New to this club
 

Hello, I recently purchased a 1995 Talari 180. I had no idea what I was purchasing I just wanted to purchase a family boat to take my grand daughters out in. I have had a lot of boats but thought it was time to get something that would hold the family, not just a ski boat. I love this boat, but it needs a little work to get it back to its original glory. This is where I thought some of the members might help.

The boat is a little faded below the water line, can this be sanded and polished? There are some snaps on the floor in the front, and some on the windshield, what are they designed for? The speedometer does not work, the pickup hole looks clear (alpha 1 mercruiser) but I am not sure what to look for.
Can anyone recommend a upholstery shop that has done the interior. Someone who has the patterns for the engine cover?

The engine runs great and the boat is much faster than I thought possible, the prop is a stainless steel 5 blade(fast five) the engine turns 5400 rpm which seems a little too much. I can not see any numbers on the prop, can anyone make a recommendation?

Well now I am obsessed with this boat, this thing is solid as a rock, no vibrations or rattles and fast.

Thank you, Dan

Re: New to this club
 

Welcome aboard Dan and congrats on the purchase. We'll start with the hull cleaning/polishing. If you have a look around the site and particularly in the "General Maintenance" section you will find lots of threads discussing this issue.

The snaps on the floor are likely for carpet and the snaps on the windshield will be for your convertible top or possibly a partial travel cover assuming you have them.

As for the speedo issue, have a read thru this thread and your questions should be answered.

You wont find any upholstery shops who have the patterns etc for the original Mariahs. Your best bet is to find a marine upholstery shop in your area and negotiate a price to fix or replace.

5400 rpms for a 4.3L motor is waaaay too fast and that is likely because it is poorly propped for anything but tubing. Not only are you using more fuel than you should the extra rpms are causing premature wear in your engine. Your recommended rpm range is 4400 - 4800 at WOT for the 4.3. Most members here run a 3 blade 19" prop or a 4 blade 20" as a good general use prop on a 180. If you want some basic 'self-education' on props, read the Stickys at the top of the Prop Talk forum.