Good Morning to all MOC members
 

Hi all,

First post here. From Jackson, Michigan.
Actually going to look at a 1996 Mariah Shabah 180 tonight on land and then if all looks good then we've arranged to take it out on the lake on Sunday. It'll be my first boat, so if all works out, I'll break my cherry with a Mariah ! That didn't sound good, maybe it did LOL

I'm looking for a little bit of help on what to truly look for as in wear and tear.I've seen the outside of the boat and there's nothing that would set off any flags in my mind. Has a new stainless prop, always stored in the winter and is a 1 owner.

The boat and engine only have right around 200 hours total on them. Original engine. No rips, not even a sun fade anywhere.Original trailer, new tires, no rust on the trailer. I know looks can be deceiving which is why I'm asking you guys and gals on what I should look for. The couple who own it are in their late 70's and are not the type to baha around, heck, they drive a Buick Century!

So at this point, any help would be very welcome.

Thanks all and I hope to become a new Mariah owner and active member here on MOC.

Regards,

Mark

Re: Good Morning to all MOC members
 

hi Mark & welcome aboard! I have the same boat. Maintenance is the key with older Mariahs as a well maintained original Mariah is a beautiful boat. As for things to look for other than what you have seen, check to make sure all of the electricals work particularly the outdrive trim switch/sensor & gauge. Sometimes the problem is just a bit of corrosion at an electrical connection but if the outdrive sensor has failed you have to remove the outdrive to replace it if you want the dash trim level gauge to work. Other than that you have covered most of the other items to watch for other than maybe asking for copies of the service history.

Best of luck and keep us posted!

Re: Good Morning to all MOC members
 

welcome

Re: Good Morning to all MOC members
 

I appreciate the info on the trim switch/sensor and gauge. Are you talking corrosion on both ends or just one and is this a common issue? I have seen the service history on the boat and it's solid. I think I'm getting a good deal on the boat, even my bank rep said "If you're getting it for that price, see if they have a second one for me" lol

As soon as I get some pics, I'll post them.

Thanks Mikeyt :wink_thumbup:

Re: Good Morning to all MOC members
 

Welcome to MOC Mark! :)

Re: Good Morning to all MOC members
 

For the most part this is a bit of a common issue with older boats but normally if corrosion is present it will be at the connections to the up & down solenoids back by the trim motor. If u look at the wiring there the easy way to identify which is which is, green (for grass) goes to the down solenoid and blue (for sky) goes to the up solenoid. As for the round sensor mounted on the outdrive, its very difficult to tell if one has gone bad but there is a procedure here if it doesn't work and you want to attempt to service it.

Re: Good Morning to all MOC members
 

Thanks Mikey, I'll see if I can see what you are referring to. Hopefully the trim gauge and sensor are working but the info is good to know as a regular check down the road.

Re: Good Morning to all MOC members
 

Sounds like you found a nice boat/trailer.
Check the trailer over as well as the boat.
Check that the trailer lights are working and the bunks have decent carpet, ask if they have been lubing the hubs.
I imagine with such low hours, (and the age of the owners) the boat and trailer have seen limited use, as long as everything has been maintained and winterized properly you can't go wrong especially if the price is right.
Just be prepared for minor electrical corrosion issues as others have stated.
Hopefully you will become a proud Mariah owner like the rest of us on this forum.

Re: Good Morning to all MOC members
 

Yes its a nice boat and trailer. Saw the boat this evening, found out it hasn't been used in a couple of years and the boat cover had a small tear it in allowing some debris inside so the boat needs a good cleaning, no biggie and not much crapola to cleanup.

The engine turned over and started for a sec and then the owner smacked his own forehead as he had realized he left old gas in it, BUT it did turn over with no probs.

I think Mikeyt jinxed the boat when he mentioned trim sensor LOL. The trim would go down but not go up, even after pressing the "trailer" button BUT on that same token, when the trim did go down all the way, the trim did move up for half a second, so am I safe to assume it will need the sensor? If so, I'm going to get someone else to do it as it would cost alot more if I attempted it and then had to pay someone to undo my tardness and then do it right LOL. Anyone have any idea of cost to do one? As the trim is now all the way down and the boat will have to be moved to a service department, am I right in thinking I can remove the "C" clips off the rams, move them off the drive then rope up the drive to the stern to hold it in place while being moved?

The trailer is in good shape by the way. Sorry to be longwinded. If the moderators wish to move this to a different section, I understand.

And yes I did buy it :yes_grin:

*** Update ***
Will check for corroded wiring one it's light out on the trim solenoid itself..looks like a weak point in this issue of "what goes down won't always go up"

Mikeyt, ever have this problem with the trim and what was your solution if you did have it?

Re: Good Morning to all MOC members
 

I have had a similar problem, as have many of our members, and fortunately with mine it was resolved by simply removing and cleaning up the connections at the trim motor. If you do them one at a time its pretty hard to screw it up. If it still acts up, here is a troubleshooting guide i posted.

If you need to replace the 'up' solenoid (they are interchangeable) here's a good & reasonably priced source for them.

As for moving the boat by disconnecting the outdrive rams, yes that's an alternative ( i had to do that once) but its less time & easier to simply disconnect & clean the wiring connections at the solenoid.