugs and spray some fogging oil in each cylinder and turn the motor over by hand, then just start her when the weather breaks. I figure its only 4 months from now. its going to be a long 4 months. maybe a quick vacuum wouldn't hurt;)

Re: new to me 1995 shabah z202
 

Congratulations on a great boat!

I would spend as much time on it as possible now if you have the time. It will only allow you the time to get all the little bugs worked out. I would recommend a marine mechanic now that things are slow go through the out drive and change fluids. You should get done now for much less than in the spring and if there are any issues you will have time to prepare for a repair instead of forced to do cause summer is here.

Whatever pace you choose, you have a nice boat and will enjoy it very much. Congratulations.

Re: new to me 1995 shabah z202
 

thanks Zack.
when you say go thought the out drive, what do you mean? what would need to be done? the boat only has 52 hours. I am more concerned about the motor sitting for the 3 years than the out drive.
am I missing something?
the out drive has new oil in it(3 years ago) and hasn't been in the water since. what would they do to go though it?

Re: new to me 1995 shabah z202
 

Even though the fluid was changed three years ago, I would flush it with new as well as have a pro look at the bellows and make sure they have not deteriorated with time. Maybe someone else can chime in on whether or not the impeller would be fine. You would know it was fine though if you were to have it all correctly gone through is all I was recommending. There's a lot of value in the confidence of a newly maintained unit.

I agree about the motor concern too, and I think I would use the off season to get a good mechanic to get her running and freshly tuned up to save on some cash as well as be confident you can use her for the entire season(when it comes).

Just my opinion though. Nice looking boat.

Re: new to me 1995 shabah z202
 

well I started cleaning up the vynil on the interior of the boat this week. it is cleaning up great!!!!
I am using a couple things, a product called x-14 mold and mildew remover and thetford rv awning cleaner. the both seem to work about the same. just spray it on and wipe it with a sponge. rinse with water (a different sponge with clean hot water) and dry with paper towel. mold comes right off. I have used the magic eraser in the past and I would have to say these work better.
I will get some after pics when its done. I still need to get the open bow done and then treat the vynil with 303 areospace protectant or ????? (if you guys know of something better)
also any ideas for getting stubborn starins out.????
i have a few. I have tried magic eraser, x-14, thetford, acetone, hairspray, with no luck.
any help would be great.

Re: new to me 1995 shabah z202
 

Defiantly change the impeller!
It will have gone hard over 3 years of not moving and as it sits off centre in the pump housing a couple of the fins will be bent over,
when you run the engine up they will break up.
To be honest as the boat is new to you I’d service the leg and motor at the same time,
at least that way you have a point in time to work to when it comes to future servicing.

Re: new to me 1995 shabah z202
 

Definitely change the impeller & outdrive fluids. A busted up impeller can cause a blockage in your engine cooling which could cause some serious damage.

Aerospace 303 is an excellent protectorant.

If i remember correctly the manuals suggest that you can use Acetone to remove stubborn stains in the Prefixx material. Just be sure to apply the protectorant afterwards.

Re: new to me 1995 shabah z202
 

thanks guys!!
I will for sure change the impeller!!!
I am thinking about doing it myself ( with the help of my brother who has done his a few times). I doesn't look that hard and no special tools to do the job.

Re: new to me 1995 shabah z202
 

You're using X14 bathroom cleaner on your upholstery?!? :eek_animated: You do realize one of the active ingredients is bleach, right? The Nautolex upholstery, even though it was probably one of the best vinyls available at the time, isn't made to stand up to bleach for cleaning. It has a PreFixx coating, (much like a chemical scotchguard), and there is only a few things the manufacturer recommends for cleaning with. First being 409 or Fantastik cleaner, second being rubbing alcohol, and third being acetone for the stubborn hard to remove stains. For stains that won't come up with any of those 3 or a magic eraser, you're pretty much stuck with them.

I really don't recommend either the X14 or the Thetford RV Awning Cleaner for upholstery. Any boat supply store, bass pro shop, or any place that sells boating stuff, (heck even most walmarts) will have marine cleaners that are specially formulated to be used on marine upholstery, and only cost a few dollars more.

I just hope you thoroughly rinsed them off immediately and applied the 303 protectant as quickly as possible.

Re: new to me 1995 shabah z202
 

I believe that the magic eraser has bleach in it also (from what I have heard, but they don't list it on the box). you would need something to kill the mold. both the x-14 and the thetford awning cleaner say they are safe for vynil. the x-14 does have some bleach. the awning cleaner doesn't list bleach (but either does the magic eraser). I have heard others onlne use them with no problems and they said it works better than the magic eraser ( it does work better in my opinion also). I did use mostly the awning cleaner as I believe it is safer. I used the x-14 on less visable areas avoiding the stiching as much as posible. I know the original owner of the boat and can say that this is the 1st time the interior has had any cleaner aplied, so i don't think it will do much damage. aslo I did the cleaning in a garage with no sun and a cool day 40-50 degrees. I did treat the vynil with the 303 within a few days to make sure everything was good and dry. I do like the way it looks after the 303, that stuff seems to be worth the $$$, time will tell. the boat looks 100 times better. once I get the hull cleaned up I will get some pics. o it is a 1995 boat that only cost me $2500. I need to keep that in mind. (it sure is looking good for an old boat) . time will tell if I hurt the stiching, I hope not but think it will be ok.

Re: new to me 1995 shabah z202
 

I think we've had a few members say their logo stitching has come apart after using magic eraser on it. Might be worth doing a site search on that before you get to the bow.

+1 for 303.

Re: new to me 1995 shabah z202
 

Actually, there's no bleach in Magic Erasers. They are made using melamine foam. When activated by using water, it creates a microscopic abrasive surface like extremely fine sandpaper, which allows it to get into grooves and pits in the object being cleaned. That's why it works so well. But also explains why some members had an issue with the stitching.

here's some interesting reading:
HowStuffWorks "Melamine Foam"

And contrary to the rumor, it's been confirmed they do not contain any formaldehyde or dangerous chemicals. The trick is to use them, and then protect or condition the vinyl right after using, while the surface is still somewhat pourous.

But if you think the X14 works better for you, that's your decision. Just make sure and protect and use 303 on everything, and you should be ok. I'd just try and stay away from the stitching because bleach will break down the fabric used in the embroidering.